The Jolly Boatman in Cherwell

A really fantastic find while chugging up the canal.

Good service. Great food. Homely atmosphere. Recommended.

We had a very pleasant meal at The Jolly Boatman, which sits beautifully alongside the canal. It’s a classic, good-standard pub with a welcoming atmosphere and lovely views. The service was quick and efficient, with a fast turnaround on food, making the whole experience smooth and enjoyable. The food itself was exactly what you’d hope for from a great pub—well-prepared and satisfying. If you’re looking for a reliable, friendly pub in a great setting, The Jolly Boatman is well worth a visit.

Great food, weekday lunch and Sunday Carvery favourite go to, fab friendly staff, Brendan is extremely helpful. Lovely little spot right next to the canal with good parking.

Lovely Sunday carvery. Staff very friendly.

Popped in on the off-chance. Managed to find us a table. Everything was great 👍

Good parking, excellent service and tasty food. Thank you for a great evening meal.

Right on the canal side. Real nice boozer with good pub grub and a nice selection of ales.

Great pub, very accommodating for large groups of us after work. Nice chaps behind the bar. Not eaten there so cant comment on food.

We stopped off at the Jolly Boatman as we were staying at the Blenheim lodge site (from Preston). What a brilliant place, the atmosphere, friendliness of the young chap that served us. He deserves a lot of praise with his hard work and his very friendly manner. The food was brilliant and great portions. Thanks The Jolly Boatman

Went here for a Christmas dinner and it was amazing. The food was great, the atmosphere was cozy and the staff were incredible. Really fantastic pub.

It was amazing. Great for a christmas party.

Food was very nice when it came to the table Felt cold in the venue and took a very long time to be served although we pre order food I don't blame the staff as there was a lot of groups in and not enough staff

Small and cozy little pub. Food and service both ok, not a 5 star rating though. There’s a car park to the side and a small space right in the front. Book ahead in case you haven’t if you’re visiting, we were squeezed in the corner due to all place being booked for the day. Would probably be nice to leave some tables available for walk-ins and also things to improve would be more staff as the bartender was taking orders and serving, creates a delay to the whole service. Overall seems like the kind of family pub happy with their locals.

Good old cosy pub only had a drink but service was good and its dog friendly

Great atmosphere, we met friends for a Sunday carvery... had a great time

Lovely pub with good and decently priced food - highly recommend a visit for any pub burger fans!

This is a lovely pub situated next to a canal. It must be lovely in the summer. The staff were friendly and helpful. There was a real log fire but that was hogged by some middle aged men who were obviously regulars. The atmosphere in the pub was very good and the food appeared to be good. It was obvious to me that apart from the men by the fire, the pub is food orientated with a very well set up dining room. The downside is that the Jolly Boatman is expensive but judging by how busy it was, the management are charging what the market will bear.

Nice car art meal with generous portions. Well worth a visit.

Had a great sunday roast carvery here, beautiful location by the canal and the food was great!

Excellent, lovely good quality food, generous portions served in a friendly environment, looked after extremely well nothing was too much trouble, would recommend without hesitation. If you are in the area give it a visit, you will not be disappointed. Reminds me of what having lunch in a pub used to be like but soo often isnt these days, friendly welcome, good food, served fresh and hot with a smile. See you again when we are next in town.

Great experience for someone out of town!!

What a lovely place sat outside with dog right on cancel watching boats go by dog friendly in pub too will be going again

Beer in good condition, with a choice of 3 cask ales. While the pub was quite busy, the food was delivered quite promptly. Both of our meals were very good and the service was very friendly.

Lovely old canalside pub. Good pub grub food served willingly by attentive staff. Well kept real ale as well.

Meal with a friend on a weekday evening. Food was good and reasonably priced. However, the customer service could have been better. It wasn't especially busy but staff were a little abrupt and could have shown a little more care in their service. When we asked for tap water we were given two glasses of water that were room temperature - some ice or at least running the tap so that the water was cool would have been nice.

What makes this place is the staff and location .. landlord supa friendly and helpful .. pleasant meal to catch up with family .. we will be back next time I am down south 😊

Just had our 2nd Sunday Carvery and it was just as good as the 1st time we visited. 🥰

We was camping near by and found this pub. Excellent Sunday carvery and amazing service. Very friendly staff especially Sam. Thank you

Went for the carvery, good value for money and a good selection of meats and vegetables, nice atmosphere didn't feel rushef

Nice pub located right on the Oxford Canal. Usual pub food and drinks.

Free boat mooring, the best pub burger with the yummy crispy onions, friendly and funny staff. We went back the next night to try more of the menu!

nice canalside pub, good food and beers

Awful service, didn't get to see food as they forgot our order

Friendly pub, lovely atmosphere and a fantastic setting on a canal. Delicious lunch.

Good portions,good food,good service,nice staff,we will be back

Food was so good we had to go twice! Yumtastic!

