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Post by mooro on Jul 16, 2014 18:49:02 GMT
Someone I know is planning a night in Oxford lateer in the year, so I naturally offered to help with pubs etc, but it only occured to me afterwards that I haven't actuallyy been drinking in the city for nearly ten years so it may all have changed
Now I'm thinking about a couple of areas, so updates please: i) Turf/Kings Arms/White Horse/Lamb&Flag/Eagle&Child - cheesy I know, but all visitors like the classics - I take it these have not changes much/any ii) George Street - this became the hub for a while and used to have a pile of either chain pubs (O'Neills, Yates, etc) and copycats with mot very funny 'something & Something' names (Cock & Camel, Excrement & Igloo etc) - is it still the same or has it changed. What is the Brewhouse called nowadays and is iti still very cheap. Is the Gloucester still going and isnt there some music-free place aroudn the back there with a long name? iii) Cornmarket/High ST/CArfax/Queen ST - used to have quite a few places (Chequers, the one next door, one or two down alleyways etc) but many still left and what are they like iv) Afterward - what entertainment venues are there now, is teh comedy place opposite the PAddyfields still open, what about clubs/later licence pubs?
Any info would be good thanks
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Post by greatunclekip on Jul 16, 2014 19:15:26 GMT
Start at the Angel and Greyhound in St Clements.,enjoy a few ales there. And one of their pork pies. Wonderful.
Turf, chequers, bear, st aldates tavern, crown, far from the madding crowd, eagle and child, lamb and flag. Then Jericho.
Late opening- not so sure, having worked in London, oxford seems to shut down very early!
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Post by The Fence End on Jul 16, 2014 19:25:01 GMT
Try the new roof top bar at The Varsity Club on High Street, amazing views from up there: tvcoxford.co.uk/Open until 3.30am too.
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Post by mooro on Jul 16, 2014 21:59:26 GMT
Start at the Angel and Greyhound in St Clements.,enjoy a few ales there. And one of their pork pies. Wonderful. Turf, chequers, bear, st aldates tavern, crown, far from the madding crowd, eagle and child, lamb and flag. Then Jericho.
Late opening- not so sure, having worked in London, oxford seems to shut down very early! Where are they playing?
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Post by ox1yellow on Jul 17, 2014 5:27:35 GMT
Start at the Angel and Greyhound in St Clements.,enjoy a few ales there. And one of their pork pies. Wonderful. Turf, chequers, bear, st aldates tavern, crown, far from the madding crowd, eagle and child, lamb and flag. Then Jericho.
Late opening- not so sure, having worked in London, oxford seems to shut down very early! Where are they playing? In a big area.
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Post by oxfordharrier on Jul 17, 2014 8:10:36 GMT
A city centre (ish) resident writes: Someone I know is planning a night in Oxford lateer in the year, so I naturally offered to help with pubs etc, but it only occured to me afterwards that I haven't actuallyy been drinking in the city for nearly ten years so it may all have changed Now I'm thinking about a couple of areas, so updates please: i) Turf/Kings Arms/White Horse/Lamb&Flag/Eagle&Child - cheesy I know, but all visitors like the classics - I take it these have not changes much/any Turf is still good, although the usual caveat applies that if the weather's good or there are tourists about it gets rammed. Interesting beers from time to time. King's Arms has just been redecorated, but I'm not sure why they bothered as nothing's really changed except it's now cleaner. All the usual Young's beers, Courage Directors on at the moment, and St Austell Trubute as a semi-permanent guest since at least 2007. Very studenty, but ok. The food's much better than it used to be too. Lamb & Flag - still quite weird, but probably my pick of this group. Doesn't take cards, has a cash machine that you have to pay to withdraw from. Beer is Skinner's Betty Stoggs, and Palmer's Best. Kept quite well. Eagle and Child - this is the one I'm always in two minds about, and to be honest wouldn't send anyone to unless they were Tolkien fans and wanted to say they'd been. Trades entirely off it's reputation and consequently doesn't have to try too hard. Also, since the smoking ban, it's smelled really strongly of urinals.
