Eat and drink
The Royal Oak, Whatcote
A Michelin-starred village pub at Whatcote, near Tysoe west of Banbury, run by Richard and Solanche Craven, with set menus of wild and seasonal food from close by. Open Wednesday to Saturday.
The serious meal of the Banbury area: a one-star Michelin kitchen in a tiny village pub, cooking what grows and is caught within a few miles. It is a booking for an occasion, at £85 for three courses or £110 for the chef's menu. It cannot cook vegan or for dairy, nut or egg allergies, so check before you book.
- Good: One Michelin star, in the 2026 guide
- Good: Two or three courses at £69 or £85, or the chef's menu at £110
- Good: Vegetarian, pescatarian and gluten-free menus with 24 hours' notice
- Good: Free corkage for one bottle between two on Wednesdays, on the chef's menu
- Worth knowing: No vegan menu, and no cooking around dairy, nut or egg allergies
- Worth knowing: Dinner Wednesday to Saturday and Saturday lunch only
About
The Royal Oak is a small stone inn in Whatcote, a village of a few lanes about 10 miles west of Banbury and a few miles beyond Edgehill. Richard and Solanche Craven own it, and in the 2026 Michelin Guide it holds one star. The cooking is what the pub calls wild and seasonal: ingredients from within a few miles, bought from producers it has used for years, on menus that change with the seasons.
There are two menus. Our Menu is £69 for two courses or £85 for three, from Wednesday to Friday at dinner and at Saturday lunch. The Chef's Menu is £110, and the only choice on a Saturday night. A wine pairing adds £95, coffee with chocolates or a Yoredale cheese course is £12, and you may bring your own wine at £45 corkage, with one bottle free between two on Wednesdays if you take the Chef's Menu. Vegetarian, pescatarian and gluten-free menus need 24 hours' notice. The kitchen cannot cook vegan, or for dairy, nut or egg allergies.
Historic England lists the building at Grade II and dates it to the 17th century. The pub tells a longer story of its own: Whatcote is in Domesday, a stone shelter stood here for the masons building St Peter's church next door by 1168, and, the story goes, officers lodged here before the Battle of Edgehill in 1642. The Cravens also run Bastardo Trattoria and the Ferment and Flour bakehouse in Shipston-on-Stour. Book on the website, by phone or by email.
Opening hours and season
Closed, opens Wed 18, 18:00
| Mon | Opening | Restaurant |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Closed | Closed |
| Tuesday | Closed | Closed |
| Wednesday | 18:00 to 23:00 | 18:30 to 20:00 |
| Thursday | 18:00 to 23:00 | 18:30 to 20:00 |
| Friday | 18:00 to 23:00 | 18:30 to 20:30 |
| Saturday | 12:00 to 16:00, 18:00 to 23:00 | 12:30 to 13:30, 18:30 to 20:30 |
| Sunday | Closed | Closed |
Restaurant: The times when tables can be booked to sit down.
Closed from Sunday to Tuesday.
The details
- Food
- Fine dining · Modern British
- Serving
- Lunch · Dinner
- Dietary
- Vegetarian dishes · Gluten-free dishes
- Booking a table
- Booking required
- Features
- Restaurant · Bar
- Awards
- One Michelin star, Michelin Guide Great Britain and Ireland 2026
- History
- 17th century, by the Historic England list; the pub gives 1168
Photos
The dining room 
The terrace at dusk 
The bar 
The garden in 2022 Photo: Derek Harper, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Location
Places to stay nearby
-
The George at Brailes
Pubs
A village inn on the high street at Lower Brailes, part of the Freespirit Pub Company, open seven days for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with local ales, a garden, first-floor bedrooms and a full calendar.
Dog-friendly · Walker-friendly
Verified Nov 2026
-
The Castle at Edgehill
Pubs · Edgehill and Radway
A pub and restaurant in the castellated 18th-century tower on top of Edgehill, above the 1642 battlefield, with Hook Norton ales, large gardens, five en-suite rooms and a gin school in the tower.
Family-friendly · Wedding venues
Verified Nov 2026
Nearby walks, places and things to do
- The George at Brailes 5.5 km away
Sights nearby
-
Tysoe Windmill
Sight · Historic building · Tysoe
An eighteenth-century ironstone tower mill on Windmill Hill above Upper Tysoe, Grade II, which worked until lightning struck it in 1915 and still holds its machinery. Seen from a public footpath that passes beside it; not open inside.