Have you ever driven past that lovely old, historic pub in the centre of Banbury, that looks like it belongs nestled away in a quaint village in the countryside? You know, the one with three pigeons on the thatched roof. Well, that’s the subject of our review this month.
We parked around the back of the pub and entered through the beer garden and courtyard watching out not to bump our heads on the low beamed ceilings and taking care on the old uneven floors.
The Three Pigeons Inn is a thatched roofed town centre pub with a country pub look. It is a 17th-century coaching inn with a modern contemporary feel inside. They offer traditional pub food and a warm, cosy bar to meet with friends and family. The bar is a central feature, so the friendly staff are never too far away. They also have high-quality recently refurbed accommodation.
So first up for the three of us was a pint at the friendly bar where we met Paul the owner and Carla the manager and chose a pint from their well-kept ales and lagers. We were immediately struck by the friendly atmosphere.
We settled down to make our selections from the menu and specials on offer and Paul and Carla told us that they specialised in offering freshly cooked comfort food and pub classics at an affordable price. Their motto is… At this great value, who needs an excuse to eat out?
We sampled 2 starters
Poached Egg on Bubble and Squeak pate from the specials menu. This was indeed a very special and unusual meal and impressively presented in an earthenware dish.
A sharing platter containing BBQ Chicken Wings, Onion Rings, Halloumi Sticks, Chips and Garlic Bread was very fulsome and left us wondering if we had any space left to continue.
After much deliberation, we chose our mains.
The Mixed grill is always a firm favourite and consisted of rind on Pork Chop, Sausage, Chicken Breast Fillet, Steak, Mushrooms, Onion Rings, Salad and Chips all of which were juicy, cooked to perfection and extremely satisfying.
The Rump Steak was tender and came with tomato, mushroom, onion rings, chunky chips and a garlic butter sauce which added to the flavour.
Who doesn’t love a truly great burger, the Classic Cheese Burger consisting of high-quality Beef Burger, Cheddar Cheese, Tomato, Lettuce Caramelised Onions, Gherkin, Relish and French Fries certainly lived up to our expectations.
When it came to desserts we wondered if we could eat any more, but after a break, we decided on sharing Apple Crumble & Ice Cream, Strawberry and Vanilla Panna cotta and Sticky Toffee Pudding with Ice Cream which were sumptuous and the perfect way to round off a hearty culinary experience.
This is a community pub with great traditional food such as Beer Battered Fish & Chips, Pie of the Day, Sausage & Mash, Curries, Burgers, Chicken and Steaks all freshly cooked and offered at great value. There are also vegetarian dishes and Salads, It has a very friendly atmosphere, Darts and Aunt Sally nights and a very attractive outside all weather courtyard space.
Sunday Lunch with Mixed Roasts is very popular from 12.00 noon with the last sitting at 3.45pm.
The Seniors Lunchtime Deal is excellent value every lunchtime Wed to Sat from 12.00pm to 3.00pm.
We recommend that you visit this lovely pub for freshly cooked food that is tasty and at great prices friendly to your wallet. Your furry friend is welcome in the bar and courtyard and will be greeted with a bowl of water.
The Three Pigeons Inn
3 Southam Rd, Banbury, OX16 2ED
Open every day, Bar 12 to 11pm, Sun 12 to 4, Kitchen 12 to 3pm and 6pm to 9pm, Sun12 to 4 pm.
www.thethreepigeons.com
01295 275 220
