please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Second visit here, both at lunchtime and whilst the atmosphere is a bit flat the beer is pretty good if pricey at £3.10 a pint but probably average for Oxford. Seems to get a non student type crowd at lunchtime which is fine with me! Definitely worth a visit for the ale selection. Had "Dave's special" which was Fyne's Maverick at £2.10 a pint and a lovely beer, worth paying the full price for, also tried a half of a dark beer which was good, but can't remember the name. Must mention the food, it is pretty good but the accompanying vegetable portions to the steak and ale pie are pretty paltry in size; a cauliflower floret, half a small thinly sliced carrot and a broccoli spear with an ice cream scoop sized portion of (lumpy) mashed potato.You run of veg long before the end of the pie. One amusing thing, a confusion over our order meant my wife got a bowl of chips not fish and chips (the staff were pretty good overall I should add) - the plate of fish and chips duly arrived but with about half the amount of chips in the original bowl! Why so mean? Someone else got a bowl of chips later which I suspect were the ones delivered to us, reheated! A minor irritant, they wouldn't serve me a second pint in my original glass citing "elf and safety" for giving me a new one - I've managed to survive drinking for 35 years with often the same glass with different ales in all night! I'd still give the pub 7.5 for beer but 6 for food.
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I am not from oxford just studying here i read about this pub in the good beer gilde, This pub was a little quite but the ale was very nice, i can see why it won pub of the year with beer and staff like this,
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Not the most aesthetic of pubs but it serves a decent enough pint. The Evan Evans Winter Warmer went down well. Down an alley off Magdaeln Street (past thr Brazilian coffee shop/bar).
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On the plus side - good choice of ales from breweries such as Evan Evans, Dark Star, Bedfordshire, Brakspear, although I thought the chocolate stout (Dark Star) served too warm. They really need to sort out the smell emanating from the Gents every time the door opened very unpleasant wafts came our way, and the building itself lacks any kind of ambience apart from that of a kind of local community centre with hand pumps. The piped Bryan Adams and other such drivel didn't help either.
Like I said, the beer was alright.
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I won't lie this is pretty much my local if I am in Oxford city centre. The last post mentioned the staff - they are from all over, not just Eastern Europe - some are from East Oxford! Dave and Lauren are the managers now and very nice they are too.
The far from now has a real cider of the week and there is a beerfest coming up in October.
Yes it is a bit of a barn but if you like beer you would go a long way to beat the choice - and no Green King!
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A pretty good pub is the FFTMC.
As the name implies, it's a bit of a bolt hole, down an alley, next to Borders bookshop.
Wide range of ales and I've never had a bad one.
Used to hang and sell some pretty good paintings and photographs on the wall. A sort of boozer cum gallery, but haven't seen the art change for a long while now.
Haven't seen the old guvner there for a while so he may have uped sticks and retired. Staff are (I think) mostly Eastern European, but very pleasant generally.
Worth a visit.
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Loved it - Great range of beer, very friendly and helpful bar staff and good food. Orkney Dark Island at under £2 was a nice bonus.
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Scores very highly for ever changing guest beers, but perhaps could improve if its range of house beer was bolstered a bit. That's nitpicking, but sadly criticism of the interior isn't - this venue wasn't built as a pub and it shows. Overall though, deserves praise for it's commitment to beer.
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Bit of a real ale gem located down an alley in the middle of Oxford - lots of interesting beers to drink. The 'box like' interior feels like you're in a community hall, but the beer always comes first. Only about 400 metres from my bus stop so pretty much perfect.
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Had a beer festival when I went there, well 6 casks out the back on gravity in addition to the selection on the bar so 12 in all I think. The pint I had was very good although my friend's pint did lack a bit of condition. We had over-sized glasses so top marks for that. Has a modern feel to it and attracts a more thoughtful clientele across the age range.
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Unusual pub this one, quite a modern feel to it, but essentially an old fashioned drinking pub. Lots of pump clips adorn the wall back of bar, and there is always a good selection of ales. I have only ever had good quality beer in here, even on a Monday afternoon.One of the best ale pubs in Oxford
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After reading BITE reviews, decided to try it out one Saturday afternoon (26th April) in favour of the famous old stagers in the area. Was quiet - 6 or 8 punters - but pleasantly so: quite a haven from the crowds outside.
On first sight, a good range of ales on show, a geographically/ stylistically varied selection reminiscent of the Edgar Wallace, which augured well.
Tried a pint of Battledown What He's Having - nose was sharply overpowering and first sip had a distinctly acrid aftertaste. Another couple of sips were all I could muster, but the barman happily swapped it for a new pint, this time of Grindleton LPA, which unfortunately suffered from a similar problem. Managed two sips of that.
Food menu looked fine, but decided to go and eat at another establishment. Barman was apologetic at least. Will re-assess on next visit to Oxford, but was extremely disappointed that 2 of 6 ales were undrinkable. Come to think of it, the few other punters were on lagers or Guinness if I remember rightly.
Just hope this was a blip, as otherwise it made for a welcome retreat.
