The Bowl Inn in South Gloucestershire

Stopped in for a quick drink. Very nice.

I can only base my rating on meeting family there for lunch, having had it recommended. We booked well ahead and arrived on time, however it was half an hour before even a drinks order was taken. The drinks took ages to arrive. We were warned that our meal would take a while because they had a party of eleven to cater for. We were also told that they didn't have any tomatoes if we wanted to order burgers. It was almost an hour more before our meal arrived - annoyingly well after a family of five sitting opposite had received theirs, despite arriving about thirty minutes after us. When the food arrived, I asked for mayonnaise. It didn't arrive until I was hungrily well through my lunch. Nobody came back to us subsequently, so we had to order more drinks from the bar. The food was ok, not outstanding. The serving staff polite and friendly, but in my opinion they must have been very under staffed. Surely there can be no excuse when bookings were taken well ahead? And not having tomatoes on a Friday lunchtime? I thought the prices were a little high for what we received and won't be going back.

Had Christmas lunch here this year, 2024. Absolutely excellent, couldn’t fault anything at all. Service great, staff extremely friendly and food utterly fantastic. Would definitely recommend. Happy New Year to you all .

We’ve had Christmas dinner at The Bowl today - the food, the service and the overall atmosphere was fantastic, highly recommend.

A lovely overnight stay and sunday lunch all delivered by staff that cared and took an interest. Not all goes right these days in any form of hospitality sector but the staff at this lovely pub with excellent food, good portions, always found a way to help or solve something missed for us and others who visited whilst we were there. They made our stay very comfortable and enjoyable. Thank you all.

Festive menu was delicious with a good choice and well presented. The Ox Wellington was particularly tasty

Great little Inn... well appointed accommodation, friendly staff and great restaurant food.

Great accommodation, food & cask ale in this very cosy pub.

Lovely venue to have our Xmas team meal, great service and great food alongside great company.

We met friends - another couple - for a pre-Christmas lunch and a chance to catch up on our news. We were given a nice table in a quiet cornet, as requested and enjoyed the entire experience . The welcome was friendly, service excellent and the food delicious.

We were looking forward to our lunch here as we had good experiences in the past. It was a central meeting point for a pre-Christmas family get together. Unfortunately it wasn’t the same as it has been and has fallen short in hospitality and quality of food. The waiting staff claimed they hadn’t got our email to say some members of our party couldn’t make it, yet had put out the right number of settings for the reduced numbers. They claimed they hadn’t served us as they were waiting for all of us to arrive - were pretty curt about it too. I had a bugger of a time with allergy menus and had to contact via messenger, email and then eventually Butcombe Inns direct. The food quality was ok but not as it has been in the past. Fancy names for food but buns looked like they had taken them out of the freezer. Maybe we went on a bad day but we won’t be eating or recommending there any time soon.

Although very busy in the run up to Christmas the staff could not have been more helpful on my recent visit, bending over backwards to give great service. Lovely rooms and super food, overall a very pleasant experience, I will be back.

Great fish soup for lunch. Very busy but service was good.

Had lunch here last week. The food was brilliant and pretty quick, but on the pricier side.

Great local place with local peculiarities. The things that make stays great are the things that you didn't expect and leave memories. Those aren't always completely smooth,but the staff make it as easy as can be.

Very poor resteraunt experience, A Sunday family evning meal was ruined. Half of the menue was not available to us as they ran out of stock,,, and the poor little choice was left ! 3 of us had a very expensive beef roast posing as the higest quality, from a local supplier. It was awful, it . We could not cut or eat it a complete disappointment, as in the picture. Nice pub poor food.

Celebrated my father's 80th birthday with a Christmas Sunday lunch. Meals were delicious and service was excellent!

