The Lamb and Flag in Oxford

Great to see the pub thriving after nearly losing it for ever. Good for pints and hanging out.

Great soft wooly Orca with lime cordial slurping sheep that great ovine colossus of St Giles’ with its eye watering sniffling snout calling across wood panelled tapestry adorned front rooms where any good man (or them) can study and slug a coffee for a mere fiver on a dusty Wednesday afternoon. Tremendous white flag calling that parched man to surrender to his desires and find inebriation with a double IPA direct from Somerset tasting like athlete’s foot and ambrosia in a glass. That flag, a great marker in the proverbial moon of human accomplishment, calls my name from across the way, goading and chastising, seducing and beseeching. Spend thy hard earned, spend thy crust, spend thy pretty pennies in the great fantastic lamb and flag.

fantastic pub, unfortunately lost my favourite blue/white hairclip here :(

"Mellon" is the necessary password to get in this legendary public house that once hosted several of our fellow members of every magical and adventurous literary worlds. To make sure you're visiting the correct spot...just search for the magical question that will welcome you old Eregion way "Say friend and enter"

Great old pub with lots of character, and characters. Loved the wood panelling and big bright windows at the front of the pub. Perfect for watching the world go by. Service was nice and friendly too.

My absolute favourite pub in Oxford. Always a happy and lively place. They have great wines (even house wines), good Porto, and of course great selection of beers. They change them now and then so you are always in for a surprise. Quite legendary and perfectly located, you can see the whole Oxfordian community vibing in this place. Young, dogs, students, researchers, everybody welcome. They have good pub classics, olives are fantastic and Scotch Eggs are good too. With a nice cobblestone alley on the side, or the comfy chairs looking to Oxford Colleges, you can go wrong with this place. Can't recommend it enough. Just go.

Great place full of history! Beer is superb as well!

Fantastic pub with a great atmosphere! The selection of craft beers is impressive. The staff is friendly and attentive. Highly recommend for anyone visiting Oxford!

One of the best tap selections you'll find in Oxford

Old Oxford pub which serves local beer at a fair price. Good beer range with plenty of seating. Friendly and in the centre of town. Interesting renovated internally.

Brilliant location and atmosphere

Poor selection of beers available due to Christmas closure.

L&F is a pretty cool old pub with a decent selection of beer. The two bartenders that served us were very helpful and friendly. Unfortunately for me I went on a very busy Sunday night and it was not conducive to snapping a traveling memory without some young muppets complaining about taking a picture. That being said, inside it's pretty nice and it gives off good vibes and I can imagine when its not super busy the atmosphere could be pretty warm and intellectual. It's easy to understand how this place became a favorite for Tolkien. If you are traveling, you should definitely make this a stop on your list, especially for its cultural significance.

Cosy place to relax after visiting Oxford!

Great atmosphere. Very busy - Friday before Christmas - but still a great place.

Still a good pub but lost its charm after the refurb. I'm very glad it's come back from the dead. It'll take another 50 years to regain the patina of old. Never stop serving Betty Stoggs!

Always very busy but nice beer and fun atmosphere. The bartenders are students and can be a bit rude, but are usually okay.

Weather was freezing cold outside. Came in for a warm-up and a pint. There were a couple of fireplaces, neither were lit, but had fake flame lights, which meant it was just as cold inside the pub as outside. Decor was bland, recently fitted wood panelling and flooring with no age or character at all. Most seats were button stools, no backrests, so no comfort. The place was cold, lacked atmosphere, and was uncomfortable. Beer was reasonably priced.

Excellent Oxford pub. Great beers. Good atmosphere. Friendly staff

Such a cosy pub in the centre of Oxford. Great draught beer options, with two of them being gluten free!

O my goodness, these guys are fantastic. We hired a room for a post funeral gathering. David, jack and the team couldn’t have been more welcoming, thoughtful and kind. They went beyond the call, setting up for us, provided delicious food (sausage rolls amazing), excellent wine and amazing service. It felt like nothing was too much trouble. A truly heartfelt thank you. Xx

Great wet pub with choice of 3 stouts/porters. Very light and airy front room, with more "atmospheric" (dark) bar and rear seating area. An Oxford classic pub revived!

Great selection of tap beers. Some very different flavours to be savoured and enjoyed. Well worth a visit.

Went in for a quick bite on a Sunday morning during a day trip to Oxford. Was the only one there and I absolutely loved the atmosphere, the interior and the service. Also the croissant was the best I ever had!

Lovely historic pub but there on a Sat night and it was very noisy.

Lovely classic Oxford pub, the ambience is amazing! Lovely selection of beers and ales, all locally brewed. Couldn't recommend it higher

Interesting pub, medieval at the back and Georgian at the front. They serve a good range of real ales, including Prospect from the Oxford Brewery.

It's fine. A bit busy. Beer is good.