Very nice place to drink something near the river

Awful place. Booked a table, ordered, waiting 45 minutes no food and no apology.

Had an excellent family lunch, 15 of us. Food, service and the local beer were excellent. They did a great job especially as, I don't think more than two people ordered the same thing on the menu. We will certainly go back there. PS Good parking too.

Nice canal side pub easy parking friendly staff good food

Great little find, right by the canal, lots of boats passing by nice atmosphere

Used this pub 30 plus years ago as a lunch visit from local office. Sat outside in the sunshine and enjoyed really good steak pie veg.

Good little pub by the canal for a bite to eat after work.....just on the edge of Kidlington. Good staff, always happy to help.

Went here hoping for something vegan and fresh, like a big salad. At least on the evening menu, they didn't seem to have anything like that, unless maybe the Caesar Salad minus the cheese, croutons, and dressing. Sounded bleak, so I had a pint of cider and left. And for the record, they didn't "recommend" anything. It was the best I could come up with myself. To the owner, I don't need you or your staff to tell me what's vegan and what's not. If I wanted a head of plain iceberg lettuce, there are cheaper ways to get it. Stick to what you know, which obviously isn't welcoming vegan customers.

Just had sunday carvery...luke warm..taste was fine,spoilt by being luke warm..staff great.atmosphere good..food tasted ok but..luke warm...went to pay and told them,got fully charged abd i.ll pass it on to the management..never again

Evening meal when boating large portions of lively food. Staff very friendly and helpful. Would ho again anytime

Lovely pub on the canal. Sat outside under there decking area. Food was brilliant, had a jacket with tuna mayo (comes with fresh side salad) and portion of onion rings - best I had, not greasy, crunchy and soft onion inside. Be warned this ain’t no small lunch jacket you usually get a cafe/pub, it is very filling and wasn’t expecting to be this big and nice. The staff were very friendly and helpful as was the service.Will be coming back here in future.

Good pub grub, lovely riverside location.

Good pub lunch after walking up the canal from Oxford

Lovely pub by the canal. Great food, big portions! Friendly and efficient staff. Glad we stopped by

Stayed overnight in our campervan, free if you have a meal, limited places best to check first. Great welcome from Brendon. Good range of beers and spirits,and a great menu. We had an excellent meal and some good wine. Location at the canal side is fab, and if you cross the bridge there are walks including off lead for your dog. Altogether a good stopover for camping carists.

Superb lunch. One of the biggest burgers I have eaten.

Good food, friendly staff. Recommended

didnt eat here just a few drinks whilst walking the tow path, friendly staff, cold beer what more can you ask for.... oh and a seat right on the canel.

Had carvery Sunday roast. Really tasty food but needs to be kept a bit hotter as was cold aa soon as I started eating it

lovely little pub lunch by the river :)

Just had a cracking evening in the Jolly Boatman. Good beer, great food and pleasant company. It’s all that a good pub should be. Best of all the staff are happy and welcoming. Well done.

Only had coffee on the canal side. Dirty wooden tables and the floor not swept for years by the look. Coffee at £3.10 is the equivalent of £58.90 a gallon and we moan about petrol prices. Strange selection of lagers the likes of Estrella etc. No Stella !

Went to a wake ,the barman was scruffy miserable and acted like everything was a chore,as an ex publican he would of had a rocket,shame on the managers or who ever is in charge.

There was much over compensation on the starch. Unfortunately the wastage was unnecessary. We were a family of 12 and none of us ate the starch.

First class meal and service. Can't wait to wait to visit again. There were 12 of us and everyone enjoyed their meals.

Love this place for a quick pint after work, lunch by the canal or evening meal. Staff are so helpful and very friendly

We all had a really pleasant visit. We had arranged to meet here as a halfway point for our family members that hadn't seen each other for 6 years! I was very pleased with my choice. It has a lovely location alongside the canal and on a sunny day, which it was, it was nice to take a quick stroll. The staff were very welcoming and efficient, and I found the food selection to be good. The service was quick and all of our dishes were delicious. I would definitely recommend

Great meal and banter. Parked our camper van overnight in car park. Is bollarded til morning but if you have a word that can be sorted. Special shout out to Ben behind the bar. We loved our first camper night away. Right by Oxford canal. Brilliant walks by houseboats.

I arrived at the premises, we did not have a booking, even though it was Easter Sunday, they managed to find us a table. Extremely welcoming and very friendly staff. I chose the turkey Sunday roast option. The carvery was good choice, good condiments, chefs also very friendly too. I will absolutely be back

Nipped in here a couple of times for a late lunch on Sundays - lovely food and cosy atmosphere. Staff also great with allergy checks.

Large family gathering , sat night pre booked as 20 of us. Lovely food friendly staff. Very good evening

A very pleasant pub by the canal. Bet it is wonderful on a warm day

Very friendly pub with lovely food

Went for Sunday lunch today, I had the carvery roast beef and speaking as a retired butcher it was the toughest meat I have ever eaten ,in addition the roast potatoes were pale and under cooked will not be returning.

