The James Street Tavern in Oxford

Went to this bar for a sala social, staff were very friendly and attentive :) free tap water at the bar and clean bathrooms!

The lady at the bar came and told us to be quiet quite rude really

Not been to the. Tavern in years but will be back soon .

Sunday day chill vibe with live music/open mic from 3pm which was lovely. This gem is tucked away off the main drag of Cowley street in Oxford, and is just a perfect spot. Friendly atmosphere, talented crowd, laid back gorgeousness. If I didn't have to drive home I would have been there all evening. Great beer garden too which I will happily sit in in summer.

The pies are really good, and the service is great, The staff are friendly. Honestly would recommend.

Quiet when I was in tonight, but it's a great pub that keeps the beer well.

The atmosphere is great, beer and food is lovely. However, me and my friends have heard about a quite passive aggressive bar lady. I’m pretty sure we were served by her. All other bar staff are very friendly.

Good atmosphere and excellent staff

Very rude staff, did not feel welcome

Food took upwards of an hour to be served and we'd only ordered brunch, i.e two baps and a English breakfast. Very disappointed

Atmosphere was good so we stopped off for a drink....or two. The cask ale offerings were very disappointing but then it is a green king pub so I doubt you'll see any of Oxfords fantastic local beer there....such a shame, XT, Oxford, Little Ox, Loose Cannon all Oxfordshire and so much better than what we tried. We also got hassled by a man with greasy flat hair who tried to sell us drugs and wouldn't go away, they need to sort that out too. Potential 5 stars if they sort out beer and greasy flat hair drug dealer guy. To be honest if the beer was top notch I could ignore greasy flat hair man.

Good friendly service. Live music 🎶. Very welcoming

I enjoyed a pie and a pint. Unfortunately a limited pie selection tonight but both food and drink were good. Friendly service

this is a great local pub that is always welcoming to newcomers the staff are all really friendly and the drinks and food are excellent - weekend brunch from 10am is a favourite and pm there are delicious pies available everyday tuesday and thursday nights have comedy and there is live music on most fridays saturdays and sundays well worth a visit!

Great place to have a drink, and it's a great service with a really good atmosphere

Jonny was at the bar with a colleague. He was lovely. The team handled a busy bar very well (enough for me to leave a review). Clean venue, very friendly.

Great Cowley road pub... Nice garden and great staff!

Love it here great venue great beer

I wandered into James Street Tavern last week for THE most delightful brunch. They have recently added breakfast/brunch hours serving up delicious egg, waffle and pancake concoctions as well as vegan and vegetarian food. Try the savory cheddar waffles….you won’t be disappointed! Creative weekend specials provide a nice surprise if you want something different but the menu offers standard fare at a great price. The tavern feels fun and alive. Try brunch at the Tavern while enjoying weekend fairs nearby. I’m adding this place to the top of my list of favorite weekend breakfast spots in Oxford!

Oh my. Breakfast, anyone? For now but not for long, James Street Tavern (or JST for those in the know) is Oxford’s hidden breakfast gem thanks in large part to new chef Lena, impresario Josh, and manager Molly: aside from a range of bap offerings which will include a perfectly fried egg with crispy edges, you can find an English or American breakfast that ticks all the boxes. To me, the star of the show were my waffles, an imported iteration of an old-family recipe (so I’ve been told). Choose from sweet or savory options, but whatever you decide, expect a stacked thin duo of delicate mouthfeels; the waffles outer crispness traps inner soft riches that dissolve on the tongue. My pair was topped with a baseball-sized dollop of not-overly-sweetened whipped cream with a side of legit berry compote. So good and satisfying, I wanted to start over again. You get the idea. Bonus were the roomy and chillaxing tables. For your next breakfast, forgo the tourist-riddled cramped sweaty cafe and amble into the James Street Tavern, located in the southeastern part of town.

American breakfast was superb. The guy behind the bar was extremely friendly.

Lived the chicken pie and the comedy night.

Had the absolutely delicious Breakfast Board. Exciting combination of waffles, fresh rocket and sliced apple, cheddar and much more. Highly recommended!

Great new breakfast spot in Oxford! A creative menu, great service, and fun brunch atmosphere. Would recommend!

I really want to love this place. excellent music, great outdoor space. however, I did feel a bit of casual racism at this pub. I would probably go back again, but it's kind of sad that I was passed over to order 5 times even after making eye contact or flagging staff.

Local BrewDog pub about 1/2 mile South of Oxford City. Great selection of their own and guest beers. They offer parties for your pooch, including food and dog-friendly beer. Food was good, generally but the heritage tomato salad was a very unexciting salad and it wasn't finished because the tomatoes were very hard and underripe. There is an accessible toilet which is necessary as there are two steps into the gents loo.

