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Submitted on Thursday, 25th July 2019
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Detail Pages
The Nag's Head, Abingdon
Abingdon
OX14 3HX
Served areas
The Nag's Head
Our Spring beer festival kicks off at 5pm today, and we are going all weekend! Check out the bands playing on our e… https://t.co/wCpHpLeXsG
1:58 PM May 3rd 2019 from Facebook
Reviews of The Nag's Head (Average Rating: 7½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve C left this review about The Nag's Head
In the middle of Abingdon Bridge and the Thames is the Nag’s Head pub that sits on Nag’s Head Island. Outside lots of picnic tables offer views over the water, although my visit was after dark, so I didn’t venture out. Through the entrance a bar counter split by a central supporting column is found to the left. each side of the counter is identical, with the right side seemingly being the only one in operation. The banks of four handpumps were drawing Breakspear’s Gravity, Oxford Gold, Loose Cannon’s Abingdon Bridge (obviously) and TT Landlord. There are also two banks of eight fonts for the premium keg. The interior houses different seating area that run from the front to stairs at the rear that lead down to a restaurant and decked terrace out the back. The service was polite, but this was the most expensive pub I visited during my crawl of the town. Payment by card only.
On 18th November 2022
- rating: 7
[User has posted 5251 recommendations about 5219 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The Nag's Head
Now feels a bit more lived-in, with gentle middle class pretensions. Six ales on, 3x XT Animal, Frothblower’s Stout (very good nick), Timothy Taylor Landlord, Loddon Ferrymans plus a cider. Enjoyed my 20 minutes in here and it’s a must-do in Abingdon.
July 2015
A lovely location on the bridge (actually set on an island in the Thames itself) with a large garden meandering down the canalside. Interior is fairly modern. A downside was a distinct smell of sewerage and awful gents (‘like ones you’d find in a municipal park’ mused Desmond). Loads of pumps and plenty of ales across the whole range of styles. My Crouch Vale Amarillo was in good shape and if time had permitted I’d also have loved a try of the Titanic Stout and Cotswold Mild. Keen barman told us of an upcoming beer festival with around 50 to choose from over the long weekend. Pretty good overall, could be even better if they spend some of the beer festival profit sorting the bogs out. Rated 7
On 14th February 2019
- rating: 8
[User has posted 5099 recommendations about 5082 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve of N21 left this review about The Nags Head on the Thames
The Grade II listed Nags Head is situated halfway across Abingdon Bridge, nestled in stunning surroundings on Nag’s Island (not sure which came first), positioned in the middle of the Thames.
Internally its modern décor is nothing you haven’t seen many times before from Gastro pubs. White painted brick mixing with half-timbered walls in Farrow and Ball Duck egg blue shades with the odd pink and burgundy surface thrown in to try and make the place at least a little bit interesting. And then the usual clean wooden flooring throughout.
You enter from the bridge into the upper bar area which has a few tables dotted about, and then you transcend some steps into the restaurant section below, which also goes outside onto a decking area for dining on fine days.
The first thing that sets The Nags Head apart from the usual Gastro pub model is a very decent beer range. The bar supports eight hand pumps from what I could see, although the sign outside advertised 10 real ales. These included regionals such as Doombore, Adnams Ghost Ship and something called Nag's Island Ale, which a house beer is brewed by Caledonian I believe, and Westons Old Rosie Cloudy Cider. But then the rest were all local offerings in the shape of Loddon Brewery Ferryman's Gold, West Berkshire Brewery Mr Chubbs, Plain Ales India Plain Ale and Vale Brewery Red Kite. So a very decent choice that I guess contributed to it being the local Camra Town and Village Pub of the Year for three years running between 2013 and 2015.
But the real key selling point for this pub is the excellent garden at riverside level which stretches back filling the rear of the island providing great views of the surrounding countryside whilst the Thames flows either side of you. The garden has its own bar area, but only with one real ale available, the Nags Island Ale, and a garden Pizza hut serving Pizza’s and grilled meats to the garden area. There’s plenty of seating which includes a raised decking area underneath a couple of large jumbrellas. This area also doubles as the stage for live music which includes an afternoon Jazz session most Sundays in summer.
We were primarily here to eat in the restaurant (very good Sunday lunch and traditional pub dish menu by the way ), but as we were blessed with a fine weather day, after a walk up and down the Thames path we returned to the pub garden in time for the Jazz band and enjoyed a couple more pints to some sultry Sax tunes.
If all food focussed gastro pubs were like this one, I wouldn’t have to be so dismissive of the genre.
On 15th June 2017
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2111 recommendations about 1992 pubs]
View more reviews of The Nag's Head (4)
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- Official site of The Nags Head on the Thames - www.thenagsheadonthethames.co.uk
- Twitter - The Nag's Head
- CAMRA WhatPub :: The Nag's Head - whatpub.com
Pub Details
Pub details supplied by members of this site to the best of their knowledge. Please check with pub directly before making a special trip.
- Accommodation : No last updated 14 February 2019 by Quinno _
- Bar Billiards : No last updated 14 February 2019 by Quinno _
- Beer Festivals : Yes - 2 or 3 per year - last updated 06 February 2017 by ROB Camra
- Beer Garden : Yes last updated 14 February 2019 by Quinno _
- CAMRA Discount : Yes - 20p per pint not including Brakspears - last updated 19 June 2020 by ROB Camra
- Car Park : Yes last updated 06 February 2017 by ROB Camra
- Child Friendly : Yes last updated 14 February 2019 by Quinno _
- Darts : No last updated 14 February 2019 by Quinno _
- Dog Friendly : Yes last updated 14 February 2019 by Quinno _
- Function Room : No last updated 14 February 2019 by Quinno _
- Hot Food : Yes last updated 14 February 2019 by Quinno _
- Jukebox : No last updated 14 February 2019 by Quinno _
- Karaoke : No last updated 14 February 2019 by Quinno _
- Live Music : Yes - Jazz Sunday afternoon. Rock Friday night - last updated 06 February 2017 by ROB Camra
- Live TV Sports : Yes last updated 14 February 2019 by Quinno _
- Micropub : No last updated 14 February 2019 by Quinno _
- Pinball : No last updated 14 February 2019 by Quinno _
- Pool Table : No last updated 14 February 2019 by Quinno _
- Real Ale : Yes last updated 14 February 2019 by Quinno _
- Real Cider : Yes last updated 14 February 2019 by Quinno _
- Wheelchair Access : No last updated 06 February 2017 by ROB Camra
- WiFi : Yes last updated 14 February 2019 by Quinno _
