Great classic English Pub with a nice food upgrade. Very good beer, thatched roof, neighborhood…read morepub. Nice garden where the locals bring their dogs and have a pint. Tuscan pork and bean stew (outstanding!), chili with chunks of real steak, first class fish and chips. What more could you want!?

Well, where to start . . …read more I found this place by accident when I was doing my articles to qualify professionally in Salisbury, by sheer good luck I took rooms just a few yards away from a pub I had unknowingly driven past a hundred times - it is - it really is - well hidden. Once I found it I practically moved in . . .. This pub is located in the tiny hamlet of Netherhampton - just outside Salisbury in Wiltshire. If you are in the area - eat here! It is a chocolate-box cover thatched pub - all oak beams, real fires and horse brasses. The beers - ever changing - are kept in such fine condition that they have won awards (plural) from CAMRA. Their lagers are - well - lagers (enough said) if you're in this pub drinking lager you've missed the point utterly. However - their ciders (and I'm thinking Black Rat in particular) are first class. If you want a drinking pub you can't go wrong here However . . . their food . . . is . . . sublime. Now don't get me wrong they serve pub food. You won't find some sort of Cordon Bleu stupid pretentious nouvelle cuisine here. But you will find things like sausage and mash with sausages made from local wiltshire pork with REAL mash made from real spuds. The ham and eggs are made with ham from the local farm simmered in Black rat cider for four hours then roasted slowly and served with eggs from the hens next door. Their Jambalaya Gumbo and Cassoulet are beautiful creations scratch made by their chef (and she really is from New Orleans!!). But - and I challenge you: try their chilli. Normally Chilli is a dish that is best avoided at all times - its usually made with left over roast beef from the Sunday roast or it's just minced beef with tomatoes and hot stuff. This is different - this is real chilli, real steak - in chunks, whole tomatoes braised to a vermilion syrupy sauce ignited with fresh scotch bonnet chillis. The other chef, Taylor (the boss's son), has made this his signature dish. Now listen up: I hate chilli - it's usually secondhand, second-class, reheated muck that I wouldn't serve to my dog. I NEVER order it when eating out - with one exception - the V&A. I regularly travel from my home in London down to Netherhampton just for lunch, and if I'm to be honest, I order one of their fabulous pub meals and get them to pack me a serving or three of their chili to take back home. Great beer, great food and great hosts. I know of no finer pub in England (that hasn't stopped me looking you understand . . .) One more thing, dogs - even three-legged ones - are welcomed. Oh yes - forgot to say - you'll find a picture of it among my photos.

First, let me say there is an extra point here for advertising & external atmosphere that only a…read moreclassic low ceiling with bare wood beams (at least some are real) can afford. Came in early afternoon for a late lunch to a couple of pints and fish & chips (minus the mushy peas, but garden salad substituted) to four hungry Yanks. The chef was new, but the food was plentiful & well served. The fish was fresh, not frozen, fresh battered & fried in clean oil, as were the thick chips. (The rest of the group got the shoestring potatoes, but still good.) The bartender was occasionally occupied breaking in said new chef, but overall- it turned out well. For me, the bartender mistakenly overcharged me, then realized his mistake and backtracked his mistake- bringing me back a twenty pound note -saying "I'd not feel right if someone had done this to me, so I'm certainly not going to do it to you." So add a large helping of distinct honesty to the basic review. Definitely will be back someday, and relax for another couple of pints, watch the game on the large screen telly(s), and order up a fish & chips again. So, sure, recommended highly by a Yank or four. Cheers.

Excellent Fish and Chips We stopped in for a quick lunch…read morewhile visiting Salisbury. The fish and chips were among the best we have ever had! The atmosphere is amazing with fireplaces, wood beams and a nice bar! Highly recommend Bell & Crown.

WOW!! I hadn't been in here for a few years despite living nearby, but I called in for Sunday lunch…read morea few weeks ago after my dear mum said it had changed hands and things were on the up. I have to say the food was superb, at the time I think i even said it was the best sunday lunch i had ever had, I think I was a little taken a back by the quality of the food on offer. They have successfully managed to retain some of the old charm and proper pub feel, while making the dining a cosy, friendly experience that is all about locally produced food. The lamb had already sold out (turn up early or book on the phone if you don't want to miss out) so the three of us had duck, chicken and beef. Each dish was cooked pretty much to perfection and the home made yorkshire puddings were great. Sunday lunch just how it should be! This pub focusses on local, fresh produce all of which is prepared on site and served in simple, traditional dishes. The menu is short, but in my opinion that is the way it should be, as it means each dish excels. It is always so disheartening to find a pub that has 30 dishes on the menu as you can almost guarantee each one will be mediocre. Not the case with this pub. To top it all off the ales are well kept, the Bowmans "swift one" was a very refreshing pint and anything on tap from Hopback is a safe bet. All in all this pub comes very highly recommended, great food, nice atmosphere, good beers and friendly service, what more could you want?!

