the best pubs in the Cotswolds

Just across the road from its sister, the Double Red Duke, this retro-fuelled charmer is from the same group (keep your eyes peeled for The Wild Duck in Ewen opening this March too). At the Mason’s (as the locals call it) modern menus are swapped for nostalgic classics: prawn cocktail, haddock Monte Carlo, and Black Velvets (Guinness with Champagne) served in silver tankards. There’s real spirit here – especially on 'chops and hops' nights, where lamb chops and cold beers rule the pass, followed by piping-hot crumble scooped straight from the dish. 

One of West London’s shiniest farm-to-fork favourites opened a countryside iteration in Charlbury in 2023, and the foodie crowd got excited. A smart move – Charlbury’s train links mean a day trip from London is easy, and should be paired with a stomp around the Cornbury Estate. Inside, it’s warm, stylish, and crisply designed, with a menu that sings of its Bruern Farm allotment – seasonal vegetables lead, but hearty cuts keep post-walkers happy. It still feels like a pub, but a very, very good one. 

Clinging to a hillside in the Slad Valley, The Woolpack is the kind of pub you hope to stumble upon – but probably won’t – by accident. One half of it is all pints of brown ale, piano playing and regulars; on the other side is one of the best dining rooms around. The food? Like something from East London’s coolest kitchens – think blood cake, pork chops, oeuf mayonnaise, flaky suet pies. There’s no fuss and no fanfare (and the secret really is no more), but it’s just a proper boozer with serious food to boot. 

Housed in a stone building that looks every inch the Cotswold definition, The Stump is anything but old-fashioned. Inside, it’s all about wood-fired pizzas, craft beer, and a young, lively crowd who spill in from Cirencester and Cheltenham nearby. The playlist is always good too, and so is the food – especially the Honey Pot with salami, peppers, and a drizzle of honey. Add a side of death sauce if you dare, then cool off with a pint or two from DEYA Brewing Company.

Affectionately known as The Vicky, this village pub in pretty Eastleach (home to not one, but two churches and lots of old stone) is a low-key favourite. It’s cosy and wood-fired in winter, buzzy and terrace-packed in the summer. The menu goes further than your average: Provençal fish soup, Turkish-style ratatouille, affogato with an amaretti biscuit. It still feels like a local haunt – but one with surprisingly good global flavour. 

This is where it all began for Peter Creed and Tom Noest – friendly childhood chaps who now run a growing empire of brilliant pubs. And while they’ve since opened five more (including their most recent, The Hawthorn in London), The Bell still hits all the right notes. On New Year’s Day, the bacon sarnies and Bloody Marys are life-saving, but the menu delights year round – fish and chips, duck confit, big burgers and pizza too. It’s consistent and full of cool countryside chatter.  

From the team behind other local Cotswold favourites, including The Kingham Plough and The Hare in Milton-under-Wychwood, comes this new reboot of The Norman Knight pub not far from Whichford Pottery (a sight worth popping into independently). Charming and totally tiny with just nine rooms (a mix of upstairs in the inn and outside cabins) set to open this spring, the now-running restaurant benefits from a former Bull in Charlbury head chef. Menu hits already include fried lamb ribs with gremolata, spicy soft shell crab and a very good rotisserie chicken with hasselback potatoes.