The Oxford Guide

This is mainly aimed at dining, although if you are in the area on a nice day it is perhaps worth stopping for a drink to sit by the river (it has lots of tables alongside the Thames or Isis).

The beer is Bass; reasonable but nothing special. The menus are good with the average price of a main being 8 or 9 UKP, with a brilliant fillet steak often on the menu for 13 UKP. Desserts are well worth having.

The downside is that this place always seems to be busy in the evenings; at the weekend at least. Expect to queue for up to ten minutes to place your food order, once you've found a table. Overall, a good choice of pub for a nice meal out, but not set up for just drinking.

Actually the above is out of date since Spring 2007. The owners,- Mitchells and Butler have just revamped it as a pricey gastro-pub. It has "contemporary" internal decor and bizarre rules such as not allowing customers to wear hats - even outside by the river. Now trying to remake itself as a gourmet restaurant, with rich clientele,which is a bit daft as people have always gone there primarily to sit by the river and drink. I think they always will.