King s' Arms in Vale of White Horse

Lovely place in a fabulous location next to the Bodleian library, well managed and traditional in with a good choice of food

We had a quick bite the previous evening and decided to have lunch the following day. First choice wasn't available but the issue was the food was so delayed (about an hour) that we gave up as it was nearly 3pm by the time we left (hungry). Not sure if it was just an off day in the kitchen but on the basis they were quick to refund the meal, it looked like this wasn't the first time that had happened. Two other people got refunds at the same time and a large group of tourists looked very unhappy with how long (and haphazard) the food service took. Such a shame as I really like the pub and they have a good choice of wines we like (being a Young's pub) but we won't choose to eat there again unfortunately.

Ordered fish and chips. Lovely cider battered haddock. Fish flavour wasn’t overpowering. Chips were a little overcooked but saved with a side of curry sauce. Mushy peas tasted nice, a little runny though. As for the pub itself, really nice inside and retains old charm. Long tables for larger groups. Staff super nice. Was a pleasant lunch for 1!

Massively enjoyed my visit and food. it was so special to see such a great team supporting each other and delivering great service and drinks

Excellent atmosphere and service. Despite being extremely busy, the staff attitudes and friendly approach ensured we all had a great time. Food and drinks were all very good and we look forward to our next visit.

Absolutely great experience at the King's Arms on Saturday. The staff went above and beyond to deliver great service and we were not rushed in any way. Food was of great quality and portions were generous too. Would highly recommend for a great all round dining experience and relaxed atmosphere with great service.

Outstanding fish & chips and steak pie. Nice selection of beers. Friendly service. Cool pub in Oxford. Comfy. Worth a visit.

I always enjoy my visits to the King's Arms. This was the first time I'd booked a table in advance and the processed worked well. We all enjoyed our meals and all enjoyed the visit.

We had a table booked for 6pm on Sunday and decided to go for the roast dinner. Nice old Oxford pub busy with drinkers . We both ordered the roast chicken which came out very quickly! Chicken was cold in the middle, the carrot was cold , could barely cut through the Yorkshire pudding which was also cold and like cardboard, gravy was cold and watery all around the edge of the plate . Needless to say we sent the food back finished our drinks and left , the staff were most apologetic and understood why we had sent the food back . Ok for a drink but I definitely wouldn't bother with the food if this is the usual standard.

The pub is fine: good ambience and friendly staff. The food, though, was a bit iffy. My husband's burger & fries were fine, and my oldest son's soup adequate, but #2 son ordered sausages and mash: three small sausages, some lumpy mashed potato, all swimming in too much gravy. As for me, I ordered something that sounded delicious: Devon crab and smoked salmon cake with Burford fried egg and leeks. I ate a couple of mouthfuls and started worrying: did I have Covid? I seemed to have lost my sense of taste overnight. I added salt and pepper, which definitely improved things: now I could taste salt and pepper, and was conscious of the potato that comprised most of the fishcake. The egg on top had clearly been sitting around for a little while: it was both solid and cold. To be fair, there was definitely some smoked salmon in the fishcake: there were a couple of pink bits here and there. Not sure about the crab, but we'll give it the benefit of the doubt. Overall, it would have been a snip at £3, but at £14.50, it was massively overpriced.

Stopped in for a Sunday Roast. Fantastic! Had the pork, which was lovely, great gravy (will have to come back fo the recipe)! Quintessential Oxford Pub.

Amazing roast lunch! Succulent pork oozing with flavour with tasty trimmings. Best roast I’ve had in a long time served by super friendly staff. Beats making the Easter roast myself. Highly recommend

We had a brief gap between lectures at the Oxford Literary Festival, so we booked in for an early dinner. Although on a tight turnaround, the King's Arms was up to the task, with only 15 minutes between order and service. The food was very good: I had the fish and chips; she the Devon crab cake with leeks. Both dishes were well cooked, very fresh and tasty. Not sure about the curry sauce with fish and chips, a little off piste for me. It was a bit noisy in the pub, even at 5 pm, but it is a student pub, and a lively place. Overall, we enjoyed the experience, and will go back, when next we visit the Festival.

Went for Sunday lunch while on a nostalgic trip back to Oxford. Service was great - really friendly and helpful. Wine (pinot noir) was very good and great value for the price. Food was a bit disappointing - meat really chewy and accompaniments strewn randomly over the plate and not very hot. Nice experience and atmosphere, but wouldn't go again for the Sunday roast!

