Stag and Huntsman, Hambledenback to pub details please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Made a return visit after only a year and as other reports suggest, it has changed. The local ales are still present and a new menu in place but the main alterations are to the decor - there is a new sleekness to the presentation and window sills have been finished off in a fetching shade of dark green. Definitely more clinical now and the garden has been levelled by some Inigo Jones wannabe - someone who clearly wasn't impressed with its undulations. No sign of a barbecue but still a good stop off amid great walking country.
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It has reopened, but I am yet to sample it in its new guise. I'll write a brief report once I do.
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"Closed for refurbishments until May 2012" according to its website.
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Having walked from Henley via Aston, we were looking forward to lunchtime refreshments at this pub. Sadly it had CLOSED FOR BUSINESS last Sunday, 4 September. The lady at the pleasant little store advised that the pub is owned by the Hambleden Estate and is being redeveloped to provide more bedrooms, amongst other improvements. She hoped it wouldn�t end up too much the modern gastro pub. Fortunately the store sold freshly filled rolls, pies, soft drinks, tea, coffee and canned beer, offering a welcome alternative. We dined al fresco on the stores picnic benches, watching the world pass by.
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A classic country pub in a quite beatiful village near the border of three counties; perhaps the only pain is the mile + walk from the river (difficult, however, to blame those who presumably founded the place prior to the publication of the Domesday Book).
The ales are good and nod to local tastes - Oxfordshire's Brakspear and Buckinghamshire's Rebellion are both on tap and the food is superior pub grub, but not pretending to "gastro" - the haddock and chips was mammoth and succulent. On the summer afternoon of our visit, an excellent barbecue was also in operation and pleasingly, for an area infested with hoorays, a full range of classes was represented, including not a few ramblers.
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Great little pub. Beers well kept, had a pint of Loddon Hoppit. Separate distinct bars and friendly locals, manages to not vanish up its own backside like some of the other pubs in the area.
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Excellent country pub - had a couple of pints of IPA which were both in good order on a weekday early evening in the small public bar with a few local workers who were obviusly after work regulars - nice atmosphere - food looked alright and there were acoupple of proper ciders on but didnt partake of either
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Fab little village pub. The staff were great and the beer (had Loddon Hoppit) was excellent. A warm welcome on a cold day during a long walk, but walkers take note they close at 3pm on a Sunday!
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A three-roomed old-school country pub with some period decoration in a picturesque village.
Three ales on the go (Rebellion IPA, Loddon Hullabaloo and Brakspear), the IPA and Hullabloo were both in good form. Plenty of old pump clips attest that the selection of ales change on a regular basis. There was a couple of decent whiskies too.
Darts are available as well as outside lavs (in a fair state, not exactly 'bleak' as described below) and a large pleasant garden which looks like it'd be great in the summer and for beer festivals (one was being advertised). Perhaps the only real downside was that lots of the doors were wedged open on what was a fairly cold evening!
Well-worth seeking out.
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Charming, classic, Chiltern brick & flint village pub, located in fabulous walking country. Been coming here for almost 25 years, and the pub, up a cobbled side-street, never disappoints! Range and quality of ales is good-to-great, nice tasty diverse food (especially welcoming on cold winter weekends!), the interior is cosy rather than spacious, but with a fine beer garden shaded by nearby beech trees. The atmosphere, staff, service, and condition of premises is all very respectable and charming. Yes, a bit of a 1930s 'Poirot' or 'Foyle's War' settig, but all the more attractive for being so!
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I was here on Sunday 19 October with friends after a brisk two hour walk in the glorious Chiltern countryside west of there. It was inevitably busy at 1.15pm, and there was no room to eat indoors- but this is simply beacuse it is deservedly a very popular pub. It has lots of atmosphere, the bar service was attentive, courteous and quick, the 6X went down well, and although we did not eat there, the generous plates of roasts looked delicious.
The setting of the garden, which looks up to an impressive wood of beech trees, is particularly glorious in the autumn.
The description of the gents as "rustic" is a kindly understatement for bleak and basic- but after all it's the beer that goes in that matters.
I highly recommend this pub, the village and its whole setting as a base for starting and ending a walk .
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Cycled there today for a Sunday pub-lunch. Queuing for food was a bit slow, but sitting in the garden in the sunshine with a great pint of Rebellion IPA made everything alright!
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A Lovely English Pub, wonderful food and friendly staff, it has a character all of its own and should hold onto it!.
it's the ideal place for the contented, relaxed and fulfilled amongst us to be contented relaxed and fulfilled.
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Classic pub in a quintessentially English village surrounded by great Chilterns walking country. Thoughtfully prepared food. The garden is a delight in summer, but you need to get there early at weekends. Rustic outside gents loo.
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If you took this pub and put it in any other location it would be closed in 12 months.
Hambleden village is beautiful like something from Miss Marple or Foyles War, but the pub lets it down.
Inside it is a mish mash of charachter, the menu is weak, and decor something akin to a B&B in Blackpool.
I live in Henley have been a couple of times and would say there are far better pubs than this in the area.
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I'm surprised no one has reviewed this pub before.
It's a classic country pub in the classic village frozen in time - Hambleden is outwardly so little changed from the 1890s that it's been used as a location in dozens of films and TV programmes.
The pub is beautifully preserved without being untidy or uncomfortable.
I've only visited on Sunday lunchtimes, but the food seems fine; there's a large if crowded garden; and good real ale (I forget which - probably Rebellion).
There are some great walks in the hills, valleys and woodlands around Hambleden, plus the Thames towpath a mile away.
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