Old Bell — Restaurant in England

Fairly poor. We visit this pub regularly as it is very local to us. We are a large family of 6 so bring a lot of custom to the Old Bell. In all honestly we were pretty shocked by our recent booking. We came into the pub and were sat down by a gentleman called Mike. He was chatty which was lovely! He informed us that there was no Beef for any of the roast dinners this evening as they had a busy lunch service (understandable). Mike began to take our order, we asked if we could order a roast dinner, with the pork and turkey. He advised this won’t be possible, which I then advised him (myself having worked in a greene king pub previously, and working currently is a 5star luxury hotel) that if he was to put it through as a trio roast and give extra of either turkey or pork due to their no beef then it would work that way! Little frustrated that someone from a management team was clearly not up to date and confident enough with their own menu. Anyway, we went on to order starters, some chicken starters and some garlic bread to come out with the starters. All was good until the start began to arrive, 2 chicken dishes arrived, at which point he asked if we wanted garlic bread with our starters? And if so, he would get the chefs to plate it up. We said yes, as we had already advised this is what we wanted. 15 minutes later, 2 plates or garlic bread showed up, everyone else had finished starters so the timings just felt awfully wrong. Mains came out, two of the roasts were incorrectly plated, so had to be sent back. I had asked for a chicken starter to come as a main with a side of chips, I received my chicken and chips followed out 15 minutes later. It got to the stage where we had to send it back to the kitchen so many times and all food being brought in and out at such separated times that we decided to no longer have our main course, simply just pay and leave as we honestly were just fed up of the fact waiting and the complete mixture of times we were getting our food. Mike removed a couple of dishes from our bill, although appreciated, still unsatisfied with our visit and feel that something further should be done to prevent this from happening again in the future. In all honesty as a big family of 6 we are fairly put off from eating at the...

A 4 star for this pub & restaurant.

We went here for our Christmas dinner the first week of December (Saturday 18:30) booked a few months before. We have pre-ordered meals for our dinner and pre-paid the meals as well. We all arrived around 18:30-18:45. Upon arriving, we ordered drinks first, however, drinks came almost 15-20 minutes after we ordered them, and there were not many people at that time. So we just didn’t mind first since we understood that there might be a few waiting staff.

The next one, was when they asked us if we were ready for our meals, and we said yes. But it took them to bring out our pre-ordered meals at least another 30 minutes (I thought thinking, shouldn’t be ready a few minutes after our appointed time so we could then start?) I have been to other Christmas dinners in restaurants and also pre-ordered meals and it can be really fast (regardless if there were lots of people). When they served our food, they didn’t know who ordered who. So we had to check again our emails about what we ordered. I thought they would just call our names like (burger for -name-) but that wasn’t the case. And we were famished at that time. Same with the dessert it took a while to be served as well around 15 minutes after our meal. So it was like we were there from 18:30- 21:30 which is a really long time.

On another note.

The food I ordered was good. It was the festive burger, the balance of the ingredients was great and the meat was tender. As for the dessert, I had Christmas pudding and I was not a fan of it. I couldn’t finish it since it was too sweet, too much raisin and cinnamon.

As for the staff, David tried to entertain us which we really appreciate.

So I think there’s still room for...

Traditional Charm and Top-Notch Food at The Old Bell

We recently visited The Old Bell in Grazeley Green, and it was nothing short of excellent. Nestled in the Berkshire countryside, this pub is a brilliant blend of rustic charm, heartfelt service, and proper pub food done right.

From the moment we arrived, we were made to feel welcome. The staff were genuinely friendly and attentive, checking in just enough without hovering. It’s clear they care about creating a warm, relaxed atmosphere — and they do it brilliantly.

We tried the homemade steak & ale pie, which was rich, flaky, and deeply satisfying, and the beer-battered cod and chips — crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, with perfect chunky chips and mushy peas. For a lighter option, the goat’s cheese and beetroot salad was fresh and full of flavour. Every dish came out hot, well-presented, and made with care.

Prices are more than reasonable for the quality: mains ranged from £12 to £17, with starters and desserts around £6–£7. The portion sizes were generous, and it felt like real value — nothing overpriced or overly fussy.

The drinks menu includes a solid selection of local ales, classic lagers, and a good wine list. They also offer a few seasonal cocktails and ciders. The real ale was especially well-kept — clearly looked after properly.

The atmosphere is everything you'd want from a village pub: low beams, roaring fire, wooden tables, and a lovely garden area that’s perfect in the summer. It’s a place that feels equally suited for a casual pint, a family meal, or a quiet Sunday lunch.

In short, The Old Bell is a proper pub — honest, welcoming, and delicious. We’ll absolutely be back, and I can’t recommend it enough if you're...