I visited The Golden Ball with my friends on a sunny Saturday for lunch and we had a marvelous time. We sat outside in one of the tables in the garden. The service was friendly and attentive.Now the indisputable standout was the food, truly superb and way above the standards of a pub. You will feel like eating in a fine restaurant while enjoying the relaxed atmosphere of the countryside. Each dish was exquisitely presented and full of flavour. Even the bread and butter were homemade by the chef. I can't recommend the experience enough ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Paul Cockerton
Visited the pub on a Sunday, thankfully had booked as they were full!Exceptional food. Really quite something. It’s a 45 min drive for me and I’m planning to go back soon!!!The paneer starter was out of this world; the peach tarte tatin was fabulous, and everything else in between was outstanding.Book it immediately.
Steve
Outstanding in every respect, you pay a little more but you get a whole lot more, and IMO it was worth every penny. Lovely atmosphere, great service and delicious food. If you're looking for somewhere to dine out in the Henley area that stands out from the crowd, I highly recommend a visit to The Golden Ball. It will be a treasured memory of a wonderful night out with a few good friends.
Tom Ball
A truly excellent meal, with great wine (you can bring your own for corkage). We sat outside and enjoyed a really good meal with leisurely service on a busy Sunday. Will definitely be
Thomas Reynaert
We had booked the B&B next door. We were referred to the neighbouring pub/Resto for dinner which turned out to be an amazing experience!
Kevin McCarthy
Nice pub but really disappointed that they could not do any food. All pre booked tables so not a good pit stop for hikers.
Tim Pain
The menu and food is as good as the previous owners and we will certainly be back. Loved it. Very friendly service too.
James Thomas
We enjoyed a superb dinner at The Golden Ball. Their menu has the perfect number of delicious dishes and the little things they add in make it utterly perfect (try their freshly made bread rolls… just wonderful). Thank you for a brilliant evening and keep up the amazing work!
Companion10571187097
We had a wonderful dinner at the Golden Ball. The menu had a handful of superb choices rather and, between the five of us, we had a good selection of the dishes, all of which looked & tasted fantastic. The portions were generous, the thought and creativity that went into each dish was wonderful and the service was great. It comes as no surprise that they were fully booked on a Saturday night and we saw multiple people trying to get in last minute. The Henley area has gained a fabulous establishment in the hands of the new owners of The Golden Ball and we are so happy to have discovered this little gem so close to home. Thank you for a delicious dinner.
Amy S
This place is phenomenal. Seasonal, curated, thoughtful food that tastes incredible. Friendly, professional, attentive, elegant service. We are so lucky to have this on our doorstep to go as many times as we can. Excellent value for the quality of food and experience.
We came here for dinner after visiting the nearby fairmile vineyard. Really tasty food , amazing flavours, and friendly service.
womblefromwimbledon
We were recommended to revisit the Golden Ball by friends (local chefs) and informed that it was under new stewardship. We visited on a Saturday night and service was pretty good. Front of house is excellent and the young waiting staff are learning the ropes so to be forgiven any minor issues. There is a very tight menu which is seasonal and very well prepared. Would recommend the monkfish dish and the squid starter on the current menu. Puddings were generous (left very full) might stick to two courses another time. Wine list good and overall lovely atmosphere. Wasn't full but it's classic holiday season so probably lots of people out of town.
RainLibidiff
We were a group of 15 who booked lunch for 1.00 p.m. - 1.30p.m. and were asked to order in advance which was not a problem. After drinks in the garden, we went to our table inside at 1.15 p.m. However, our starters did not arrive until after 2.00 p.m. Those not having a starter looked on hungrily as those that did, ate. Over the next hour, we asked several times when we could expect the main courses. About half of them arrived at around 2.50 p.m. and the remainder at 3.00 p.m. If you were unlucky enough to be in the later batch, and did not have a starter, it meant that you had been sitting at the table for one and three-quarter hours with only a bread roll (which were very nice but even so)! Several of our party had to leave at about 3.30 p.m. and they therefore had to cancel their dessert pre-order as there was no time to eat it, let alone chat over coffee afterwards. As a group, we have been coming to the Golden Ball annually for 15 years and this is the worst experience we have had. We are aware that there are new owners since last year and it would appear that they do not have enough staff in the kitchen. Also, no-one came to apologise that there was a long delay. Having said that, the food was delicious when it eventually came. However, a wait of that long, particularly when we had pre-ordered at their request, is just unacceptable (they also added their usual 12.5% "optional" service charge to each person's bill). Very disappointing - we will have to look for somewhere else to meet next year.
JeDi666
We came for lunch on a Friday and were glad we had booked a table, it was very busy. No wonder though. The food was excellent, you can choose a la carte or the fixed lunch, just £20 for 2 courses, and they have specials too. Service was very attentive but not intrusive. First class restaurant in a pub atmosphere. Well done indeed. We will certainly return.
