The Porch House

Absolutely stunning food, fabulous service and a lovely atmosphere. Booked a table for Sunday lunch to celebrate my birthday. It’s one of the best Sunday lunches I’ve ever had - generous amounts of meat, well cooked vegetables, fluffy Yorkshire pudding and lots of gravy. The waitress was helpful and friendly and we didn’t have to wait long for the food. My daughter had a chicken, mushroom and garlic pie and it was just a good. I even got a free drink to celebrate my birthday- which was a lovely, unexpected touch. Will definitely visit again when in the area.

Natalie Jo Caitlyn and Richard were absolutely amazing. Such great people with wonderful ideas for our Cotswolds activities. Breakfast was wonderful. So good that we ate there every morning for 6 mornings. We cannot wait to return and see all again. And of course the location in the old pub is fantastic.

The Porch House is most definitely the best restaurant in Stow on the Wold for its delicious food. We found it hard to know what pub to book since there are so many in and around Stow. The Porch House provided excellent service. We went 2 nights in a row because it was that good! They also squeezed us in on a busy Thursday night without a booking. The staff are really friendly and the chicken pie is a MUST. The ambience and vibe is so lovely, very cosy interiors! Thoroughly enjoyed our meal and we would go back every time we’re in the Cotswolds!

Lovely picturesque location, wonderful setting with lots of Cotswold old-world charm. Clean, comfortable and well appointed room and the restaurant is top notch, both in terms of service and the quality of the food. 5/5 all day long. We would definitely come back, it is charming. Minor Fixes that could be done to quite easily make this experience a perfect 5/5: We stayed in No. 7. 1. Fix the Wi-Fi. It is painfully slow and not befitting a place of this calibre, stature or price bracket. No way we could stream a Netflix show. The connection just about loads the BBC website. 2. Fix the heated towel rack in the bathroom. The heated towel radiator is a national icon, so why do they never bloody work? This one was beautiful in its design and yet my towels are, and remain, cold and damp. 3. The TV—yes we wanted to watch a bit of telly after a long day in the tea rooms and pubs and after a pleasant dinner. It didn't work. We couldn't turn the damn thing on. 4. Fix the extractor fan in the bathroom. There is a vent but we could not find a switch to activate it...anywhere. 5. Fix the sink stopper / plug.

My partner and I recently spent a week in the Cotswolds and we're blown away by how rustically beautiful this area is. After driving around through picturesque villages and rolling fields filled with English country wildlife we finally came across stow on the wold and right in the Centre is the Porch house inn. The oldest Inn in England. Perfect for food and great ale. You couldn't ask for more. Really comfortable pub, friendly welcoming atmosphere. We hadn't booked but got lucky. Country feel with flagstone floors and famous Cotswold stone walls. Two pints and great food. Thank you very much. I put a couple extra pics in to show you some beautiful shots just around the corner from the inn.

What a gem! Historic at over 1000 years old, and has so much character. Bathrooms are remodeled and nice. No AC in the summer but the windows open and they have fans in each room. The restaurant and bar are also highly recommended. And the service was first class. The crispy duck salad was amazing, as was the chocolate orange torte. WOW! Great find

I was really looking forward to trying a new location close to home serving Sunday roasts, and the Porch House has been somewhere I have considered multiple times only to discover it was fully booked on each occasion. Thinking that it might be a terrific sign, I finally got a table for two only to be disappointed by the terrible service. On arrival we had to wait to be given any acknowledgement by the staff at the arrival desk. Three members of staff walked past and looked me in the eye, but failed to acknowledge my waiting, let alone give a simple but polite hello. After flagging someone down, we were seated in the rear conservatory which looked like a fantastic setting for lunch. We were given menus on being seated but had to flag down a member of staff to place a drinks and food order (yes, we’d had long enough to view the wine and cocktail menu, and select our food). We both ordered roast beef, which though tasty, was very fatty and perhaps with a little too much gravy. At no point did anyone ask how the meal was, but I will say the gentleman that served the meal was the politest person we encountered. On finishing the meal, I asked for the bill which did arrive very promptly, but after waiting for a further 15 minutes, I asked if I could settle up. Again, several staff looked over and did nothing to come and take payment and I was left waiting again. It was a very hot day, and perhaps the team were feeling exhausted by this and as I came in towards the end of what was probably a busy lunchtime. But sadly, given the cost, the service really didn’t match my expectations and the food was mediocre. If you’re a tourist to the area, you probably wouldn’t mind as you’re not likely to return. But for fellow residents, we are awash with other venues in the area, so I will probably go to those in future, which includes the sister pub (The Sheep) across the road.

Had a lovely meal at their restaurant while travelling in the UK in July '25. The pub is ancient and the dining area complements this while being warm and stylish. We were ably served by Chris, a very nice young man who made us feel at home. Great food and wine list, recommended.

Drenched travelers, we stopped in Stow-on-the-Wold for lunch at the Port House, originally built in 975 AD and reputed to be England's oldest inn. We had walked in from Moreton-In-March and were pleasantly surprised that they let us in, considering how muddy we were. And this was a somewhat upscale place, with good service to match. Fish-and-chips here means one big battered fish and smashed peas. And of course, a wee Guinness! It was a nice (and dry) lunch, of which folks (staff and fellow travelers) here seemed to take weather's consequences in stride.

