The Oxford Guide

The beer is abysmal, but you don't go to the Half Moon for the beer; you go for the atmosphere and the extremely accomodating service. There's Guinness and Greene King IPA on tap, and a folk club on Thursday nights with poetry readings and local music talent. (Look out for nights when Frei Zinger's playing; his folk club set is orders of magnitude better than the over-engineered wannabe-ambient flutepop that draws the crowds on the Cornmarket.) Joe Ryan's the proprietor, and carries out the role rather well. Unfortunately, the non-Ryan bar staff aren't worth giving the time of day to.

But if you get Joe, and you get there on a Thursday night, it's the kind of place where you're instantly a regular.