Hardens Guide to the Best Restaurants in Banbury
Hardens guides have spent 33 years compiling reviews of the best Banbury restaurants. On Hardens.com you'll find details and reviews of 11 restaurants in Banbury and our unique survey based approach to rating and reviewing Banbury restaurants gives you the best insight into the top restaurants in every area and of every type of cuisine.
Featured Banbury Restaurants
1. The Yurt at Nicholsons
restaurant in North Aston
Nicholson Nurseries, The Park - OX25
The Yurt at Nicholsons offers a unique dining experience with exquisite, locally sourced menus.Nestled in the leafy village of North Aston, The Yurt’s Michelin-recommended restaurant is situated in the heart of Nicholsons nursery and has be...
2. The Fuzzy Duck
British, Modern restaurant in Armscote
Ilmington Road - CV37
‘Contemporary Cotswold’ is the aim of this boutique inn near Stratford upon Avon, which was taken over about a decade ago by Adrian & Tania Slater (owners of Baylis & Harding). Cod ’n’ Chips does feature on the menu, but with its fish of the day and steak grills, the menu says ‘bistro’ more than it does ‘pub grub’.
3. The Castle at Edgehill
British, Modern restaurant in Edgehill
Main Street - OX15
2022 Review: A dearth of feedback this year on this eye-catching landmark, which looks like a fairytale castle and occupies a striking position, with marvellous views over the countryside (and, for history anoraks, sits near a famous battleground from the English Civil War). Expect decent gastropub fare and a particularly cosy bar.
4. The Boxing Hare
British, Modern restaurant in Swerford
Banbury Road - OX7
The “beautifully cooked food” at this Cotswolds pub is “such a treat”, and “stood out clearly against just about everything else this year” – “if it was closer to home we’d be in there all the time”. The owner, veteran restaurateur Antony Griffith Harris, first worked with head chef Nick Anderson nearly 40 years ago. Top Menu Tip – “the cheese soufflé is exceptional”.
5. The Royal Oak
British, Modern restaurant in Whatcote
2 Upper Farm Barn - CV36
“Run by a delightful couple in a charming village pub” – Richard & Solanche Craven inspire a hymn of praise in reports on their “outstanding Michelin-starred pub” on the fringe of the Cotswolds, which provides the “best all-round gastronomic experience” this year to a couple of reporters. “The food ranks very highly by virtue of its originality and the excellence of its execution. The place still functions as a pub, with an open fire and a pool table, but it is also a proper restaurant”.
6. The Killingworth Castle
British, Modern restaurant in Wootton
Glympton Road - OX20
Since selling The Ebrington Arms a few years back, Jim & Claire Alexander have fully turned their focus to this historic pub in a picturesque Oxfordshire village, whose local and seasonal cooking is also overseen by ex-Ebrington chef Adam Brown. “After reading so many ‘outstanding’ reviews” (besides 3 AA Rosettes, ‘The Killy’ is on Estrella Damm’s Top 50 UK Gastropubs list), some reporters felt a little underwhelmed, but there was praise too for the “amazing” tasting menu and – if you opt for one of their nine bedrooms – the “breakfasts are super”.
7. The Chequers
British, Traditional restaurant in Churchill
Church Lane - OX7
“The menu has something for everybody (and tricky allergies are dealt with without demur)” at this renovated Cotswold village inn which is co-owned by property magnate Sir Tony Gallagher, a kingpin of the Chipping Norton set. “Had a very enjoyable lunch with a large group of pals – the private room was perfect, and not so private as to lose all sense of a pub atmosphere. We’ll happily be back”.
9. Oxheart
British, Modern restaurant in Long Compton
50 Main Street - CV36
“It’s a lovely experience, sitting at the kitchen counter watching chef Mark Ramshaw (almost) single-handedly prepare dinner for the dozen covers in this tiny Cotswold dining room”. “The tasting menu is delicious” – nine courses for £85 per person – “full of flavours and great local produce, and frankly a bargain… definitely try and grab the kitchen counter”.
10. Ottolenghi
restaurant in Bicester
82 - 83 Pingle Drive - OX26
“Go mad for further adventures in veg” at Yotam Ottolenghi’s famous deli-cafés, whose Middle Eastern inspired menus are best known for their “creative” salads and meat-free dishes (bread and pastries are also “fabulous”) but there are also some meat and fish options. They are far from cheap, but “the spicing is interesting”, “the flavours are immense” and “the small-plates format allows you to try a number of options”. “A great spot for brunch” or “to drop in for cake and tea”. The Islington branch is most commented-on, and in December 2023 its newest sibling (also in north London) opened on Rosslyn Hill, Hampstead, while a branch in Richmond, in the leafy southwest, is scheduled for late 2024.
11. The Bell
restaurant in Charlbury
1 Church Street - OX7
Part of Lady Carole Bamford’s Daylesford Organic empire, this newly converted 17th-century Cotswold pub has 12 bedrooms, and meals are served in the pub or the Barn, designed for weekend ‘feasting’ with food from the wood-fired grill. Giles Coren of The Times awarded a rave review here (“Best Pie and Pint of your Life”), even while acknowledging that it’s rather expensive. We’re awaiting more reports before assigning a rating: such as we have so far suggest “it was overpriced and a bit corporate and soulless; a building makeover does not make a good restaurant on its own”.
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