The Rose & Crown, Oxford

This is a cosy multiple room pub in a pleasant neighbourhood a little way North of the city centre. Rather unusually, this pub was still offering strict table service, as per Covid guidelines from over a year ago, which meant that we were quickly shuffled into the small front parlour and had little opportunity to explore the rest of the pub. You enter into a bare boarded corridor that runs down the right-hand side of the pub, with a small bar area and serving hatch to the left and a few limited seating options down the end wall. The front parlour is through a door to the left of the entrance and has a terracotta tile floor, lincrusta walls and a nice art-deco style fireplace with a large mirror above. There’s only enough space for two tables, served by chairs and a hard bench, making it a compact, almost micropubesque space. The décor is very homely and includes a couple of old pub signs, quirky artwork, various newspaper clippings and a nice portrait of the pub. Following the corridor past the hatch, there is a larger rear room with some similar seating options, in greater quantities, and the main bar counter to the front. Beyond this is a sheltered courtyard garden with lots of bench seating and an outdoor toilet block. This seemed like a very popular spot and the shelter meant that customers were happy sat out here despite the cold temperatures. A lounge music soundtrack played in the background throughout our stay and there was a steady trickle of customers coming and going throughout the course of our visit. Table service meant there was no opportunity to examine the handpulls in the main bar, with laminated menus presented instead. These listed the cask options as Hook Norton Old Hooky and Oat Sower, Oxford Shotover Trinity and Adnams Southwold Bitter, but I ordered a pint of the Oat Sower and was presented with something that was cold and fizzy enough to make me think it was on keg dispense – it wasn’t a particularly pleasant pint either. This is a very nice pub with a lovely old, traditional interior that is well worth the walk out of the city centre to explore. We clearly didn’t get the chance to see the place at its best with the table service restricting our movements and resulting in a dubious choice of beverage, but that wouldn’t discourage me from returning once normal service has been fully resumed.

Good Beer Guide 2021 Venue. Two roomed Victorian pub, with a large sheltered and covered court yard around the back. The street at the front is pedestrianised, so this offers more outside drinking options,. They still have the Covid Check desk in the small alleyway, but this appears to be unmanned. You are greeted and taken to a table - and table service from that point on. Unexpectedly, the chalk board details the wine :-) There were three real ales on and the Old Hooky (a fav) was in fine condition. Option of straight or handled glass. Pleasant pub.

An interesting, original and quirky boozer which is attractive both inside and out. It also comes complete with a peacock of a governor and friendly, easy on the eye bar staff. The clientele felt much more gown than town on our visit and the atmosphere was learned and civilised without being too dreary. In fact the interior, split into various small rooms, was cramped and not especially comfortable on a Wednesday evening visit. How do they cope on Friday? Beers on were Prescott Spring Season, Old Hooky, Adnams Southwold and Shotover Oxford Scholar. A pedestrian range and all that we tried was, at best, indifferent. An interesting place in which to drink expensive, substandard beer.