Popped in for a roast with my partner, having ordered a roast beef and roast chicken , I was surprised to see that it arrived at our table about 3 minutes after I ordered it! Disappointing is probably an understatement to be honest cold , chewy , served with cold beetroot, which is one thing I will not eat (simply don’t like it). the only hot things on the plate was the mashed swede ( microwaved) and the horse radish sauce (very tasty to be fair). I tried to air this complaint with an email to the pub but they have not bothered to reply, I don’t like putting complaints up on public forums but to not even acknowledge my email is just plain rude. Unlikely that I will go back which is a huge shame as it is one of my walking distance locals from home

My son loved the wild mushroom soup, which came with two huge and lovely pieces of bread. He couldn’t finish his burger afterwards. The goat salad was lovely and well balanced with the beets and spring mix. My daughter had the ham, which was a bit dry. I couldn’t use the app, as it would only accept UK numbers (I had French and US mobile numbers), but thankfully they took orders at the bar. Service was typical of a pub (eg a bit lacking). A server came and took our salt away and never replaced it, which was frustrating for my salt loving daughter. With no explanation. Not sure I would come back here.

The service is good the pub is lovely, but head office please sort out the toilets. It’s truly disgusting the whole pub stinks of urine. Not a blame on the staff or management.

We visited this pub for lunch while out in Oxford with friends and it was good. The pub is obviously crowded all the time due to closeness to all the tourist locations in Oxford so it was a bit difficult finding a table. The food service was extremely slow, I mean in the vicinity of 45mins to get 4 mains but the food tasted ok. We did enjoy the time we got to talk while the food came through. Recommend for a meal if you can accept a longer waiting time for food.

The Kings Arms in Oxford offers a delightful dining experience. The food quality is superb, featuring a menu that's sure to please. Clean and well-maintained toilets add to the positive ambiance. The staff's friendliness enhances the overall visit, making it a lovely spot in the heart of Oxford. Highly recommended for those seeking a memorable and enjoyable outing.

Visited with my wife for an evening couple of drinks. However, in all my years I've never had to endure such disgusting mens toilets! The stench was unbearable and everything else simply disgusting. The floor is like it truly is 400 years old and desperately needs replacing - come on Youngs get with it! Couldn't wait to get out and seek another pub with modern-day facilities.

This is my first trip to the UK so I really l just wanted a typical dish... Fish & Chips and a pint. I was walking through Oxford Square and came across this establishment. From the outside, it just seemed to epitomize what I had imagined a traditional English restaurant. Inside, there are multiple dining areas, some with screens to watch the latest match. And they have a few bar areas where you can enjoy a pint and a meal. The first pint I had, was just okay, but then was given a different pint which I found to be amazing! And finally... I was able to get a traditional Fish & Chips and it was everything I had expected. Of course, I have had fish & chips before and at many places throughout the world that claim to be traditional but this was simply epic! The fish was a generous portion of haddock and in a delicious batter. Not too heavy or greasy. It came with a tartar sauce and some malt vinegar. The chips were thick and cooked to a golden brown on the outside and still crispy on the side. Maybe everywhere in England serves great fish & chips, but in my experienced having dined in over 90 countries, nothing compares to what I have had here. The atmosphere is fun, the people who work there are very nice and friendly. Great food and atmosphere. I'm sure I'll be back at least one more time before I leave.

The food was amazing and the staff were great. There is a lot on the menu to chose from we look forward to returning.

Restaurant came highly recommended. We had a great window table by which we were able to entertain ourselves for 20 minutes before we were told by other patrons that we had to order our drinks and food from the very crowded bar. There is no wait staff. Hostess showing us to our table should have shared that information. Food very average.

The King’s Arms es exactamente lo que esperas cuando piensas en un pub de Oxford. En mi tiempo en la universidad, busqué beber en todos los pubs de Oxford y King's Arms permaneció en mi top 2. Es un pub muy acogedor con grandes fotos antiguas de la universidad y sus estudiantes. La comida es buena y las bebidas encantadoras. Una visita obligada si buscas un pub en Oxford

The Kings Arms es uno de varios pubs que dicen ser los más antiguos de Oxford. Fue construido en 1607 y todavía se mantiene en su posición original, situado frente al nuevo edificio de la Biblioteca Bodleian. El pub es parte de la cadena Young's y, como tal, sirve excelente cerveza de verdad. También afirma tener el coeficiente intelectual más alto por pie cuadrado en cualquier parte del mundo, aunque un domingo a fines de diciembre fue bastante tranquilo. Sin embargo, la tabla de al lado debe haber aumentado el nivel de coeficiente intelectual promedio, ¡mostrando un conocimiento enciclopédico de instrumentos musicales medievales!

