The Bear Inn in Oxford

The most original ancient Oxford pub you can imagine. Low ceilings, good beer collection and other drinks, interesting mix of customers.

Must visit quaint old English pub. Didn't eat there

We had lunch here today - Beautiful building and history and love the higgledy- piggledy of the place and the location is super but we had to wait almost an hour for our food which was very average and we were sat close to the door which they refused to shut and it was cold. You also have to order your food on your phone which ruins the charm of the place.

Worth stopping by for a pint… or 7! The history of the pub is interesting. Friendly people, good time!

Our group sat outside in sunshine. We didn't eat here - but maybe we should've as the food looked good. Outside is pavement tables - no garden. Beer was good.

Cask beer and fresh fish and chips. What more could you ask for!🍻

Pub with a more than good choice of beers, ranging from traditional English bitter ales to American IPAs, live music and a jovial atmosphere

Great! Really small but has a large beer garden for drinks and meals.

Nice pub, but £6.80 for a Guinness? Fuller's up to their usual tricks, other pubs in the locale are cheaper by a country mile, The Wheatsheaf is 50yds away and cheaper and better 👍

Great proper old pub in the centre of Oxford, sat in the square on a Sunday afternoon enjoying live music and a beer

Super old and cool for that reason. Tall folks beware, loooow ceiling here. The staff were hit or miss. One chick seemed offended by my Americanness but the other was super cool. That is probably a cultural thing, but I must say it does start getting old after a while.

An excellent place to drink a beer and I love the history with the ties.

This is a 2 minute walk from Christ Chruch where we're staying. Loved the history of the place. There's an indoor and outdoor seating. We chose the indoor one though some reviews says it stinks. It does smell old and kinda funky but tolerable. Though it's quite irritating that the door that leads to the toilet squeaks so loudly in that tiny space. I e had the bear inn ale and old rosie cider which I don't like bec it looks cloudy and smells funky cos it's unfiltered. But overall, would still recommend because of the rich history.

This is a really lovely small old pub in a quiet area but still close to the high street. The service was really good, people were lovely. The big disappointment was the food. When our burger and pie at nearly £18 each arrived I couldn’t believe how small the portions were. The burger size would be closer to a kids menu than a regular pub burger. The pie was too salty and portion too small. With such good food in pubs around Oxford, there is no way I will be returning for food at the Bear Inn. Shame, it seems that they are trying to cut corners. I know some pubs are trying to survive the current economic climate but this is certainly not helping if customers feel ripped off.

Avoid.... Ridiculously expensive, £16.50 for a pint and single G&T.

Dears, I came to your place cause of the rating but I was disappointed by both the quantity and quality of food. I really hope you remedy the situation. You lost a customer. Sorry...

Busy but nice pub! Fast service via QR code despite pub being full.

Must see and drink a pint inside!

Good beer and food. Lovely, cosy, wood panelled pub. Tucked away from the crowds.

Super great and traditional pub. The Bear Inn is the oldest pub in Oxford. Inside you get a feeling of what it must have been like here 100+ years ago. But the service has arrived in modern times and is super friendly and competent. We give you very good advice when it comes to beer or gin selection. The food is at a very good pub level and there is classic pub food. Sometimes you wait a while for the food, but a little request helps and it is taken care of.

Beautiful little pub, very traditional with great service !

Fantastic pub great staff very enjoyable meal

Heritage Pub. Part of old stagecoach survived a massive fire few centuries ago. Old era ambience. Good service. Friendly attitude. Average to good food

Went there for a beer, the staff was super nice, great terrace and very nice inside the bar

More than just the oldest pub in Oxford! Service team are excellent! No matter how busy they are, they ensure you are taken care of in a very friendly manner. Food is delicious. Whether you are looking for a unique indoor experience or an open outdoor experience, the Bear has it all! Always on our must visit list when we visit our daughter in Oxford!

A must in oxford, oldest pub since 1242, great atmosphere, service and outdoor beer garden

Drinks are good The bar inside has a very low ceiling. Very atmospheric

Had booked a table through the website and paid deposit. On arrival the staff had no record of our booking or deposit having being paid. Showed the confirmation on my phone and was given a table. We ordered food and had to pay full price and was informed that the deposit would be refunded at end of buisness day. The food order arrived after 45 minutes and the vegetable were cold.

Typical English pub where you can eat very good fish and chips 😀

Look down the side street opposite St Aldate pub to find this CAMRA 2024 Good Beer Guide entry. Claims to be oldest pub in Oxford with roots back to 1242. King Henry 3rd on throne. A small bar manages to sell up to 6 real ales. The cosy interior is more than matched by the side, tented outdoor drinking area. Jorvic on another Oxford brewery beer while Paukicarus on a rosé wine. A quiet and almost traffic free spot in the heart of the city. A small kitchen turns out an interesting menu.