ii) George Street - this became the hub for a while and used to have a pile of either chain pubs (O'Neills, Yates, etc) and copycats with mot very funny 'something & Something' names (Cock & Camel, Excrement & Igloo etc) - is it still the same or has it changed. What is the Brewhouse called nowadays and is iti still very cheap. Is the Gloucester still going and isnt there some music-free place aroudn the back there with a long name? Still the centre of "vertical drinking" - The Grapes is still going, and is now Bath Ales so at least the beer's good. Copa is now a generic Greene King house called The Wig and Pen. There's a Wetherspoons; The Four Candles O'Neills is still going strong (not that I'd recommended it, but it doesn't seem to have problem trading The Brewhouse closed years ago and became The Goose, which did the same thing as the old Firkin chain but with slightly less class. It's now a gastro-pub with some drinking called The Red Lion The Gloucester closed, and nearly got turned into student accommodation AIUI. However, it's now open as the even more gastro-foodie White Rabbit. What was (for a while) Rosie O'Grady's, down by the canal basin car park is now The Duke's Cut. Brakespear pub, not bad these days.
iii) Cornmarket/High ST/CArfax/Queen ST - used to have quite a few places (Chequers, the one next door, one or two down alleyways etc) but many still left and what are they like The Crown's still at the top end of Cornmarket, and is now a Nicholson's pub. Not bad for drinking The Wheatsheaf's still going, but grubby and the atmosphere depends on who, if anyone, is playing a gig in the room upstairs The Chequers is now very popular with the post-office crowd in the week, but it's ok (if occasionally a bit over-full
The Mitre (bear with me) is a generic Beefeater still on the High, but it's one that maintained a back bar just for drinking in. This had a few years of going down hill, but has recently got a lot better. Worth going there for a few beers.
Other than that, The St Aldates Tavern is now a reasonably pretentious gastro pub The Head of the River has a great location but is the most expensive pub in NATO The Bear is now a Fuller's pub, and if you can get in, is worth it still
One that you might consider (if you can bring yourself to go in a rugby pub) is The Royal Blenheim in St Ebbe's. Great beer (White Horse and Everards), and decent atmosphereiv) Afterward - what entertainment venues are there now, is teh comedy place opposite the PAddyfields still open, what about clubs/later licence pubs? Yes the comedy club's still there. To be honest, later licence pubs is less of a problem these days, with even the KA open to midnight now. I haven't been clubbing in Ox for a couple of years because, in my opinion, it was always pretty rubbish, and now it's worse.
Just to put a spanner in the works, have you considered East Oxford instead? It's a better night out than the centre these days.
Pubs within crawling distance of each other: Cape of Good Hope, Duke of Edinburgh, Half Moon, Angel and Greyhound, Library, Port Mahon, Corridor Bar, Cowley Retreat, Fir Tree, James Street Tavern, Oxford Blue, Rusty Bicycle, Black Swan, City Arms etc....
All the food in the world on the Cowley Road if they want to eat.
Late night/more chilled bars like Moya, Cafe Tarifa, Kaz Bar, etc, etc,
The centre is what it is, Jericho's far too expensive these days (although still a decent night out). East Oxford, doesn't have the "we're in Oxford" vibe with the architecture etc, but it is now the sort of night out where you wake up the next day and think "Oxford's a great town."
FWIWAny info would be good thanks
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Post by ox4eva on Jul 18, 2014 18:41:13 GMT
Christ how poncy has Oxford become...
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Post by behindthegoal on Jul 20, 2014 18:09:57 GMT
Old Tom has been left out.
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Post by oxfordharrier on Jul 20, 2014 20:16:09 GMT
I left it out because I've not been in for about a year.
Er,
Greene King, generic beer, does it still want to be a Thai restaurant, or has that venture ended?
