The Bell Inn

Upgrades to the local are well worth the effort that I know the staff have put in. Great teamwork, great food,beer garden cosy and atmospheric despite the cold temps. Glad to have our local pub at a standard that will keep us coming back for more. Thanks team!

Had a brilliant night, food was delicious, god vibes and friendly staff 😁

Friendly staff and attentive service. The food was good, although a limited menu, but not unexpected given that they have just opened up after lockdown. The garden was lovely and just the place to enjoy my first pub beer in more than 12 months!

Lovely garden setting and very attentive staff following all COVID protocols

The service was good and friendly and on a very cold day the were happy to supply blankets.
However the food was very poor and the chips had that awful greasy spoon taste and my grandson had fish which was very undercooked. The pub and gardens are very good for families but I am afraid if the food does not improve they will not survive.

Excellent venue, friendly staff and the best ever chips.

Wow! So pleased this little gem has reopened. Food was brilliant, service excellent. Can’t recommend enough.

Really friendly pub with lovely service and great food. The menu is interesting without being pretentious and great value. Plus you can have a lovely walk by the canal afterwards to work off the sticky toffee pudding

Great food, amazing service and a warm welcome. Good beer too. Highly recommend for an eclectic menu.

A lovely, cosy pub restaurant with really delicious food. Staff made us feel really welcome. They have done really well with the Covid restrictions/social distancing measures too.

We're not local, but we'd definitely visit again. Highly recommend.

Food delicious and excellent value.
Pub clean and felt very safe re Covid.
James, thank you for such a warm welcome and lovely chatting to you about the pub, local area and boats.
Not our taste in music playing, but hey ho can't have everything 🤣
Looking forward to returning.

Fantastic food,very friendly staff,good service and a great trio of real ales.

We were very lucky indeed when we moored up on the canal and found this little gem, we walked in on the off chance of a table for 3 for an evening meal due to the current situation we were pleasantly surprised staff were very welcoming and accommodating lots of homemade dishes on menu, outstanding rich flavors, fantastic range of beers and wines would definitely recommend. Richard,Tracy & Ed Colchester Essex

A really lovely Sunday lunch, service was excellent and every course was beautifully presented and delicious!

Being local and regulars, we are well known and the staff (especially James & Casper) are always ready to chat but are not intrusive.
We chose roast pork for Sunday lunch and the food was outstanding - the meat lovely and tender, the crackling was crackly and the vegetables beautifully cooked with delicious gravy (definitely NOT Bisto!) The sticky toffee pudding which was followed was the best!!
We will certainly be returning.

The service staff were absolutely fabulous, attentive and friendly. The food was good but very small portions and an expensive steak with absolutely nothing provided with it. The menu is very "pub menu" but at restaurant prices. Guys, as a local, I have to add that you have a golden opportunity to create a good business as there is little choice in the area. Don't price your selves out with poor value. Your staff and food are great but you are still just a pub environment and should charge accordingly.

Dining rooms were quite echoey since removing the carpet, we had to move rooms due to this as there was a large group next to us and we couldn’t hear ourselves talk. It was also quite cool as there wasn’t heating in the area we sat.
That said I’m sure these are just teething problems as the food & service was excellent & we will come back another time.

Due to covid, restaurant area was quiet, but was very covid safe. Excellent food and good service. Friendly atmosphere, highly recommemded

Good service, good food, well priced... will be back soon

So glad to have a pub like this in the village. We've just moved into Lower Heyford and will be regular visitors to the Bell Inn!
Very friendly staff, excellent food and a regularly updated selection of local ales.

Sunday Lunch was good. I had the French Trimmed Chicken. It lost a star becaue the ternder stem brocolli was raw. (I don't mind my veg crisp but this was too much). The sauce was over salted. You can always add to taste but once in it cannot be taken out. Price wise it was at the top end of reasonable.

Well done to all at the Bell - good Covid-19 arrangements and made us feel very welcome.

Overpriced and pretentious. A village pub trying to do fine dining - food acceptable but service, decor and staff appearance all out of place.

Dishes very expensive with small portions and sides required, not as optional extras but to add potatoes or vegetables to a meat dish to create a meal. Common in high class restaurants - out of place in the "local".

Adding a service charge of 12.5% and expecting customers to ask to take it off if they don't wish to reward average service is also sharp practice.

New people since last visit. Great range of ales in perfect condition. Food was stunning for the price. Great staff, friendly and accommodating.

Since being taken over, everything has improved enormously. The food was superb - there is obviously a very talented chef at work in the kitchen. Everything arrived quickly and was beautifully presented and the 50-day aged Dexter Beef simply melted in the mouth. Perfectly cooked.

The service was attentive without being overbearing, even with social distancing and all in a lovely atmosphere. We had a brilliant evening and would definitely go back.

Food was excellent, very good beer also, staff very helpful and attentive.

Friendly welcoming pub with delicious fine food. This was the perfect place to celebrate our son’s 21st birthday and the start of our narrow boat holiday. Thank you to all at the Bell Inn

Lovely food. Limited choices for vegetarian however they were accommodating. Social distancing in place however it didn't feel sterile.

Under new management, so they are still finding their feet a bit.
Food was excellent - good quality ingredients nicely prepared and presented. Cost was very reasonable.

Lovely village pub that has embraced the new COVID19 requirements, sanitiser at the door and disposable menus . The food was very good and beautifully presented, and the service was quick,friendly and unobtrusive. We ate outside in the garden which was very pleasant. Plenty of space between tables and with a breeze blowing thru the trees what was not too like. Give it a go, I don’t think you will be disappointed.

Scallops were outstanding. So too was the linguini. My husband is gluten free and he was well catered for. A lovely meal.

It was fabulous. The restairant has just been refurbished and new owner and chef have taken over.

The food was excellent the setting and decor was very good and the service was very attentive albeit a little sow due to the busyness of the evening.

I spoke to other diners after who agreed it was one of the best

Delicious meal, lovely garden. Recommended.

Beautiful old pub, our first visit and new owners of only three weeks. Good distancing in place both inside and out, we chose to sit outside as it was a warm day...very pleasant. Sunday lunch and the beef was delicious.
Friendly staff and good service...will definitely go again.

Amazing food, great atmosphere and very friendly accommodating staff. I will be a regular visitor for food and drink.