Not already a member?
Join our community and
- Rate & review pubs
- Upload pictures
- Add events
JOIN for free NOW
Chat about:
Beer of the Week (w/e 14th December 2025) with Thuck Phat
on the Pub Forum
Image posted by David Walton
Submitted on Saturday, 8th November 2025
With picture contributions to 1656 other pubs
View all this pub's pictures (21 more images)
Detail Pages
The Oxford Bar, Edinburgh
Edinburgh
EH2 4JB
Reviews of The Oxford Bar (Average Rating: 7½ of 10) see review guidelines
David Walton left this review about The Oxford Bar
Visited 06/11/25
Cask was Pentland IPA and Stewart's 80/- from Stewart Brewing plus Jarl from Fyne Ale with one hand pump not used. Keg was Tennent's, Belhaven Best, Guinness, Innis & Gunn lager.
Atmospheric corner venue, bar counter immediately on left inside front entrance. Quite tight with limited wall bench seating in front of and side of the counter with a few tall stools along small bar counter. Single table in the rear (not many yards from the entrance) plus another room to the right of the entrance with wall fitted benches serving a small number of regular tables. The art on the wall in this room, which has a working fireplace, seemed to very out of line with the venue. The walls in the small main bar area having some more venue ambiance appropriate historical framed prints. Definitely venue I will remember from my visit to Edinburgh.
On 8th November 2025
- rating: 7
[User has posted 897 recommendations about 891 pubs]
Will Larter left this review about The Oxford Bar
This iconic pub is possibly a bit smarter now than previous reviewers would approve. Not only that but the walls are covered with paintings for sale, some of them very striking, not many that I think I could live with. There are four hand pumps on the bar (see photo). (I once had to ask Ian Rankin if he would mind moving for a minute so that I could get a shot of the pump clips. He obliged, while clearly checking me for any other signs of insanity.) The lass that owns the pub gets an occasional name check in the later Rebus books. The beer is very good here - I can remember when it was just Deuchars IPA but there are now good quality beers from local breweries, and it features in the Good Beer Guide. My pint of Fyne Ales Jarl was very good (NBSS 4) and £5.80.
On 8th January 2025
- rating: 8
[User has posted 4531 recommendations about 4152 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Old Boots left this review about The Oxford Bar
Obviously made famous by Ian Rankin and his Rebus novels although it’s a few years since the telly adaptation was on so trading on that is probably a diminishing game. I suspect that won’t matter due to its local following, I nearly knocked one local over opening the door and I couldn’t get anywhere near the clips to see what was on, fortunately I just spotted a Jarl clip. The front bar was rammed early Friday evening and the rear room was fairly full too, the back room by the way makes a very poor use of space and furnishings. I think the historic interior is just the front bar, the rear bar hosts photo exhibitions which are rather good. Anyway the beer quality was well up to standard.
On 28th January 2024
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 3793 recommendations about 3462 pubs]
View more reviews of The Oxford Bar (17)
Pubs Galore is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
- Official site of the Oxford Bar - www.oxfordbar.co.uk
- Facebook - The Oxford Bar
- CAMRA WhatPub :: The Oxford Bar - whatpub.com
- Historic Pub Interiors - pubheritage.camra.org.uk
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 25 January 2016 by Quinno _
- Bar Billiards : No last updated 25 January 2016 by Quinno _
- Beer Festivals : No last updated 25 January 2016 by Quinno _
- Beer Garden : No last updated 25 January 2016 by Quinno _
- CAMRA Discount : No last updated 25 January 2016 by Quinno _
- Car Park : No last updated 25 January 2016 by Quinno _
- Child Friendly : No last updated 25 January 2016 by Quinno _
- Darts : No last updated 25 January 2016 by Quinno _
- Dog Friendly : Yes last updated 25 January 2016 by Quinno _
- Function Room : No last updated 25 January 2016 by Quinno _
- Hot Food : No last updated 25 January 2016 by Quinno _
- Jukebox : No last updated 25 January 2016 by Quinno _
- Karaoke : No last updated 25 January 2016 by Quinno _
- Live Music : No last updated 25 January 2016 by Quinno _
- Live TV Sports : No last updated 25 January 2016 by Quinno _
- Micropub : No last updated 25 January 2016 by Quinno _
- Pinball : No last updated 25 January 2016 by Quinno _
- Pool Table : No last updated 25 January 2016 by Quinno _
- Real Ale : Yes last updated 25 January 2016 by Quinno _
- Real Cider : No last updated 25 January 2016 by Quinno _
- Wheelchair Access : No last updated 25 January 2016 by Quinno _
