Turf Tavern, Oxford

Official site of Turf Tavern - www.turftavern-oxford.co.uk

Official site of Turf Tavern - www.turftavern-oxford.co.uk

As a student I lived virtually opposite for three years so this was my college's local and easy to find; less than a minute's walk for us. The pub is located at the bottom of Bath Place, seemingly a blind alley. At the bottom, turn left and walk through the wardrobe. To emphasise the place's historic credentials, there's no Wifi, no 4G (or any G for that matter), not even a phone signal! Unquestionably Oxford's most famous pub, this is a must-visit, with its outdoor braziers in winter (hopefully still in situ), multi-room layout and impossibly low ceilings with beams painted black, sadly. The only obvious major change since my last visit is that the wood panelling has been painted the all-pervasive 'gastropub' grey/blue. On the minus side, the staff are impossibly overworked and in cramped conditions meaning that service can be painfully slow. The choice of ales too isn't a strong point with just Sharp's Doom Bar, Greene King's Radio X Amplified, Belhaven/Orkney Brewery's Kittiwake and Sadler's Sun Catcher on show last weekend. This is a magnet for students and tourists so is best visited during the Michaelmas/Hilary term holiday when the students are absent and tourists are at a minimum.

A couple of our PG members heads, did actually touched the low ceiling on our visit. I found the interior to be very hot and sticky, what with the low ceilings and the place being busy on our visit, so it was a good idea to take our drinks into the court yard and sit at the bench seating. The pub had seven ales and two ciders to choose from, so I went for the Oakham Inferno which was excellent. Yes, well worth a visit this one.