Turf Tavern, Oxford

One of Oxford’s most famous pubs, this is a multiple roomed venue in a well-hidden location down a small alleyway close to the Bridge of Sighs. This unpromising looking passage zigzags a short way to reach the pub, which is to your left, with an outdoor toilet block to the right. You enter to one of two rather similar traditional bar areas, both with exposed floorboards and a shared servery. The left-hand bar is the more atmospheric of the two and is where the staff were serving from, leading to long queues during a particularly busy period not long after I’d been served. The room has very low beams – watching unsuspecting folk bump their heads is perhaps the best bit about sitting in this room – and a nice curved, dark wood counter with a matching intricately carved bar back. Seating is extremely limited, mainly comprising a few settles around the perimeter, but it was the liveliest room on my most recent visit. The right-hand bar has some exposed stone walls and a bit more in the way of seating, but with the bar not in use, it acted more like an overspill seating area than an actual bar. Moving right through the pub, you find yourself in a third room which is also quite pleasant and traditional in its presentation, offering a mix of tables and chairs and high tables and stools. Beyond this, you start moving into a more modern area – essentially a couple of dining rooms set across two levels and painted in light shades that contrast jarringly with the dark wood interior throughout the remainder of the pub. There’s lots of formal seating throughout and a large mural on the end wall, but these spaces lacked any ambiance or character and are indicative of Greene King’s poor attempts to broaden the pub’s appeal. The whole pub is decorated with a mix of traditional items such as paintings and ornaments, and an array or corporate Greene King stuff that diminishes the pub’s overall effect. Outdoor seating can be found in both the passageway and in a walled garden on the other side of the building. I was a little surprised to see six operational handpulls when I arrived, offering a choice of Greene King IPA, St Austell Tribute, Wadworth 6X and a house beer which was presumably a rebadged Greene King brew, plus two real ciders. My Tribute was okay and I enjoyed siting in the busy bar area, watching the endless queue of tourists who were presumably keen to see the pub where Bill Clinton famously “did not inhale”, where former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke broke the world record for downing a yard of ale(!) or perhaps more likely nowadays, where the cast of the Harry Potter movies would retire after filming scenes in the cities colleges. I used to visit this pub regularly in the late 90’s when staying with friends in Oxford, but I feel the pub, which was already a tourist trap back then, has lost some of its charm and is at risk of becoming nothing more than a stopping point on tourist itineraries. I still think it’s well worth a look if you’ve never been before and the multiple room interior means that there’s plenty to explore over multiple visits, but the pedestrian ale range and tourist crowds mean that I’ll probably be a bit more selective about returning here in the future.

Historical and well documented pub. It has its own wiki page. Tucked down an atmospheric alleyway. Plenty of outside seating. Front bar is circular and very low roofs. You can sit and laugh at the people smacking their heads on the beams. Awarding pints for the thunk and quality of the swearing afterwards. I scored a good 8 until I stared to walk like a marine on maneuvers. Staff are pleasant but it really was amateur hour for hospitality. The majority of the beers - especially keg - were off. Dining stops at 9pm - and went as far as stopping people who had a main ordering a sweet at 9:10pm. Black Sheep was in good condition but served well short of a pint. Again, I really should have complained but by the time it had settles, a throng of students ordering individually had grabbed the servers attention. A must visit. Questionable if its a must return.

Tucked away down a rather scruffy alleyway, you’re not likely to stumble across this pub by accident with only a small and discrete sign at the top of the alley indicating the presence of the pub. Clearly it’s well known though and was certainly attracting a steady stream of punters on our Friday afternoon visit. First impressions suggest a quaint old pub, and this feeling continues as you walk through the front door. Investigate further though, and you’ll find it’s something of a Tardis, with the pub extending far further back than you would initially suspect, presumably as a result of several buildings being knocked together. The front bar is really quite small and atmospheric, with a very low beamed ceiling (several punters had to duck, or stand with their head either side of the beams), dark wooden boards on the floor and blue wood panelling on much of the walls as well as some exposed stonework in places. There was a very tiny stone fireplace although this was clearly no longer used and a few old black and white pictures dotted around the walls. The rear bar looked to be broadly similar in terms of décor, although without quite so much cosy charm perhaps. We did not investigate beyond this, but it looked as though many people here were eating. The only downside really was the temperature, with a couple of doors being left open it was far too cold despite the heat coming from the radiators. Beers on tap were Old Mulled Hen, Greene King IPA, Nottingham Legend and Woodforde’s Norfolk Nog. Ciders meanwhile were Old Rosie, Lilley’s Apple & Pear and Thatcher’s Haze. I noticed one punter asking for a glass of tap water being directed to help themselves from a tap on the rear bar which seems fair enough as they don’t charge for it, and I found the service to be swift and efficient despite how busy they were. Overall, well worth making the effort to track down.