The Killingworth Castle - Cotswold Pub

My husband and I had a fabulous stay here for our honeymoon. The staff were so lovely and attentive. The breakfast was world class and the restaurant even made us an alternative vegetarian main course for dinner on our second night so we didn’t have to eat the same thing as the night before (there was only veggie main option on the menu.) Our room was really cosy and comfortable - beautifully decorated but felt homely and authentic. There are some really beautiful walks nearby and it’s a great base to explore the Blenheim estate from. Would highly recommend this place - we’re planning to come back for our anniversary next year :)

This was a last minute decision to stay over night while on a visit to the area. The accommodation was spotless and high quality, the lady I spoke to was incredibly friendly when I called and the staff on arrival were extremely polite, welcoming and clearly professional and experienced. We were unaware of the high food standard when booking, we decided to cancel our plans to eat in the town and were not disappointed, the most delicious meal either of us have eaten and we could not wait for the breakfast, this was again sublime. The 2 chefs working that night ( the head chef was not their ) were clearly extremely talented and both polite to us when leaving. We will definitely be back on our next trip to the U.K. Thank you to all the staff.

Excellent food here. stayed here July with partner and a dog. Thought the rooms wld be bigger. The place was lovely but the room had cobwebs on ground floor. Had windows open but a bit of road traffic noise. Small room very hot. The food was excellent we had the taster menu and breakfast was great. Would have given 5 stars but the room let it down.

A Proper Gem – The Killingworth Castle We had dinner at The Killingworth Castle last night and I can say without hesitation it was one of the best meals I’ve had in a long time. The atmosphere strikes the perfect balance between cosy country pub and refined dining. Warm lighting, charming staff, and a menu that clearly takes its food seriously. The standout dish? The veal. Exceptional. Cooked perfectly, tender, full of flavour, and paired with accompaniments that showed real skill in the kitchen. It’s rare to find a pub that delivers cooking of this calibre without losing its character. Service was spot on, friendly, attentive, but never intrusive. The wine list was also well considered, with some great options. If you’re in the area and looking for something special, don’t miss this place. The Killingworth Castle is everything a great British pub should be, and then some.

On a two night stay, the staff are amazing friendly and very welcoming nothing was to much trouble. We have dined in a few Michelin stars restaurants but we have to say this was an amazing experience!! The food was some of the best we have eaten. The chef Adam and his crew should be very proud of their food and hospitality. My wife and I would give them 6Stars if it was possible. We will definitely be back. 👏👏👏

Exquisite food! Huge attention to detail and taste. Compliments to the chef and lovely support staff. Highly considerate of allergies and intolerances. Ensured tasty alternatives were provided. Fabulous, delicious range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. Top notch service from the excellent staff. Wonderfully calm atmosphere. Planning my next trip very soon. Thank you Killingworth Castle, you helped make a lunch with visiting friends exceptional!

A bit underwhelming given the cost. Came for a Friday night meal. Had a couple very nice cocktails at the bar, the barman knew his trade, he enjoyed talking about and I enjoyed listening. He also let me sample some liqueurs which were lovely. The textures in the food were great but for the price and rosettes I would expect the flavour to pop a lot more, no woah moment really. Fresh baked bread and butter was very good. Were given a nice cheese and mushroom croquette while waiting for starters, very nice touch. Had terrine and my partner had the egg starter. Crunch of the asparagus in the terrine was on point and it felt very fresh. I'd say the pate that comes alongside the dish was better than the terrine and also a strange pairing. Didn't feel you could really blend them, just eat one then the other so there wasn't really a proper complement to the terrine in the dish other than the chutney. Not bad by any means just a bit odd I thought. My partner enjoyed her starter, I had a small bit. Nice creamy texture with some pickled crunch. Good flavour again but not boom. Had veal for main, sauce very pleasant. Did struggle a little to cut the meat with the standard knife so I reckon it was either tougher than intended or I should have been given a better knife. I asked when ordering if I should have a side to fill out the meal as I didn't see any carb in the description. I was advised that yes I should and that proved to be correct. In my opinion that shouldn't be necessary. Carb options for sides were basically minted potatoes or chips. Didn't want to have chips in a fancy place so went for the pots. I did expect more than boiled potatoes with mint but hey ho. Mint didn't really go well with the dish and looking at the menu I didn't think it'd go particularly well with any of the main courses. So perhaps the sides should be given a little more thought especially if the mains aren't big enough. My partner had the monkfish for her main which was superbly cooked. Pretty standard white sauce with it, felt like I could make it. Was nice but didn't bang. Had souffle for dessert. Lovely texture as you'd expect, subtle raspberry flavour. Decent. Sorbet was good. Can't remember what my partner had but she liked it. Food came out super quick. Too quick. I think we'd had our mains within 40 minutes of sitting down. Felt rushed and had to ask for a break before dessert so we could enjoy the atmosphere, the table next to us also did the same so I think this was not a unique problem to us. Our waiter was very short mannered, not impolite but not really pleasant either. Didn't check back on any of our meals. Not something that normally bothers me but we had to pour our own wine. Again, with the price and rosettes I would just expect a higher level of service. A different waiter took our payment, he was much nicer. Called back today to ask after the vermouth I tasted at the bar. Think I got our waiter on the phone and again he came across quite short-mannered which sort of prompted me to write this. It's obviously a nice place and the food was good if not great so it does feel a little weird to give it 3 stars. But for the price and for what I would expect from a place like this, I believe that's fair.

Lovely, definitely recommend. Room was very nicely appointed with a lovely bed, Bramley toiletries and "little extras", including homemade biscuits and a little decanter of Sherry. Staff were really friendly and breakfast was absolutely superb. A really lovely "pub with rooms" in a beautiful, peaceful setting.

We stayed here on vacation in 2018 and it was magical. We will certainly be back on a future trip! The room was so cozy, and the pub was great. Dreaming of visiting again!

Great country pub. Cosy and casual, excellent seasonal menu complemented by Yubbington ales on the handpull.