Didcot Restaurant Guide

This Grade II-listed gastroboozer in an Oxfordshire village risked closure post-pandemic, but a group of investors – including tennis whizz Tim Henman – served up an ace to save it. Reborn in 2022 after a slight rebrand to reflect the continuing presence of French, Roux-trained chef Olivier Bouet (who runs it alongside wife Stephanie), the food ranges from pastas to decadent desserts and there’s also a “super wine list”. Add in personable staff and it’s game, set, match.

2022 Review: “Some pubs in the Cotswolds really go above and beyond, and this is one of them” – Steven Sanderson’s 400-year-old thatched village boozer with rooms (and garden) offers “lots of interesting small dishes as well as the usual suspects” (notably grass-fed British steak).

“A fabulous setting right on the River Thames” – a stretch of water admired by writers from HG Wells to Kenneth Graham – makes this former boathouse ideal for “al-fresco dining” – or a “superior traditional Sunday lunch”. If most reporters reckon “the cooking is OK but nothing to write home about”, it’s “still a good place to sit and just look at the view”.

2023 Review: “A brilliant location” – on a picture-perfect stretch of lush Thames riverbank – is the justification for maintaining the listing of this Thames Valley veteran, on the fringe of Goring. On a sunny day, there are few nicer places to be. Its “classic Italian menu”? Not much commented on (nor, to be fair, criticised) and not the main point.

2022 Review: Despite its weird and wonderful decor, this lavishly decked out hotel not far from Oxford – a fixture of the area for over a quarter of a century – attracts relatively little feedback nowadays. It’s all still positive though, especially when it comes to the Thai dining room (there’s also a more traditional, British one). Service is “very engaged” and the classic twelve-dish sharing menu “well presented and flavoured food that reflects the cuisine”, without being “touristy”.

“Definitely a good choice if you’re in the area” – i.e. just five miles from the dreaming spires of Oxford – this “very comfortable country pub” boasts one of the best gardens in these parts and is particularly appealing come summer. Some feel the menu is “limited” and “relatively expensive”, albeit “generally good with some unusual dishes”, much local sourcing, and a fair selection of veggie-friendly options.

2022 Review: “This superb gastropub” – an eighteenth-century inn “two minutes from the Thames and convenient for London day-trippers” – serves “interesting food with some high gastronomy”: “all produce is locally sourced, and bread made and butter churned in-house”. Husband-and-wife patrons Nick & Mary Galer (both ex-Fat Duck Group) “clearly care about what they do and look after their diners”. Ratings dropped a notch this year amid reports of “the odd off note” – possibly they “need a bit more practice after lockdown”.

2023 Review: Chef-patron Olivier Bouet, who had presented “excellent rustic French cuisine” at this Chilterns village gastropub for five years, recently moved on, and the new owners reopened in July 2022, announcing their plans for an ‘eclectic modern British menu with South African influence and popular grill favourites. Every item on the menu will be made on the premises’. It’s a big change of style, hence for the time being we’ve left it unrated.

This “big old pub with a jolly, slightly bohemian atmosphere” is a well-known “gastro-pub (with the emphasis on gastro)”. It achieves solid and still-plentiful support in our annual diners’ poll, despite a feeling that “the food falls well short of the standards at its London siblings, Anchor & Hope and Canton Arms”. Top Menu Tip – “the suet crust steak-and-ale pie to share is a lovely, lovely thing”.

“The food is sensational” at this legendary Oxford outfit, which delighted its many fans by reopening last September after a three-year hiatus while founders Rufus & Ladd Thurston switched to a retail operation as Elle’s Deli, in search of a better work/life balance. With their children a little older, they have relaunched their Thai project with most of the beloved classic dishes, such as – according to one report – “the best confit duck Penang probably in the world!”. But it’s still only open three days a week, with the familiar three-month waiting list for an evening booking.

“A charming venue in a picture-postcard village location” – this “excellent” pub-with-rooms has a “lovely bright restaurant serving superb food” with influences from around the world, and a “good range of private dining options”. Charles I is said to have dined here during the English Civil War.

“Tapas at another level” has earned local cult status for this outfit that celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, and is hidden behind neighbouring historic shopfronts (for a chemist and a watchmaker) – “every dish is delicious, and there are excellent veggie options too”. “It’s so popular you always have to book”, and the timed slots are restricted by opening limited to three days a week (Thursday to Saturday) – a problem that should be eased by the late-2025 launch of a new branch in the city centre’s old Covered Market, with 90 covers spread over two floors (downstairs walk-in only) and projected 7-day operation.

“Sneakily good pizza” – double-fermented Neapolitan-style – ensure that many branches are “always packed” at the Elliot brothers’ still-expanding chain, whose new summer 2025 opening at the Truman Brewery on Brick Lane marked a return to the site of one of their earliest pop-ups in 2013. Nowadays, it’s one of the more commented-on multiples in our annual diners’ poll. Top Menu Tip – “pepperoni and honey!”

Nisha Katona’s Liverpool-based operation has two branches in London (Charlotte Street and Westfield Stratford) offering her “very tasty” Indian street food – “with the occasional hint of raw spice”. The Lancashire-born former barrister launched the business in 2014 and now has 28 outlets around the country, whose “enjoyable, authentic food” is “really great for a chain”.

“High-quality fish dishes” at “very reasonable prices” are the draw at this low-key spot just across Magdalen Bridge from the city centre, where fish ’n’ chips or fritto misto costs £14.95 and a signature cold seafood platter on crushed ice £24.95 – but you can also splash £95 on 50g of caviar.

2024 Review: From a now nine-strong “cheap ’n’ cheerful” Sri Lankan chain that wants to create a relaxed island vibe – candles in coconut shells, upbeat music – and has found a real audience for its “very tasty” and “excellent-value” small plates (including many vegan-friendly options) plus potent cocktails (aka ‘cocotails’).