The story
The Old Crown Coaching Inn sits at 25 Market Place in Faringdon, Oxfordshire, where its Ballroom Restaurant holds two AA Rosettes (2026) for a Modern British kitchen. The inn is a 16th-century building with a history that runs back to 1492, and the dining room is one of three spaces under the same roof.
Jamie Whiting leads the kitchen. He previously ran the kitchen at The Black Horse in Standlake, where he kept the pub's double AA Rosette status. The menu changes every six to eight weeks, built around local and seasonal produce from trusted suppliers. Provenance is the stated priority, and the breakfast reflects it, with free-range eggs, freshly baked bread and artisan sausages.
The Ballroom is the upstairs dining room, with high ceilings, elegant décor and prints by the contemporary British artist Gabriella Anouk. Sunday lunch is one of the busiest meals of the week, and the kitchen recommends booking ahead. Downstairs in the courtyard, JJ's Wine and Cocktail Bar serves an extensive cocktail list and a curated wine list. The pub, with its exposed beams and open fire, hosts live music on most Saturdays. The inn also offers 14 en-suite rooms.
Recognition
Details
History
*Chef Sam Squires left in February 2026 and has been replaced by Jamie Whiting (formerly at the Black Horse, Standlake).* Lording over a small square in the Oxfordshire market town of Faringdon, this gentrified 16th-century inn has been radically smartened up by its current owners and now offers all manner of possibilities to travellers and diners alike. There’s an elegant ballroom bedecked with modern art and wrought iron chandeliers, as well as a glitzy wine/cocktail bar, although the most significant changes have happened in the kitchen, with Ritz-trained Sam Squires helming an operation full of vim, vigour and imagination. Starters might strike a floral note with the likes of beetroot tartare, dill oil, raspberry and nasturtium or offer something more punchy in the form of old-school game pie with piccalilli and fresh herbs. Meaty options predominate among the mains: beef cheek and onion suet pie with creamed savoy cabbage and red wine jus pleases the traditionalists, or you could opt for a wonderfully tender duck breast atop potato rösti served alongside carrot and orange purée and sherry jus. Fish fans have battered cod as well as more upscale ideas such as a bouillabaisse riff involving Atlantic cod, mussels, clams, herb crumb, rouille and saffron potato. You’ll need to book well ahead for the more elaborate tasting menu (Wed-Sat evenings only), but if you miss this chance you can at least console yourself with well-considered desserts such as blackberry and yoghurt baked Alaska or salted dark chocolate délice with orange and cardamom ice cream. Sunday lunches also get top marks.
2 Rosette Award for Culinary Excellence
Location
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