please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
A quick bus journey down the Cowley Road led us to this place. We weren't expecting much. But, we were pleasantly surprised. The interior feels like a large American diner, with booths and some different seating. But, if you can get over that, the beer range was fairly decent. We swerved the St Austell Tribute & Sharp's Doom Bar in favour of the XT 3 and their London Porter. Both were in good condition. There was a cider pumpclip. But, it was sadly off. Don't rule this one out, if you're in Oxford.
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Now the Cowley Retreat and despite being the second closest pub to where I live, somewhere I've always avoided. Doombar and various Greene King offerings on tap signalled a few sighs but they do have Old Hooky on and the décor is unpretrentious. Considerably better than expected overall although far from a gem.
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Let down by smelly toilets with no locks on the doors and no toilet paper.
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There were chalked-up signs outside on the day I went, one of which read something along the lines of mind where you put your wallett,the other read "Where Even Despair Dies". Intrigued I went in and ordered a pint of,ahem, Hobgoblin. You know, they weren't being ironic. I was there on the day of the royal wedding and what a shower were assembled in front of the huge screen like it was extra time during an England game. Couldn't get out quickly enough.
Fair old pint though and a decent price too. Maybe I just came on a bad day. Oh yeah,it was the royal wedding!
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The beer can be quite good in there, but pick your time carefully. On a recent visit on a Monday, the moronic drinking club who dress up in golfing gear came in and started engaging in hilarious student pranks like standing in a line in the bogs with their trousers and pants down. The fault of the pub? Perhaps not; but they seem endlessly tolerant of massed obnoxious student tossers. Guess it's where their income comes from.
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Useful place to get a couple of jars in before the Zodiac, although the ale selection has always been fairly mainstream and limited when I go (usually end up with Abbott).
Not bad for its location.
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This is a strange one. Sometimes it can be really good and at other times not. I guess it depends when you go and who else decides to go as well. There's usually a lot of students that go and it does have a bit of an indie feel to it (possibly due to the music they play perhaps) They sometimes have bands playing which can be a bit annoying if you are enjoying a conversation. In many ways this place is the younger brother of the Zodiac although it does do proper beer. This is probably the best thing about this pub that they are constantly changing the beers they serve. Just don't go there for Sunday lunch. The last time I did I had to wait about 2 hours for it to arrive and when it did it was seriously below par
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Pub has a nice atmosphere and a good selection of beer, I just wasn't convinced it's kept that well, tasted a bit odd.
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According 2 outside it's owned by Wychwood. Although when visited it had lots of ale on, just nothing from Wychwood!!seemed a tad strange.....8/10 though anyway
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A traditional pub - one of the few pubs on Cowley Rd to serve real ales. Offers student discount on a few drinks. Has a very good chef, serves perhaps the best pub food in Oxford.
John - 4 Apr 2006 16:01 |