A good pub with a fun atmosphere, especially later at night. If you're looking for a 5 star meal, don't go to a pub.

Très bon pub typiquement anglais ! Une bonne adresse lors d’un séjour à Oxford. Le cadre est confortable et le quartier très sympa.

Too crowded, we had to wait 40 minutes to received our food at 12 o clock...and the food was mediocre. Nice location.

Nice inside, good beer, nice pub and décor. Often busy with students, expensive and food is very very average. As an Oxonian I tend to avoid.

Large historic, traditional English pub. Central location. They really take a pride in their ales and fresh food. The pies are excellent - steak and ale, game in the season, Root veg, salmon and prawn all freshly made. Splendid fish and chips too. Steep steps to toilets. A couple of outside tables. Friendly, busy staff, service usually prompt but can be slow if large demand. Go early. Rooms can be booked for large functions.

Very nice pub with a great selection of lagers and ales, however, their menu boasts Famous for our pies, and this is slightly misleading in my humble opinion- they were nice but all 3 of us had a different pie but agreed they were too dry. As for everywhere in Oxford, food and drink slightly overpriced!

The Food is very good and the beer variety is OK , although the Staff is very friendly even when fully booked they still remain Calm and helpful

The pub is nice with a good atmosphere but we went mainly to eat and the food was terrible. It was expensive and what we were given tasted like it had come from Iceland. We won’t be visiting again for food.

La comida es satisfactoria, la cerveza se guarda y se sirve indiferentemente. El personal del bar es variable, desde el ser humano hasta el desempleado (en un establecimiento bien administrado). El pantano de los hombres es pésimo, a pesar de lo reciente: ¿ish [solo externo? ] renovación.

Went here recently and ordered the fish pie . The pie was very tasty. That’s where the positives end. The pie came with mashed potato and buttered cabbage. The potato looked grey and was tasteless. The cabbage was limp and horrible.

We called in for a late lunch at about 1.30 and found the place busy and staff rushing about. We found a table and went to order. The food was not too long but bar was busy and it took a while to get new glasses for the chilled water. Food was delicious and once the pub thinned out a bit we enjoyed a quiet meal.

A nice traditional pub which has retained many of its original features.. It is in a central location. There is very limited outside seating. The service was pleasant and friendly but thought the prices were exceedingly high even for Oxford.

Traditional pub located in a strategic corner. Perfect for having a Young's special after a long working day. Even if crowded there is always a place for a nice chat. For lunch, try the tasty vegetable's pie.

We had a lunch today with my husband , first time in this place as we knew that the view is amazing, unfortunately as Soon as we got our food in our table view didn’t matter any more, we paid £37 for 2 burgers and 2 drinks, which burgers where made with chicken that Was precooked and just used the microwave before they have it to us, so we couldn’t even cut or chew the meat, and the potatoes the same, old and just heat in the microwave . Never again

A good pub to visit! The food was tasty and other refreshments were refreshing! A good place te grab a pint or two!

A busy, classic pub with excellent food and ale. Make reservations if you want to be assured seating, especially Friday / Saturday. The meat pie was delicious.

Visited here for lunch. Here are the 5 reasons

Had good time with friend, got a table at a corner, bright, wide beer and drinks options, bit crowded in Friday, good service too

Paramos aquí para el almuerzo y fue de lo más encantador. Ambos pedimos su pastel de pollo que venía con puré de papas y una ensalada y estaba delicioso! El mejor pastel de pollo que he tenido! Casi ordené el salmón, pero dijeron que era más grande y que no tenía tanta hambre en ese momento. Me encantó el ambiente! Recomendar

I went in for dinner and a pint. Enjoyed my meal and drink. The staff were all polite, prompt and professional. I’m glad I had a meal here.

