Ye Olde Reindeer - Cherwell

During a fortunate opportunity while passing by, we attempted to make a reservation at this restaurant. Unfortunately, it did not go through. However, the staff reached out to us and reassured us that it was not a problem, so we decided to drop in for lunch. We were pleased that we did. The restaurant is a charming old pub with friendly and skilled staff. Both my wife and I savored the delicious shepherd's pie served in a large Yorkshire pudding. We wish we had more time to indulge in dessert. The food was excellent, the service was outstanding, and the prices were fair.

The very helpful team managed to squeeze us in for dinner just as the kitchen was closing. Thanks to the kitchen team for being so helpful. Aside from the extraordinary decor and history, Ye Olde Reine Deer Inn offers excellent beers and a great menu. The team were friendly, engaging and obviously very proud of their pub. The Globe Room is well worth a visit.

I recently moved to the area and this inn came highly recommended. I can see why - all four meals I had were excellent and well worth the price. The staff were also great. I'll definitely be coming back soon.

I have visited this restaurant multiple times and have always had a great experience. The food is well-cooked and possibly the best around. The service is friendly, welcoming, and attentive, with all the staff always smiling, even when dealing with rude customers. I have recommended this traditional pub and restaurant to anyone looking for a friendly atmosphere and delicious food.

The barmaids were extremely unfriendly and unappreciative of our patronage, to the point of being disrespectful. At lunch, I was made to pay for a side dish that they forgot to communicate to the kitchen which I said I still wanted after our food arrived. To me, this reflected extremely poor customer service, firstly as it was not my error, and secondly, as I was made to wait. At any other establishment of repute, this oversight would have been properly acknowledged and they would have been embarrassed to charge the customer on top of their lack of efficiency and communication. The devil is in the detail and there is no better PR than when customers go away feeling happy and treated well. Added to this, two of our family members ordered the scampi and fries. In theory, you would expect both the owner and the cook to be mortified by the fried scampi flavoured puree that was dished up, but clearly, this is a money-saving measure that trumps self-respect and pride. Having been schooled and lived previously in the UK for many years we were visiting on this occasion as we now live abroad. Later in the evening my husband and I returned to order a snakebite and black for old times' sake. Very disappointingly, they had no idea what this classic British pub drink is. Instead of leaving, we opted to stay and ordered a dry rosé and brandy for each of us respectively. We were given a sweet rosé and a brandy instead, but I didn't say anything to avoid a fuss. Upon ordering our second round, my husband again requested a dry rosé and brandy and saw that the price was more than he had paid for the first round. The barmaid admitted that she had given us the wrong wine the first time and the reason the price had changed was because the dry rosé cost more. No big deal, we all make mistakes. It was her terrible attitude that stood out the most. In the end after hearing how unpleasant, defensive and argumentative she was getting with my husband ... the same barmaid who at lunch didn't properly communicate my order to the kitchen ... I got up, gathered our stuff, went to my husband and told him I was going to leave. I said something to the effect that this is a very simple order that doesn't warrant such an unpleasant experience. The barmaid showed absolutely no communication or customer service skills. No appreciation for our patronage whatsoever. In fact, during this whole debacle, the two barmaids started talking animatedly to each other in another language obviously saying ugly and negative things about my husband, right there in front of the rest of the customers and him. Honestly, this was the worst customer service and experience I have ever had. This is only a place I recommend you go if low quality food and unfriendly, disrespectful, unprofessional barmaids are your jam.