Historic tavern with good food selections and taps.

Another great wee pub and one of the oldest in the city. The inside is tiny but there is a large outdoor terrace to be enjoyed on sunnier days.

Enjoyed a beer in the oldest pub in Oxford. The service was really fast.

A nice quirky pub, ladies toilet was a bit scary! Up some very steep stairs (nature of the old building and not a criticism) but one to be mindful of if you have mobility issues. Lovely service from the staff

Great pub and lovely staff - especially the lass who insisted on mopping up the pint I knocked over and wouldn't hear of me doing it.

Wow, what a loverly pub with a great landlord serving fabulous ale! In this weather their outside seating was much appreciated.

Lift your screens a few inches higher please so that everybody can see above the people sitting in front of the screens! (For the euros)

The staff were nice, the wait was very long, the food was bland: the nachos had no taste, were cold and the presentation was terrible. The sausages were nice but nothing out of the ordinary. The sweet potato fries were quite nice. All in all I do not recommend visiting this place.

Great old bar, definitely worth a visit

Just an amazing place to spend time over a beer.

Great pint alway a good pub to drop in when in town

This place closes the kitchen far too early. We unfortunately ordered drinks before asking for food and we ended up starving.

Come here for the history and the atmosphere. Beer and cider are standard fare, just not very cold. If you're visiting, maybe drop in for a half pint to really appreciate the amazing history

Lovely quaint old pub. A must every time I visit Oxford.

We came to have a beer, inside the pub smelled like urine so much we had to take a seat at the garden - which was nice. But pls come up with a solution to the stink of the mens toilet....

Lovely old pub. Nice selection of drinks and a nice cosy atmosphere

Best Guinness in Oxford. Not eaten there.

Great Little pub, but if you go round the back seating! Great for a spot of lunch.

This was a very disappointing experience. We were seated at a table outside, which should have been nice as the weather was fine, but the seating area was dirty and littered. The food, which we had to order on an app, was really not very good, and the portions were too small. The ladies toilet that I visited was none too clean, and there was no lock on the toilet door. Like others who have reviewed this place, I am still waiting for the return of my £5 per head deposit...

Reasonable beer, misleading food times, quaint decor, smells strongly of the toilets. Don't believe the signs saying the kitchen is open till 8 and expect the aroma of urine if you sit inside.

I highly recommend this bar! Original and traditional part of a visit to Oxford. I got a very nice and light cider and a veggie burger which I didn't think was good, but the fries were good.

I have not written a review for decades and feel bad writing this as I love to support small businesses and our amazing English pubs, but it really needs to be said - sorry this is a bit epic. We were very much looking forward to our son's birthday celebratory lunch with my parents. My son was keen to try out this lovely historic pub and wanted to show us somewhere a bit different as we were going to book the Ivy as it was a special occasion. It was a lovely sunny Saturday and we did arrive a bit early. The staff were not phased but extremely welcoming and accommodating and served us drinks which we took outside as it was lovely weather while we waited for them to notify us that our table was ready. Our table was ready only minutes later so we went inside. We were excited to have a table inside such an interesting, quirky place, however it was immediately clear this was the wrong decision. We were sat literally next to the men's toilet door which did not close. Believe me we tried many times to close it after people entered or left it to attempt to enclose the disgusting smell which was constantly being wafted into the room. Being a very popular tourist destination, this was constant throughout our meal. We gave up in the end. On hindsight, if we knew the toilets directly accessed into the tiny dining room, we would have requested to eat in the bar room instead. However, the ladies toilet is off that room too up a very steep and deep stepped windy staircase, therefore the queue for that was inside the very small bar area - so not great either. We were notified when we arrived that the wait would be 35 minutes as it was a lovely sunny day and busy. We were happy to wait although that was before we realised that were were sitting next to the toilets. We were actually served about 1 hour 5 minutes after our reservation time. The staff were again really lovely, and came to apologise offering us free drinks for the rest of the meal, which was much appreciated. However we would have rather someone just go and clean the toilets and make the door fit - the noise from the door repeatedly closing and opening was really jarring! The food was OK, no-one really commented much which speaks volumes. The lamb kofta was hard and dry. My bruschetta was very tasty. My fish pie very nicely cheesy but very one dimensional and I couldn't really distinguish the fish elements in there. The prawn I did find was the tiniest I've ever seen. The chicken and ham pie had very little filling. The mash was very tasty and the fish and chips, which three out of five of us had, was ok. We didn't order dessert as we were too keen to leave, which we did after a long wait for the ladies toilet. My mum has Parkinson's and foolishly on my part, I hadn't thought to check out the toilet access situation for her - it was really difficult as she has little upper body strength which is very much needed to pull yourself up those steps! The state of the toilet up there was something to behold! The dirt, hair and black mould evident on the floor, tiles and sinks was frankly unforgivable. The smell was almost as bad as the men's and we then realised why the smell wafting into the dining area was so bad. It clearly hadn't been properly cleaned in an extremely long time, perhaps years! It did make us instantly question the state of the kitchen. I do find it a bit cheeky that they are taking £5 deposits per person (which I am still waiting to be returned to my account as it is no longer taken off your bill) with bookings and this is what you are faced with. I feel they are taking advantage of tourists who are excited to be there, support great pubs, and then have no choice to overlook the cleanliness and really good food expected (the food looks amazing on website photos) because it is the oldest pub in Oxford. Come on guys! I really felt for the staff as they were really lovely, very professional and working very hard on a busy day, but sadly, this all reflects on them. I don't know who is responsible, but you owe your staff some respect as they are doing a great job. Get a cleaner, an automatic air freshener and mend that door! It's not rocket science - had the toilets been cleaned I would not have had to waste and hour of my precious bank holiday Sunday writing this. Wishing everyone the best and hope this amazing pub continues to welcome visitors for many, many more centuries - it is definitely an amazing place to visit! Thank you so much to the staff for your great service, which is why we gave it 2 stars not 1.