A good selection of real ales as well as Taylor's own Good food in a delightful environment surrounded bu pictures and posters of Oxford.

vale assolutamente la pena entrare in quello che e' definito il pub con il piu' alto quoziente di intelligenza a livello mondiale, non fosse altro per abbassarne il livello. Scherzi a parte si tratta di un luogo immancabile nella cittadina e frequentato massiciamente dagli studenti. Piacevole anche sostare allesterno . Deliziosi piatti di cucina inglese da accompagnare ad una buona selezione di vini.

Um pub tipico, em que sr dispensava a máquina de jogos, com um serviço confuso e óptima comida. Ah, e a cerveja, com uma oferta de eleição.

Pollo asado fabulosamente hecho con todos los acompañamientos correctos! El pollo era jugoso, lleno de dientes con un exterior ligeramente crujiente y bien condimentado; Las verduras acompañantes eran dulces y tiernas (¡ojalá hubiera más!). La salsa era lo suficientemente rica para el pollo. En general, un almuerzo de domingo muy satisfactorio después de una caminata en la colina de jabalíes (paseo jubilar de Oxford)

Very disappointed with the staff!!!

Wonderful place, very nice decorated and with personnel very friendly. Being in Classic pub, has a wide variety of beers and spirits. Worth the visit

Visited here on daytime with lots of available room but can also imagine it during the evenings crouded with students enjoying each others company and appropriate refreshments. The burgers and fries we got were unfortunately only warm, so pay attention when ordering. Otherwise very enjoyable and lovely classic British public house.

Good pub for a nice lunch with a beer. Good range of tap beers, great house special pubs and a good range for gluten free food.

I was eating there with my family, nice and quiet during the week. Good size, with different rooms and a lovely taste in every corner. No kids' menu, but possibility on smaller portions in some pub classics. I'd definitely go back.

Lieu très agréable, paradoxalement calme, peu bruyant. Large choix de bières, cadre agréable, confortable. Cependant un peu déçue par la qualité du service et des plats proposés.

Very well kept selection of ales, lots of choice (Young’s and guests), well kept and served. Friendly bar staff. The pork scratchings are legendary and the portion enormous, must try!

Mucho ruido y pocas nueces. Tienen una amplia variedad de cervezas, y algunos platos sin mucha gracia, y al final la cuenta será siempre exagerada para lo que dan. Me parece sobrevalorado.

The beer on tap is delicious, lots of space to socialize, sit, eat or simply drink a pint or two. Perfect watering hole that’s located right next to the museums and shopping.

Domingo por la tarde, a una hora a pie de nuestras excavaciones en el Inn del jurado, buen ambiente, el personal estaba bien, la comida fue bastante rápida desde el pedido hasta la mesa.

The King’s arms isn’t a pub, it’s a historical marker. Ask any student and they’ll have stopped by at some point to meet friends or celebrate exams. That said this is not the preserve of students, the many little rooms, decorated with a seemingly random collection of Oxford history, are often filled with all manner of patrons a they have a solid food menu which is better than average pub fair and a good selection of ales. Not to be missed on a visit to Oxford or you’ll have missed out on the full experience, which by Oxford’s nature includes several more pubs.

Fuimos allí, porque nuestro propietario nos dijo que lo hiciéramos. Pero nos decepcionó. Mi hamburguesa estaba más que bien hecha y el pastel de mi esposa no era muy satisfactorio. La cerveza y el servicio eran de primera. El pub en sí no era un llamador. En cambio, es normal. Puedes hacer una parada en el King's Arms pero no tienes que hacerlo. Lo siento.

I have always had doubts about the King's Arms - despite it excellent location and atmosphere, the food has always been mediocre and the service very slow. Today, it got worse. After queuing for some minutes to place our food order, we then waited for 45 minutes for it to appear. At that point, we gave up and asked for our money back. The man who had taken our order (possibly the manager) offered no hint of an apology and refunded our money with very ill grace, verging on rudeness. I feel sorry for tou rists, especially foreigners, who may see this as typical of British hospitality.

This was the 4th pub we went into as everywhere else was rammed. (Saturday afternoon). This was also rammed but we decided to prop up the bar until a table became free. Luckily we didn’t have to wait too long. Ended up staying there for a couple of hours and sampled not only a few beers but also the scotch egg which we thoroughly enjoyed. Great pub for people watching too! Worth a visit.

Se trata de un pub típico inglés con comida inglesa. En mi opinión un poco caro. 1 Hamburguesa, 1 ensalada y 2 pintas 35 libras, esto mismo en Londres junto a Trafalgar square 21 libra. Para la próxima veré otras opciones.

