Old Bookbinders, Jericho, Oxford

Official site of Old Bookbinders - craftybelle.uk

Official site of Old Bookbinders - craftybelle.uk

Good Beer Guide 2023 New Entry. We will come onto the beer :-) I didnt really pick up the restaurant vibes discussed in other reviews here. Admittedly, we got the end table next to the loos and in front of the bar - which was thronged with the right number of customers. Enough to get into a conversation. Not enough to have to fight to get to the bar. A couple of dogs adding to the pubby feel. Along with free Monkey Nuts. Which is a first. Very enjoyable pubby experience. The beer. I'm afraid did not live up to the billing. My son and I started with Black Sheep. It must have been getting to the end of the barrel. Mine was bland, but kept some life. My sons served next,lifeless. We moved onto Deuchars IPA which I couldnt score above average. Would give it the benefit of the doubt and trust Oxford Camra have got it right.

From the outside this looks like a classic Jericho street corner local,but once inside it is obviously much more restaurant than pub.The decor is interesting,with lots of wood and door panels on the ceiling together with an upturned model railway at one point.Lots of beer mats and a huge collection of board games by the front door.Tables and chairs are all wooden and traditional,with candles on each while there is a side room the other side of an unused double fronted fireplace which is a more formal dining area .Tables will be reserved for diners but sensibly for a specific time slot,so you can pitch down to drink at either unreserved tables (there were 3 on my Wednesday evening 6.30pm visit )or occupy a table before the reservation time.However this does mean that you may find all tables being used for dining at peak times.The food smelt good,and the menu is French style cuisine. This is a Greene King tied house but will have as many guests as GK brews.My Purity Mad Goose wasn't on good form however.The balance in this pub has tipped in favour of diners,and there are better real ale options close by,so I'm likely to drift past despite it's quirky interior.

Right off the beaten track this, amid a flange of generally good quality pubs up this end of the city around Jericho and Summertown; largely away from both tourists and students, though attracting prices which are commensurate with the area. This pub seems to be food-led but doesn't shout 'gastropub'. Instead, it's a little bit bohemian, ramshackle and eclectic in terms of both furniture and décor. Furniture is mixed with some stuff looking a bit '70s', a part boarded and part quarry tiled floor; some bric-a-brac dangles from on high. Music played but was muted; I didn't spot a TV. Customers were civilised with some older and more genteel with younger drinkers soaking up the festive cheer; staff were very friendly. Ales: Sadler's Ales Peaky Blinder, Bateman's XB, Morland's Old Speckled Hen, Harviestoun's Bitter & Twisted, another GK ale that I couldn't see, and Bookies Best (GK?) at £3.60 a pint and perfectly drinkable. I'd certainly come here again for the atmosphere and peace and quiet away from the city centre. This also makes for a great stop as part of a local craw. Note: closed all day on Mondays - check their website for other opening oddities.

Very popular pub which doubles as a French restaurant but retains a strong local following. Despite Greene King ownership, it has a wonderful and unique character and is far from corporate. Both beer and food were excellent, as was the general atmosphere. Beware the opening hours though - closed Mondays and Tuesday/Wednesday lunchtimes (I don't remember Inspector Morse finding closed pubs..!).

Situated out in the bohemian suburb of Jericho, but easily reached via a relatively pleasant canal side walk from the city centre, this is a quirky, food-led Greene King pub. You enter into a tile floored main bar with a plain panelled servery directly opposite. There is a simple tongue and groove bar back boasting an encouraging pump clip collection that sprawls out along beams and pillars across the entire bar area. A raised bare boarded seating area stands opposite, under the front windows, offering standard tables and chairs and a few low stools at bar level. The décor includes lots of beer adverts, postcards, cigarette cards, lighters, bar towels, a 'Beano' lamp shade, a 'Public Bar' door pane, a dresser stacked with cookery and beer books and all manner of bottles and ceramics - essentially, the accumulated highlights of many years in the pub trade. This area is probably the only spot that drinkers can make their own, as the right hand side of the room is set up as a formal dining space with seating arrangements set accordingly. There is a fireplace which has been put to use as a wood store, a few large barrels, a 'For Sale' sign from a West Norwood estate agent and a ceiling beam with the pub's nickname (The Bookies) spelled out in beer mats along it. A door leads through to a rear room with more formal seating and similar eclectic décor that included various suitcases and musical instruments including a huge bass drum suspended from one wall. Music played quietly throughout our stay and the food we sampled was really good and at sensible prices. Despite the pump clip collection's promise of guest ales, there was just the one on this visit - Holden's Golden Glow - leaving the other pumps to dispense Greene King brews, namely St Edmunds, Trial Brew 08, Old Speckled Hen and a house beer (presumably rebadged Abbot Ale?). My pint of St Edmunds was actually pretty good and you could argue that this represents a pretty adventurous range by Greene King standards. I expected this to be a full-on gastro pub experience and whilst it probably isn't that easy to turn up here during peak dining hours and just take a drink, it at least had a good deal of charm that makes it worth at least a try. We really enjoyed our food and nosing around all the crazy décor and I'd certainly consider another visit when in this part of town.