Red Lion Wendlebury Reviews

Lovely meal .nice atmosphere. The building is pleasant and quirky. And the staff are all friendly. Was an enjoyable visit.i would defiantly recommend and will be returning some time soon.

Well what a terrible night, truely not a good experience, service terrible and food not good. Table booked for 7.30, moved from bar to restaurant at 7.40 that was fine but then waited over 30 minutes for anyone to offer us a drink or take More

My first time here. What a nice place. Very friendly team. Hope to go there again.

Nice, friendly, obliging staff. Food good but not the best.

Lovely place great food served by top staff highly recommend

So glad The Lion is so close to work. Excellent place to come for lunch. Warm, inviting atmosphere. Friendly, helpful staff. The food is excellent, so good in fact I'd happily travel a far distance to visit.

Now under new ownership, Sally & Joe made us so welcome. We loved the open log fire and the friendly welcoming atmosphere and had a fabulous Sunday lunch with great roasties followed by a totally yummy apple pie. I sneaked a taste of the sticky toffee pudding (which was to die for) and almost wish I'd had that for dessert instead!! Next time.. :o) A wonderful pub in a gorgeous little village (and close to Bicester Village). Can't wait to go back... Lynne

A nice place to stay. Staff are friendly and breakfast is great. Bed is comfortable. Surrounding countryside is quiet and nice. You can simply feel it from the room's balcony.

So let me tell you my story .
On day 1 of our 6 day stay in Wendlebury, after over 14 hours of traveling with a 2 & 4 year old I walk down to the (Pretty awesome looking) Lion at Wendlebury to see if they did take out. I knew there was a good chance they didn't but thought it was worth a shot given how good the menu looked. So, I walked to the bar in the all BUT empty restaurant, ordered a beer and inquired about whether they did take out. I was quickly and aggressively told by a weasely little twerp that " We Don't Do That Here!! OK, I thought and drank my beer, went back to our cottage and ordered kebabs. Didn't think much more about until day 4 of our otherwise great visit. We had a late lunch after a day of exploring Blenheim Palace/Woodstock, so we didn't get hungry again until around 7 or so .We were just going to snack on some things we had at our cottage but decided the four of us would walk up to The Lion for some starters instead. Upon arrival at about 7:30 we went and seated ourselves, just as I had witnessed a couple do during my prior visit. The restaurant was only slightly busier than last time, at about 1/4-1/3 capacity at best .Having our two small children in tow, we find a table in the back of the restaurant in a seemingly out of the way area. After getting set down (and no one showing up to take our drink order) I walk to the bar to order drinks/get menus. A nice waitress starts taking the drink order but is interrupted midway through by little Mr .Weasel from day one . He all but slams some menus down on the bar in front of me and says, " You better order quick because we have a bunch of people coming at 8 and the kitchen is going to get VERY busy, your food might take a VERY long time. " I said ok, and he began to walk away, but then started berating the female bartender because she had poured a lemonade from the tap which was apparently "bad" . Then she couldn't find the bottled version he pointed her to, so he said to her, in the most pompous manner, and I quote, "what's wrong mate, it's right in front of you, I mean, I know you're a blond, but COME ON!" I felt terrible for her as the embarrassment was obvious in her face....Finally got drinks, walked back to our table only to discover that the spineless little weasel had already spoken down to my wife in front of our two small children. Needless to say we ate nothing, and will tell every person we possibly can to stay AWAY!! We have never been treated so poorly, much less at such a mediocre place as this. Bottom line, order in, cook, or drive to a real restaurant who have REAL men working there! P.S. Good luck to the owners with this guy running things .

Beautiful views Food fabulous...Staff wonderful...Good value for money Pricey but worth a visit Stunning place Would be wonderful To be a guest there ...
Fabulous Enchanting Claire the Manager above and beyond she will go to assist you...Fantastic Venue ....20 put of 10 Exceptional!!!

