Far From the Madding Crowd, Oxford

Don't understand the comment below about the burgers by Griffo59. I had a burger at the Madding for the first time a few days ago and it was great!

Home-made, big, juicy and well seasoned, much better than the usual crap you get in most pubs. I went for the house speciality, the Madding Special Burger, which comes with cheese, bacon, bbq sauce and an egg on top if you want.

As mentioned, the burger was delicious and I'd definitely recommend the MSB if you need a filling meal to go with your bevvy.

20 Apr 2012 16:44

Far From the Madding Crowd, Oxford

Moving to Oxford a month ago, I visited the Madding after reading other BITE reviews of the place, fast became a regular and have to say I have not yet been disappointed. Tucked away in a little alley, it's easy to miss but well worth taking the effort to find.

The beer selection and quality is excellent, with 5 frequently changing guest ales plus Brakspear Bitter as the regular. Being a free-house, the beers are sourced from all around the country by Dave and Lauren the landlord and landlady, with no restrictions as is becoming so common with tied pubs. In the last month I've drank a wide variety, including many from breweries I'd never even heard of (and a green beer, a first for me!).

As well as the great ale choice, FFTMC stocks several draught real ciders, both from founts and from polypins and also a large range of bottled ciders. I'm not a cider drinker myself but several friends I've taken there have been very impressed. They also serve home-cooked food, again well recommended.

Prices are about average for the city centre, around �3.40 for a pint of ale but a special mention has to be made for "Dave's Special", a guest ale where Dave has found a bargain and passes it on to his customers at �2.80/pint.

Previous commenters have decried the atmosphere in the Madding as being a bit "Wetherspoons" but given that the building used to be a warehouse/storeroom for Debenhams, I think they've done a pretty decent job on the interior, with plenty of seating throughout and some pretty comfy sofas!

The staff are friendly, efficient and knowledgable about the wide range of drinks on offer and there's great banter to be had with both them and the regulars, leading to a very pleasant place to spend an evening imbibing.

There's a few things on in the evenings, an open mic on Monday, pizza night on Thursday and a popular quiz + curry night on Sunday.

Overall, if you love your ale, I would recommend the Madding as an essential part of any night out in Oxford, you won't leave anything less than thoroughly satisfied (and maybe a little bit pissed!).

30 Mar 2012 19:58