The Crown Thistle - Vale of White Horse

We made a same-day reservation for the evening and received an instant confirmation. We were warmly welcomed with a smile. Our food arrived promptly and was delicious. My wife enjoyed the Noorish bowl, which was very tasty and filling. My son liked the kids menu as usual. I ordered the Lebanese lamb, which was heavenly with its strong flavors. It was an incredible dinner. We were too full for dessert. The restaurant has a cozy and upscale vibe. The front of house staff were excellent. Keep up the great work.

On Friday night at 7.30pm, I went to this restaurant with 16 friends from work for our Christmas dinner. The atmosphere was nice and the service was decent, but the food we pre-ordered took a long time to come out. My starter, beetroot gnocchi, was a tiny portion and disappointing, though it had good flavors. For my main course, I had sea bass which was a very small, thin fillet with a strange plated potato jacket and charred leek that were both soggy and not very hot. The red cabbage side was okay but could have used more Christmas seasonings. For dessert, we ordered a cheese board but were disappointed to receive a small plate with barely any cheese initially. The cheese that eventually arrived was very modest and served alongside undercooked sliced onion, average crackers, celery, and barely toasted bread. It was embarrassing and definitely not worth the price. I had a medium glass of nice dry white wine, but the whole bill ended up being over £50, which I felt was poor value for the quality of the food. I would recommend avoiding this restaurant.

I happened to be passing by and decided to see if there was a table available for two. All tables were booked for Sunday lunch! The staff were very helpful and managed to find us a table. The service was great and the roast was of excellent quality. The vegetables were cooked perfectly and the cauliflower cheese tasted homemade. The sirloin was delicious, pink and moist with great flavor. It's not often that roasts are cooked perfectly, but this place did it right. I will definitely be returning when I'm in the area again. It seems like they have real chefs in the kitchen, not just someone who can cook. Well done!

Went for a Sunday roast all was ok but potatoes were still hard. This could have been a great review had the staff done something positive about it.

Monday evening with three children 5/3 years and a baby, parents and 2 grandparents. Incredible service from our lovely waitress who is from Romania. The food was delicious and the care and attention given especially to the children was outstanding.The setting was very comfortable and other staff very friendly. Wish we lived nearby as we would make this a regular stop. Couldn't fault it in any way and recommend it highly.