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Wonderful evening. Paid a timely visit last night. The management have changed since I last called here in 2006; pub seemed quieter and more relaxed/relaxing with any background music on at a very low level. The interior remains unchanged.
A good range of well kept beers on yesterday, of which I sampled the following:
Goff's JOUSTER - 4%
Malt dominating and lingering, slowly easing to a dry finish;
Goff's LAUNCELOT - 4.5%
Sweet with some fruitiness, dry finish;
Oakleaf BLAKES - 5.2%
Excellent dark red ale, coffee notes, burnt smokiness dominating.
Vale BLACK SWAN - 3.9%
Good not great, fairly quaffable session ale.
The Brazilian guys behind the bar are great fun, and if you arrive alone and like good conversation with locals the bar area is the best place to sit.
I arrived after food stopped but an imaginative food menu is offered until 9pm, and certainly "reads" well.
Other features noted are as follows:
A piano in the main low-level area of the pub. This is an upright which needs a lot of work doing but you can "just" get a tune out of it. Live music is not hosted officially but accomplished pianists are invited to play - but DO beware the faults of the instrument.
Four beer festivals are held each year at FFMC. Check with the pub directly for details.
Definitely worthy of visiting again, and I have increased my mark from a 5 to an 8.
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Enjoyable modern pub/bar in the town centre, located down a small alleyway by Debenhams - which means you won't find it by accident, often a good thing.
Plenty of ale on, and a good selection too with plenty not seen often down south (a couple Elland brewery beers on Saturday), including a stout from somewhere in Scotland. Beer was in pretty good form too.
Food was fair, and staff service was good - we were given an honest waiting time for the food before we ordered, most places would take your cash and then let you sit twiddling your thumbs.
Atmosphere was good, mainly the more mature/discerning punter.
Granted, it might not be the quintessential olde English pub but it does more than enough to warrant regular visits and it's a good place to take non-ale drinkers. I like it and would recommend it.
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Soulless modern cafe style place - corporate and anonymous. An empty cold feel - echoing and vaguely unpleasant. Imagine a Wetherspoon without the - erm - charm and character, and you get the idea. Most Spoons don't have much charm in the first place, but they have it in spades compared to this dentist's waiting room. The only redeeming quality is the beer range, but this is not the only pub in town offering guests, so that is not a big plus.
I did find the veggie sausage and mash to be quite unique and tasty.
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I love this pub and always call when in Oxford for its excellent range of real ales, and friendly staff. Good food is also available.
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This is the Pub of choice for us on our regular visits to Oxford. The beer is always varied and in very good nick with plenty of choice. The food is always hearty and reasonably priced too.
It can get busy, particularly Thursday and Friday evenings, but it is definitely worth trying.
We love it.
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I love the selection of bottled beers they do here (particularly the duvel) though sometimes the barstaff are unsure what they are supposed to be serving and the bar get's VERY busy in evening
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Had half a dozen beers or so on tap. Beer tried was in good condition, noted most of the beer was in the 3.5 percent strength, which was a little unusual. Maybe it was a one-off. Quite a smokey atmosphere early Saturday evening...then again that will not be a problem after 1 July 2007.
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From the outside, it looks modern and uninviting but do go in - a Real Ale drinkers paradise with several beers always on the go with many and varied rotations. And the Landlord takes real pride in his pub and his beers.
A pub in Oxford that regularly serves Real Mild and Stout !
Also has regular live music and the Landlord sets up his own Beer Festivals a number of times during the year.
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Good range of bitters (has it's own beer festival). can get busy at lunchtime.Piped music is a downfall. Wheelchair access.
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Very good beer, but it was too cold in there. Why not turn the heating on November?
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For what it's worth (and that mightn't be much seeing as I've only visited this place once to date), I can appreciate why some felt it might've been a chain outlet, but really this is surely off-set by the large and broad range well-kept cask ales, served with aplomb by a largely friendly set of bar staff. Granted, if you're not a real ale buff then perhaps this pub might seem less than exceptional, but it is a lively and spacious outlet with a genuinely mixed bag of punters enjoying its wares. It is certainly more than worthy of a stop on any Oxford crawl; indeed, quite a lengthy stop if you want to sample a decent number of the beers.
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It saddens me to read comments such as the last one. This is not meant to be a forum for revenge attacks following staff dismissals. Anonymous, this pub is everything you said it is not! Fabulous pub, fine real ale and a cracking team to run it! Best of all, we have fantastic customers too! I can see why you did,nt like it!
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Just awfull!!! the worst bar i have been to for a while, bright, badly run, bad beer the list goes on.
anonymous - 29 Sep 2006 16:23 |
Uncomfortable bar which massacres good Northern beers.
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If you want to meet the locals while enjoying a good meal, then a pub called Far From the Madding Crowd is worth the effort to explore. Here you will meet a good local crowd from nearby theatres, shops and businesses often having lively debates about today’s issues.
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Walking in, one might be forgiven for thinking it had a chain pub feel (I think it is an ex-shop). Once at the bar, however, I was impressed to see several West Berkshire beers along with guest ales, and given the time would happily have stayed for several pints. Recommended.
