please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Never realised this place was here before ! I’ve been coming to Oxford for 40 years (and lived there for 1 year), and never noticed the gateway on Cornmarket next door to the Carfax tower, that leads to this pub. Looks like I’m not the only one either, as it is a quiet oasis a mere 20 yards from the bustle of the main street.
There is a courtyard with some tables in it, and inside there are low beams and brasswork. The pub is long and thin and, beware, there is only one entrance !
So far so good, but I’m afraid it goes downhill from hereon. #the pub is a Nicolsons, and has pretty much there standard range of bland beers. I tried the Brakspear Oxford Gold, which was OK, but rather too cold for my liking. Food was available – the menu looked interesting, but pricey (from £10 up). What’s more, service was pretty poor, as one chap seemed to doing absolutely everything, including delivering mountains of food. The bloke waiting behind me had time to go to the loo and come back before I got served. [ there was no queue when I arrived ].
6/10 – worth going once for the experience
|
A 'Nicholsons' branded pub which is of course the trading name of Mitchell and Butlers.
A one room pub slightly off the high street with a largish courtyard outside. The pub is pleasant enough and is clearly contained in a very old building with some sort of pub/inn/tavern having been on this site for a very long time, however the interior, although it looks old' is not nearly as old as the walls themselves.
Pub grub offered and several beers on tap at time of visit including a very good pint of Hopback's 'Summer Lightning'.
A pleasant enough spot to while away some time.
|
Usual managed house kind of establishment, no great shakes, take it or leave it kinda place. Hence, 1 Bacardi and Pepsi and see ya later. I won't be going back.
|
Thought the other Nicholsons pub probably edged it given that they had a better choice of ale but still worth going to. We ate here and the food was very good including my fillet steak. There were 6 beers on and we had Itchen Valley, Green Jack and Oxfordshire, all on good form.
|
Came after visiting the GBG Chequers round the corner as we liked it - we were not disappointed with this pub either whose decor and ambience matched it's sister pub. About 6 ales on which were almost identical to the Chequers. A good beer which did not feature at the previous pub was Rudgate Ruby Mild which was served well.
|
Much improved after refurbishment. Beers have been fine whenever I have tried them and a decent selection too. Eaten there also with family and found food perfectly acceptable.
|
G ood selection of beers. As with most Nicholsons pubs I have tried short measure is the speciality of the house. Food looks good. Pub is infested with those little flies that go in your beer.
|
Great traditional Oxford pub. Popular, good range of beers, lovely outside area.
|
I liked this place. Brakspear was in very good condition and it was nice refuge from Cornmarket crowds.
|
I went into the Crown recently and was surprised to find it had recently reopened after a massive refurbishment and a conversion from a Towns pub to a Nicholson's establishment. Gone were the cheap, badly kept beers and rowdy, rude regulars and in came a fabulous selection of seven beautifully kept local and guest ales, wonderful premium lagers, a stunning menu of fine food (excellent pies being the speciality) and a fresh team of warm, friendly and knowledgeable staff. The d�cor has been completely revamped and now comprises of dark woods, brass and fittings which make this one of the nicest pubs in the centre of Oxford. I was in for a bite to eat with the family and was greeted at the door and sat in the dining area where we were looked after by superbly trained staff and made to feel like a very valued guest. I noticed groups enjoying the bar area and atmosphere and realised wither eating or drinking this pub really does cater for everyone.
|
Nice pub and location. Love the landlady, keeps evrything under control. Value for money and worth a visit. Has a local element there but no probs.
|
I was going to go to this pub with my family as we arrive from australia but the post from the spanish people puts me right off...enough racism in australia without having it in oxford too
any one recommend another pub in oxford that has good food good real ale and a friendly atmosphere
steve
|
easy to miss as has been mentioned. A couple of cask ales which are nice food very cheap had to liquid lunches first a chicken curry and a pint for �4.99 next day fish and chips think it was �6.95. Friendly staff regulars kept themselves to themselves. Would go again
|
Refering to the last comment, I experienced something similar in that place. As I entered there with a group of Spainiards celebrating last week, after Spain had won the quarter-finals against Italy, another older guest started to insult the group, loudly demanding them to "shut the *uck up" and refering to their nationality calling upon them to leave "the english" pub.