James St, Tav - Fun, relaxing and unique pub in Oxford James Street Tavern is our local pub which we visit as a university society , yes, this review may seem biased, but we reached out to James Street ourselves personally so that we can have a regular pub socials at James Street, we believe that James Street is a great pub to relax with friends, it has a really nice beer garden which is very spacious. There is a decent selection of draft lager and good selection of spirits, customer service is always on point, friendly staff, the good thing about James Street Tavern is that there is regular music, events and other events throughout the week, so there is always something for everyone, the live music is always the best at James Street as it is very lively and fun.

Best brunch we’ve had in Oxford and nice lively atmosphere too! Menu was priced well, we especially enjoyed the spoon bread and the waffles!

Visit to Cowley road and as usual in the James street Tavern , Why have you got rid of your security guys ? Drugs in the garden and a load of football yobs kicking off !! Not good !! Totally different vibe now the guys on the door have gone . Poor show James street Tavern .

Great wine tasting experience with money off beverages after the event in the tavern. Lovely to be joined by the staff and have a very relaxed morning hosted by the tavern with outside wine Guru Toby offering a fun couple of hours - very good value for money and ambience. Would do it again!

Great menu, good atmosphere. Nicely refurbished.

Nice pub, good friendly service. Shame no food available, I think because a function on in one of the function rooms.

Slightly disappointed that their beer garden is closed now over the winter, although with the cost of energy at the moment, and it being a residential area, I suppose I understand, but it means you need to go out the front to smoke, and cant take your drink with you. Otherwise great pub, nice staff.

Great atmosphere. Live music. Chilled environment

Great beers. Cosy and traditional.

Can't really remember as was drunk

A continuation from Gabrielle’s review. I was wearing a blue fluffy coat and was accused of bringing a bottle of wine, when I was stood with the man who accused at the side of the bar. After a minute of standing there I went to check on my friends so we could all talk, when he suddenly started shouting at me and just accusing me. Moreover, we did not even sit inside so we are all confused who even had blue liquid and who spoke to the ex member of staff as none of us have worked there. So you have us confused with other people and only Gabriella had a empty can which I was trying ti give to your colleague. If u want to have positive reviews, I recommend you start training your staff properly.

Actually I rate this place a solid 0. My friends and I got kicked out and gaslit by one of your workers. He did not even let us speak as he wrongfully accused my friends of having alcohol, which they did not have. Whilst I had an empty can in my hand and it was in security’s sight. They still let me in with it, whilst the worker was throwing rude remarks. Also, he kept accusing us of various things and kept changing his story and made us think we were crazy. We have never ever felt soo humiliated. Absolutely poor hospitality and unprofessional behaviour. This occurred on 18/11/22 and around 10:30pm.

This used to be my favorite pub. The pavilion extension is great except for the fact the door needs to stay open for emergency exit… it’s so cold you might as well be sitting in the garden. Bit silly. The saddest thing though was the new menu. What happened? JST went from decent Crepes and Burgers to… zero effort fast food? :’(

First visit was very nice- although second visit was very different. Female manager there clearly doesn’t know how to run a business or how to deal with customers in a polite manner….

Great vibe, really welcoming and great (cheap) pints. Best pub in Oxford

Great place with good vibes and a nice modern twist on a classic pub! Would definitely recommend. We had a waitress called Jess who was friendly and attentive. The perfect glass collector!

Went into James street tavern on sat , great music live singer . Busy but a nice crowd and no hassle or the usual drunk idiots that seem to be in most other places , the bouncers were not your usual nob heads but very polite and friendly ( the bald one with the massive arms and full sleeves is proper fit lol ) bar staff very friendly and attentive indeed , overall a brilliant place and very well organised 👍🏻👍🏻

Grear pub, nice beer and the vans are pretty decent to..

Awesome pub, great garden and sometimes has live music

Nice place to have a drink or two. Char is an amazing manageress.

Great music and lots of dancing

A nice vibe and atmosphere. That feels traditional yet modern pub.

Decent pub, which may or may not improve now they've expanded the seating, and a throughly enjoyable street party. Cheers guys.

Love the atmosphere of this place; came in for a few drinks before the comedy night and would definitely come back!

Great place to dine, chill and laugh with friends especially on Thursdays. Genuinely one of the best pubs in Oxford!

Great pub and garden with a fantastic selection of drinks. Staff are lovely too.

Great night of good music and a great atmosphere.

Always a great environment, welcoming, plenty of tables outside if gets busy,

Love the new extension would like a wider choice of Ales 🍺

It's a bit "wow, what have they done with this place?" Here. Amazing beer garden. And now plenty of space indoors too. They even host comedy nights here too. Great beers; a great pub.

Average Green King pub, quite pricey

Friendly staff with outstanding door staff

Great place, too many students for me though.

Always a lovely experience, bouncers at the door are fantastic and bar staff are really attentive.

Excellent misic and great people.

Bouncer said he hopes Russia wins the war

Its a great pub, very friendly and nice, it takes somr time to get an order but thats normal considering the times. Definitely would recommend this place, would like some music outside tho. The toilet is nice and friendly. Cheers 🥂.

Good atmosphere and good Wadsworths 6X

Good atmosphere. Security on the door!

