Eat and drink · Banbury
The Church House, Banbury
A café, bar and restaurant in a restored former church hall of 1905 on North Bar Street, Banbury, open all day from coffee to steak, with walk-ins welcome and room for events of up to 150.
The handy all-day stop by Banbury Cross: a restored church hall that does coffee, a sandwich or a steak, and takes you without a booking. It suits a stop when you are seeing the Cross and the town, more than a special journey.
- Good: Restored former church hall of 1905, listed Grade II
- Good: Walk-ins accepted all day
- Good: Food from 11am, to 10pm Monday to Saturday and 9pm on Sunday
- Good: Sunday roast beef at £19.95 (2026)
- Worth knowing: No bookings for 25 or 26 December 2026
- Worth knowing: Opening times differ between its home page and booking page; ring if arriving early or late
About
The Church House is a café, bar and restaurant on North Bar Street in the middle of Banbury, in a restored former church hall. The house calls it 19th century, but the Historic England list, where it is Grade II, describes church rooms dated 1905, by W. E. Mills of Banbury. Its own site places it at Horse Fair and Banbury Cross, which makes it the obvious sit-down near the town's best-known sight.
It runs all day, from coffee to dinner. The 2026 menu is bar and grill food at town prices: a Church House burger at £12.95, a club sandwich at £10.95, grilled sea bass at £14.95, beer-battered fish and chips at £16.50 and a rump steak at £18.45. Sundays add roast beef at £19.95.
Walk-ins are welcome all day, or you can book through the online form or by phone. The room also takes events of up to 150 people.
From 25 November to 24 December 2026 there is a Christmas party menu at £29.95 for two courses and £35.95 for three, with food ordered ahead by phone or email. The house is not taking bookings for 25 or 26 December 2026.
Opening hours and season
Closed, opens Mon 16, 11:00
| Mon | Opening | Food served |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 11:00 to 23:00 | 11:00 to 22:00 |
| Tuesday | 11:00 to 23:00 | 11:00 to 22:00 |
| Wednesday | 11:00 to 23:00 | 11:00 to 22:00 |
| Thursday | 11:00 to 23:00 | 11:00 to 22:00 |
| Friday | 11:00 to 00:00 | 11:00 to 22:00 |
| Saturday | 11:00 to 00:00 | 11:00 to 22:00 |
| Sunday | 11:00 to 21:00 | 11:00 to 21:00 |
Times are from the booking page. The home page gives slightly different ones (from 11.30am, and to 10pm on Sundays), so ring if you are arriving at either end of the day.
The details
- Serving
- Lunch · Dinner
- Booking a table
- Walk-ins only
- Features
- Restaurant · Bar · Café · Wi-Fi · Events and meetings
- History
- Church rooms dated 1905, by W. E. Mills (Historic England list)
Photos
The bar 
The dining room from above 
Under the glass roof 
Fish and chips
Location
Places to stay nearby
-
Whately Hall Hotel, Banbury
Hotel · Banbury
A Grade II listed 17th-century inn, now a 71-room hotel on Horse Fair in the middle of Banbury, with gardens, an oak-panelled restaurant and six EV chargers.
Dog-friendly · Family-friendly · Wedding venues
Verified Nov 2026
-
The Three Pigeons, Banbury
Pubs · Banbury
A Grade II listed 17th-century inn, partly thatched, on Southam Road, Banbury, with real ales and ciders, a courtyard, Smash Cow street food from Thursday to Saturday and three en-suite rooms.
Dog-friendly · Car-free
Verified Nov 2026
-
Banbury Cross Bed and Breakfast
B&B · Banbury
A family-run Victorian B&B on Broughton Road, Banbury, with seven bedrooms, about 370m from Banbury Cross, with free off-road parking, cooked breakfasts and rates from £77. No under-18s.
Car-free
Verified Nov 2026
Nearby walks, places and things to do
- Whately Hall Hotel, Banbury 0.1 km away
- Ye Olde Reine Deer Inn, Banbury 0.1 km away
- The Old Auctioneer, Banbury 0.1 km away
- Good Game, Banbury 0.2 km away
Sights nearby
-
St Mary's Church, Banbury
Sight · Church · Banbury
A round-towered classical church on Horse Fair in Banbury, built after the medieval church was brought down, in part with gunpowder. Grade I, by S. P. Cockerell. Open most mornings.
-
Fine Lady statue, Banbury
Sight · Monument · Banbury
A bronze of the rhyme's fine lady on her white horse, on a Hornton stone plinth where South Bar meets West Bar in Banbury. The people of the town paid for it, and the Princess Royal unveiled it in 2005. Free to see at any time.
-
Banbury Cross
Sight · Monument · Banbury
The cross of the nursery rhyme stands at the top of Banbury High Street, but it is a Victorian monument of 1858 to 1859, put up about 250 years after the town's medieval crosses were pulled down. Grade II*, free and seen from the street at any time.
-
People's Park, Banbury
Sight · Common or park · Banbury
Banbury's town centre park, opened in 1919 to mark the peace, with an aviary of budgies and cockatiels, a walled garden, rose garden, bowling green, tennis, a play area and a café. Free, and run by the town council.