The Red Lion has pole position at the heart of this attractive Oxfordshire village, adjacent to the…read moremediaeval church and the spot where Edward the Confessor was born (apparently). The pub has two rooms: the main bar area has a pool table and a Sport TV screen, which attracts something of a local male crowd (in fact, all male between 30 and 50-something on our visit). Dogs are also allowed in this bar - so says a notice on the door! Behind is a larger room with its own bar counter, more laid out for dining and families. There's also an outdoor area for use in summer and plenty of parking. We didn't eat here but were told that food is good - the pub is under new management (as of early 2009). The landlord was very chatty and friendly. Real ales consisted of Wadworths 6X and Reverend James - a nice change in this part of the world.

A disappointing visit…read more Went for a birthday lunch with my husband & 2 children. Having not been for a very long time I expected the restaurant area to have been updated.but its still the same. It needs updating! Old carpettatty walls etc. The childrens menu was very limited and had the usual fish fingers & chips etc. Would have been nice to have had some healthier choices on there.not even pasta was offered. My Moussaka came out steaming hot (just out of the microwave I expect) and had much too much cheese on top.I had to scoop it all off to actually get down to the meat..This was easier said than done as was all stringy due to it being so hot! It wasn't very nice My husband had Ham, egg & Chips.he said it was OK. I had asked for a small portion of tuna pasta (it was on the Specials Board) for my son.but this was not possible so ended up having to pay almost £9 for a dish that my 4 yr old ate about a 1/3 of!!! However our waitress was very friendly and attentive. Its a shame as I thought it would have been much nicer than it was. We won't be going back.

Service excellent and friendly. Fantastic food and a cut or two above your usual pub food. Value…read morefor money superb. Three meals with drinks £31.00. I had the two chicken breasts grilled and it was so delicious. Beautifully presented and nice and seasoned. Served with sweet potato fries and a very fresh salad with different tomatoes and a nice vinaigrette dressing. My wife had their award winning fish and chips and it is massive. Very tasty and the batter is unique but excellent. Nice thick piece of cod. My daughter had the steak and ale pie and it was very tasty and the crust fresh and homemade. When we left every staff member said goodbye and wished us a safe journey. Customer service that can't be matched. Highly recommend.

Black horse always delivers great customer service, super friendly people and staff and always…read morefeels relaxed but professional. It lacks a certain 5 star feel, but then again, for the price and value in what you get, it's verging on hitting that 5 star mark!

Excellent food with a great location and service…read more Great Caesar salad and choice of desserts! Lots of available parking.

Very good meal in a very rural setting. Parking nearby was easy and service was good. Very much off…read morethe beaten track but recommended.

This place was awesome! We stayed directly across the street at The Dozing Duck (Airbnb) so of…read morecourse made a reservation for dinner here. (No reservation needed on the pub side-we ate in the restaurant) The food is locally sourced, fresh and authentic rustic farm to table. Even my side salad was delicious. I highly recommend!!

Our go to whenever we are in Oxford visiting family. They have a nice outdoor area, not a lot of…read moretables with umbrellas but no worries if it is nice out. If you eat in the bar area you go to the bartender order your drink of choice and meal. Hint...if you only feel like a half portion of fish and chips you can order a half order and for me it's a perfect portion of food. They do have a bar menu too if you don't want fish and chips. But really who goes to a pub in England and not order fish and chips. This is the place to do so. They do have a restaurant but I believe you need a reservation for that. Worth every bit for a nice meal out and I believe that the menu is a bit different.

A traditional village pub with a grand view overlooking the old bridge at the southern end of the…read moreattractive village of Islip. The pub is an attractive stone building, reached up a steep flight of stone steps. Once inside there is a single bar area at the front, with low ceilings and a cosy feel. There's a function room at the rear as well (not always open). They serve Greene King IPA and a guest ale, which on our visit was Flanker's Tackle. There's a third hand-pump available, and so there may be an extra choice sometimes. The pub has a clearly dedicated following of locals, and also does food, though we didn't eat here: on our visit, much of the pub was given over to a local craft fair, so it's clearly an essential part of village life.

Hmmm. Read somewhere that the food was quite good. Not sure why they thought that as my food was…read morepretty awful. Beer was cold so that was good but mash must have been made a couple of days ago and I am not even sure it was good then and then the gravy was Bisto's finest. Not what I would expect from a place that supposedly prides themselves on their food. Kids had fish fingers which were ok and mum had lasagna which was a microwave special Yuk. Would not recommend if looking for food as there are so many other great English pubs so close by

Excellent traditional English pub. Lovely Sunday roast, perfect garden for the kids.read more

The Star is a not-well-kept secret. Out of the way - a few miles out of Oxford - and not easy to…read morespot first time when driving past, it's still surprisingly busy, particularly at weekend lunchtimes. It has a good car park, a big garden with tables to eat outside - lovely in the summer - and tables indoors of varying sizes, some near the roaring fire. The food is averagely-priced for pub grub but the quality is well above average. It's a good place to take visiting relatives - particularly from overseas as it's very typically 'English country pub' in appearance. Staff are friendly, and there's never yet been a problem with food, service, or drink, apart from having to queue to order!

