Historical version 3 of Chequers (view current version)
- 131 High Street (map of this place)
- OX1 4DH
- Food: 12-7 most days (didn't ask about Sundays)
The below is really quite out of date, but does give a good description of the pub, please ignore the prices.
- Brewery: Halls
They refurbished this a few months ago, but it doesn't seem to have had much effect, save for revealing some white stonework at the far north end, improving the beer (they now have Morland Old Speckled Hen instead of Marston Pedigree) and removing the coats of arms from up the stair in the "Abbots Bar", including the one of the National Library of Wales, which I can't remember because I didn't write it down the first time I reviewed here. Chequers also offers Staropramen, an excellent lager, although expect to pay £2.60 a pint.
There claims to be a bottles-and-cocktails bar up the stair as well, but this is less impressive than I had hoped, as it merely consists of the bottles that they have down the stair, but in greater profusion. Pool, a quiz machine, and two table football tables. Here they used to call it "foosball" and be in a league with the other The Chequers on Hollybush Row.
It could potentially be brilliant, but falls some way short in terms of quality of real ales. There is a courtyard outside (there has been since 1500, when the building turned into a pub) with those Martian things as also featured in The Prince of Wales at Iffley, The Butchers Arms in Headington, and The Trout at Godstow.
The Simpsons and South Park on big screens and normal-sized wall-mounted televisions on Monday evenings. (22.iii.1999)