We booked the Bowl for Sunday lunch for my daughter and her partner. Started off fine as we were shown to our table at the allotted time. The first problem being that this is the worst table in winter I.e. next to the opening side of the door. Whilst someone has to sit there, we booked three weeks prior, so why seat us there where the main restaurant seating was empty? Anyway, having sat down at the correct time, it took 30 minutes before we were even approached for food and drink too-up orders - and then only after we asked if it was possible to place an order. At that point, we were advised that numerous menu items were unavailable. I accept that happens at times, but smacks of poor kitchen management, particularly as one of the unavailable ingredients was pert of a dish that was still available. Orders placed, we eagerly awaited the arrival of the starters. One bread and olives and two terrine (so already refrigerated). 25 minutes later, they arrived. The manager had already been over to apologise for the delay - fair enough, these things happen. The Whitebait was served with a chilli dipping sauce, not the usually expected tartare. Strange. Onto the main courses. These arrived, apart from one that took a further 4/5 minutes. This held 3 of us up as we didn’t want to start whilst one person was still waiting. Thankfully, 3 of the mains were well received. The beef Sunday lunch option was disgustingly. The beef was virtually un-cuttable and certainly un-chewable. The Yorkshire pudding was dripping in tepid fat. This was rejected when the person waiting on the tables came to check if ‘everything was alright’ with our meals. I should have asked who was in the kitchen - Basil Fawlty (Gourmet Night episode for those who know)? In fairness, this was a rare occurrence for the Bowl, but it was awful!

Great lunch, good choice of draft beers, lovely atmosphere and staff.

We had a late lunch with 2 of our friends and the hospitality and food were amazing, this is our second visit here for lunch , previously we came for Sunday lunch which was equally amazing, will definitely be coming again, thanks to all at the bowl at almondsbury

Meet with group of 9 friends and had a lovely time. Food very nice and good value for money, service good and waitress helpful. Have planned a return for end of next month 👍👍

This was my first visit to The Bowl.Sadly rather disappointed as the waiting time for food was unacceptable. We were told that the chef was having to work solo through staff sickness. The restaurant was full so this did not help. We also found the menu was very limited for choice. The waiting staff were very pleasant and apologetic,but sadly our experience was not as expected.

Stunning location, really fabulous Sunday lunch with good wine and lovely beer ( keeping father happy). Staff friendly and attentive. Price competitive. What more can you ask for?

Tasty pint but sadly no space for walk ins on a very busy Wednesday evening.

What a little gem! This is a beautiful inn! The staff are lovely and very helpful, the room was beautiful and very comfortable. We had dinner as well as breakfast and the food was amazing! This is definitely a place we will return to time and time again! Thank you!

Booked at late notice table for dinner, great welcome in the bar, very good service with our food, great food. Again, overall 5 stars to this pub 👌😊.

Lovely meal with a friend. The pub was all dressed up for Christmas. This image doesn’t do it justice. Delicious menu. So much choice. Everything was fresh and comforting. I’ve already make plans to go back

This is another lovely Butcombe pub. Everything was great. Although, a bigger cheese platter would have been welcomed!

Kicked off this Christmas season 😁

Nice place Nice people Excellent food Will definitely stay again

Excellent meal and service. There were 5 of us and we were well looked after.

Nice pub with rooms excellent location, food and drinks very good. Bathrooms in room need an update

Lovely traditional pub with modern comfortable rooms and fantastic breakfast. I chose plant based breakfast, which wasn't a poor replacement, it was generous size and really tasty. I didn't have dinner because my travel was delayed, but the restaurant was busy with locals, always a good sign. Super comfortable bed and a window that opens - so nice to be able to get fresh air. I loved the touches of providing a thermos of fresh milk for the room and a cafetière with decent coffee. Thanks to all staff at the Bowl Inn

We had a very comfortable stay, with great food and service in a very friendly environment.

Admittedly this place is right up my street, a beautiful old pub, everything about it is my idea of perfection.

Had a lovely meal with our family. Good food, great selection of beers and a warm and cosy environment. Service was efficient, polite and friendly staff.

Lovely characterful Inn. Lively atmosphere Definitely would revisit

We had breakfast on Sunday and it was really lovely! The restaurant has such character and nicely laid out. The staff were lovely and made us feel so comfortable and at home. Food was good and choices were great! Next time we’ll bring the dog as I wasn’t aware they were allowed in the bar area 😁

Fantastic ambience coupled with excellent food and friendly service. Not the cheapest, but always top quality.

Nice quaint pub with private parking nice atmosphere, wine was very expensive tho and food not worth the money being charged

A very comfortable room and bar with friendly personable staff and a good choice of beers. Evening food was great. Reasons for 4/5 - could not park, WiFi down (not really a problem for us) and confusion with the restaurant booking. That said we would not hesitate to stay again and would recommend to others.

We walked into the pub and we were greeted by a lady, she didn’t make us feel welcome at all from the get go! My wife has a dietary requirement and when we asked this lady ( I believe she was the manager/the owner) she made it so awkward for us that we decided to pay for our drinks and leave the pub. The pub is nice and the atmosphere was nice too, I spoke to a young waiter re the WiFi and he was very friendly and polite, we just didn’t like this lady’s attitude towards us, she made us feel uncomfortable and unwelcome.

