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The Chequers, Oxford

131 High Street
Oxford
OX1 4DH

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Pub Type

Nicholsons (Mitchells & Butlers)
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Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7 of 10) Add Review see review guidelines


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Graham Coombs left this review about The Chequers

A splendid old Nicholsons pub tucked down an alley with lots of dark woodwork and other ancient features, perhaps a bit pitched at the tourist market but a nice place to drink nonetheless. The main floor has a dining area to one side and some sofas by a fireplace at the other. Up a short flight of stairs is a larger room which has its own bar at the far end (possibly only used for functions), as well as a side room and a small outdoor balcony. The yard below is filled with tables and umbrellas. A fair selection of ales included Brains Rev. James and Titanic Plum Porter, with Hophead, Proper Job, Doom Bar and the house beer. I could happily have settled here for a while.

On 2nd June 2022 - rating: 8
[User has posted 3322 recommendations about 3259 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Ian Mapp left this review about The Chequers

Good Beer Guide 2021 Pub, tucked away down a little alleyway off the high street. Entrance reminding you of the Turk Tavern.

Its a Nicholsons pub but with quite a few quests on. No complaints with my X-Panda from Brew York.

Slightly odd atmosphere - an ancient pub with the football on, but no volume.

Don't think it could work out what it wants to be.

On 1st November 2021 - rating: 7
[User has posted 1329 recommendations about 1315 pubs]


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

One of Oxford's old alleyway pubs, this one is owned by Nicholson's and retains some character despite the various makeovers it has received over the years / decades / centuries... Now has a something of a lounge at the far end, and more of a hall-like appearance to the entrance area. Not a bad selection from eight of ten handpumps, with three ciders in addition to the likes of My Generation Session Pale Ale (£3.56, inclusive of 20% Camra discount), Millionaire from Wild Beer and Thornbridge Jaipur.

On 29th September 2019 - rating: 7
[User has posted 8066 recommendations about 8066 pubs]


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Blackthorn _ left this review about The Chequers

Tucked away down an alleyway just off the High Street, this looks quite inviting with it’s courtyard seating and black timber cladding on the exterior and I also noticed that it was a Nicholson’s pub who’s outlets I have generally enjoyed when in London.

Internally it’s quite large and split over a few different levels. The largest bar is on the downstairs floor and this was fairly traditional with a mixture of wood strip and quarry tiles on the floor, battleship grey paintwork and some elaborate cornice work on the ceiling. An old fireplace at one end potentially looked a bit of a cosier spot, but it was very busy and very noisy in there, so not a relaxing place to sit. Elsewhere on this level was a table football game and several TV screens showing the rugby. A second level again looked as if it could be a bit cosier with exposed stone walling and a smaller, seemingly disused, bar counter, but again the projector screen showing the rugby and the high volume from the game completely spoilt the ambience. We escaped up a few more steps to the upper level, but even here the sport commentary was unnecessarily piped to additional speakers.

The menu offered a decent enough selection of “pub grub” dishes with options such as fish & chips, chicken & chips, macaroni cheese, sausage and mash and so on, as well as a number of burgers and steaks. Most of the prices were somewhere around the £10 - £12 mark, although it was unfortunate that both of the items we tried to order had sold out. In the end we settled on the Hunter’s Chicken and the Smoked Haddock & Kedgeree Fishcakes, both of which were fairly average.

Beers on tap were Nicholson’s Pale Ale, Adam Henson’s Rare Breed, Doom Bar, Adnams Ghost Ship, Sadler’s Worcester Sorcerer, Black Sheep and Thornbridge Jaipur IPA. The Tribute and Hobgoblin’s Legendary Ruby Beer were apparently coming soon, the latter being the “official” beer of Halloween apparently. Cider’s meanwhile were Mortimer’s Orchard on tap along with Weston’s Old Rosie and Rosie’s Pig stacked up in boxes at the end of the bar. Overall I was rather disappointed with this due to the food availability and noise levels, but perhaps on a different occasion I may have warmed to it more.

On 16th November 2018 - rating: 5
[User has posted 1937 recommendations about 1850 pubs]


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Real Ale Ray left this review about The Chequers

The pub was very busy on our visit, so we had to do a bit of vertical drinking, which was beneficial as we had a good view of the entire pub, especially the wood carving across the upstairs balcony. Their ale choice was also good for a Nicholson's, so went for the Red Squirrel Hopfest, which was a good session beer. An interesting pub this one, so well worth a visit.

