This 5* review is based on one thing...the most amazing roast dinner you will ever have. Ever…read more The yorkshire pudding is so big, it has it's own dish...as in, an entire baking tray. It really is extremely yummy, decent price and really lovely staff. We drive an hour to go to this pub for a special treat.

Absolutely impeccable standard of customer service. During our visit we encountered 5 different…read morestaff members and they were all extremely pleasant and helpful. As you can see from my other reviews, I'm rarely impressed by customer service in the U.K., so congrats :-) The food was also delicious and the pub itself has a sense of space, with large tables which are adequately spaced.

With my mum visiting from Canada we were on the hunt for nice ambiance, water views and tasty food…read more We decided to try The Grove Lock - new to all three of us. A pleasant surprise all round. Lovely views of the Grand Union and when the weather is balmy (or at least not raining) there is ample space (tables, chairs) outside right on the canal-side. We even had the chance to spot three canal boats docked up right by the pub so this makes a great spot to bring kids too. Inside, the pub had lovely beams and felt quite airy. We were there in the evening and each table had a candle, giving the pub quite a cozy feel. Though there were lots of families and it was busy, we were able to secure a comfy window table. The service was very helpful and the food tasty. We enjoyed lamb shank (beautifully cooked but could have come with more than the sliver of potatoes Dauphinoise) and a fish pie (which was loaded with fish). We barely had room for dessert but admirably made space for a fresh bread and butter pudding, a gorgeous and ever so chocolaty brownie with ice cream and a toffee pudding. All lovely. We could even wash it all down with a double espresso. Highly recommended for families and groups as there's lots of space but we did see some couples there too. Overall, a very pleasant experience with lovely views.

Wow Ian the landlord has done it again! He had the Old…read moreThatched Inn at Adstock and this from the ground rebuild has resulted in a fantastic pub that opened at the beginning of Sept 2013. Great selection of fine ales ciders and larger and comprehensive wine list. The kitchen is now open and all I can say is WOW you have got to eat here! Great gardens, open fires and a warm welcome!

Where do I begin ?..... We as a group of friends go out once…read morea month to have a Sunday Lunch in and around the Aylesbury area. It was my turn to choose the venue this week & after reading the reviews, booked us into The Bell. On arrival, after finding our table we sat in a tight corner next to the bar not really suitable for a table for 6 and waited for our server. We sat & we sat....after 15 minutes we were yet to order a drink let alone our meals. After 50 minutes our meals arrived and although the meals were ok in regards to taste, they were all only luke warm at best. We were offered the desert menu and all ordered the recommended one on the menu, I'm afraid it was bland and yet another disappointment. Our spoons were delivered by the server, all held by their heads in her hands. The pub itself is cosy and had a lovely log burner but I'm afraid the service and food were a real disappointment. The food has a real chance of being so much better if only served hot and accompanied by a much better service experience.

Nice and cozy former stagecoach inn. The reception is on the 1st floor (2nd floor in American way),…read moreso it could be confusing if you have no idea about it. The ground floor is a nice pub with typical pub fair. The food was actually quite nice and the price was not so expensive. I stayed for 4 nights and ate at there every day but I found everything fine. Actually we tried another pub just 50 metres away just to realise this was a far better place. Room was not big but comfy, and well appointed. However I had a double room only for myself so it would be quite small for 2 ppl. I'd prefer fluffier towels but they were acceptable. Free wifi throughout the hotel.

I came here for a few drinks and dinner, which were both great. It was quite busy inside but each…read moretime I went to the bar I waited no more than a couple of minutes as the bar staff were very attentive. I ordered the chicken breast burger with bacon and cheese and it arrived within minutes despite the lady at the bar telling me it would take ten minutes, so I was quite content with that. I can't speak for the hotel as I was not staying there but to have a Wetherspoons directly underneath your room must be amazing!

My family and I went here for an Easter dinner rather than staying home. As soon as we walked in…read morethe atmosphere was warmly welcoming and the service was impeccable. Our food arrived promptly with pub-like presentation which met expectations. The food was of good quality with a large range of dishes to choose from. Additionally, their accompanying wines were reasonably priced. However, the food was on the high side price wise for a pub but the menu suggests that it is catering as a restaurant. I would highly recommend this pub/restaurant for anyone fancying a nice night out with their family.