Really lovely service in this great pub. Great selection of drinks on offer and plenty of space to sit down, even if you're not eating.

Pub med god beliggenhed ved Bodleian Library i Oxford. Udmærket mad, men ret travlt omkring frokosttid.

After touring around the University and downtown we were looking for a place with atmosphere. That describes King's Arms, with its basic British menu, friendly wait-staff, a bar area straight out of an episode of Inspector Morse, and a pleasant and inviting feel. We Americans felt most welcome, and the food and drinks were very good and moderately priced. It occupies a high-profile location close by the Bodleian Library and several colleges. Dessert was excellent. As we were leaving it was filling up at the bar and getting a little noisy with conversation, but nothing like most places in the U.S.

Lovely pub, great location in the centre of Oxford and offering a perfectly fine selection of largers and beers, sadly though the food and the service without a smile put a dampener on the afternoon.

Feines Essen, auch wen meine Portion kleiner war. Die Toilette war sehr schmutzig. Aber die Räumlichkeiten sind einzigartig und sehr sehenswert. Hinten rechts hat es kleine Räume.

We stopped in after a long tour for a light lunch. Nothing to repeat but good basic pub food and drinks.

We ordered our food at 7.30pm. It is now 8.40pm. Five of the seven in our party received their food in three separate ‘deliveries’ two are still waiting. Appalling service by one expressionless and one giggling member of staff. Do yourselves a huge favour and eat somewhere else.

La variedad de cervezas y aperitivos del bar es excelente. La ubicación en la esquina de la calle frente a la Biblioteca Parques bodlean es ideal para ver idas y venidas de los bancos en el exterior. Sin embargo, el verdadero encanto es el interior, con un número de habitaciones diferentes, todas ligeramente diferentes en tamaño y carácter, y muy cómodas. Un pub muy acogedor, con un personal amable. Aparte de aperitivos que no comer es un pub no un restaurante, pero la comida era buena, aunque cara. En general bien merece una visita si te gusta un buen boozer

A good place if you want to have dinner amongst the locals and see how they are entertaining themselves. The beers and the food were good, our waitress was polite and helpful.

Un pub clásico en todos los aspectos, excepto que hay una estación independiente (no el bar) para pedir la comida. Un montón de grifos, informado barkeeps, un montón de habitaciones separadas para explorar por su comida y bebida. La ubicación es inmejorable en la calle Catte, justo al lado de la Biblioteca Bodleian. Un lugar feliz.

夕方に行きましたが学生が多く天候が悪いにも係らず外のテーブルに多くの学生がいました。内部も同様に学生が多く混んでいたのでビールを飲むのがやっとでした。

Cozy, warm, and lively. What a great experience and a wonderful location for a break. Stay for a pint, or all afternoon! Perfect location to mingle and absorb local color after an invigorating walking tour.

Ambiente agradable, buena cerveza, buena comida. Eso es todo lo que necesitas y eso es todo lo que este lugar ofrece. Hay pocas mesas y una gran zona de bar, y la comida es genial: No te olvides de preguntar por las ofertas especiales, siempre hay algo de cata.

Good food, good coffee, but I loved the ambience most of all. The pub is a series of little rooms and I loved finding a little nook to have a cozy lunch while watching the city outside the window.

Es un tradicional pub británico, las cervezas son baratas, la comida estaba bien, nada especial, la hamburguesa estaba hecha, pero me encantó el palomitas dulces!

We went to this pub randomly....I wish we had checked the reviews before. Never ask for fush and chip, me and my friend had to give it back necause the smell of ammonia was unbearable. When we tokd the waitress she was very rude. I...

I was visiting Oxford and without checking any review it caught my eye, i asked the bartender for some local brewed beer not the imported stuff and i was very pleased.

I usually do not write reviews but I was so upset that have to share this. I Can’t actually believe how disappointed my visit was. Your staff shouldn’t even work behind the bar if they don’t want to serve people, giving you a look like...

One of my favourite pubs in the City. Just popped in for a pint and had a wonderful warm scotch egg!! Pies are great too but they had none available this time!! Recommend it!

Roomy pub and well located. They take food and hot drink orders from a different bar to where they serve proper pub drinks, so you aren't waiting for a cold beer behind someone ordering 12 latte machiattos!

