My husband and I have just returned from an evening out at the Bell Inn. Even though the place was completely packed out we received excellent service with a minimum wait for food, a perfectly cooked rib-eye steak and the very tasty slow cooked belly of pork. If you expect a waiter hovering over you topping up your wine go somewhere else, if you want a nice relaxed atmosphere and a leisurely meal go to the Bell. We have also enjoyed some nice lunches in the garden during the summer. Don't let bad reviews put you off, it's a welcome alternative to the other restaurants in Hampton. A local restaurant for 'local' people.

Is this place a joke bad service bad attitude bad food and music was terrible never going again.

We booked a table for 3 at 2:15. We arrived at 2:15 (or just after) and were asked to take a seat in the bar, for reasons that still remain a mystery as the table we were shown to, that apparently “wasn’t ready”, was sitting empty (with a piece of paper with my name on) as were two other perfectly adequate tables also. The visit to the bar to buy a drink whilst we waited, was another sorrowful customer service experience in itself, 2 bar staff working, neither registered any sign that my presence had been noticed, and full attention was being given to fulfil drinks orders for dining tables. When I was at last served, it was by an unsmiling young lady, who obviously has never been taught to say please or thank you, let alone “sorry to keep you waiting”, and a queue of some 10 people had accumulated behind me. After (finally) buying a drink and sitting waiting for 15 minutes as requested in the bar, with no sign of anyone coming to take us to a table or let us know what was going on, I re approached the lady (who I assume was the manager) to ask if we could be shown to our table the reply “was to wait a minute”, I explained that we had been waiting already for 15 minutes. The reply to that was “i’m sorry that you have had to wait 15 minutes”. Which smacked of sarcasm. Then, finally we were shown to the table that had been available for the entire time we had been seated near the bar. We then ordered and sat waiting until 3:10 when I went over and asked if the food was anywhere near arriving, not one person had come over during the wait to ask if we wanted a drink, nor to apologise about the wait or inform us of what was happening. The response was that our food would be ready in “about 5 to 10 minutes”. To add insult to this we then noticed that sitting at the bar in the seats we had vacated, some people evidently walk in customers were finishing their meal. We left having not eaten and having wasted an hour. Absolutely atrocious. Little Chef standard gastro £

Well I don't know what all the fuss is about my partner and I have been here on many occaisions since the refurbishment and think its a great addition to the area. The food is always excellent and very good value for money. The place is always busy and I am glad to have it on our doorstep...

You have got to be joking !
Award winning couple?
I looked into their so called sister hotel the kings arms and the same complaints there
Lack of care to detail
Food was cold to table
The wait far to long
the menu standard fare for incompetent chefs
I would say that they come across as amature
having lived locally for years these are the most arrogant people to have taken on this pub and I can tell you that local feeling is that they will not be there long

I wish I could award 0 stars. I don't know where to begin to explain how bad this place is, but I will have to select the desserts. They were stale - at least 4-5 days old by the look & the taste of them - but even had they been fresh they were inedible, the pastry tough & hard, the antithesis of what pastry should be. My granddaughter, whose treat this was meant to be, ordered a burger - by the look & the taste of it, it had been reheated, & in the first place had been grossly overcooked. The only positive points were that the wine list was reasonably priced & the wine was good, the service amateurish but friendly & well meaning. Such a pity that they had to deliver such rubbish to the table.

Just a note to say, The Bell is under new management again, as of the 22nd of December 2008. We have a new menu, new staff and big plans to make sure this pub fulfills its huge potential. Hopefully we will be undergoing a refurb in March, and in the meantime offer good food and a warm welcome.

Wow! I just had to write a review after reading what some of the other people have said about this place. It was so nice I can't see how people can fault it!

The first thing you notice when entering is the decor. What a great mix of quirky lampshades, flock wallpaper and furniture. Definitely not somewhere you'd expect to walk into in sleepy Hampton!
We got a smiley hello from the barstaff who said for us to find a table & they would serve us there. My husband ordered a pint of bitter & I had a g&t. Both were good.
Later we thought we'd treat ourselves to a bottle of Sancerre (which was quite reasonably priced.)

I had scallops for starter and chicken tagine for main. My husband had pate and then a T-bone steak, which he said was one of the best steaks he had ever eaten! We shared an amazing amaretto cheesecake for dessert. (You have to try this, it came with a delicious poached pear on the side with ginger ice cream... beautiful!)
All in all, it was a great evening.

We're definitely going back for a lighter lunch on a sunny afternoon to sit in the garden.
Can't say enough good things about this place. Moving from central London and losing the great choice of pubs/restaurants this is a little gem on the outskirts!

My friends and I held a brithday "do" at The Bell Inn last week. We had the upstairs room and it was great - all the staff were friendly and helpful with setting up the room. The Bar staff upstairs were great, even when we were pleading with them not to throw us out at 11!
Would definitley reccomend for any function, and we'll be returning for some food and drinks too I think!
Only drawback was the getting through the traffic in Hampton - it's always pretty rammed.

The Bell is probably the best pub in Hampton but that's hardly an achievement considering the lacklustre competition. In its favour is a fairly relaxing atmosphere and quirky decor. Unfortunately, the cons outweigh the pros. The main problem with this place is that it doesn't know whether it wants to try to be a pub or a restaurant and consequently fails to make the grade as either. The food is reasonable but heavily overpriced and the choice for anyone who just wants some decent pub food rather than an aspiring restaurant dish is well... a burger (with a variety of toppings). It's hard not to get the impression that the landlady, who is rarely if ever seen incidentally and even more rarely wearing a smile or acknowledging

The best that can be said of the staff is that they aren't deliberately rude; they are however not at all versed

The Bell is one of those pubs that makes you feel like doing a Gordon Ramsay and shaking the management by the shoulder because with a few simple changes it could be a great pub.

My wife and I booked what we thought would be a romantic Valentine's evening at The Bell.

We arrived only to be told they had no record of our booking and they were completely booked up and there was nothing they could do.We got the usual get out phrase "who did you speak to?" as if some how it was our fault.

Being Valentine's night they would have known all the restaurants would be booked and made no real effort to sort something out. It was like "sorry,bye!".
We had to just go home.

We spoke to the owner manager who really didn't seem to care less even though at the end of the day it was she that was responsible for our ruined evening.

We are locals and thought this might be a good place to meet friends for dinner etc
but after this we will never recommend or go there again.

Very bad.

Hampton lacks good bars and quality food and I am glad to say that The Bell Inn has changed all that. My husband and I live locally and normally have to travel a good distance for the type of food, friendly staff and great wine list you find here.
We also loved the decor which gives the place a fantastic atmopshere.


We enjoyed a three course meal and wine for about £50.00 including tip. The food was fresh and with great flavours. You should go to The Bell Inn. Go! Go! Go!

New management took over The Bell Inn in November. The decor is now an eclectic mix of old furniture, flock wall paper and beautiful lampshades. They have employed a an excellent chef who is creating amazing food that is excellently presented.


The whole atmosphere at The Bell Inn is one of style and quality for people of all ages to enjoy. There are no screens for football or any gaming machines, but there is a fantastic wine list and very friendly staff.

The Bell Inn doesn't really have a lot going for it. Fairly relaxed atmosphere, the Bell Inn could be a good drinking spot if it had a bit of a spruceup and some of the staff were changed.