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The Oxford Arms, Camden Town, NW1

265 Camden High Street
NW1
NW1 7BU
Phone: 02072674945

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Reviews (Current Rating Average: 4 of 10) Add Review see review guidelines


Bucking Fastard left this review about The Oxford Arms

A substantial Victorian street corner boozer with a high ceiling and fine picture windows with good internal casements,a highlight is the mosaic tiled entrance ,it's all downhill from there.
The tap room is a large square,opened out with a raised area opposite the long bar on the left.There are 5 flatscreens all over the place ,although with no live sport the sound was mute.The board at the end notes all form of sport will be screened including all gaelic sports and there is a mild Irish theme ,byt not full on Paddy.Pumped up mindless muzak created a real din.The pub grub menu didn't inspire either.There is a street level beer garden out the back.
Lots of keg dross and just two handpumps offering Doom Bar and London Pride,spluttered and short half poured ,NBSS 1.5 and £3.30.
There is a very transient customer base here and now I can understand why.Keep on walking.

On 29th October 2023 - rating: 4
[User has posted 2709 recommendations about 2709 pubs]


Moby Duck left this review about The Oxford Arms

Another internally knocked about Victorian pub offering an uninteresting duo of London Pride and Doom Bar on cask backed up by a mainly standard keg lineup, another place I'll likely swerve in the future.

On 3rd September 2023 - rating: 4
[User has posted 1868 recommendations about 1841 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Graham Coombs left this review about The Oxford Arms

A Victorian pub of one opened-out room with bare floorboards, but still feeling like a pub despite being located in the middle of the tourist area. At the back of the pub is an enclosed patio garden, while upstairs is the Etcetera Theatre. Ales less than exciting with Doom Bar, London Pride and Hobgoblin but condition was ok. The pub must have improved since earlier reviews: although a little bit tatty round the edges it was quite acceptable.

On 29th October 2019 - rating: 6
[User has posted 3322 recommendations about 3259 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Tris C left this review about The Oxford Arms

Judging by the reviews and ages below, I think that this place must have been improved a bit; I haven't been in here for a good 25 years so too long ago to comment.
Music was muted as was the volume on the multiple TVs showing sport; there's a games machine.
Otherwise it's much as described with ales: 1 unused pump, Sharp's Doom Bar and Fuller's London Pride at a quite cheap £2.15 and ok.
I didn't take to this place at all, not least with the sanitizer smell wafting out of the lavs. The Elephant's Head across the road is a lot better so I don't envisage a return visit.

On 4th October 2016 - rating: 3
[User has posted 1955 recommendations about 1922 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Pub SignMan left this review about The Oxford Arms

This is a prominent corner pub in the middle of Camden High Street, where plentiful tourist footfall means that minimal effort is required to ensure the place is kept busy. The pub has a simple single room interior with bare floorboards and a few chequered tiles around the servery which is located on the left hand wall. Large windows to the front and right allow plenty of light in and bagging a seat under them guarantees some excellent people watching. The entrances have some discrete stained glass panes, there is a pillar opposite the bar with a decorative capital and the servery has a decent mirrored bar back, but aside from this, the place has been stripped of most of its interesting features. There is a good deal of standard and bench seating through the centre of the room, whilst low stools can be found in a slightly partitioned space that runs towards the rear left, past the end of the bar. Lots of TV screens, including one on the bar back, were showing a mix of sports including three different football fixtures, one of which had attracted a raucous bunch of plastic Arsenal fans who spent their evening shouting at a TV screen. A few interesting old photos have been enlarged and displayed around the pub along with some Irish themed memorabilia, but otherwise the décor is pretty bland, with lots of wall space occupied by plain mirrors. A door to the rear leads out to a beer garden, but I didn't get round to taking a look. I visited at around the same time as the previous reviewer and can't say I noticed any flies or other hygiene concerns.
Three rather uninspired cask ales were available - Fullers London Pride and Sharps Doom Bar and Atlantic. I had a pint of the Atlantic which was much better than I'd anticipated and I can't have any complaints with the conditioning.
I felt that this place was a very basic pub offering tourists the chance to put the feet up and grab a bite to eat for a while whilst providing locals with somewhere to enjoy sports coverage and a limited range of beers. A willingness to divert slightly from the High Street opens up the possibility of finding some far superior pubs but if you're in a rush there's nothing too off-putting here.

On 16th July 2015 - rating: 5
[User has posted 3102 recommendations about 3102 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Chris McDonald left this review about The Oxford Arms

Very Poor experience. Clearly aiming at the younger crowd, this pub pays little respect to hygeine. The swarms of flies in and around the Gents toilets put paid to any chance of me reviewing the food! In addition, the (mainly young) staff willingly pay homage to the tiresome Chimere / Silus fad. Please treat your legal, (over 18), patrons with more respect.Avoid at all costs.

On 8th June 2015 - rating: 2
[User has posted 1 recommendations about 1 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Will Larter left this review about The Oxford Arms

In some ways my least favourite of the three corner pubs on this stretch of Camden High Street, it only manages to score a 3 because the beer was drinkable. The décor and the service have something of a take-it-or-leave-it attitude, and the fairly anonymous music was at that music-is-only-for-background volume that annoys me.

I asked for a half of London Pride, and was surprised to be asked to pay £3.75 - the bar person had not heard me properly and poured me a pint. The amended price for a half was £2 - and it wasn't even a half, when the huge frothy head is taken into account. However, it was at least in good condition. Though not good enough to have me coming back for another.

On 27th July 2012 - rating: 3
[User has posted 3699 recommendations about 3440 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Oxford Arms

Some features of interest on the exterior, but opened out inside and stripped of character to form a rectangular bar with a part-raised seating area. Sports TVs. Three handpumps: Pride (off), Old Speckled Hen and GK IPA (£3.70, served in a modern jug, but in poor condition).

On 16th June 2012 - rating: 5
[User has posted 8061 recommendations about 8061 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Steve C left this review about The Oxford Arms

The staff in here were certainly in no rush to serve the 3 deep queue of customers whilst I waited for my turn at the bar.

There are 3 pumps with 2 Prides and 1 not used. Hoegarden and standard lagers are also available. I counted 4 plasma screens whilst I endured my hellish wait at the bar.

I'll probably not go here again as it is nothing special and I had no service problems in the Elephant's Head opposite even though it was busier.

On 18th November 2008 - rating: 4
[User has posted 5179 recommendations about 5148 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Roger Button left this review about The Oxford Arms

The Oxford Arms is little more than a basic Victorian boozer that has been stripped back to the basics taking its heart and soul with it. The beer range is limited and expensive (London Pride £3 a pint on my last visit) and you would need to plant a forest the size of Brazil to offset the carbon footprint left by the multiple plasma screens. There is some nice original tiling in the entrance that the builders must have missed this as they tore away at the pubs innards. The décor is plain and unfussy with bare floors, large plain windows and dull cream walls and ceilings. On a positive note there are some nice old b/w pics of Camden and the music is generally a bit quieter than some of its neighbours and there is beer garden at the rear although this is little more than a paved area with a few benches. The Oxford is perfectly adequate and functional but quite dull even by Camden standards.

On 7th August 2007 - rating: 5
[User has posted 1239 recommendations about 1233 pubs]