Superb lunchtime venue, great food and beer.. Friendly staff. Covid safe

First time visit for a family members birthday meal, setting is beautiful! Lovely traditional English pub with a welcoming roaring fire! Unfortunately my compliments end there. We was stood around waiting for 15 minutes after we had told the staff we had a table booked, they acknowledged the fact but we werent shown to our table. Though the meal was presented nicely, the burgers (which 4 out of 6 of us had) was incredibly dry (surprised as it was supposedly rib cap) the bun was stale and dry and the childrens mac and cheese was flavourless beyond belief. A real shame as i would happily come back for a bottle of wine beside the fire.

Went for a turkey Christmas meal.when it arrived lamb was on the plate not turkey.We complained to that assistant manager only to be told it was turkey.Why would we ask for mint sauce if it was turkey?
Service was slow.We went without dessert as we had to get back to work.

Had a really good NY day lunch at the Lion. Food good, service spot on and guests (3) really impressed. Keep it going Matt, good to be able to rely on you and the team. RA&EM

Very enjoyable lunch time visit, met family and friends. Good atmosphere

By chance we stopped off and what a find, the sunday lunch was superb service was friendly and welcoming. We will be back to stay overnight all the way from Exeter.

Quintessentially English pub. Good food and lovely atmosphere.

Had the Sunday roast beef and it was delicious and beautifully presented. My companions had the chicken pot pie and the lamb roast and they were also very nice.

Great ambiance and the staff were lovely and courteous.

The sticky toffee pudding rewrote history. Complete, utter awesomeness on one plate.

Stunning food in a great location and quaint pub. The menu changes regularly so there is always new food to try. As is the style at the moment they serve a wide variety of Gin and gin cocktails, but also have a wide range of other drinks. If you are after food, it can get very busy so best to book.

Lovely old wooden beamed pub, great friendly service.

Not very family friendly and the food isn't worth the money.

Staff:
Middle aged waitress was walking around with her thong sticking out!! I'm sure she was a lovely lady but I dont really wish to see anyones underwear while eating my food!!
Italian waiter is really smarmy! When I asked him what he was suggest out of the seabass and chicken pie he quite bluntly told me that he's not here to make recommendations, he's here to serve....! That's was me told!!

Food:

I went with the seabass and it was the stingious portion you've ever seen. When asked if the food was ok - I mentioned that it was a really small portion for a main. The reply was that it depends on ones appetite. I'm not a big eater (I'm about 8stone a and wear a size 8-10) but I spotted started on another tanker bigger then my main! I would have taken a picture of it but it wouldn't have shown up on the camera !?

Saw the sign for this pub off the dual carriageway after shopping at the village. Absolute gem, very cosy, open fires, large car park. Great food and service and reasonable price. Alexander looked after my son and I and was faultless. You won t regret a visit to this place. We will use it after every shopping trip and have told all our friends to do the same. Made the day in fact. Keep up the good work.

Lovely pub in a charming village in the countryside near Oxford. Generous portions of delicious food served by very nice staff.

Service and food to a very high standard. Would recommend.

I think this could be one of the most perfect pubs ever. Not just great food and beer but genuinely beautiful architecture and landscaping. That's what really makes it for me, with the history of the building. Welcoming staff and great customer service.

We had Sunday roast. I was a little disappointed by the small amount of meat on the plate. However it was well cooked and the vegetables were nicely done. The place itself is nice and although it was pretty busy it didn't feel crowded. Lots of families and it looked like children were well catered for. Good sized car park as well. Would go back again to perhaps try an evening meal.

Great food and wonderulnwith groups. Wait staff was really engaged.

7 of us went for Sunday lunch today, the food was amazing, the service was great, I would like to say a very special thanks to our waiter, he has given us the best service we have received in a long time.

Quality food and service, in a very convenient off the M40 location. A welcoming and cozy pub.

Lovely staff, great food an a fabulous place to stay, would recommend to everyone.
Well done all at the Lion.

A very nice quaint little pub that has some really good food. I recommend the Fish and Chips. However the pints are slightly more expensive then expected.

Well presented country pub, good food and well kept ales. Reasonable value and good service from friendly staff.