A pub in a key position close to colleges and departments, as well as Blackwells, and probably benefiting from having many university customers. We looked in very early on a Monday evening for a quick meal. The building, especially its interior, is lovely and a convivial place to meet and talk. Both of us were drinking beers and although there was an impressive range of pumps, the variety of style was very limited and dominated by Fullers. My first choice of the Hampshire game pie was "off" and so I retreated to the steak and ale pie instead. This was adequate but really not very special and carrying the inflated puff-pastry crust that such pub-restaurants seem to prefer - all about size/appearance and with little regard to taste. The other dish was a mix of wild boar meatballs and mashed potatoes, with carrots - the meatballs themselves were flavoursome and very good. Quantities were good and prices not too steep for such a prime location - roughly £12-14 per dish. All in all, not a bad option if you're in Oxford city centre and wand to have a filling meal in a fairly short time and in very pleasant surroundings. Not, however, a place to choose for a special meal nor worth going out of one's way if other options are available.

地元の人のお勧めで行ってみました。ボードリアン図書館の斜め向かいにあるパブで結構部屋数がある大きなパブです。飲み物はカウンターで、食べ物は別のカウンターで注文するようになってました。チャールズ皇太子の写真が飾ってあったので来たことがあるのかも。地元の人も観光客も沢山いて賑わってました。食べ物は頼みませんでしたがイギリスらしいパブを体験できました。

Me gustan los restaurantes que sirven comida. Si quieren arte luego a una galería de arte. No estoy en la presentación elegante con unos pocos "patatas fritas" se sirve en un pequeño cubo de estaño. Un poco de salsa artística y poco comida.

Mi pareja y yo reservamos una mesa con algunos amigos y familiares para comer el domingo y decidimos venir para bebidas de la noche anterior, para comprobar que todo fuera bien con la reserva. Tuvimos algunas bebidas aquí y sinceramente puedo decir que es un lugar muy familiar para visitar.

We were in a real hurry but needed to grab a bite to eat. The pub had just opened so wasn't busy yet. We ordered, paid and were served in 5 minutes. Not bad.

Popped in on Sunday as we walked by. Was told that there was a 45 mins wait but found a table and sat, Food arrived much quicker than expected. Was hot, tasty. Roast 5 diff veg so something for everyone. Normal type of pub Sunday roast lunch. Burger and Chips were good. Crumble was fine generous portion size.

I recently had lunch at the Kings Arms. My husband and I were spending the day in Oxford and the pub was recommended by our tour guide from the walking tour we had taken. It is one of the older pubs in Oxford. The place is very charming. There are a bunch of different rooms that you can sit in. You can sit anywhere you want. We wandered around as we wanted to explore the place a little before choosing a seat. The front room had tables and benches as well as the middle room where the bar is. Then there is a back room with a really cute fireplace. That would be a good room for drinks as the tables are not really conducive to eating. There was also another little nook off there with some tables. We ended up sitting in the front room. You can also sit outside if it is a nice day. It was a little windy the day we visited so we opted for indoors. One thing to note, you do need to order your food and drinks at two different locations. You order beer at the bar and food at a side location. It's not a huge deal, just something to keep in mind. Make sure to pick a table before ordering as they will ask which room you are sitting in. I ordered a salad with grilled chicken and my husband ordered on of the their specialty pies, the venison one. It was a pretty big meal. The pie was huge and came with a side of vegetables and chips. The salad was not that great. It was probably the weakest salad that I had of the trip. However, I shared the chips (which are my fav anyways) and left satisfied. My husband said the pie was very good and very filing. He said you could tell that it was homemade. He did mention it was a little heavy for lunch, but really enjoyed it. We would certainly recommend this pub especially since it is close to the city center and easy to find with its pink paint.

In good weather you can enjoy your drink on the pavement admiring the spires of Oxford. This pub is a favourite with students and tourists as they serve English pheasant and pork pies and burgers at its best. You are not served but order your drinks at the bar and your food at the kichen counter. This pub has a private room for funtions. Old world pub charm watching the English going by while listening to the humming of not the everyday academic conversations.A place to experience Oxford at its best