I would recommend this pub for a drink but not food. The pub is fun to see, very traditional, quaint and small with excellent cask ale. The food was really quite disappointing, it would seem that they are good at building a website and writing a menu but sadly a case of over promising and under delivering. The tea and hop smoked haddock, salmon and prawn pie was small, dry and served with a pile of sad and dry cabbage and leeks. The chicken, smoked ham and ale pie had a nice colour on top and was served with some mash and the same cabbage and leeks, thankfully this time with some 'red wine gravy' which was almost certainly bisto or similar, complete with lumps. The pie was ok but fairly indistinguishable from a pukka pie. The burger looked ok, I didn't try any of it but only half of it was eaten so I can't imagine it was too much better than the rest of the food. Given the way in which the menu is written and the prices of the food I had significantly higher expectations which were sadly far from being met.

Very good place to go for a few drinks!

This historic pub is located just off the main street and is famous for its neckties. I arrived a little late for lunch, but the staff at the counter were very welcoming and made me happy. As written in chalk, the food is freshly prepared and brought to you. It was very delicious♪ The restroom is immediately to your right after going up the steep stairs.

Wonderful ambience. The clipping of the ties in the walls and ceiling is very unique and interesting.

Very smallpub a friendly and nice beer

Delicious fish&chips, nice barmaid and dirty toilet

One of Oxford's oldest pubs. Small and cramped inside and popular due to age and character but outside space is decent. London Pride very good.

Booked in for a meal on Easter Sunday. Was seated by the men’s toilets which I didn’t really mind as I knew it would be busy and it’s quite small inside. Was told by the girl who showed me to my table I could order on the app but when I tried only drinks were available to order on the app. I went to the bar to order a roast beef dinner which didn’t take long to arrive. It was warm but not hot and the roast beef was tough and overcooked. The veg was undercooked and the gravy tasted suspiciously like bistro. I booked based on previous reviews however definitely one to avoid.

Friendly little bar with great ales. The fish didn’t smell very good so we didn’t order anything to eat.

I used to come here in the 80s. The ties are still there! Good to see the service is still friendly and the food is tasty. An Oxford institution.

We're vegan so had the plant based nachos for 2 for lunch. It was tiny, so disappointed. Nice pub and the staff are friendly enough.

Friendly welcome in a such a small space with a six foot barmen standing at a weird angle to make anyone's back ache!! Great historic place to have a pint and look at loads of ties in boxes from rugby tournaments from yesteryear. Hasn't changed since my last visit maybe 13 years previous. A highlight on an historic March round town!

It's a historical place. It's fun to eat something here.

Didn't have any food, but what we saw looked nice

Not a great experience ordered starters and main course and both arrived at same time. Asked why and told small kitchen and they are busy. Soup followed by fish and chips obviously one course cold when I got to eat it.

Lovely Pub with some beautiful outdoor seating and fires. Very cosy and good atmosphere inside. Not 5 stars because a pint of Neck Oil was £7.55

Fish and chips was £14 a was literally joke sized. It was tiny. Like a small kids portion. Beer was quite spenny too.

Great pub. We went on jazz night and a really good vibe in there

Live this place, oozing with character & history, haven't eaten here but have been told the food is delicious.

Lovely history, ladies toilets need attention. £7 a pint, loo seat not attached.

Lovely old building with some decent food and beer.

Just one of the coolest pubs in England. The oldest in Oxford. Cozy and intimate are the exact words to describe this place. Great cask ale and a really good fish and chips.

