The Golden Pheasant Hotel

The slow-cooked beef cheek was so good I asked the staff if the chef would share the recipe, and they were happy to. I visited the Pheasant this evening and was absolutely blown away. The food was the best I’ve had in a very long time, and the service was amazing. Everyone was friendly and welcoming, and they made my 3 year old feel noticed too, which a lot of places don’t do. I’ll definitely visit again.

The restaurant food was great and the atmosphere was relaxed. Service was a bit hit and miss, though: a couple of times we had to wait for menus because the staff got distracted and forgot us. All in all, a nice meal out at this lovely pub halfway up the hill in Burford.

Saturday’s meal here was amazing, but coming back on Sunday was the complete opposite. I ordered partridge with roast trimming, and it was so tough I had to send it back. The waitress offered me a sharper knife. Table service was really poor, with staff spending most of their time chatting. We had to go to the bar for our drinks, as did the couple next to us, and another couple waited over 15 minutes before anyone asked if they wanted a drink. I was really disappointed. We asked for the meal and service charge to be taken off the bill because we didn’t feel we’d actually received service, unlike on Saturday.

On a wet Friday in December, five of us had lunch here. The room was warm and comfortable, with a nice atmosphere, and service was friendly and efficient. We shared bread and olives while waiting, and honestly, they were the best olives we’d tasted. We all had an alcoholic drink with lunch, and our bill came to just over £30 each. The fish pie with wilted greens, beef cheeks with mash and red wine jus, classic haddock and chips, and cheese and bacon burger were all beautifully cooked. The beef cheeks and fish pie were delicious, though both could have used a little more sauce or jus. The burger was juicy, and the bacon really made it, with plenty of burger sauce.