Nice clean rooms, comfortable beds. Could have had a better choice of tea and coffee in the rooms. A couple of tetley tea bags and a good instant coffee too. Nice breakfast, I didn’t care for the idea of an extra charge for a full English . Was it worth £110 for the night? Maybe a little over the top. Overall it was just fine Parking was close and free.

Cracking old pub, lovely setting and atmosphere. Good food and a charming young waitress. Met friends here halfway between our homes and location just off the m5 but in a quiet village was very convenient.

We ate at the bowl on a Saturday evening plus visited the evening before for drinks. The Bowl is a delightful character pub with a mainly friendly feel and good food. The prices are on the high side for a pub but the food just about justifies the prices. The mainly young staff work hard but there wasn’t enough of them on our visit. They tried their best but were overrun as seemingly most people had been able to book the same time to arrive. It took an age to get any drinks or menus, though once we had managed to order , the food came in a reasonable time and was very good. The front of house woman at the bar on the Friday was one of the grumpiest I’ve met and it’s not a great welcome. Luckily there was no sign of her on the Saturday.

Great service, beautiful food. Ceoliac and allergies very well managed by the team.

Beautiful village pub, very welcoming, excellent food, good real ale and warm roaring log burner. Car parking opposite pub free when registering number plate in pub.

Wasn’t overly impressed with the menu and it was very expensive! For the price of the meals I was expecting a higher standard of food and presentation but I was pretty much your big standard pub grub. Disappointed and I wouldn’t go back.

Excellent location & cuisine. You won't be disappointed.

Booked dinner late so we were told they’d need the table after an hour, but we never felt rushed. Excellent food and service, lovely place with a very nice buzz.

Stopped in for brunch, lovely pub, great service and delicious food, what more would you need.

I booked for a business dinner with two colleagues. We were shown to a nice quiet table, great service with the right amount of interaction. Beautiful food, wine, company and location. Thanks!

Four of us had a very nice lunch here, tasty food, well presented, warm plates 10/10 for that, and efficient friendly service.

Stopped off here for lunch on the way to Hereford. Great location with parking. Really good service and food

Nice friendly pub close to M5 with decent rooms and a good menu.

Very nice looking pub, quaint interior. Decent food, though the menu was limited with a number of items not available and no specials. The room was nicely furnished but small, not somewhere I'd want to spend more than one night and the bathroom ceiling was flaking badly. Some staff were friendly and helpful others fairly sullen.

The first room I was given had a stench to it and issues with the shower but I was very pleased after reporting issues to get a room upgrade. Evening meal and breakfast were excellent but most UK folks prefer back bacon to streaky bacon.

Nice pub, good food, relaxed and convivial atmosphere, friendly service, welcoming presentation. Everything you might want in a country venue, whether for food, a drink, or conversation. Outside also appealing when the sun is out.

Cosy, accommodating and friendly, we were very impressed with The Bowl at Almondsbury. The staff were lovely, the food delicious, quaint location and cosy atmosphere, we’ll definitely revisit.

We were really looking forward to our family birthday meal so booked in advance and opted for a booking at the very beginning of the evening dining period. Unfortunately the occasion was not great. We tried to order beer off the menu and was told that our first two choices were not available. We then tried to order pie and fish stew only to be told that that was not available and finally ordered desert only to be told that cream was nit available. I see no point advertising a menu that is not available. The outfit needs to improve its food planning and ordering system.

Wonderfully quaint both pub and village, we loved our stay. Staff were friendly, welcoming and helpful. Rooms clean, beds were very comfortable. Plenty of parking. Breakfast - you can tell its a chef, not a cook mmmm :o)

Lovely old inn near to the M5. Some food and draught ale options weren’t available which lessened the value of the experience.

Fabulous little find in Almondsbury - excellent service - the staff, particularly the lady running it, were so accommodating (including getting my room ready early), the food was delicious, lovely buzzy atmosphere and comfy bed and room with nice little touches. Will definitely stay again

Don't visit on a Sunday evening. Arrived at 6.40pm (we had a booking), just after being called to say they were out of roasts and most other main courses, except for 4 dishes. No warm welcome from the staff. Slow service and it was not busy at that time. A disappointing visit. Food was OK but fish and chips somewhat greasy. Starters and desserts were fine. Probably won't come back (this was our 3rd visit in a year). A real shame as this pub has potential.

