Great pub! I love the White horse, friendly and welcoming staff. Great food good beer, no hen parties what more can you ask for?I was in this pub on New Year's Eve, it was very welcoming. The licensee even arranged snack for all patrons, FOC. The beer and wine were excellent. One of the best traditional pubs in Oxford.I also found the staff to be very nice to deal with, helpful, assertive and chatty - a rarity in this day and age.

This was my first visit to this pub and having had high expectations due to reviews on this site, I have to say I was somewhat underwhelmed. There are four separate drinking areas - the front bar, a second bar directly behind it, and two rooms following on behind that. The two back rooms had little or no character, merely being extra space to drink or, on my visit, eat. I opted to stand in the front bar which at least had some atmosphere.
Six pumps, on my visit serving Abbot, St Edmunds Ale, Potbelly Aisling and Turf Summer Ale. I had two pints of the Summer Ale which were good and refreshing.
I might pay another visit next time I'm in Oxford but there's no escaping the fact that this pub is over-rated. A must if you visit Oxford. Little changed from when I was last here 25 years ago!! Very small inside but plenty of seating outside. Good range of ales.I've never been a huge fan of the Turf,for a start its a job to find or direct people to. Its always busy with people I'd rather not be drinking with. Mortar boards and too many people saying "Yaah" to everything. And Greedy King will always be in the back of my mind. However to be sociable I visited on the saturday of their festival,but I came away disappointed. The beer was on stillage and was totally flat,without life or condition. £3 a pint across the board. Actually I couldn't wait to leave. Oh well.

The landlord has been experimenting with brewing a number of different Thame Brewery beers of different styles. They are popular and don't last long on the pump.Pub completely turned round from what it was a year or so ago (although some may miss the strippers). Turned into a real ale emporium with five or six ales and now a brewery based in the back yard. A clever idea is the little glasses of ale in front of the pumps that aren't for tasting but give an idea of the colour (and likely heaviness) of the beer. Good selection of well kept real ales, including ones brewed locally. Ales constantly changing, apart from a locally brewed bitter. Usually a mild is also on offer. Good atmosphere for conversation. Pub has been transformed for the better in recent months.

unusual to see Palmers beers so far from West Dorset, I presume the L&F gold is standard Palmers gold re-branded for this pubCan't knock anywhere that serves Betty Stogs. And my pint was fine last time I went in.
Great place to come on St Piran's Day if you fancy celebrating the patron saint of Cornwall.This pub is split into two levels with an upper and lower bar. The upper bar has light wood panelling with the shields of various colleges adorning the walls. Three handpumps serving Betty Stogs, Palmers Best Bitter and Lamb and Flag Gold. I had a pint of the L & F Gold, which was a degree or two too warm for my taste.
I initially sat in the lower level, but after a few minutes of listening to two men in labourer's overalls effing and blinding, including referring to someone as an 'f***ing gay prick', I moved back to the front bar. I then made the mistake of ordering food. I had the beef and onion pie (£6.95) - the pie itself was fine but the potato wedges were cold and the carrots and brussel sprouts were inedible.
This is quite a nice pub, but the beer was average and the food was well below par.

This pub dines out on its undoubtably glorious setting. I can't comment on the food but on my last visit the beer was awful, stale and completely out of condition. The bar staff's attitude was as bad: curtness combined with disinterest. The staff know, as they do in other tourist spots, it doesn't matter if standards are low and rudeness prevails - there will always be another coachload tomorrow. Well I won't be amongst them.
How this place got into the Good Beer Guide is very hard to understand.

2 for the setting alone. CAMRA branch, you need to get this place de-listed.On the face of it the perfect thatched rural pub. Service has become more friendly and obliging recently after a long period when customers were treated with disdain. The beers are generally, but not always, in good condition. We have tried the restaurant food a couple of times and for the price it is very ordinary. It is about time they repaired or replaced the rickety seats and tables out front. Many visitors will be dazzled by the bucolic setting inside and outside but for us the fact remains that this pub could be a lot better. A long, long time since my last visit!! Not changed much, still a classic country pub with roaring log fire, good local ales and hearty, well presented food. Was very busy Sunday lunchtime, but still remained an enjoyable visited.

Best pub in Henley - free house usually 4 + beers in good order - rugby on front tv and football on back tv - friendly landlord and staff and free chips on occasion - if only it had a bit more competion in Hemley - you'd think there would be room for a couple more non Brakespear boozers with ac ouple of real ales in Henley Shuts 2.30pm on weekdays which is a shame because this pub is head and shoulders above the rest of Henley. Had Burton Bridge and Hooky Mild. Pleasant landlord and locals.Came for a look on Thursday afternoon during the Regatta week. Closed. Oh well, if you can't be bothered I'll spend my money somewhere else.

The restaurant for fine dining is in a separate building from the pub, which is very much still a proper pub.

The staff are friendly and the ales are good, particularly the TT or the Butts (re: Snarling_Mallard: if you got a dodgy one for whatever reason I'm sure they would have happily changed it!). Plus they have a large selection of wines, loads of rums, whiskies and a few nice brandies too.

I have a feeling that they are going to be very busy this summer (beer garden) now that they have such a good reputation in the town.Certainly not as you offer no explanation for blatantly poor beer.'Snarling' Mallard ?.....I trust you won't be coming back.....Goodbye

Pleased to hear that the Kings Head is officially open again. Would be such a shame for Fritwell to be without a pub!! This pub is now under new management, the lease has been taken on by a couple from a nearby village. The Kings Head has a lot of potential and has been a very successful in the past. So watch this space!Leaseholder: Do the decent thing and sell lease to me. £5K in cash here waiting for you. What was it your last manager said to me day one here: "You will leave this pub long before I leave the Kings Head". What a muppet he was and now ripped you off?. What a suprise.

