A UK pub tucked away in a picturesque Oxfordshire townhas been crowned the best at this year's 2025 National Pub and Bar Awards. The Bull in Charlbury, Oxfordshire, walked away with the number one spot, as voted on by the judges as the best pub in the UK. The panel praised the pub for its fine blending of a "cherished local pub feel" while offering a premium experience.
Its location is owned and operated by the Public House Group, known for heading up popular London venues such as The Hero and The Pelican, but this gem is set against the good old British countryside. The Bull has firmly cemented itself within the pub scene since its reopening in July 2023 under new ownership.
Now run by a team of founders including Phil Winser, James Gummer and Olivier van Themsche, the 15th-century pub has made the town proud with its attempts to strip back to the quintessential British experience. The pub made waves with its stripped-back interiors and contemporary service, brilliant team and, of course, "exceptional" food served fresh from the kitchen.
The Bull's head of food Sally Abé, said: "We're all over the moon. It's an incredibly busy pub as it is. We're doing about 1,200 covers a week. But hopefully this win will bring lots of new people to us.
"Over the last few years, pubs have really been struggling - a lot have been closing quite suddenly - so it's amazing for this event to shine a spotlight on pubs and show that they really are pillars of the community, the backbone of Britain."
The pub was chosen as number one out of 255 other pubs and bars across the UK, all shortlisted to represent their counties for the 2025 event. 94 county winners in total were announced, along with those venues that won highly commended in their area.
Other awards handed out at the event included Pub Group of the Year, which went to Camerons, as well as Bar Group of the Year, accepted by Mr Frogg's from London's Inception Group. When it came to all things food, a pub in Northamptonshire, The Tollemache Arms, took home the prize for The Tyrrells Tyrrellbly Good Taste Award.
Along with these well-established awards, the event introduced a new accolade for 2025, showcasing the pub's popularity with the industry and punters themselves - The Industry's Choice Award. Unveiled in a top 10 format, the overall winner went to The Devonshire in Soho after a monumental few years serving pints in the capital.
The winners for each region- East Midlands - The Tollemach Arms, Harrington
- East - The Gunton Arms, Norwich
- London - The Red Sun & Lion, Highgate
- North East - The Black Swan Inn, Seahouses
- North West - The Bull's Head, Mobberley
- Northern Ireland - Dundrum Inn, Newcastle
- North Scotland - The Barrelman, Dundee
- South Scotland - Kenmuir Arms, Dumfries and Galloway
- South West - The Beckford Arms, Tisbury
- Wales - Britannia Inn, Swansea
- West Midlands - The Wildmoor Oak, Bromsgrove
- Yorkshire and the Humber - Pinnacle Sports & Games, Leeds
- South East - The Bull, Charlbury