We had a lovely lunch there last Saturday. They are motorhome friendly as well, though I advise you to ring ahead. Bus into Oxford 50 yards up the road. Highly recommended.

We chose The Jolly Boatman for lunch last Sunday and we were delighted with our choice. We decided on the Sunday Roast and it was absolutely delicious. The beef was slightly pink making it lovely and juicy and the serving was very generous, the roast potatoes were golden brown and crunchy on the outside and soft and fluffy inside, the selection of vegetables was great and to my absolute delight was there was not a pea in sight!! There were two different gravies and a cheese sauce for the cauliflower and broccoli if desired. The pub was busy but the service from the delightful cheerful, smiling Traci put the bow on show to what was a thoroughly enjoyable yumcious lunch. Thank you Traci.

Didnt try food but looked and smelt amazing

Great pub for lunch. Food excellent and reasonably priced. Staff friendly. Nice location by the canal.

Nice pub and dog friendly. Worth stopping by for a beer and panini.

Very good, friendly, tasty, served promptly

Food distinctly average and consequently overpriced- to be fair they are currently advertising for a chef so should have realized it was going to be poor in the interim. Food took over an hour and a half to arrive although to their credit we were notified there was going to be a wait as there were a number of large parties in at the same time. Sadly it was not worth the wait. Staff didn’t seem to realize they were in the client service industry - monosyllabic, inattentive and at times overly familiar. We had to follow up on our drinks orders to ensure they actually arrived at the table.

Had a fantastic Christmas Day meal. The food was really nice and the staff were very friendly and quick to bring the meals out

Had a family lunch here taking 2 dogs with us. Great food and generous portions, and the service was cheerful and efficient. I was really impressed.

Superb food. There was quite a large party being served before us, so it took a long time to get our food but once it arrived, it was delicious! Lovely staff.

Thanks for making a trip to the pub a very very nice experience. Care and personal service that you don't get often.

The food in here is almost inedible. Reminded me of school dinners.

Nothing was too much of an issue, and my silly questions were answered with respectful patience. The food was generous and freshly cooked to order. The informal atmosphere and family-friendly make this an ideal venue for family getogethers. We'll certainly make a return visit, and this time to sample their Sunday roast lunch.

Lovely pub best one in Kidlington.

Great food and service as always

We didn't eat. we just had drinks , beautiful locations, and very friendly and helpful staff

I had the Fish n Chips, as I dont do carvery, it was amazing, the fish was massive and was still hot. My family had carvery and said it was ok, you are better booking early for carvery as they had no beef left after 1.15pm.

Great atmosphere, staff very curtious and helpful, very reasonably priced, lovely view of the canal

Lovely pub just a shame we had to sit outside as all the tables inside were reserved with no one sitting at them.

We moored on the canal by the pub overnight and went in for afternoon drinks. A nice place to while away time.

Good food and great service. The food was special, and in fact, I have to look up many of the dishes I've never come across. I would definitely visit again when I come to Oxford again.

We were very hesitant about visiting here once we saw the Greene King sign (small, overpriced food portions) but once we were settled, we were glad we did. The pumps are Greene King but not the food. Result! The food is homemade and chosen by the landlord. I had the Cajun chicken burger and chips which was huge. Our friend had the pie of the day (Lamb, Mint and pea) which was also a substantial portion, while my wife had the lasagna which came with chips and decent garlic Bread. This was excellent and clearly homemade, unlike the pathetic effort that she had two nights previous at Beefeater. The staff were great, really friendly and nothing was too much effort. The pub sits on the canal bank and it was a shame that it was raining as it would have been nice to sit, eat and drink right on the canal bank. Our thanks goes to all the staff there. You're doing a great job. Keep it up.

Was at 1st disappointed as not much choice for GF BUT, had the rump steak with blue cheese sauce and it was the best! Good service too.

The staff were really friendly and helpful. Had a bit of a joke with them. The food , even though it was the end of carvery; was still hot. There was a choice still and they had brought fresh veg out. Also offered to make more gravy ( we didn't need it ). Will go again. We went to a private part here a couple of years ago ( wedding vows renewal after party). Was very nice then. Same great service and choice. Thanks team !

Big portions, Brill beef burger and chips. Desert was gorgeous.

Never been before but will definitely be back

Lovely spot by a canal with outdoor seating as an option (which we took). Staff very friendly and helpful, menu straightforward with good solid dishes to choose from. I had steak and ale suet pudding with mash, cabbage and carrot - it was really good. Lots of character to the building and a very nice location with good parking.

Had a lovely beer sat beside the river lovely atmosphere very friendly staff sorry I can't comment on the food but maybe on our next return walk along the canal we will call in for a bite But what I did see on the tables looked very appetising

Have had a Sunday roast and a pie meal here in recent times. Good roast carvery and pies are excellent. The place seems to have got it mojo back