We booked to get the offer for drinks at no point were we told we had to pay before 6pm even though all drinks were ordered before 5.30pm . I feel this should be explained as you are seated as this is very misleading. The lady that waited the table was lovely and was a different person that seated us . She did see if offer could be applied but was told no. Very disappointed and left me feeling very uncomfortable.

The location was ideal for me as I attended a weekend workshop in Bradley Stoke, Bristol. The quality of the room, the inn and the food are at a very good standard.

Great service and breakfast, nice room an comfy bed just a bit thin-walled and therefore noisy as our room was right above the pub.

Food and atmosphere were excellent

We had a team dinner last night, and overall, it was really good! Highly recommended. We didn’t stay at the hotel, but we’d love to try it in the near future. Thank you!

This was a disaster of a lunch, having dropped in because we were passing nearby and needed lunch. Nice pub and ambience, pleasant and helpful staff, but food was terrible. Arrived 12.40, ordered drinks and advised large party due at 1.00 so best to order immediately. That was appreciated, so well done for that. We did order straight away. Decided to share sesame prawn toasts with Vietnamese sauce, followed by wild mushrooms on toasted sourdough, with ricotta cheese and fried egg, and whipped smoked mackerel, beetroot tartare, and rye toast. The "prawn" toasts arrived as the party were sitting down. The 2 toasts looked good on the plate but proved to be a tasteless soggy mush coated in black and white sesame seeds. Either no prawns or, if present, were blitzed to death with wet untoasted bread. Yuk! Feeble sauce couldn't rescue it.. Nothing else arrived until 15 to 20 minutes after the party had been served their meals. We expected to be next straight after them but that delay is too long. Rye bread with mackerel dish was like hard cardboard and inedible. Sourdough under ricotta was untoasted so was totally soggy from ricotta. Mushrooms were tasteless and fried egg yolk was hard. On complaining about both breads they dishes were replaced. Both toasts better but not great but new egg had hard yolk again. all this with very few other customers arriving after the large party so shouldn't have been a stressful kitchen. The cost of mushroom dish being taken off the bill softened the blow somewhat but not enough to wish we had found somewhere else. Poor design of dishes, poorly executed. Work needed.

We had an amazing roast dinner here, food, staff and venue all excellent, highly recommended 😊

Everything about the Bowl was first class the booking and express departure, food and comfort of the bedrooms and it’s location. We will certainly come again. Can I say a particular thank you to Betty and Susan. For their assistance and help.

Fantastic meal!! Service was super friendly and efficient. Were able to accommodate a large group at very short notice. Highly recommend.

The Bowl Inn is in a great location near the motorway in a lovely, peaceful village. Very comfortable rooms. The disabled room downstairs was a big plus & ideal for our mum. The food in the evening was excellent and & breakfast was delicious.

Super friendly staff! Greeted with a smile... Lovely location, minutes from the M5/M4 Bristol junction, but in a nice village which felt miles from the city! Room was lovely, clean, and full of character, with a huge bed... Dinner and breakfast were great. Nothing to fault here! 100% coming back!!

We had dinner which was excellent. And service was great.

Great beer, warm welcome, good service but a disappointing meal for me and my friend. I had the glazed honey pork chop and my friend the chicken flatbread. Although the pork chop was nice it was served with only a fried egg and two of those cheapie hash browns at £24.95. I should have added extras but then putting an average meal up to over £30-£35. My friend had the good sense to order fries with his flatbread but both meals were inadequate in terms of quantity. It's a shame but a great place to go for just a drink.

Very welcoming on a rainy Wednesday. We were shown straight to our table and our drinks order was taken. As we were busy talking we were given more time to peruse the menu, which was slightly shorter than the menu shown on line. We ordered and as the drinks had already been served we returned to our gossip. There were several others in the restaurant and the atmosphere was very convivial. The food ordered was serve in good time and was delicious. More drinks were ordered. The dessert menu had a good variation and we all enjoyed the food immensely. We rounded off with liquors, brandy and coffee. We were not rushed at all and would like thank the staff for their attention.

Wonderful staff ensure a great stay. Very convenient for Bristol. Food excellent and service first class.