I travelled up to Oxford with a friend to have a go at performing stand up I have been writing for a while. Before the night I had checked a few details using a DM on FB. I got replies very fast from the venue and they were helpful. The venue is great and the people who attend seemed lovely. I recommend it.

Great Dog friendly place with live music good staff and friendly regulars! What more can you ask for?

Great pub with a good selection of beers

Nice place. Good drinks. Good music. Friendly staff

Decent bar, good outside area too

Great honest pub. Excellent value for money drinks in a comfortable setting.

A cozy welcoming establishment with a team of polite and efficient staff. The pub is scrupulously clean and the log fire is a beautifully well stocked pleasure to keep you warm on what was a wet and windy evening. I really enjoyed the craft beer on offer but at £5 a pint it wasn't the best deal in the area. I will definitely return as the JST offers great entertainment throughout the week too. I'm also looking forward to trying the highly recommended menu too 😋

They were in it together trying to rob my stuff, waiting for me to get drunk. Then they said all my stuff were gone. Literally four people from the staff said my things were not there, while they were.

I visited this pub before a concert at the O2 on Cowley road. It is a lovely little pub. The staff were friendly and welcoming. I tried the two draught bitters that they had on at the time and they were both excellent. We sat inside which was perfect. There were also a large number of tables outside both behind and to the side of this pub. The tables outside seemed very popular.

I have to say, I did not expect such a high level of customer service. The friendly and talkative barman, named Max, made me the best tasting espresso martini I'd ever tasted. Beautiful outdoor area, incredible cocktails, and fast service. What more can you ask for? Five stars, if you're in the area, this is certainly the place to be:)

Nice beer garden good pub if you're a student

Outside is really nice. The drinks are a bit expensive.

It is a cozy,place the staff and manager are very attentive the terrace is very comfortable

Great service when popped in for a quick wine whilst waiting for a takeaway

Wonderful place, with nice food and a great beer garden. Minimal food options but they’re only meant to be little snacks to accompany your drink, and they are fairly large portions. Very comfortable atmosphere and tables, very nice to visit in the sunshine. Good selection of drinks to choose from

I was very disappointed I rang to reserve table with friend who recommended me to the James St tavern 🍺🍹🍸unfortunately 😕 I waited an hour for drinks ordered food that was OK staff didn't follow up my complaint I wasn't happy 😕💋🌹🌹🦋

Myself and a group of friends went to the pub on Friday. I ordered a bottle of wine which took well over half hour to arrive which is extra long considering it was not busy. The staff we're very rude when we asked where it was and made us go though emails to prove we had paid. This was not easy as you have no properly working WiFi or signal at the pub. The food however when it finally did arrive was very nice. If you want rude staff and nice but over priced food this is your place.

The crisp variety at this place is outstanding , and don’t get me started on the size of the bags ... insane

Quick service friendly staff. Nice and clean

Fantastic pub. Great selection of cocktails & drinks. Attractive interiors and landlord. The beer garden is topnotch. Its our go to drinking spot.

A bit off the beaten track, this pub has changed a lot in the last few years. Once a student dive, it's now a fairly standard Greene King pub. And it's fine - I've nothing to complain about. The beer is fine. The staff are friendly. The outside seating is good for Cowley Road. We got a selection of small plates which were fine, but a tad small for the price and nowhere near as good as other places on the same road. In short, you can certainly do better than here but there's nothing with it.

Love the vibe, looks cool both inside and out. Could be more beers on offer and more food on an evening but doesn't bother me too much, great place to spend a night drinking. Friendly.

Always a great time here! Unfortunately had a bad espresso martini, but our waiter Ro sorted us out with a new drink without a fuss, 100% recommend!

We waited a while to be shown to our table then a further 45 minutes for one pint & 1 g&t to arrive. We weren't warned about the wait for drinks either... I wouldn't recommend.

Post lockdown JST has a good garden, but not the best beers.

Can’t wait for this great pub to re open , Friday and Saturday nights are brilliant as the atmosphere is great , no hassle and great service . Live music is perfect and the garden is beautiful . As it’s just off the Cowley road you may think it’ll be rowdy and full of kids but I can assure the the Doorstaff ( who by the way look like they’re straight out of the peaky blinders ) look after the pub and customers very well . Well worth a visit for sure .

We had an amazing time at the pub, Edward was unbelievable towards us, worlds best service!!! We will be back ❤️❤️

We have enjoyed drinking and eating at the James St Tavern for a while now, as we live nearby, but during the pandemic they have really impressed us with their attention to detail and great organisation. The staff are excellent - polite and considerate, ensuring safety without being bossy. And the food is really good, generously portioned and not overpriced. We love it!

Lovely, friendly with good beer

Welcoming staff drink prices and food prices

Short, Smart, Sweet. Friendly staff

Doing all they can to welcome people in while accommodating the covid restrictions. Good outdoor area. Glad all the customers were taking it seriously too.

Friendly bar, great live music!

Great vibe great staff great beer. Love this place! Favourite pub in Oxford

Nice staff, decent 🍺. Worth a visit.