GUIDES

Michelin Pub Guide

Michelin Restaurant Guide

The Good Food Guide

Hardens Restaurant guide
Alistair Sawdays Pubs & Inns of England and Wales

 

REVIEWS

OXINABOX (Katherine MacAlistair) REVIEW

Well done Mole Inn team a fantastic review from Katherine and Team :)

'Now that the freneticism of Christmas is over and we can all relax, there is nowhere better to venture than the comforting echelons of The Mole in Toot Bladon.

The ultimate gastropub, its esteemed welcome comes complete with log fires, sterling staff, some fantastic cocktails...'

GET DOWN TO THE MOLE INN IN TOOT BALDON FOR SOME BLAZING FIRES, A TOP NOTCH MENU

 

TALE OF TWO MOLES

Thanks to the Ox in a Box team for a great write up for the Mole Inn and the Mole and Chicken, fantastic feedback on the venues, staff and food - well done team

Read the review here tale of two moles

link to mole and chicken website

OXINABOX FOOD AWARDS 2020 - MOLE WINS BEST NEWCOMER AWARD

We are honoured and excited to say that we were the winners of the oxinabox best newcomer award at the OXINABOX FOOD AWARDS at the Northwall oxford. It was an amazing evening enjoyed by all and Raymond Blanc was there to give us our shiny trophy - well done team Mole :) very proud.

Find out about the glittering awards night here 

As a result of winning the award we then went on BBC Radio Oxford with Katherine to talk all about the awards, the mole and to showcase some of our food.   

link to us on air go to 01.07 in the recording to here us :)

TELEGRAPH AND SAWDAYS

We were very proudly listed in the Telegraph this weekend as one of the 30 best winter pubs in Britain, for dog-lovers, walkers, foodies and more - in an article by Alistair Sawday and Keith Miller. We were listed as number 2 in the 'Best for Food' section where Alistair mentioned us as 'a place to wow foodies from far and wide, hospitality is in the very fabric of the old timber-framed building that has been a watering hole for centuries. Thoughts drift to a cosy winter lunch, lounging in club chairs beside the inglenook, perhaps with a pint of Hooky in hand. Chic rusticity extends into all three dining areas...daily specials point to a modern British menu peppered with eastern inspiration.' 

For the Full telegraph review click HERE

OXINABOX (Katherine MacAlistair)

Amazing and well deserved write up for Johnny and the Rest of the Mole Inn Team - Well Done All

'How Exec Chef Johnny Parke and the Team at the Mole Inn, Toot Baldon, have transformed the Gastropub into one of Oxfordshire's Finest....last week’s lunch really sealed the deal for me. Sat outside in the courtyard garden surrounded by sundials and lavender, the world was a better place...The gazpacho from the specials board was thick and smoky, piquant and summery, and beautiful to behold. The chestnut mushroom and Mole ale rarebit with salsa verde & toast was a DIY fait accompli – a bowl of fondue style cheesy mushrooms, a knife and some toasted sourdough....that’s what Johnny does so brilliantly. He finds a classic and adds a twist, not just any twist, but something different, fun and enhancing.......'

For the full review visit OXINABOX REVIEW

OX Magazine

The Mole Inn Restaurant Oxford - A Gastropub worthy of the Name

'If it works, it works.....it’s not trying to be cleverer than it is – it just delivers..... I’m overjoyed to report that the Mole team laced every mouthful I had that evening with more genuine, heart-warming, grin-inducing, gratifying culinary care than my little heart could take..'

For the full write up visit here Ox Magazine Mole Inn Review

The Arbuturian
Very proud of the team for our recent write up in The Arbuturian online

"The words 'The Mole Inn, Toot Baldon' sum up a kind of quintessential Englishness..beautiful countryside, the rhapsodic spendour of the lovingly restored rural inn and the general sense that all is well with the World in this corner of Oxfordshire..The Mole Inn has managed to capture all that is right and just about the English dining experience, but also kept things fresh and exciting with a few twists and unexpected detours. The two AA rosettes are well deserved"

For the full review visit Arbuturian Mole Inn Review

Muddy Stiletto's
Super excited to be feature on the Muddy Stiletto's bog this month

"This pretty village gastro pub south of Oxford serves up both pub classics and more inventive dishes. The attractive rural pub hits the mark for both foodies and families"

For the full review visit Muddy Stilettos Mole Inn review

Michelin Restaurant Guide
We are extremely proud to be listed within this highly respected guide.