We went for dinner, the food was outstanding, just delicious! The pub is in a great location and we had a great table. Nice atmosphere with parties, small groups and locals. Just like a proper pub. The two ladies that served us were helpful, professional and really friendly.

We had a couple of pints in this friendly, cosy pub. We hadn't been for over 25 years, but will be back soon.

We stumbled upon this charming pub while on our journey from Cornwall to London. Needing a pit stop to charge our car and stretch our dog's legs, it was a much more pleasant alternative to the usual motorway services. Just a couple of minutes off the M5, this quaint village was a delightful surprise. We'll definitely make this our go-to spot on future trips. The selection of beers is fantastic, and the food is equally impressive—well-prepared, beautifully presented, and absolutely delicious.

Such a lovely pub! Cosy atmosphere and a delicious roast dinner, will definitely be back.

Visited for a Sunday roast - all food was fantastic, couldn’t fault anything about it! My only complaint is around the pressure to pay the ‘optional’ service charge. The roasts were already upwards of £20 per head which I’m more than happy to pay for good quality however I like to be in a position to contribute my own choice of tip. When I asked to pay a reduced amount on the service charge I was challenged and asked what was wrong with the meal. This response made me feel very uncomfortable so I ended up saying I’d pay the full amount to avoid any further conflict but for this reason I probably won’t return any time in the near future.

Visited for food and it delicious. Varied menu and a nice change from a standard pub menu. Hubby loved the fish and chips - the standard was excellent. We had a very waiter who was very friendly and helpful. The pub is beautiful and great for parking. Thank you !

I’ve stayed here god knows how many times in the last two years on business and I have to say the place is just fabulous. The staff are helpful and very friendly, rooms beautifully decorated and always clean and the food is inventive and delicious. Absolutely recommend this little haven. Home from home ❤️

Friendly staff, delicious food, and good beer.

Absolutely great stay over Sunday Roasts great & full English excellent. Staff were friendly the breakfast waitress who was particularly attentive. Check in was a bit awkward taken to our room at 3pm and was not ready so went to the bar and had to wait ( I’m not scrabber but would have thought the offer a drink would have been nice) Room Charming and lovingly furnished with full array of hot drinks & toiletries however quite dusty. Would not hesitate to book again tho .

In the charming village of Almondsbury, a gem of a place, great monkfish tails, and a delicious pork roast. Thanks to the staff for a warm welcome and good service!

Lovely supper get together with family. Friendly service. The John Dory was delicious. The monkfish was praised by those who ordered it.

Fabulous roast with lovely cosy quiet atmosphere. Service friendly and attentive. Looking forward to many more meals etc at The Bowl and also Christmas Day lunch.

We stayed at The Bowl Inn on Saturday 7th September. The village is nice and the pub obviously very old. Having lived in old buildings myself, I can understand the challenges. However that does not excuse the mould in the bathroom. It shouldn’t be there! There are plenty of products available on the market to deal with it. Otherwise a plumber can replace the grout. Overall the room was very small, decor tired and not very clean! The staff were very friendly, dining area and food fine, but sorry not worth £350 for one night!

Inedible greens side dish spoilt the whole visit. They were so tough that you couldn't split them between your fingers let alone chew them. Dreadfully undercooked. When I sent them back the manager said its the type of green they are. I disagreed and said they were badly undercooked. She then replied ..well you've already paid. Couldn't be bothered to give me a refund and said I could have a drink on my next visit. It's only £5.50 but we are never going back and we are locals..terrible attitude

Supplied fresh milk and ground coffee for your room, along with tea and biscuits which is a nice idea.

Came for Sunday lunch. Earlier than table booked. No problem. All staff so friendly and helpful. So nice to have plenty of space between tables so able to chat. The Sunday roast, one beef one pork couldn't have been better. Delicious. Food delivered in good time. Coffees to follow. When we were leaving we were asked if all was well and encouraged to return which we most certainly will.

This place is an absolute worldie, met up with friends and had an excellent meal, good choices and variety, and good value.

Lovely lunch, food and service was brilliant. Will definitely be returning very soon.

We thought the sms messages were suspicious so did not use the express check in on the first visit. Overall great beers and food. First time I’ve seen hanger steak on a menu…enjoyed it.

We met, with relatives, for a leisurely lunch. Really lovely food and very helpful staff. Two of our party were vegetarians and the choice was really good, so good, I had a vegetarian dish myself. Will definitely return.

Consistently good food, interesting menu and nice surroundings.