Pubs around Didcot: dinner at The Bear Inn, North Moreton

Last weekend we visited The Bear Inn in North Moreton for a birthday celebration. The owners had changed since our last visit but we still enjoyed a hearty meal.

It’s hard to imagine that the small village of North Moreton once had four pubs. There’s only the Bear left now; it’s a typical village pub albeit with added gin bar!

Menu

The Bear Burger, Bear Inn, North Moreton
The Bear Burger, Bear Inn, North Moreton

This isn’t a fancy gastropub; instead it serves traditional pub favourites.

Starters included prawn cocktail, garlic mushrooms, whitebait, pate and vegetarian samosas. Mains included lasagne, steaks, cod, beef stroganoff and sausages and mash. There were five vegetarian options, two of which were vegan. Whilst they were pretty standard vegetarian options (veggie lasagne, bean burger, nut roast) it was lovely to have a choice.

There’s a separate children’s menu with the usual favourites – pizza, bolognese, sausage and burger.

Desserts we’re also of the traditional variety; from cheesecake to sticky toffee pudding, chocolate fudge cake to crumble.

Ambience

Scampi, Bear Inn, North Moreton
Scampi, Bear Inn, North Moreton

We’d booked a table outside as I’m still not particularly comfortable eating indoors. Our table was new and situated on gravel in a sunny spot. It was perfect for us.

Whilst there were a few other tables in use I was surprised it wasn’t busier, given it was a Saturday evening.

Food quality

Veggie lasagne, Bear Inn, North Moreton
Veggie lasagne, Bear Inn, North Moreton

The food was excellent. It was well presented with substantial salad garnishes and chunky chips. My partner’s steak was cooked exactly as he requested.

The portions were of a good size; I struggled to eat everything. Even my teenage son couldn’t finish his 12oz burger (with cheese and bacon) as it was so large.

We were a little full for dessert so my daughter and I shared a lemon cheesecake. This was very lemony, and served with good vanilla ice cream. I forgot to take a photo before we tucked in, so the photo is of a reconstructed cheesecake!

Cost

Lemon cheesecake, Bear Inn, North Moreton
Lemon cheesecake, Bear Inn, North Moreton

For the evening menu starters cost between £6.50 and £8.25. Mains are mostly around £13-£15, up to £19.50 for the ribeye steak. Dishes on the children’s menu are all £6.50. Desserts are all £7 excluding the sorbet/ice cream options.

I thought the dishes well priced and good value for money.

Service

Steak, Bear Inn, North Moreton
Steak, Bear Inn, North Moreton

The only downside to our visit was the service, which lacked finesse. The waiting staff, although polite, were not particularly attentive and were often focused on other activities.

Despite the slight issue with service I highly recommend the pub; we’ll definitely return.

More info:

Address: High Street, North Moreton, OX11 9AT.

Dining hours: food generally served lunch (12-2pm) and evening (6-8.30pm). Pub is closed on Monday, no food served on Sunday evenings.

Food Hygiene rating: recently inspected, awaiting rating.

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