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Post by m on Jul 21, 2014 12:27:42 GMT
A city centre (ish) resident writes: Someone I know is planning a night in Oxford lateer in the year, so I naturally offered to help with pubs etc, but it only occured to me afterwards that I haven't actuallyy been drinking in the city for nearly ten years so it may all have changed Now I'm thinking about a couple of areas, so updates please: i) Turf/Kings Arms/White Horse/Lamb&Flag/Eagle&Child - cheesy I know, but all visitors like the classics - I take it these have not changes much/any Turf is still good, although the usual caveat applies that if the weather's good or there are tourists about it gets rammed. Interesting beers from time to time. King's Arms has just been redecorated, but I'm not sure why they bothered as nothing's really changed except it's now cleaner. All the usual Young's beers, Courage Directors on at the moment, and St Austell Trubute as a semi-permanent guest since at least 2007. Very studenty, but ok. The food's much better than it used to be too. Lamb & Flag - still quite weird, but probably my pick of this group. Doesn't take cards, has a cash machine that you have to pay to withdraw from. Beer is Skinner's Betty Stoggs, and Palmer's Best. Kept quite well. Eagle and Child - this is the one I'm always in two minds about, and to be honest wouldn't send anyone to unless they were Tolkien fans and wanted to say they'd been. Trades entirely off it's reputation and consequently doesn't have to try too hard. Also, since the smoking ban, it's smelled really strongly of urinals.
ii) George Street - this became the hub for a while and used to have a pile of either chain pubs (O'Neills, Yates, etc) and copycats with mot very funny 'something & Something' names (Cock & Camel, Excrement & Igloo etc) - is it still the same or has it changed. What is the Brewhouse called nowadays and is iti still very cheap. Is the Gloucester still going and isnt there some music-free place aroudn the back there with a long name? Still the centre of "vertical drinking" - The Grapes is still going, and is now Bath Ales so at least the beer's good. Copa is now a generic Greene King house called The Wig and Pen. There's a Wetherspoons; The Four Candles O'Neills is still going strong (not that I'd recommended it, but it doesn't seem to have problem trading The Brewhouse closed years ago and became The Goose, which did the same thing as the old Firkin chain but with slightly less class. It's now a gastro-pub with some drinking called The Red Lion The Gloucester closed, and nearly got turned into student accommodation AIUI. However, it's now open as the even more gastro-foodie White Rabbit. What was (for a while) Rosie O'Grady's, down by the canal basin car park is now The Duke's Cut. Brakespear pub, not bad these days.
iii) Cornmarket/High ST/CArfax/Queen ST - used to have quite a few places (Chequers, the one next door, one or two down alleyways etc) but many still left and what are they like The Crown's still at the top end of Cornmarket, and is now a Nicholson's pub. Not bad for drinking The Wheatsheaf's still going, but grubby and the atmosphere depends on who, if anyone, is playing a gig in the room upstairs The Chequers is now very popular with the post-office crowd in the week, but it's ok (if occasionally a bit over-full
The Mitre (bear with me) is a generic Beefeater still on the High, but it's one that maintained a back bar just for drinking in. This had a few years of going down hill, but has recently got a lot better. Worth going there for a few beers.
Other than that, The St Aldates Tavern is now a reasonably pretentious gastro pub The Head of the River has a great location but is the most expensive pub in NATO The Bear is now a Fuller's pub, and if you can get in, is worth it still
One that you might consider (if you can bring yourself to go in a rugby pub) is The Royal Blenheim in St Ebbe's. Great beer (White Horse and Everards), and decent atmosphereiv) Afterward - what entertainment venues are there now, is teh comedy place opposite the PAddyfields still open, what about clubs/later licence pubs? Yes the comedy club's still there. To be honest, later licence pubs is less of a problem these days, with even the KA open to midnight now. I haven't been clubbing in Ox for a couple of years because, in my opinion, it was always pretty rubbish, and now it's worse.
Just to put a spanner in the works, have you considered East Oxford instead? It's a better night out than the centre these days.
Pubs within crawling distance of each other: Cape of Good Hope, Duke of Edinburgh, Half Moon, Angel and Greyhound, Library, Port Mahon, Corridor Bar, Cowley Retreat, Fir Tree, James Street Tavern, Oxford Blue, Rusty Bicycle, Black Swan, City Arms etc....
All the food in the world on the Cowley Road if they want to eat.