A great alrounder this traditional pub has both a bar area for those just wanting a drink and a separate dinning area offering quality home cooked food (which I did not try). The large child friendly garden at the rear was great. I too think that James must have been in different pub, having bumped into this pub whilst campimg at the waterfront.Walked into Benson from the Thames mooring went to the other pub first, one pint later went to the horseshoes ( should have gone there in the first place ). Great evening. good beer, super local atmosphere and really nice couple of ladies behind the bar.
Cannot comment on the food as we did not sample it.I think James must of been to a different pub, the place is returning to it's former glory with locals ranging from lawyers to bricklayers using it. £1.99 for a pint of Loddon Ferrimans, does that sound like a restaurant?. Visit for your selfs and see what you think>

Nothing special, average kind of pub, the Tinners was drinkable but nothing special.Good ale selection - St Austell Tinners is the regular, and there are two more handpumps that change regularly, and tend towards small breweries. I've been few times and the beer has always been excellent. The pub's interior is fairly warm, cosy and traditional, and I look forward to my next visit.Love this pub. Nice ambience, friendly and welcoming landlord and staff, great garden and seems to attract a nice clientele. Very much looking forward to my next visit which will probably be on quiz night (Sunday).

Pleasant end to the evening was had at The Queens Head. It’s got a licence to 1.AM on a Saturday night and is aligned to a more mature crowd due to the over 21 age rule (more mature than that inhabiting the crèche at the Catherine Wheel up the road. ).
Personally, the copious amounts of Harley Davidson decoration makes it more like an American diner than a pub, but still a decent bar for a late night drink and although the Brakespears wasn’t the best we’d had during the weekend, couldn’t fault the service or the ambience.
well you must have been unlucky with that one I thought the regatta didn't start until the Wednesday but I was in the back garden drinking cider on Monday, I was there during the Regatta, there where two fantastic bands on THURSDAY AND FRIDAY night, they where one of the only places not charging entry on the door, myself and my wife where greated, by the owner in a totally mad shirt, larger than life personallity, and made to feel welcome.

it seemed that this pub caters for the right age group, not that I am old but we did try the Weatherspoons on the corner, the monkey on the door tried to charge me a tenner for getting in. nah thats not right, tried the Arglye, then the Victoria, then we tried Maggoos, but itb was full of kids and then they wanted to charge????

The Queens gets my vote good beer, great bands, fantastic atmosphere, they get my thumbs up, when I am back in henley this is where you'll find me, spot on. Remembered this place in it's previous incarnation as the Idle Hour a few years back, so I entered with trepidation whilst on my crawl a few months back.

The interior has had a bit of an overhaul but still retains its general mood as being very much set up for the younger Henley crowd, all dim lighting, Americana touches and loungy sofas. I was greeted by a friendly barmaid (I guess this must be Catherine) who was a convivial hostess.

Two ales on (Brakspear Bitter and Hobgoblin) which were fine.

A vast improvement and worth a stop on a Henley crawl I think. Well done.

The current Landlord and his staff look forward to welcoming you at the Six Bells Warborough for the foreseeable future where we are happy to provide you with freshly prepared seasonal food and of course good wine and well kept Brakspear ale. Well it's all move again! The landlords off to try his luck somewhere else, so it was obiously, not working.
We await a new landlord, or return of the old! to see what happens........... I must admit I am something of a regular at the Bells and the staff are friendly and the food is fresh & cooked to order. I told them this and I suggest other people do the same rather than remaining anonymous. Best incarnation for a while.

We visited on July 31st and I'm pleased to say all was well with both the food and the drinks. The food was quite limited in choice and my wifes selection was unavailable. However, they made up for it by giving a generous discount on her second choice. Food was very good overall if a little pretentious and the beer was excellent. Rather noisy in the 3 eating rooms. A large party came in and started shouting behind us. They were soon ushered away into their own room by the organised staff.
Very friendly bar staff - I told him he'd got a 9 - and here it is! We had high expectations of this newly opened pub/restaurant. However the food was inedible, the service was very poor and the drinks were past their sell by date. Beware!!Walked to the pub from Banbury with a dog only to find that dogs are not allowed on the premises. The outside seating was in the car park and shared with smokers. However, the food was good, the beer well kept and the staff friendly.

Ray,

Whilst I may not have worked at the pub for a while, I still use it (as a customer) a couple of times per week and so feel that I am well placed to voice my opinions - hence my original post.

And while you may find me back behind the bar to help out on the very odd occasion that they need it, you can rest assured that my "glowing report" is not any attempt to get my job back as I have set my sights a little higher than Head Bar Steward!!

I look forward to seeing you in the pub soon for a couple of pints.

Have thoroughly enjoyed this pub for over three years, and I can't think of many places (IF ANY) in banbury I feel quite as safe having a drink! There arent many places a girl can feel comfortable going in by herself, but would be quite happy going for a couple of drinks on my own in there. Staff are always happy to talk and you can have a good night without the usual clowns who drink in town. thank you for owning up to having worked their, as i was only guessing that you did after such a glowing report, how do we know that your not trying to get your job back by writing these reviews. if your not their all the time how do you know if theirs any problems

just want to say what a great time i had on saturday at the bbq and i hope jules and andre have alot more through the summer well done always a clean & tidy pub. all staff are always professional. you always get a nice smile & a warm welcome. its a all round good pub, staff, drinks & food is 1st class. well worth a visit.the carpenters arms is a great family pub. very friendly staff n a great menu which is what the pub has needed for a long time. after having the refurb the pub looks warm n welcoming. good luck to jules n andre on everything they do in the pub