This is the full story that was partially told by Mike M. I have been to The King's Arms for lunch on several occasions because they are close to where I am staying in Oxford. I have Celiac. When I have asked what is celiac-free, the associate behind the counter has always been ready with an answer. BUT, on a rainy evening, I persuaded a friend to pop in out of the damp for dinner. She is an Oxford Fellow, I am a Visiting Scholar from the US. She has a dim view of the King's Arms. I asked the young man behind the counter what dishes were gluten free, and he became mightily discombobulated. He took out a notebook, (which presumably tells what allergens are in what dishes), and commenced flipping through the pages like an undergraduate who has not done the reading and is shuffling notes after being asked a question. Then, he said he would have to consult the Chef. He returned to say that 3 of the sausages were gluten free. I order the Cumberland. My friend intervened and said she doubted very much that a Cumberland sausage was gluten free. The young man returned to his notebook. Arriving at last at the Sausage Page, the indication was clearly that the sausage was NOT gluten free. He pointed out that the salads were. I said that under the circumstances, I should be given the salad for free ("comped" is the American English term. He returned with someone in a managerial position what was about five years older than the young associate. He said he could not give me a free salad, and that is when I said, "Do you realize your sausage could have killed me?" Which, upon calm reflection, could have been better phrased. He conceded that he would have a "word" with the Chef. My friend had receded into the shadows and was studiously examining the ceiling. I swept from the room, at least I hope I did. We went to AT THAI, which is quite nice and has a good, mild, curry and the staff know what food is gluten free. Bottom Line: IF YOU HAVE FOOD ALLERGIES, DO NOT ORDER THE FOOD At KING'S ARMS ON HOLLYWELL. It isn't that great at any rate, but if you have allergies, you could really, really regret eating there.

Situated close to the tourist action in central Oxford, this is an interesting place to meet, to greet but not, unfortunately, to eat. It's located on a cross roads close to the Sheldonian and it's nice to have a beer outside and inhale some diesel fumes. You meet some interesting folk here. For example, today I was having a quiet pint inside when two people burst inside and asked if the food was gluten free. The staff didn't seem to know and one lady said - I think quite dramatically: "You don't know if your sausages are gluten free? You're trying to kill me with your sausages."This doesn't often happen in the King's Arms - it really is an OK place to have a beer. But, be aware, if you need a wee, you will have to descend some steps so start off early if you think you might need one.As a local, I'd go there.

...that's PUB not RESTAURANT. On which basis the food is fantastic - complaining that pub food isn't michelin standard is a deeply tedious habit. The PUB food here was very good indeed but the real joy is that it is a wonderful historic (but very much alive) pub with very well kept beer whose qualities easily outshone it being under siege by tourists. I wish it was my local, I'd never leave...

Hier gelten Pub-Regeln, d.h. man ordert an der Theke und bezahlt direkt, auch das Essen im Voraus (es wird dann aber an den Tisch gebracht). Es gibt gutes Bier und süffigen Cider. Das Essen ist einfach aber sehr schmackhaft. Um das Warten auf das Essen beim Bier zu überbrücken kann man Scotch Eggs (gekochte Eier im Hackfleischmantel) oder kross gebratene Schweineschwarten bekommen: sehr lecker! Beim Essen musste ich zweimal meine Wahl ändern, weil das Gericht aus war, aber vielleicht ist das ja auch ein gutes Zeichen und zeigt, dass nicht nur aufgewärmt wird. Der Wildschwein-Burger war dann sehr gut mit saftigem Fleisch. Dazu gab es für englische Verhältnisse äußerst aromatische und krosse Chips (Pommes frites). Wir waren über 10 Personen und viele hatten Fish and Chips, bei dem der Fisch ebenfalls als sehr gut bezeichnet wurde. Insgesamt ein rustikaler und befriedigender Abend.

The place was hopping when we got there. You order and pay for food at the bar.We got Oxford Blue Waldorf salad, traditional beer battered fish and chips, King's Arms burger. Took quite a while to get our order. The food tasted good. We were so hungry we could have scarfed down anything and it would taste good.

13 quid, no Yorkshire puddings (we weren't told until the food arrived) a sad excuse for vegetables and tough fatty beef. Would never go again. No service you have to que once for drinks and once for food. Grumpy service and inedible food.

Pochissimi turisti...appena fuori dal centro...bello e antico, lo si sente come entri.Birra di qualità in puro stile english.

I've used this pub for years but my most recent visit was a shock. Prices had jumped while quality had plummeted. A very small plate of a, rather over cooked, burger & chips for £13! You must be joking.The beer though was fine and I still like the little rooms, hence 2 & not 1 star.Let's hope quality and quantity improve in the near future, though it will take a lot to get me through their front door for quite a while.