The Betsey Wynne describes itself on the web site as an award winning country village pub, and…read morelooks like it has been there for a few hundred years, but looks can be deceiving. Despite the traditional village pub looks, the building opened in 2006 and is probably described as a gastro pub, certainly not a village pub. From what I can research it has won an award, but not for the food: it won the South East New Build category in the CLA's Rural Building Award Scheme. I find this rather misleading: if it has won any food awards please let me know and I'll update the review. We arrived on a fairly busy Saturday evening for a pre-booked table, booking looks like a good idea as it was very busy. The bar area is small, the pub is definitely aimed at diners, so we were happy that we'd booked a table so we could sit down to have our drinks. The draft beer and bottle of red wine were both nice. I asked the waitress for more details about the King Prawns in Garlic Butter (£7.95) starter, she went away to check and when she came back she described it as prawns cooked in garlic butter (duh!). Sounded fine so I ordered it and what we got was 6 large prawns, with heads still attached, in garlic butter with a little lemon and some fresh bread. Strange the heads on didn't get a mention when I asked for clarification it seemed like a key feature to me! We also had some additional bread (£2.95) some of which had been stood around cut, so the edges were dry and hard, served with an small dish with lots of oil and a tiny bit of balsamic vinegar hiding in the bottom: not impressive. For one of the mains we had an Aberdeen Angus ribeye steak with onion rings, tomato, hand cut chips and (a singular) mushroom (£18.95). Generally this was very good: onion rings were homemade, the steak was very nice. My only complaint was that the twice-cooked chips were soft and fluffy in the middle, but not crisp on the outside. The second main was Glen Falloch venison (£16.95) served with an orange and juniper jus, dauphinoise potatoes and spinach. The venison and jus were very good, the spinach was fine, but between the two some thinly sliced caramelised onions were a little too sweet. I wasn't too keen on the dauphinoise potatoes, I thought they had an odd after taste, but my fellow diner thought they were fine. We briefly dabbled with the idea of sharing some cheese for pudding, but after the waitress went away to check the selection (stilton, cheddar and goats cheeses) we decided not to bother. At this price-point the service was disappointing: the waitress didn't know details of the prawn dish, or know what cheeses were on the cheese board, and we had to ask to receive side plates and a steak knife. The Betsey Wynne is nice, but it is trying to be up-market and to do this the standard of the food and the service both need to improve. The building and car park are both good, but what goes on inside the building needs to improve.

Dissapointing! The Unicorn is described as The Best Pub in…read morethe Village on a sign outside, but given it is the only pub in the village of Cublington this isn't such a difficult standard to keep up. It also has the claim to fame of being a two AA Rosette award establishment, but it wasn't living up to these expectations on the night we visited. The pub itself is a really good example of a village local. It even sells a small selection of food items and stamps which is a great service. Nicely old fashioned with low beams and a large beer garden at the rear, it was busy when we arrived in the early evening and remained so until we left. If you want to eat, I strongly recommend booking in advance. The menu is interesting with a good selection of dishes and reasonable value given the level of cooking: starters cost £5-8, mains £10-23 and deserts £5-7. I had scallops and my partner had leek and smoked cheddar tart with watercress and garlic salad cream. The scallops were very well cooked; the cheddar tart could have done with a little more kick from the cheese but was pleasant. Mains were less successful. I had slow roast pork belly with mashed potatoes, braised red cabbage, sage and cider jus: the pork was excellent, but the whole dish and particularly the potatoes were not that hot. My partner had grilled lemon sole with new potatoes, wilted spinach and lemon caper butter. She had requested it filleted, but there were lots of small bones and given the subdued lighting in the dining room these are only discovered when they are in the mouth. Once again the whole dish wasn't particularly warm. The pudding sounded interesting, so we tried caramelized apple tarte tatin with honycombe ice cream (their Americanized spelling not mine) which was rather chewy; toffee and date pudding with clotted cream and toffee sauce where the cake was rather dry. I suspect both had been over microwaved. Overall we enjoyed the pub, general style and atmosphere, but the food consistently disappointed which is a real shame. We were going to return with some friends, but not now. We may give it another try in a little while for lunch and see if it fairs any better.

What a lovely pub which I found purely by chance whilst visiting a family grave!…read moreThe pub is situated right along the banks of the Grand Union Canal so is popular with boaters but is quite easily accessable by road too, over a narrow bridge and a short drive along the canal bank and then into the pub car park. This place does get busy in the summer and the food is excellent. There are plenty of tables outside also, all along the canal bank. The main pub has been extended fairly recently and has had a refurbishment. There is a good selection of real ales and at time of writing the pub is about to start a 5 week beer festival!! Expect to find, IPA, Abbot (one of my favourites) and the seasonal bonkers conkers (yum) amoung others. Slightly off the beaten track but well worth that detour.

This is a place that I have been into on and off for the last 10 years. Everytime I go I like it,…read morewhether its lunchtime or evening. Took a business acquaintence there just the other day because we wanted to grab a bite to eat and it just seemed to fit.