One of the absolutely best pubs (and restaurants) in Britain. As a pub fanatic, I've visited…read morehundreds of watering holes through the years, and the food has never, and I mean never, been this good. I've eaten at Michelin star restaurants that haven't had steak as tender and succulent as what we had here. The ambiance was romantic, quirky, and quiet, perfect for a night out. We started with a potato and leek soup and the Welsh rarebit. The soup was good, not exceptional, but good, and the rarebit was tasty. We continued with the special, which was a hanging skewer with melted garlic butter, corn on the cob, and chips. I can honestly say that I have never had such a delicious, perfectly cooked and seasoned beef skewer outside of Greece or Spain. It was an absolute experience simply eating it. One of those rare dishes that makes you pause and close your eyes at the sheer pleasure of the perfect taste. I never wanted it to end. My husband had the same experience with his assorted beef platter. The medallions were so tender you understand what the phrase "melt in your mouth" means. I only wish we had room for dessert, as the dessert menu looked utterly luscious. But we will be back, and soon. I cannot recommend this restaurant highly enough.

Saturday evening and a large booking was made for this lovely located place. The setting is…read moreamazing by the way and whilst it was dark I can imagine that during a hot day this will be packed and quite rightly so. There is a great choice of food to select from the menu do both adults and children. It is all brought out together and if you need something changed then they will do it for you. The food comes looking fab and is hot/cooked well. The staff are friendly and the atmosphere great If near by def worth popping in

Great food at reasonable prices. It has a nice atmosphere and is a very welcoming place to eat. It…read moreis a family orientated restaurant, but don't let that put you off if you are worried about loud children. Whenever I have eaten there and there have been young children present, they have never been a problem. I have visited both in a small group of adults and with a large family group, and both times I have enjoyed my experience. Whoever you are, they will try their best to accommodate you. When we visited with a an elderly wheelchair bound relative, the staff rearranged the tables so that she could be easily manoeuvred through the restaurant. Of all the restaurants we have visited with her, The Fisherman was easily the most cooperative and considerate. The building is well presented, and the staff are polite and helpful. If you are looking for fine dining in a high class establishment, The Fisherman is not for you. If however you are looking for homely and warming environment, I would definitely recommend eating here.

We recently stayed here for three nights' bed & breakfast, and ate here each night…read more The pub itself is large, with the original early 18th Century building facing the main road, a modern extension at the rear, and a separate accommodation block behind the beer garden. The additions blend in well with the original building; the interior of the pub is all exposed stone, low ceilings and wood, with several real fireplaces (cosy on cold days- which we had on our stay!). Food is served both in the main pub and the dining area at the rear, which is brighter, with a high ceiling. We booked a superior room (3 nights B&B for £315), and were really pleased with it. It was spacious, with a super-king sized bed (two singles together), tastefully decorated, with a walk-in wardrobe (with iron and mini ironing board). Both ceiling spotlights and bedside lights could be dimmed. The bed itself was extremely comfortable - supportive but with a lovely soft topper and a mix of down and fibre pillows. Once we got used to it (being very different from home) we slept well. There is a kettle to make tea, and a coffee machine (pods). The ensuite had a walk-in rainforest shower and was well decorated with green glazed tiles, and spotlessly clean. The toiletries were decent quality from Temple Spa. The weather was extremely cold while we were there, but the central heating radiator was excellent and heated the room quickly; the water in the bathroom was also deliciously hot. It was also well soundproofed - you are completely unable to hear the nearby A41 dual carriageway or M40. In our room, you could hear people going up and down the stairs, but this did not disturb us. Breakfast was included in the price of our stay. There are no cereals offered, just cooked breakfasts. However, there is a good number of choices on the menu, including a full English; a full vegetarian; eggs Benedict; eggs Florentine; avocado and poached egg; eggs Royale with smoked salmon; waffles; and pancakes. We had the full English, the vegetarian full English, and the avocado and poached eggs. They were all good, not too much, but well cooked. (Those used to big cafe fry-ups may be disappointed, but it suited us.). In the evening, we had on our first night burgers (chicken burger, and a vegan burger); on the second night mushroom risotto with a side salad, and haddock and chips; and on the last night the houmous starter with pomegranate seeds and Italian flatbread, followed the Waldorf salad, and my partner had the salmon, cod and prawn fish pie. The food was well above your average pub grub. The mushroom risotto and Waldorf salad were in particular excellent - the risotto being one of the best that I have ever eaten in a restaurant. Service in the evening was very good, and we felt very well looked after by Neville and Henry. Service was a little slow at breakfast one morning but, overall, we were very happy with our stay. We would certainly consider returning and would recommend it both for accommodation and to eat.

Visited The Lion for breakfast on my way to Bicester Village for a shopping spree with my friend. I…read morehad The Full English which was delicious and really well priced, my friend had the Veggie full English which didn't disappoint. The service was really good, I will definitely be visiting again. Best breakfast in Bicester in my opinion.

Pretty good pub place and gets busy on a weekend. Service can be a bit slow. For appetizers, we go…read morethe hummus (3/5), fried whitefish (5/5) and baked brie (5/5). I really like the fried whitefjsh and baked brie. The lamb shank was good as well but a little bit dry. This is apparently expected of all pub foods though.

First time visiting, pub itself is lovely. Beautiful views surrounding and lots of seating. The…read moregarden area is huge and plenty of space, can imagine it being enchanting in the evening with all the lights. Roast however; meat was perfect and so was veg! Potatoes were re-heated and dry (even with thyme rub?), cauliflower cheese could have been more burnt and Yorkshire could have been cooked a bit more.. gravy was meh!! Food came out at a reasonable temperature, more close to cold side. Would say 4/10 on the whole. Service was quick and efficient and for this reason I will visit again and see if the roast dinner still gives me this opinion, I hope not and I do get my mind swayed in a positive light.