Bel & the Dragon, Maidenhead

Blackthorn _ left this review about Bel & the Dragon

An attractive looking black and white timbered pub at the top end of Cookham’s small High Street, parts of the building allegedly date from 1471 and it didn’t disappoint internally either.

As you enter you come in to a small vestibule, with a snug off to the left and the bulk of the pub extending rearwards to the right. The snug was certainly a cosy spot with plenty of old beams on the low ceiling (they were even lower in the loos where one had been padded to avoid hitting your head), polished wooden boards on the floor, a red Chesterfield leather sofa, comfy armchairs and salmon colour paintwork on the upper part of the walls with rough wood cladding down below. The room to the right was broadly similar in terms of style, although lacking many of the ceiling beams, but offered attractive leaded windows out to the front and a small brick fireplace. It’s obviously been extended at some point, with the rear part being a large, barn like room which looks to be mostly used for dining, with an open kitchen off to the left. It stills manages to blend in with the rest of the pub though, and I thought they’d done a pretty good job of it.

The food was a step or two up from your normal “pub grub” with most of the main courses being between about £20 and £30 and including options such as a cheeseburger, salmon linguine and pork belly. My sea bass schnitzel with brown shrimp, caper butter, mash & samphire was very good and most enjoyable.

Beers on tap were Marlow Rebellion IPA and London Pride, whilst the solitary cider was Cornish Orchards Golden. Overall, not the most pubby of pubs perhaps, and maybe the beer range could have been a bit more exciting, but certainly worth stopping in, especially if you want a bite to eat.

On 1^st April 2026 - rating: 7
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