please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
The Nag's Head was easily the best of 3 Abingdon pubs sampled on this visit. It enjoys a nice location on an island of the Thames. Many people were enjoying their evening in the garden. Inside was a decent selection of ales - Loddon Ferryman's Gold, White Horse Black Beauty, Adnams Ghost Ship, Wantsum Fortitide, Vale Red Kite, Caledonian Nag's Island Pale Ale, Ramsbury Sunsplash & Goff's Tournament. Cider was Old Rosie. Toilets were clean.
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This pub keeps getting better and better. More refurbishments have been made to the garden including a good size decking. There were at least 6 ales on, with a little menu explaining the method and taste, and there is no problem if you would like to have a sample before buying a full pint - a nice touch. I had a couple of pints of Grain which went down very well in the sunshine. Wholeheartedly recommend, although the loos could do with a bit of a refurb, but I guess that will follow shortly.
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had pub lunch there twice. Great food at reasonable price and a variety of mainly local beers (Abingdon bridge etc).
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It was good to see the beer was on much better form on our last visit. Everyone was happily drinking and eating in the sunshine overlooking the Thames. The bar staff were very attentive and friendly too.
Much better...Still the best choice for local and not so local beers in Abingdon.
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Visited yesterday and despite being v busy with people out & about in the glorious weather this pub was coping well. Years ago was an old favourite & looks to be well worth a visit. Jazz in the garden wide mix of people nice atmosphere wide choice of beer - Ferrymans Gold was excellent -.
Can't comment on the food but there were plenty of staff on duty & table's were being cleared promptly.
Fingers crossed it keeps its standards up as its a glorious spot.
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Despite a bright start, it's disappointing as a CAMRA member that the ale quality varies so much.
It could be that the cellar temperature isn't quite right or that some of the guest beers don't travel so well. The place has a cask marque so it should be okay...
Unfortunately some of the staff seem not to be able to recognise flat/bottom of the barrel beer and are reluctant to change it. The Doom Bar I tasted last week was basically undrinkable.
Dusty the landlord can do better than this. They'll be more competition come the end of the year so still time to improve things - please...
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Has a lot going for it - good location, nearly decorated, foodand beer ok, and not too pricey.
However the whole evening was spoilt by two things. First, we got there early as it was Friday night and put our order in before 7 o/c. It took at 50 mins for our main courses (3 fish and chips and one chicken) to arrive. Would not have been so bad had we been told when we ordered.
Second, we had arrived by boats and moored on the semi-derelict mooring at the bottom of the garden, which said for it was for customers. At 9.30, the manager ordered us to leave. We said that we had already eaten but he said that "company policy" was no overnight mooring. So we had to set off and look for another mooring.
I wont use the place again. I am told the pub just downstream is friendlier and generally better.
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This looks so much better now it has been done up. Popped in there on a Friday late afternoon and had a couple of pints of the local brew, Abingdon Bridge (or 'Bridge' as it's known). A mix of ages and felt like a nice atmosphere. I don't think you can get into the garden yet because the walkway is broken, hopefully this will be fixed before the warm weather comes in.
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The pub has just re-opened!!!! It has been taken over by the landlord from the Broad face. He did wonders with that pub so hopefully the futures bright. Also, its a free house so no horrible Greene King beer. Loose cannon's Abingdon Bridge is the house beer, but as its on Abingdon Bridge it would be rude not to!! Really looking forward to the summer as the garden by the rivere is superb on a warm evening. Well worth a visit
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such a shame this pub has closed down it used to be such a nice place to go, iam not surprised it closed though as soon as the management changed for the last time it went straight down hill and all the chavs started to get back in there, is there no1 that will take this pub on and bring it back to its full potential
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Sad to this place close - surely there is scope for a good quality pub with a selection of beers and some intersting food on the riverside? Anybody out there?
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This pub has improved a lot during the year. It now has 4 real ales that change frequently (good enough for the local Camra group to hold its branch meeting there recently). It has a reasonably priced food menu. The beer garden on the island has had new furniture. The interior seems cleaner with several separate areas including a tropical fish tank in the dining area. It does still have TV screens but they are not as loud and intrusive as before. You really need to ignore any reviews from before 2009.
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Its obviously a chain pub, but a very nice place to spend a weekend afternoon (especially during the six nations - we were able to watch all the matches in great comfort!) Nice landlord and staff.
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I recently stayed in the hotel opposite. It looked OK from over the river, so popped in early Saturday night for a pre-dinner appetizer.
My wife failed to finish her drink and I couldn't neck mine quickly enough, such was the desire to escape. Chavs to the left of me, chavs by the door, stuck in the Nags Head. Not a pretty sight.
A great disappointment.
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Haha angelonthethames, are you one of the new managers by any chance? What a terribly biased, and inaccurate account of this pub. If you're going to promote your own pub, at least be subtle about it.
Anyway, clockworkpurple has this pub nailed, it's nice in the garden in the summer, but horrible at the weekends as the chav clientele is terrible.
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Having just moved into the area, i think that The Nags Head On The Thames is a really lovely little pub.
It has a huge beer garden that can cater for about 280 people on a hot summers day.
They have a jetty at the bottom of the garden where you can catch a boat trip into Oxford throughout the summer.
There is an outside bar which is fully equipped. They even do BBQ's in the summer (weather permitting).
They have just had a new menu, which is so much better than the last one. This one is more classy.
They have a DJ on every Friday, and he plays all the latest tunes. They do however have doormen on, on a Friday, but this is just to keep out the rif raf, and to keep it an entertaining evening, rather than a punch up!They are even advertising for live bands! This place is really coming on.
There is even a big screen so that you can watch the football. They are showing all the England games, because they are all on terrestrial telly. If they get busier, you never know, they might even get Sky back!
They have near enough a whole new team in there, and that includes the managers. And from what i have seen of them so far, they won't stand any messing around, but they are really friendly.
As far as i am concerned, this is the best place to go in Abingdon.
Tell everyone........
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There are two sides to this pub...
On a quiet summer day it's a lovely place to go and sit by the river. Great views, and if you get a day where there are few kids running about it's pretty peaceful too.
If you make the mistake of going there on a Friday/Saturday night, expect to get abused by Stella'd up chavs/alcopop-drinking, semi-naked chavettes getting trashed before they go to Stickies. Last time I went there in the evening a guy was been physically thrown out of the pub by the bouncers as I arrived. Nice. There's a "dancefloor" of sorts, but I can't say I've ever gone close enough to experience it.
The one time I ate there the food was edible, somewhere between standard pub fare and school dinners. The cider is not particularly good, but then they serve Blackthorn, which I don't really like.
There are far nicer places to frequent in Abingdon, so unless it's sunny, or you're a chav, i would AVOID.
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My comments in May still stand.
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My god how this place has changed. It was bad enough when they closed it down in the early 90's and tarted it up. Yes it was run down but it had real character!! I went in there for the first time in years and I stayed for a pint and left; I actually felt threatened by the people in there. It was full of under age Chavs power drinking Stella and shouting and urguing with each other. It was horrible. Unless you are 16 and generally wear a lot of Burberry, avoid like the plague!!!
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A great place to spend a summers afternoon. Has it's own little island on the river. Inside average, food ok, dont expect to be blown away but not bad.
Normally has either Director's or Bass. Needs bouncers on Friday and Saturday nights which suggests it may not be so good a choice in the evenings.
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I think I must of hit this place at a bad time. Ill give it one more try
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very nice pub, excellent food.
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