Nice looking pub however all of our food was missing items. For example no chips or potatoes or salad. I had pork belly, literally that was it. They ended up not charging us but still a disappointment

Very impressed with this lovely place. It was a last minute decision to come here as our original choice for dinner had had to close. So glad we did. Atmosphere was friendly and welcoming. Food was really yummy and nicely presented. The More

Cheap and cheerful fun night out without breaking the bank.

This place looks lovely and has really improved upon style! But we used to come here very requently as a famiky for meals but havent been here for a few years since we came back after it changed hands! It looks very lovely but service has most definitely gone downhill. We went for a family meal and the service at the dinner table was vedy slow! Food was great though.... we got asked once only if we would like another drink and otherwise had to wait for the waitresses to come to the table with the food!

Combines good value with great cooking in a nice setting

We had a wonderful last meal out before lockdown. It was our first visit to you guys even though we have lived in Bicester for 3 years, can't believe it. Will back back soon as your back open!
You have such a beautiful site and can't wait to take full advantage in the summer with that patio area, stunning!
Food was wonderful and the service was super efficient. Alex, our waiter was brilliant. Kept our 2 year old daughter super happy throughout the whole meal.

A very good night with great food - the scotch eggs were brilliant and a hit with everyone. Will definitely be back, keep up the good work

Fantastic sunday lunch. Friendly staff very clean would recommend great food.

Stayed at The lion on Saturday, looks very impressive on the outside, but we found the staff very ignorant and unhelpful. Happy to take your money, but not happy to help you.
We had travelled some way to stay at this 4 rated place,I think I'd have better service at the premier inn 1 mile up the road! I rang the lion to ask if we could order pre order food as it was going to be 8.45pm when we was due to arrive and got told no we stop serving at 9pm, but I'm giving them 140.00 to stay room only.
I asked if they would order us a taxi as we had no service on both our phones again we got a no! Just the taxi number to ring, this is supposed to be 4 service!

The only good thing was the room very nice, very clean.
Breakfast, cost 10 pounds which I thought was a fair price. Again sounds very impressive but didn't want to help or offer what was said on the menu it says choice of eggs we didn't get a choice just got fried!! The other couple a the side of us got a choice maybe our faces didn't fit!!
I asked for brown sauce to go with my full English and got a look as though I'd asked him for a million pounds, my partner asked if she could change fried bread for toast and she got the look of have you really just asked me that. Their was only coffee available too, no tea orange juice had ran out and they didn't replace it after walking past it 4 times!

Don't no the barmans name but he needs to get some skills on how to serve people properly when they are providing a service!!
Very dissatisfied after paying 160.00 total for 7 hrs stay.

Overall I will not be returning or booking a room.

went for a meal on fri 25th april food was terrible fish was overcooked, asked for a medium to well done steak and got a rare one! barmaid was very friendly did change fish but was very disappointed. Waitress argued saying nothing wrong with food and swore at me not a friendly village pub wish I hadnt paid the bill!!

Excellent food, friendly service and very dog-friendly.

Great food at a reasonable price. But don't agree with adding a service charge to the bill by default, having said that this was taken off on request. Will go back.

Good cosy place. Good food but not brilliant. Also a bit pricy.

Nice and cosy place, delicious food, great service, very welcoming and friendly staff

The surroundings and the building were very nice but food was extremely slow, it took us 2 1/2 hours to get very basic meals and get out again and the place was not busy in the slightest.
The menu had also just been changed and left everyone scratching their heads trying to find something suitable to eat as it had become more of a riddle than a pub food menu.
Prices were also very expensive and the starters (even though it was hard to work out what they were) were equal to the prices of main meals in other pubs.
The staff were very nice and continually apologetic, but no one in our group had anything to compliment the red lion on apart from the building and surroundings which is not the deciding factor when choosing somewhere to eat.

Disappointing experience and very unlikely to go back again any time soon.

Food was fantastic, staff need training on how to wait on tables, had to ask for the table to be cleared and they kept leaning over me to pass plates to the person sitting next to me and we were the only ones in the restaurant on a Saturday lunch time.

Excellent experience as the staff were so helpful checking with the chef about allergy ingredients. Felt well looked after. The food was also very tasty. The chicken curry kiev is highly recommended.

Bit pricey but completely worth it. Lovely setup, staff and delicious food.