We called in for lunch. A friendly staff and a pleasant ambiance welcomed us. This is an old…read morevillage pub that offers great food and beer. They also support local community events and activities. Toilets are clean and parking is available. I had the best steak and kidney pudding and all the trimmings while my daughter enjoyed the vegetarian menu, vegan options are also available. The Royal Oak is the essence of what a rural pub needs to be to survive these days. Only a mile or so off the A36 but in a beautiful old village. I heartily recommend, but do book early as this is a place sure to be popular with cyclists, tourists, locals and passing trade.

The food was excellent in the little pub in as close as "middle of nowhere" you can get in the…read moreSouth of England. Definitely get reservations for weekends.

I don't even know where to start with the cartwheel! It is one of those hidden gems you just can't…read morebelieve you have been missing out on prior to your visit! The staff go that extra mile to make you feel right at home! The food is just first class, the presentation really goes beyond what you would expect to find in any pub and the quality of food is exceptional! I would recommend the pork belly to anyone and believe me I am super fussy when it comes to pork ( I always end up thinking I could of done better myself at home) but their pork is to die for and very generous with the portions! The crackling just melts in your mouth and really sets the bar so high ( I haven't yet found better, even my own isn't as good!)

Arguably one of the best meals we had. Cookin from the stars i had my reservations about the…read morepulled pork but it wasn't bad. The soup was great. Overall we were happy with the meal and would go back here to eat.

I liked to stop at the oldest pub/bar in cities that I visit. The Haunch did not disappoint! I…read morearrived a bit on the early side for lunch and the waitress took good care of me. I had an excellent view of the old church clocktower. The restaurant is clean and remarkably spacious for such an old building. It was bright and cheery. The bar downstairs felt cloistered but I only passed through. I had the Scotch egg and fish and chips, along with some local ales. I only had 2 days in England and I feel like I got the exact meal I had been anticipating.

The bartender was really nice-she chatted a bit about the area and responded to my request for a…read morelocal beer.

Visiting Bath for a couple days and stepped in here for a pint to cap the day of sightseeing. Local…read morefolk were welcoming, and we had an interesting chat. I'm thankful for this Yelp app and our reviews which is very helpful in finding great spots we might miss otherwise.

Super friendly. When the owners saw we were foreigners, he took special care to bring us a menu…read moreand ask after where we are from. He spent a bit of time chatting. We were even offered free tastes of local beers. Service is amazing. Food is great. Large vegan menu. Superb local atmosphere. Sweet! ! They even offer Spotted Dick on the menu. It's a special today! !

From the owner: We're a small village pub situated right next to the historical, Stonehenge…read more Our staff are extremely friendly and always ensure that the customers are satisfied with their experience.

I just stayed here for a wedding. Decent sized parking area with a very nice garden. Beautiful…read moreplace. It was very welcoming and clean with all new bathrooms with cozy robes, complimentary beer, fizzy water, biscuits, and we enjoyed some great food. Breakfast was included. Also very dog friendly! They provided a dog bed for the family dog. Oh and very lovely beer brewed on side! Will be back for sure!

An absolute gem of a pub in one of Devon's prettiest, most tucked away coastal villages. The…read moreMason's Arms is, quite simply, a fantastic place in every sense of the word. I've stopped off for a snack or a quick drink a couple of times, and it's always really impressed me, and the lunch my parents and I had recently ranks as one of the best pub dinners the Andrews family can remember. Their crab sandwiches were fresh, as were the fish in their delicious creamy leek fish stew, while the ploughmans was huge. Desserts of chocolate and pecan brownie and banana fritters with toffee sauce were gobbled up. Ok, it's not cheap for a Devon pub, but the food is worth every penny - there was hardly anything on the menu I didn't want to scoff down. The pub itself is a charming sprawl of wooden rooms, and a small seating area out the front. It's homely and although the staff run a slick operation, they're still friendly and helpful. The pub was recently taken over by St Austell Brewery, so there's a good range of their beers, plus a couple of guest ales. This includes one local beer brewed in Branscombe. It's quaint, delicious, comfy and sits in one of the most stunning areas of the Devon coast. It is, quite simply, a perfect pub.

We had a really nice cozy meal here. Our waitress was very sweet and accommodating. The food was…read moreserved nice and hot - plates warmed and everything. We ordered the fish pie, baked black cod, and vegetable tagliatelle and it was all very delicious. Definitely recommend for a local British pub experience!

By far the most amazing place I've stayed in the UK, the staff is amazing. The manager Johnny was…read morefriendly and extremely helpful. Two servers really helped us out throughout our two night stay, Archie (who had only started a day before we came in) was great, very sweet and an excellent server. Also Bryony was excellent, she's a wonderful server with an awesome personality. The food was amazing, the fish and chips was by far the best I've ever had, and I work at a seafood restaurant!! Rooms are small but very cozy and they make you feel at home. Pub offers a lot as well, the manager has an extensive knowledge of drinks and what goes well with what. Definitely stay here if you're passing through Newbury or you're headed to Highclere Castle, it's only a ten minute cab ride up to the castle.