"Appealing menu suits all tastes and appetites. Sourcing is taken seriously so when ingredients are gone, there gone"

 

Michelin Pub Guide

This guide has now established itself as another useful and respected guide from Michelin and we are delighted to be listed within this guide book.
"The sleepy hamlet of Toot Baldon, just outside Oxford, has had a serious wake-up call with the renaissance of this attractive old stalwart as a real top-notch dining pub heavyweight"
"It's no less than immaculate"

 

The Good Food Guide – Readers Recommended
‘Would rate as one of the best pubs I have visited for a long time’

 

Hardens Restaurant Guide

"More gastro than pub, a pleasant and cheerful establishment, with a lovely garden, in a tiny village near Oxford, which attracts almost unmitigated praise from all who comment on it"


Alastair Sawdays Pubs & Inns of England & Wales
‘The Mole Inn continues to wow Oxford foodies – it is packed most days’

 

Eat Out Magazine – ‘Best of the Best’
Eat Out Magazine has included The Mole Inn in its top 100 restaurants in the UK and we are very proud to have been included within this prestigious list of restaurants.

The Morning Advertiser – ‘Freehouse 500’
Industry magazine ‘The Morning Advertiser’ has announced its list of the UK’s 500 top independent freehouses, which includes The Mole Inn. Their list includes “The UK’s finest single site operators, the licensees who are at the vanguard of quality in the provision of food and drink and from this select group inspiration ripples out to the rest of the sector”

 

The Oxford Times

Christopher Gray, restaurant critic has paid us another visit following his last review which resulted in us receiving another great write up for which we are extremely proud.
" Our restaurant critic Christopher Gray enjoyed his dinner so much at The Mole Inn at Toot Baldon that he returned for another helping of it's fare just two days later "
" The Mole's kitchen excels at fish. On Thursday the fillets of bass were cooked to a light perfection "
" A lover of classic puds, Olive declared the bread and butter pudding with it's tang of orange, the best she had ever eaten "

 

The Oxford Times, Limited Edition
Katherine MacAlister visited and reviewed The Mole Inn and gave us a truly glowing review;
"It does exactly what it says on the tin - produce consistently good food"
"The Mole Inn is certainly as good as any of Oxford's eateries, if not better"
"The Mole Inn lived up to all expectations, however high"

 

Alastair Sawday’s – Pubs & Inns of England & Wales
Better known for his guides on special places to stay, Alastair Sawday’s first edition of Pubs & Inns of England & Wales is one of the most definitive & highly regarded guides of this sector.
Following an inspection by the guides hugely experienced editor, David Hancock, we were delighted when we received a great review and further delighted to learn that we were one of only 48 out of over 500 entries in the guide to receive a full page review.
“The Mole has proved a hit with Oxford Foodies who have flocked to experience the pubs renaissance……it’s packed”
“The food is big on looks and flavour”
“Local Hook Norton ale and happy staff complete the picture”

Contact Us

Toot Baldon
Oxford OX44 9NG
Tel: 01865 340001
E: info@themoleinn.com

Hours of Business

Drinks served

Monday to Thursday: 12noon - 22.15pm

Friday and Saturday:  12noon - 23.30pm 

Sunday: 12noon - 6pm

 

Food served

Monday to Thursday: Lunch: 12noon-14.30pm. Dinner. 18pm - 20:45pm.

Friday and Saturday: Lunch: 12noon-14.30pm. Dinner: 18pm - 21pm. 

Sunday: 12noon - 16.15pm.

 

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