Stopped by for a light lunch, well priced menu. We had baguette s which were quick and lovely and warm. There was also a good selection of meals on offer. Great surroundings and a friendly landlord. Dog friendly :-) recommend stepping in.
We nearly passed by because of the unkempt exterior baskets, weeds around the carpark and didn't seem to clear of food was on offer. We were glad we went in. Miss it and miss out on lovely interior and a quiet country pub. :-)

Full of charm, extensive great menu. Lovely staff serving.

Booked lunch, good safety measures and delicious food. Staff very helpful and friendly, chose it due to handy location will return.

Disappointed with the food, should of been crispy pork belly; it came out soft - i highlighted this only for it to go back into the kitchen and come back slightly burnt & not crispy. Also getting the staff's attention was hard. As for the pub... nice settings but won't be coming back.

Nice pub, friendly staff, the starters were great but Sunday roast was poor. Poor meat, dry soggy potatoes and poor veg. Otherwise all positive

Lovely Pub/Inn .... Outdoor seating nicely positioned

We have been coming here for the past 2 years quite regularly and found the food and service fabulous, however on my last visit for Sunday lunch last week it was a huge disappointment! Food was luke warm so had to be returned. There were minimal vegetables and under cooked roast potatoes. I have always been very pleased with previous meals here and have recommended The Lion to many people looking for a great roast. Unfortunately will not be returning which is a great shame as it's a lovely gastro pub in a lovely location.

I cannot believe the grief that Katie had to endure last night due to the total lack of staffing numbers.
I have never seen so many customers complain about the length of waiting for their meals to be brought to table.
Someone in the highest management level needs to get to grips with this totally inadequate situation and offer Katie their apology and support that this never happens again.

Went for our work Christmas meal today only to be served Lamb not Turkey!! The chef then insisted it was Turkey even though it looked, smelt and tasted like Lamb. Service was extremely slow and we had to leave without desert after being there for 1 3/4 hours

The food and service always consistently excellent..

Service was Shocking. What a wonderful looking pub and potential here is amazing however they need to get the basics in place first and that starts with customer service. Disappointing.

My first impressions of The Lion at Wendlebury were very favourable. It's an old pub with new additions built sympathetically and in keeping with the pretty Oxfordshire village.
We were shown to our table by a friendly waitress and were looking forward to our meal.

Unfortunately, it was downhill from there. Not only were five or more items on the menu unavailable, but we were not informed of their absence until we had chosen them. This happened with both main courses and desserts. The remaining courses were not really to any of our tastes and we had to compromise.

The meals we did settle for were well cooked and presented, though one essential ingredient was omitted and arrived separately.

Service was slow, on the whole. The whole meal took nearly three hours.

The food was on the more expensive side and didn't really represent particularly good value for money. We would have overlooked this had the menu not been so limited on the day we went. Would not choose to come here again.

2nd time I've stayed here. Beautiful pub/hotel with amazing food.
Rooms are clean spacious and modern. Staff are helpful and friendly. Check-in and checkout were a breeze. Plenty of parking. Lovely quiet location, very chilled atmosphere. Would definitely stay again when I came to work in Bicester. Thanks

Love this place... Fabulous food, ability to fit in a Sunday lunch party of 10 and a half, and great house beer. I only wish I didn't have to drive to get here!

Great food. Clean and tidy pub. Staff very friendly.

Really disappointing date night! Table booked for 8.30pm, arrived at 8.15pm, waited at bar 12 mins before getting drink. Only one chap serving so when he received a cocktail order from the restaurant it was a very lengthy wait to be served!! Went to restaurant to be seated only to be ignored for a good few minutes before being asked to give them 5 mins to turn the table for us .. not a problem normally but, we were still sat there at 8.50pm with no sign of further acknowledgement as she walked past many times. We asked if it was ready and her response drew my breath.. I'll be coming for you in 5 minutes as we're busy ... My broom isn't pointing in your direction! Rude and slow!! We left and are now enjoying good service with good food elsewhere!

I love this pub, always a friendly face to greet you, excellent staff very cosy, especially when they all the fires roaring.