Broad Face

Under new management we had dinner to sample the new Mitch star chefs menu and hospitality. Very exciting for Abingdon.
The food was lovely and just that. Nothing more or less. Which was disappointing as the new chef came with Michelin stars and names like Gordon Ramsey to his belt.
My steak was not cooked to my request and neither was my guests. No steak knifes came and when asked we were told they had none available and we would have to wait — not great given my steak was £20 and my guests shared steak was £45 I therefore feel the menu was slightly over priced as was the wine at 13.50 for a glass of red wine.
Front of house had no idea what they were doing and while there were many staff standing around, we struggled to get drinks at all, with our order coming wrong twice this is obviously teething & training problems but on speaking with the chef after our dinner we were not asked about our experience and thoughts, instead he was more interested in telling us about how much he’d spent on furniture — which doesn’t forebode well for the future. Would we go back? Dinner for 4 persons starters, main & wine £212.00 definitely not value for money or worth the money and staff under skilled unprofessional & unfriendly — no, is the answer not in a hurry jacx

Recently changed ownership and undergoing a slight make-​over. Prior to the new ownership, this was my regular pub for evenings out and the occasional meal. The new owner is tweaked things slightly and visually it’s a definite improvement. The bar staff are always very friendly to Lisa and me and with the stability of a new owner the atmosphere has improved.
Had a couple of light meals there and have enjoyed them all. A very decent selection or beers, wines and spirits. It’s a great bar to hit to avoid the crowds (although it can get busy on weekend evening). No TV inside, so if you want to avoid sports etc, its the place to go.
Only downside is the lack of a proper beer garden.

The Broad Face is a great place to know if you’re stuck in Abingdon for a week. I ate there twice — once for Sunday lunch and once for dinner during the week. It’s a true gastro pub with great, good value food that goes a little beyond the ordinary, coupled with a great pub atmosphere with at least 3 different real ales to go along with the full range of fizzy beers, wines and liquors.
Finding somewhere to eat Sunday lunch at 3.30pm having arrived at Heathrow around noon was a pleasant surprise, but to find somewhere with such a well cooked, well presented menu was a real treat. Between our group we tried each of the roasts — pork, lamb and beef. Each came with a different set of accompaniments and the whole team agreed they were excellent. The beef was cooked just right, just the right shade of pink. The pork crackling crackled and the lamb was tasty and tender.
The deserts were really good, with gastropub classics like sticky toffee pudding done really well, including some excellent custard. With a fixed price for 2 or 3 courses it’s a really good deal. As a starter we all had mussels which were very well cooked in a tasty broth.
They also have a good range of other main courses if roast meat isn’t your thing.
Dinner during the week was a more conventional a la carte affair but again excellently put together. I had calves liver, which was delicious with mashed potatoes and perfectly cooked vegetables.

My wife and I visited for lunch on a weekday. The place was quiet and the food seemed nice. I had a steak pie and my wife had a curry.
The menu said that curry came with vegetables although none appeared on the plate. When we asked where they were we were told that it meant it was cooked with vegetables, although it was difficult to see any in the curry!
I would have probably given this place 4 stars if I’d reviewed it straight after eating, but unfortunately I had a dodgy stomach for 24 hours after. Having spoken to other people I heard that someone else had a similar experience after eating there.
Perhaps now I know why it was so quiet!

A tiny place, though most of it taken up with restaurant space. Which is what they do best I guess, food is good though far to fancy smancy and expensive for me. It’s a special occasion place though I suspect you’d need to book at busy times. Lovely atmosphere, staff friendly enough. Just get a whiff of trying to hard, I guess they’d need to acheive the acclaim they’ve had. Can’t knock it really just a bit too fancy and too pricey for most of us.

The Broadface is a very popular venue for office workers on their lunch break. And deservedly so, as the quality of their food is very high.
However, their popularity does come at a price. At peak times (Friday lunch times, most notably), they have more patrons than they can comfortably cater for. The service isn’t snappy and you can wait a long time for your food. If you’re in a hurry, it’s not the best place to go.

This is a really nice pub, both for a quiet drink and for food. The food is always good here, and it can get busy so it is best to book a table at weekends. They always have a fish board as well as the main menu, so there is a really good choice of dishes. On sundays they serve a really nice roast dinner with a good choice of meats available. The desserts are absolutley great, though it can be difficult to leave room! The chocolate brownie is my favorite. It is also a great pub just to come for adrink, and there are afew tables outside for the summer. They have a nice wine selection, and have games in the bar such as frustration and connect four which can be really fun to play with a group of friends!

Winners of various catering awards since 2004, The Broadface is a quality establishment. With a menu to leave your stomach rumbling and drink to put a smile on any connoisseurs face, you can’t go wrong with a visit to this place. Before the smoking ban I was sceptical about it but I’m convinced now.