Latest reviews from Wendlebury

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We visited here on Sunday 8th January 2017 after a walk across the fields from Merton with Isobel and Berry (dog). The Lion (formerly Red Lion) is in the centre of the village and re-opened a year or two back following an extensive and expensive refurb’. The pub leans much more towards food now, following a trend in recent years along with many other village pubs that wet-sales alone are unlikely to sustain many in the long term. However this place has really gone the whole hog and the refurbishment which I must admit looks good must have cost an absolute fortune. The pub sits on the main road in the village which itself sits just the other side of the A41 heading from the M40 J9 into Bicester, it is about 2.5 miles out of Bicester. However like many rural pubs in Oxfordshire it is poorly served by public transport, with nothing that I am aware of coming through the centre of the village though as it is close to the A41 a bus stop on the frequent S5 route which runs between Oxford and Bicester is the best option as it is about a mile away.

Inside this is all stone floors throughout, roaring real fires and lots of exposed stonework and soft colours, indeed it welcomes muddy boots and dogs, which was handy as we had both today. On entering from the Main Rd entrance you are at the bar section of the pub, so I guess this is the area which the locals may (and the likes of us) will use more frequently. There were lots of staff, very friendly but mostly very young and a little ‘wet behind the ears’. If you head off to the left down a little corridor there appeared to be a private dining area for a large group and off to the right and behind more dining areas, in fact I can barely recognise this pub from its original layout when it was the Red Lion. I didn’t venture out back but I understand that there is still a garden area, I hope that they still have the Aunt Sally out the back but not sure.

The beer options were a little limited with Ringwood Razor Back (alia of Best Bitter), and a house beer (Marstons Bitter probably), Purity Ubu was off Grrr…. and there was one other that I forget. Beer quality was good, the bar snacks, we had Scotch Eggs were excellent and overall if passing by it is worth popping in, however I am told it is really good for food, so unless you are after a meal and you are near Bicester Village or J9 of the M40 and feeling peckish then it might not e worth venturing out here as the beer options are never going to excite.

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Fin 2677 days ago