The Bear Inn, Oxford

A great pub full of character didn't eat but the food looked ok. It had a nice selection of beers etc and all staff I dealt with were friendly and polite. As it's an old pub the usual low ceilings and uneven floor caveat applies so certain areas might be a challenge of you are tall or have mobility issues.

So cool!!! The best pub in town! The inside feels so authentic 🇬🇧 The food is better than many other pubs but it’s such a nice place that it easily went crowded

Put the Bear Inn on your list of places to experience. Love the history behind this great Inn If only the walls could talk. We online stopped by for a drink so can't comment on the food. Good selection of ales and loved the cidar. Take care if visiting the Ladies. Narrow sloping stairway, and it's wasn't because of the cidar...lol. The neckties adorning the walls and ceiling must have taken years to collect.

Decent amount of completely unseasoned, flavourless food. Asked for mustard, told they were nearly out so could only give a squirt. I think the white stuff was supposed to be cauliflower cheese but it tasted of water. They were running low on potatoes by 1pm. No seasoning or sauce on the veg. Gravy was ok. Lovely place for a pint, friendly staff but just don't go for the Sunday roast.

Overall the experience was quite disappointing. We made a booking for lunch for 8 people about 1-2 months in advance as it was a birthday celebration while on holiday. When we arrived there wasn’t any prepared or reserved area, we were simply told to find somewhere outside to sit. We did know we were going to be sitting outside so that was fine. The outside area had lots of benches for seating although was quite messy and one central area had standing water and stunk of urine. We decided to split our group onto two separate benches in a better section. The inside of the bar was quite nice and historical, which was nice to view briefly. We ordered at the bar which was fine and the waiter was helpful although he seemed a bit under staffed. The food was average and the burger was quite disappointing for the price, if I remember correctly it was about £18 GBP, however the beef was over cooked and the salad seemed to extend to simply lettuce and tomato. Some others had fish and chips which they said was great and the portion was very large. The atmosphere outside was quite dull although it was lunch time so wasn’t very busy outside. Overall it was quite average and after travelling through Europe and UK we did have higher expectations for the oldest pub in Oxford. I think there is a great opportunity to improve the service and atmosphere for the outdoor area and would suggest that some of the menu is revamped. I would come again for a drink if in Oxford, but would have lower expectations.