Martin Parsons
Great meal reasonably priced (set lunch) a la carte is dearer. Great service too.Point to note, you're not still hungry when you leave. Well done.
I visited The Golden Ball with my friends on a sunny Saturday for lunch and we had a marvelous time. We sat outside in one of the tables in the garden. The service was friendly and attentive.Now the indisputable standout was the food, truly superb and way above the standards of a pub. You will feel like eating in a fine restaurant while enjoying the relaxed atmosphere of the countryside. Each dish was exquisitely presented and full of flavour. Even the bread and butter were homemade by the chef. I can't recommend the experience enough ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Visited the pub on a Sunday, thankfully had booked as they were full!Exceptional food. Really quite something. It’s a 45 min drive for me and I’m planning to go back soon!!!The paneer starter was out of this world; the peach tarte tatin was fabulous, and everything else in between was outstanding.Book it immediately.
Outstanding in every respect, you pay a little more but you get a whole lot more, and IMO it was worth every penny. Lovely atmosphere, great service and delicious food. If you're looking for somewhere to dine out in the Henley area that stands out from the crowd, I highly recommend a visit to The Golden Ball. It will be a treasured memory of a wonderful night out with a few good friends.
A truly excellent meal, with great wine (you can bring your own for corkage). We sat outside and enjoyed a really good meal with leisurely service on a busy Sunday. Will definitely be
We had booked the B&B next door. We were referred to the neighbouring pub/Resto for dinner which turned out to be an amazing experience!
Nice pub but really disappointed that they could not do any food. All pre booked tables so not a good pit stop for hikers.
The menu and food is as good as the previous owners and we will certainly be back. Loved it. Very friendly service too.
We enjoyed a superb dinner at The Golden Ball. Their menu has the perfect number of delicious dishes and the little things they add in make it utterly perfect (try their freshly made bread rolls… just wonderful). Thank you for a brilliant evening and keep up the amazing work!
We had a wonderful dinner at the Golden Ball. The menu had a handful of superb choices rather and, between the five of us, we had a good selection of the dishes, all of which looked & tasted fantastic. The portions were generous, the thought and creativity that went into each dish was wonderful and the service was great. It comes as no surprise that they were fully booked on a Saturday night and we saw multiple people trying to get in last minute. The Henley area has gained a fabulous establishment in the hands of the new owners of The Golden Ball and we are so happy to have discovered this little gem so close to home. Thank you for a delicious dinner.
This place is phenomenal. Seasonal, curated, thoughtful food that tastes incredible. Friendly, professional, attentive, elegant service. We are so lucky to have this on our doorstep to go as many times as we can. Excellent value for the quality of food and experience.
Restaurantji Recommends
We came here for dinner after visiting the nearby fairmile vineyard. Really tasty food , amazing flavours, and friendly service.
We were recommended to revisit the Golden Ball by friends (local chefs) and informed that it was under new stewardship. We visited on a Saturday night and service was pretty good. Front of house is excellent and the young waiting staff are learning the ropes so to be forgiven any minor issues. There is a very tight menu which is seasonal and very well prepared. Would recommend the monkfish dish and the squid starter on the current menu. Puddings were generous (left very full) might stick to two courses another time. Wine list good and overall lovely atmosphere. Wasn't full but it's classic holiday season so probably lots of people out of town.
We were a group of 15 who booked lunch for 1.00 p.m. - 1.30p.m. and were asked to order in advance which was not a problem. After drinks in the garden, we went to our table inside at 1.15 p.m. However, our starters did not arrive until after 2.00 p.m. Those not having a starter looked on hungrily as those that did, ate. Over the next hour, we asked several times when we could expect the main courses. About half of them arrived at around 2.50 p.m. and the remainder at 3.00 p.m. If you were unlucky enough to be in the later batch, and did not have a starter, it meant that you had been sitting at the table for one and three-quarter hours with only a bread roll (which were very nice but even so)! Several of our party had to leave at about 3.30 p.m. and they therefore had to cancel their dessert pre-order as there was no time to eat it, let alone chat over coffee afterwards. As a group, we have been coming to the Golden Ball annually for 15 years and this is the worst experience we have had. We are aware that there are new owners since last year and it would appear that they do not have enough staff in the kitchen. Also, no-one came to apologise that there was a long delay. Having said that, the food was delicious when it eventually came. However, a wait of that long, particularly when we had pre-ordered at their request, is just unacceptable (they also added their usual 12.5% "optional" service charge to each person's bill). Very disappointing - we will have to look for somewhere else to meet next year.
We came for lunch on a Friday and were glad we had booked a table, it was very busy. No wonder though. The food was excellent, you can choose a la carte or the fixed lunch, just £20 for 2 courses, and they have specials too. Service was very attentive but not intrusive. First class restaurant in a pub atmosphere. Well done indeed. We will certainly return.
Great meal reasonably priced (set lunch) a la carte is dearer. Great service too.Point to note, you're not still hungry when you leave. Well done.