On 31st July 2016 - rating: 7
[User has posted 3378 recommendations about 3378 pubs]


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Tris C left this review about The Chequers

With an interior dating from the 15th century, this is a decent enough historic pub, hidden, as described, down a little alley off the High Street. Worth it for both the tourist and crawler alike.

On 24th July 2016 - rating: 5
[User has posted 1956 recommendations about 1923 pubs]


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Pub SignMan left this review about The Chequers

Despite being a High Street pub, the Chequers is easily missed as it is accessed via a narrow alleyway that seems to evade the attention of the tourist masses. Originally the private residence of a moneylender, the building was purchased by All Souls College in 1466 and converted into a tavern around the turn of the 16th Century. It is currently operated by Nicholsons, who generally do a good job with this sort of interesting historic pub. The alleyway leads into a nice, partly covered, cobbled courtyard, with the pub to the right. The main bar has a bit of a baronial feel to it with dark wood flooring and some grand decorative touches throughout. The room is split into two halves, with the simple Monks Bar up a few stairs to the left and the main bar area on the lower section to the right. A long servery runs along the back wall and there is plenty of standard seating in both areas. Large boards bearing various coats of arms protrude from the walls and there are decorative friezes, ceilings and walls to be marvelled at through much of the room. A plaque outside explains that there is a well beneath the pub that was once used for brewing, although sadly this enterprise has long since been abandoned. The courtyard turned out to be a good place to enjoy drinks on a sunny summer afternoon, with nice floral displays creating a bright, attractive space for relaxing. Sadly, the peace was broken by a group of loud, braying students (of the sort who do unspeakable things to dead pigs), although there appeared to have been some graduation ceremonies taking place that day, so this may have been a one off.
The ale range here is as extensive as you are likely to find anywhere is Oxford, with options on this visit comprising Marston Pedigree and New World Pale, Hook Norton Lion, Black Wolf ROK IPA, Wells Bombardier, Sharps Doom Bar, Nicholsons Pale Ale, Woodforde Norfolk Champion and Shepherd Neame Red Sail Cherry Porter. I tried the Red Sail Porter, which was okay but not really my cup of tea, and the New World Pale, which was in very good shape. The bar staff were very friendly and helpful, assisting some uninitiated customers in the art of selecting the right beer.
I thought this was a good pub to escape the crowds and enjoy beers from a wide range. The interior is well worth a look, although perhaps a little more cramped than you'd initially expect, whilst the courtyard is a fine spot for summer drinks. This seems like a well run place and would be a good addition to any crawl around the city.

On 8th October 2015 - rating: 7
[User has posted 3102 recommendations about 3102 pubs]


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Andrew Wright left this review about The Chequers

Good selection of porters & stouts available when I visited yesterday. Worth a visit given its location & history.

On 29th October 2014 - rating: 7
[User has posted 3 recommendations about 3 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Quinno _ left this review about The Chequers

Recent revisit found things pretty much as described before. A nice Iish cask stout went down well in the rear courtyard garden. Good crawl fodder but in such a good pub city this is a single-pinter rather than a session outlet.

December 2013
Down an alleyway off High St sits this Nicholsons pub holding ten pumps, sporting seven ales and three ciders. My Harviestoun Xmas ale was in good shape. A high-ceilinged interior with intricate cornices and dark wood panelling. Plush armchairs to the right by a fireplace, open seating to left. Bland piped muzak which felt out of place. Mulled wine and 'cyder' smells giving a festive air. Well-staffed by the usual generic teenage bob-a-jobs though the sarcy barmaid perhaps needs to make it clear she's joking when dealing with thirsty customers. I wouldn’t call it an essential stop but certainly makes a worthy inclusion as part of an extended crawl. Rated 7

On 1st October 2014 - rating: 7
[User has posted 5050 recommendations about 5033 pubs]


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Graham Smith left this review about The Chequers

Closed from 4th August for 3 weeks for refurbishment.

On 1st August 2014 - no rating submitted
[User has posted 47 recommendations about 44 pubs]

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