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A very nice pub. Great beer and the friendliest staff I've come across for years. They also have some excellent live music events, I would thoroughly recommend it.
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Great session here as part of a "crawl" on 21/04/06. The beers were variable; Black sheep was actually rather better than one of the guest beers I tried. Gets packed on a Friday night, but if like me you persevere, you will find a seat. Some of the punters are quite friendly and will chat to you which is pleasant if you are visiting alone for any reason.
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When this opened I thought it would be the perfect town pub- excellent beer (local and foreign), good fresh food, not too noisy, non-smoking area.
Then the beer quality nose-dived and they lost their interesting guest beers, the food stopped, and the staff looked like they'd just walked in off the street. Very sad.
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Good range of real ales; had a pint of Black Sheep that was a bit iffy, but also sampled a Stonehenge beer (can't remember which of their many seasonal & special edition beers it was) and that was fine. Pub had a "modern" feel without being overly "trendy" - decent jazz/blues background music.
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Apparently it has been a bit rocky over the recent months but having been in a few times lately it seems to be turning round. The food is really great, they do fantastic British favorites in generous portions and the service has really picked up. The quality of the beer and the atmosphere are getting back up to the levels pre management changes.
anonymous - 18 Aug 2005 12:38 |
Keeps beer well. Not stale nor cold.
anonymous - 1 May 2005 22:22 |
with regard to the last comment, i think this pub is going through a much needed tidy up, the manager I think has trained the staff to a much higher level and I have watched with interest the food improvements and the high professional standards bieng introduced.I think this pub will go from strengh to strength as the wheat is cut from the chaff. In the past us locals have become too comfy and none of us want to see our pub change however we can only support the new team here and hope it stays as good as it has been.
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This used to be one of my favourites pubs, but I understand this pub has had a disappointing change of management recently (Dec 04) so it we'll have to see what it changes into.
So far, its no longer possible to go for their delicious food in a lunch hour as the service has slowed right down, women have been hassled by other pub clientele spoiling the safe atmosphere it used to have, and the new landlord himself does not seem keen to support his staff or previous regulars. Perhaps he has plans to get rid of them and create a new atmosphere for the place...??..
Interesting to see if anyone else had noticed this downturn and if anyone can suggest somewhere similar that all of us from work can go to instead
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Had lunch there today, it does a great chicken pie and mash with veg. It is one of the best pubs in Oxford City Centre, a good place to talk, meet friends and even some of the pictures on the wall are good. Thank god they change them every month. Good place to talk and not be drowned out by over loud bad pop music. Today the scene shifters from next door were having a laugh about what the actors were doing back stage. Whats good about it is it is not your typical student or tourist pub, it is something else, a place for us locals.
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One of my favourite pubs in Oxford, interesting art for sale on the walls, the friendliest bar staff and nice relaxed atmosphere. The perfect place for a catchup with an old mate, but not the place to start a massive night out, but then thats what keeps the yobs out and attracts the clientele that make it the pub it is.
anonymous - 20 Sep 2004 21:01 |
This really has to be the worst pub in town. It is far too quiet by far and is always empty. They could do with livening it up a bit!
Peter - 12 Aug 2004 22:27 |
The only thing wrong with it is that it has to shut at 11:30pm!1
Anonymous - 12 Jun 2004 18:35 |
Excellent.
I visited on GBG recommendation yesterday (19th April), intending to swiftly sample one or two halves. I ended up staying till closing time.
A constantly changing range of real ales from small regional and micro-breweries is supplimented by a selection of belgian bottled beers. Food stops at 8pm weekdays and 5pm weekends.
"Stan-the-Man" is very friendly and entertaining behind the bar, and the beers are well kept.
Occasional impromptu accoustic live music played at weekends; the pub is shortly to apply for an entertainments licence in order that regular music sessions become the order of the day.
The walls and windows are bedecked with photographic and graphic art which is for sale.
This pub is amongst the best in Oxford and is well worth a visit.
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This is a quality proper drinkers pub, music isn't too loud so you can chat huge selection of beers etc and good staff. This is how pubs should be.
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Although the pub has not been open for two years yet (as of Jan 2004) the Madding has quickly become my pub of choice in Oxford. High standards for beer, very good staff, interesting artwork displays and gentle music. Also includes thought out touches such as a bookcase for those of us who want to relax by ourselves in the corner. Of the bar, of course.
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Quiet friendly pub in the center of Oxford in the alley between the Gloucester Arms and Borders bookshop.
Features art displays which change every few weeks, occasional mini-beer festivals, performances (e.g. poetry, music).
Has 3 hand pumps for guest beers as well as the regular Timothy Taylor's Landlord and Black Sheep. A selection of Belgium and German bottled beers. If you don't want to drink beer then they have fair-trade tea and coffee. Good food is also served.
Background music is played at a low volume.
This is an excellent pub if you want to relax over a well served beer in a pleasant quiet environment.
Steven Green - 6 Dec 2003 11:03 |