Given that the Porch House is the oldest pub in England, we had to stop in during our one night stay in Stowe. We ordered two gin and tonics from their wide offerings of gin and gin mixtures. I can't say that this is my usual go to but it was nice to mix it up (when in Rome...err England, right?). The space gives off the classic English pub vibes you see in the movies with low a low timber beam ceiling, cozy seating and conversations bleeding from one table into the next. They also offer full meals and accommodations on site if you're looking to make a full night of it. Our customer service was on the meh side which is why I'm going with four stars on this one.

Very rude and unhelpful staff. Avoid. The Hive next door has local fresh food and very friendly staff

How could you visit the Cotswolds and not stop in for a pint? Pleasant service with instaworthy ambiance!

We went to the Porch House in Stow on the Wold for Christmas dinner and were so disappointed!! it was almost $400 for our family of 4 (including 2 kids who were only 20 pounds each). It was horribly overpriced for a not very special experience- it was just a regular restaurant experience with very poor service. The waiter didn't know what he was serving us, the starter soups were bland, the canapes almost inedible, poor quality bread, they were rushing us, and the food was sub par. For $400 I would have expected a much, much better Christmas dinner experience. There are so many other Christmas dinner options in the Cotswolds that were open when we were driving around-- try to skip this one!

Read the reviews that this one one of the best places to eat in the Cotswolds and it sure did not disappoint! The service was friendly and just the right amount of attention. The food was out of this world, I had the sample with pork, steak and chicken with vegetables. Honestly one of the best meals I have ever had. Huge portions and I could not stop eating! The only downfall was I ate so much of my dinner that I did not have room for dessert!!

Perfect location and food. Old style English pub. Highly recommend for a bit of history and good food.

Come just to look at the interior..some parts of the building date to 947! There is a fabulous inglenook fireplace, and loads of beams and flagstone floors everywhere. A true gent of an English historical pub. We ordered a bottle of red wine and two starters of chicken liver pate. Both were pleasant, although in my opinion there was not enough bread for the size of the pate.

We stopped here for lunch and enjoyed a tasty meal surprised that we were able to get a table in the bar area. The charm of being sat in the historic part of the pub was a big part of the appeal of coming to this particular restaurant. We ordered curry, fish and chips, a vegetarian dish, and pan fried cod. Food was excellently prepared and each bite was flavourful... kudos to the chef! The staff were friendly and the place was busy. Only 4 stars as you cannot pay with cash. I'm picky about and believe that customers should have options. (We also did not make/have a booking as you have to leave a cc on file and if you didn't make your booking, there was a penalty.) Otherwise, good food and charming. Happy travels! Cheers!

The service was really accommodating and the food is delicious! Would come back again!

Wonderful place! We spent 4 nights here and loved every minute. Our room was lovely with comfortable bed & pillows. The staff was lovely & so friendly. The food was excellent! Loved the lounge that we spent many a nights in, just wish it was open past 9pm! We took day trips all over the Cotswold but this is bu far the cutest town!

Quite good food and service. Great atmosphere as well. Husband's fish and chips were large and crisp, and the chips fat and crunchy. I had the chicken Kiev which was really nice and a good portion for lunch, but I didn't think the tomato purée worked with it. A potato or pea purée would have been really nice I think. If you order this see if they will substitute!

Walked in for lunch and had our options of where to sit - upstairs, in the bar, or in the back room. We went with the back room. The ambiance and decoration is very nice. The server was also very nice and friendly. I had the eggs Florentine and it was very good and my dining partner had the fish and chips which were very good (not the best I've had, but 2nd best!) Its a cute place with lots of charm, and on a warm sunny day the outside seating would be on point!

Stayed here for 2 nights in the suite - highly recommend!! Everything was incredible, especially the staff. If you head to stow definitely stay here!

Unfortunately we were seduced by an intriguing menu and the claim of oldest inn in England. We so wanted the experience to be elegant with professional pride but instead it was touristy disinterest. No one in the kitchen is tasting what is sent to the table. We ordered simple fare , vegetable soup with pearl barley, the porch House salad and the beef cheek sandwich. Soup pretty much flavorless. The bread that came with it stale enough to be day old and a pat of boobytrapped herb butter heavily blended with raw garlic without warning. We love garlic in all its forms but this was almost like eating raw cloves And then the beef cheeks sandwich came with a toasted version of the same stale bread, decent pickles horseradish sauce, also okay but the main deal the Beef was not just shredded as expected but deep fried in cubes basically losing most of its flavor and tenderness. Again, an indifference. All topped off by an indifferent waitress, who never checked on whether we were okay or liked the food. She seemed preoccupied most of the time, we were ignored. Mediocre service can be balanced against good food but The Porch House struck out completely. The only thing older than the, if accurate, claims of serving since 947AD, was the bread which probably dates from that era. Be forewarned.

A nice place to grab a drink. They have a cute garden out back and a friendly bartender. We didn't eat on our visit, so I can't speak to the food. Lovely decor and a great homey vibe.

Great staff, very cosy and possibly the best roast beef I've ever had. Staying here for 2 days and very looking forward to it!!

The best meal of the entire holiday. This charming inn and restaurant over a thousand years old!! Terrific service and nice selection of wines and beer.