This "Crown Inn" seems to host quite a number of retarded nationalist extremists as one can deduce from the last comment the man threw to us: "where the f*** Spainiards had been during the war!" ???
That in the center of Oxford!!!???
|
NEVER GO TO THIS PUB! Here's what happened to my group:
We went there for a drink on a Sunday afternoon. I asked for some drinks at the bar but they had stopped serving the drinks we wanted at that time. So we sat down in front of the TV and decided what to drink. After a while, a man came up to us and said,
"I think it's time you three left... This is England, you don't just sit your ass down... Are you taking a piss..." We then said,
"Okay, we'll order a drink, we're just deciding." The man, who we assumed belonged to the pub staff but show no clear signs of doing so, got fed up and started being rude to us and insulting us! I asked him not to take that tone with us and he got even angrier! He said,
"YOU FUC**** BASTARDS... FUC***" this and "FUC* " that! Then as we decided to leave (because didn't even want to stay there any more) he kept on insulting us... "FUC*** ... FUC*.. F** OFF! ... "
I went to this pub lots of times but now I COMPLETELY lost respect for it. I STRONGLY recommend to NEVER GO HERE!
|
Easy to miss pub off the beaten track even though its right in the centre of Oxford. Passable pint of Landlord but nothing really stands out about this pub except its remarkably cheap wine �1.90 for a 175ml.
|
Lovely quiet pub with friendly regulars and even nicer staff!!! Staff are always smiling no matter how busy and I have always had a fab evening in there!!
Also like how cute the male staff are ;-)
|
easy to miss pub down alley off very busy shopping street.....excellent pint of Admams Broadside also Wells Bombardier on offer ..although busy they said the food would take 30 mins but it arrived in 15mins no complaints at all would use the place again
|
Like most pubs in Oxford this pub is crap !
|
Tried for lunch today. Broadside & Pride were off, so had Brakspears which wasn't great (6/10). Big disappointment was food: waited 3/4 hour, and had to collar staff as to where food was. My hot-sausage sandwich appeared as bangers'n'mash, but I ate it any way as I wasn't going to wait any longer!
Staff were fine, obviously under pressure (especially flack from starving customers...), LANDLORD start employing more staff; penny-pinching=crap service!
|
For a Saturday it was very empty and lifeless. It would probably do very well if there was no competition, but Oxford is full of great pubs and this one isn�t really in the same league.
Saying that the Barmen were pretty friendly and the lager was well kept, but even so this pub is lacking in atmosphere.
|
Scary unwelcoming place that drove me away with its lack of decent beer. Surprisingly easy to miss, which is recommended.
|
Me and my girlfriend go here regularly. It's a really nice place that serves good beer.
Despite being smack in the centre of town it doesn't get loud and busy like some of the more well known pubs in Oxford. Good for a quite drink in a cosy, oldy-worldy, English pub
|
A dump and the food was awful.
|
Alright pal??
Nice place for old people to eat egg and chips, nice garden area, although stay away from the land lord, he�s a loony, presuming it�s still him.
|
The no-smoking section is decidedly nicer! Does this perhaps tell us something?!
anonymous - 12 Aug 2004 16:54 |
Awful, slow service. The Sunday roast (today was beef) required a chain saw.My three friends had been served and finished before my Cajun Chicken Sandwich even arrived.
The sandwich comprised a complete half loaf with four very thin slices of chicken and about seven chips!
A good place to avoid unless you have lots more money than sense. Truly appalling and my score of 1 is over estimated.
PsychO - 5 Oct 2003 20:31 |
decent pint, staff competent, food alright, juke box fine. all in all not a bad boozer.
Allan - 4 Sep 2003 08:43 |
Old English bar.Was an old coach inn reputed william shakespear frequented.
|