Late night/more chilled bars like Moya, Cafe Tarifa, Kaz Bar, etc, etc,
The centre is what it is, Jericho's far too expensive these days (although still a decent night out). East Oxford, doesn't have the "we're in Oxford" vibe with the architecture etc, but it is now the sort of night out where you wake up the next day and think "Oxford's a great town."
FWIWAny info would be good thanks Comprehensive and pretty accurate I'd say. Take note of the above Mooro!
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Post by amarillo on Jul 28, 2014 10:59:21 GMT
Christ how poncy has Oxford become... Oxford has never been like other cities and why would we want it to be?
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Post by ox4eva on Jul 29, 2014 6:09:54 GMT
Yes other cities have decent nightlife, shops, transport links, we don't want that sort thing in Oxford..
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Post by The Fence End on Jul 29, 2014 7:29:44 GMT
Yes other cities have decent nightlife, shops, transport links, we don't want that sort thing in Oxford.. It does.
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Post by Paul Cannell on Jul 29, 2014 7:54:44 GMT
Bloody good food, independent cinemas, a few decent pubs. Nah you're right Oxford's a shithole, I want to go back and live in North Shields.
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Post by amarillo on Jul 29, 2014 9:17:54 GMT
Yes other cities have decent nightlife, shops, transport links, we don't want that sort thing in Oxford.. Oxford has all that in a quirky and interesting way. No it doesn't have all the chains and the huge city centre nightclubs of your average city, it does things its own way with quirky independent places. and I'm not sure how you can criticise transport links, the 24hr bus to London is awesome. Back in my younger days I'd often be out in London with mates who lived there and I could get home quicker than them! Room for improvement of course, the new Westgate with John Lewis etc and the revamped station is all much needed, but I think you need to embrace the fact that Oxford is different to other cities.
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Post by ox4eva on Jul 30, 2014 19:16:40 GMT
Spending most of my time in various other cities around UK I am not interested in 'quirky' nightlife, thankfully I only have to suffer the Oxford night life a few times a year.
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Post by Paul Cannell on Jul 30, 2014 19:57:25 GMT
Which kind of begs the question of what you do like that Oxford doesn't have? Orange lodges?
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Post by ox4eva on Jul 30, 2014 20:31:16 GMT
HaHa, how wrong you are!
But I like a fun modern night out, and not some yokels sitting about sniffing at their half pint of warm beer.
Sure you don't know any better..
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Post by Paul Cannell on Jul 30, 2014 20:51:44 GMT
Heh. You've nailed me there. I love a good chit-chat about village politics over a half of IPA (in a jug, please).
What's a 'fun modern night out', then? Does it involve facebook and admiring Phyllis Middleton's arse? I'm interested because I should get out more. Is Milton Keynes 'hot', or since you don't like reading can you draw some 'x's on a map and post it? Whatever happened to yellowhun?
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Post by ox4eva on Jul 30, 2014 21:25:13 GMT
Not sure what happened to yellowhun
I actually enjoy a night out in Reading, Parts of London, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Belfast, York, Liverpool, Manchester, and even had greats nights in places like Bolton and Leeds etc.
Good tunes, maybe some live music, lots of late bars, and lots of birds
Lovely
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Post by amarillo on Jul 31, 2014 9:04:20 GMT
wow you're quite the traveller, never left the shire myself
On a serious note, its probably more an age thing. When I was in my 20s myself and mates would slate Oxford for the same reasons. Now we're in our 30s and 40s and we appreciate Oxford for what it is.
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Post by stevegilbert on Aug 2, 2014 21:40:31 GMT
Not sure what happened to yellowhun I actually enjoy a night out in Reading, Parts of London, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Belfast, York, Liverpool, Manchester, and even had greats nights in places like Bolton and Leeds etc. Good tunes, maybe some live music, lots of late bars, and lots of birds Lovely I'm sorry, I have to pull you up on something, Bolton is not a good night out! I agree with all the other places. York is great for pubs, as is chester all though with Chester it is very pretentious at a weekend. For me Manchester is the best place for night life. As for Oxford, I love the pubs but haven't liked the clubbing there for a good few years.
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