Spriggs Alley, Chinnor, OX39 4BX
Harden's survey result
Summary
Julie Griffiths’ “atmospheric gastropub with lovely real ales and log fires” has been a feature of the Chilterns deep in countryside off the M40 south of Oxford for yonks and is, for its many fans, “an amazing institution that just keeps giving”. “Julie and her team look after you very well” and its unchanging attributes include “good if expensive” cooking and “a wonderful selection of wines”. (“A recent house move prompted the alarming thought that the first visit to the Napier was around 40 years ago. Since then we have visited dozens of times, celebrating special occasions and the everyday. What has never changed is the friendly and attentive welcome, the sense of ease settling by the fire in the bar or taking an aperitif in the beautiful garden. The menu always feels reassuring but upon closer inspection reveals constant fine- tuning in response to availability and season. Once installed in the eclectic dining area, the Napier remains an unchanging, unalloyed pleasure”.)
Summary
“Delightfully out of the way” with a “tremendous location” in the leafy Chilterns: Julie Griffiths’ hidden-away restaurant (too posh really to be called a pub as it originally was) is “worth the trip out of London” or makes a “perfect lunch stop off the M40”. Its impressive standards over the years make it one of the top 100 most commented-on destinations outside of the capital in our annual diners’ poll and it provides “flavoursome” (if not especially foodie) traditional fare backed up by a “serious wine list”. “Julie always maintains the highest standard” (as she has done for over 50 years at the helm now) and it is particularly “a perfect location on a fine summer day”.
Summary
“Quality you wouldn’t expect deep in the countryside” means Julie Griffith’s “charming, but off-the-beaten-track country pub/restaurant in the Chilterns” (impossible to find before the advent of satnav) is “a real treat” that’s “worth a detour” and has a big, long-term fan club extending all the way into London (from which it’s a welcome weekend ‘run out’). It’s “such a lovely building” always with “a warm and welcoming atmosphere”, bolstered by “beautiful gardens from spring to autumn; and with cosy log fires in the winter”. There’s the odd background quibble of food that “sounds great on paper but falls short at the price” or a slight feeling of “complacency”. These are drowned out for the most part though by more typical reports of “consistently good and excellent food” and a feeling that “Julie runs the place superbly”. “Never fails to impress…” – “never a disappointment here in over 27 years and possibly 60 occasions!”
Summary
“Well worth the journey” down the M4 and then through winding Chilterns countryside (or, of course, you can just drop in using the helipad in the garden) – Julie Griffith’s “lovely” rural gastropub has proved an amazingly enduring destination. “Julie herself is still doing a wonderful job after all these years” and curates a “very homey and informal” interior style that might seem “rough and ready” were it not so tasteful. “The food is original and very delicious (but not cheap!)” and there’s an “excellent wine list” too. And with its “beautiful setting” and garden, it’s particularly “fantastic on a sunny day”.
For 34 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
Have you eaten at The Sir Charles Napier?
Prices
 Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £28.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £4.50 |
 Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Service | 12.50% |
Restaurant details
The Sir Charles Napier Restaurant Diner Reviews
"Remains good but perhaps the first signs of getting slightly tired and making the rapidly increasing prices raise an eyebrow. still remains a favourite stopping place. "
Spriggs Alley, Chinnor, OX39 4BX
Opening hours
| Monday | CLOSED |
| Tuesday | 12 pm‑2:30 pm, 6 pm‑9 pm |
| Wednesday | 12 pm‑2:30 pm, 6 pm‑9 pm |
| Thursday | 12 pm‑2:30 pm, 6 pm‑9 pm |
| Friday | 12 pm‑2:30 pm, 6 pm‑9 pm |
| Saturday | 12 pm‑2:30 pm, 6 pm‑9 pm |
| Sunday | 12 pm‑3:30 pm |