Fantastic little pub with great atmosphere and open fires. A proper classic English heritage pub.

Visiting Oxford and found this wonderful little pub.

Best fish and chips I had anywhere in England. Great old pub atmosphere. Mate had the burger and he said it’s the best he’s had in the two months living in the UK. Highly recommend.

Lovely old pub 🍻. Great atmosphere

Oldest pub in Oxford, or at least one of - cracking little place, tucked down a side street. Enjoyed the Guinness 👌

Pub was friendly, both staff & other customers, however, to be charged £12.60 for glass of wine( which was not that nice!!! is sadly a rip off could have purchased a good bottle for what we were charged for a glass. So avoid the wine..

Great historical pub, from 1242AD. Great selection of beer and great atmosphere

The inside was very historical and beautiful. The atmosphere was really great. However, we ordered just 2 bruschettas and they were absolutely uneatable…

Just visited this pub for our Sunday lunch - description on the menu implied much more than was served - had to ask for condiments, which were tiny portions when eventually served. No music or TV which was a huge plus BUT the infantile chatter and noise from the kitchen staff off set the peace and quiet - very unprofessional. Whilst perusing the menu for a dessert and further drinks, we were abruptly told that the table was reserved and we had to leave ASAP because the other people had arrived! There WAS NO notice of this on the table when we arrived, therefore we would not have sat there. Overall food was good but customer service was not - they missed out on a further £20-30 in their till, and hit a poor - but honest - review. Try somewhere else in Oxford.

El pub más antiguo de Oxford. Está siempre lleno, con mucha gente joven y no tan joven

Another wonderful old character pub in Oxford and a must visit for any English pub lover. Good selection of fullers ales on taps and a great outdoor drinking area. The inside has low ceilings and small rooms with plenty of character - but she can be a bit of a squeeze.

Awesome old English pub in Oxford. Enjoyed the display of cut off ties through the years! Small with excellent food.

Sadly disappointing experience. We had to pre-book and pay a deposit which is fair enough only to be told a couple of days beforehand that no Sunday roast would be available with little chance of getting booked in elsewhere. After having ordered and paid for the food we were told it would be a 45 minute wait for it. Food was distinctly average and portions were small so one can only guess at how small the "small portion" options would have been. Go for the old pub experience and to see the amazing collection of cut-off ties and enjoy the decent beer, but maybe give the food a miss.

Sorprendente pun en Oxford, merece la pena callejear para buscarlo, pub típico, con paredes rodeadas de historia, a un paso de christ church, se puede pedir online, servicio muy atento y cocina tradicional , nos encantó

Looks lovely and in a good location but the food is below average and disappointingly small portions, especially for the price. The pub interior is charming and characterful, but not many seats inside so you'll likely sit outdoors. A nice central place to stop for a drink, but if you're looking for a meal I'd recommend trying elsewhere. Fairly expensive (I paid £17 for a vegetarian pie & mash which turned out to be underwhelmingly small), but I guess that's central Oxford prices.

Y. Excelente sitio para beber una cerveza. El Pub se fundó en 1242. Ofrece comida y tiene menú de niños. La ubicación es un poco difícil pero vale la pena intentar encontrarlo. Cuenta con un amplio "jardín", lo cual es un espacio bajo carpa con mesas para disfrutar y como espacio para fumadores. Un lugar imperdible.

The white wine we were served was in fact watered down wine. This was exchanged for proper wine, but I have to say that this is a very very concerning event. I suggest you test your drink before leaving the bar.

Promoted as the oldest pub in Oxford. Should have a sign worst value in England. Was charged 12 pounds for a small glass of wine! Staff could not care less when price was queried.

Hats off to The Bear for hosting the wonderful Spiralites last night. Tommy Smith is the very best crooner around. Let’s hope this means a return of live music to the City centre!

We went with my uni friend and we had a great time. The food is amazing the ales are great and the atmosphere even outside is cozy.

Nice pub, shame about the beer. Worst pint I've had all week and was told it was supposed to taste like it. I know my ale and it didn't taste right. Wasn't offered a replacement so won't be coming back.

Get a pint and some fish and chips!

Great pub, lovely welcoming staff food and beer delicious

We sat outside which was ok but not as great as the interior, but it was so busy we couldn't really get in. Food was fantastic. Service was good but a bit slow due to how many people were there.

It’s sad that their selection of beer is so poor when it’s such an old pub.

Popped in for quick pint on a Friday evening was a bit busy so didn't get a good look around but was a nice traditional pub low ceilings uneven floors etc. Did take a while to get served but think that was more to do with some foreign visitors not understanding how a British Bar works queuing etc but staff were polite and friendly and there was a good selection of beers. Would definitely call again just maybe at a quieter time.