To declare an interest a) I love this pub b) I’m part of the community who donated to get it reopened. What’s so upsetting is the three pitiful people who colluded to give it a one star review. Well done J B, Feras and Duygu 👏 I’m not going to comment on their behaviour on the evening in question but I’m sure it will come out in time… The only thing I’d like to draw your attention to is a) number of 1 star reviews last week…3 b) number of 1 star reviews in the last 6 months…zero Please draw your own conclusions

Wonderful pub, great atmosphere

Pub and location are ok. The worst part is the service and especially the Manager. This is the rudest and most obnoxious person. He is absolutely not qualified for this role. A note to the owner if you want to improve the revenues remove this person.

Unfortunately we had a very unpleasant experience at this very well known Oxford pub. The manager was very rude in his communication with us. As an Oxford student I would recommend choosing other pubs for a calmer and well respected customer experience.

We had a really disappointing experience at this well-known Oxford place. The manager was quite rude, which made the whole visit uncomfortable. As an Oxford student, I'd recommend checking out other places in the town where you're likely to feel more welcome and respected.

Really nice pub Well kept good ales Good prices Traditional & tasteful interior

Fabulous old pub. Great draught beer and not too expensive

A proper pub!!!! Great ales in a beautiful space, only wish they had a little more food on offer!

Great atmosphere, prices, and staff - What else can you ask for? 10/10

It is an excellent place, with good food and excellent beers. Famous for the fact that the writer J.R.R. Tolkien, who wrote The Lord of the Rings, lived there with his teacher. He wrote the first part called The Hobbit back in 1937.

I am very happy to be the 1000th customer to leave a review. The bartender was very nice and tried several beers for us. Although they are not as good as Tennents beer from Scotland. But it's pretty good too.

Historical place frequented by Tolkien and Lewis back in the time. Great local atmosphere, and all beers and ciders poured here are from different local breweries. Recommended.

Beautiful pub in oxford where Tolkien used to go and have his pints🥲 We had a quiche, very yummy! Drinks were good quality. It was clean and tidy and I was surprised why there weren’t many people there (maybe everyone was hungover on Sunday!). I totally suggest this pub if you’re in oxford.

I just had beer. Nice selection of beer and excellent location!

Great pub with a nice selection of tap beers

It's very authentic and... dogs-friendly

Had a pint at the end of the night and felt very in touch with the intellectual/writer vibe of Oxford. Nice to see it open again and you can make believe that Tolkien and c.s. lewis are just in the next room.

Delightful summer's evening spent outside on the streets of St. Giles watching the sun go down here. Great beer choice (IPA and lager, one bitter choice only). It got too noisy inside for normal speech to be heard (too much room reflection bouncing off the walls). Luckily had two tables outside for a quieter atmosphere. It was a graduation day event, so probably not the best time for a chat.

Charming old pub! Great drinks and staff.

One of the best pubs we tried in Oxford. Not quite in the centre, it had a much better atmosphere than those closer to the centre. Good mix of patrons. Worth going to for a session.

Amazing place to start the friday

Tolkien fans, take note: this is the pub you'll want to visit! With a sign in Elvish (Sindarin?) above the door, you know before you even walk inside that you're in for a treat. The pub has two halves: a mead-hall-style lounge in the back housed in the original medieval building, and a more-recent (17th century, I believe) front bar area. Great ambience, decent selection of beers and lovely views of the city streets outside make this one an ideal pit-stop on a walk into town.

Only stopped in briefly, but the pint of Oxford Brewery Prospect was in excellent condition.

We visited this pub due to its loose connection with Tolkien, as The Eagle and Child was closed. I am glad we did, as it is a cozy establishment with friendly staff and an excellent selection of beer.

Best non-alcoholic beer from the tap (Lucky Saint)!

Great cozy pub. Really like how it feels like it had different rooms instead of one very big open space. Nice bartender and a good variety in the selection of beers

This is an ace old school boozer, with great atmos and a wonderful selection of real and craft ales. It’s very centrally located, has some outside space and is a very cosy spot to spend an hr or two. Easily walkable from the city centre, station and university colleges.

Good pub & choice of drinks available...was a quick stop before dinner so didn't stay for long but would 100% cone back. Was very busy which says all you need to know really

Really extensive selection of beers.

Very good. It’s a lovely place with good service.

Had a few gluten free beers on taps, and good value too

Probably my favourite pub in central Oxford, really lovely selection of beers and ales and the staff are so friendly. The pub itself is really cosy and I especially love the outdoor seating

Great expiriance and great beer

Oxford has very few pubs with a good beer selection, but this is definitely one of them! A regularly rotating selection of interesting craft beers, ranging in style and ABV

Loved the decor! Never change it, please. Wanted to have lunch, but there were only cold, simpler dishes. They were good and quite filling. Good sour beer!

Legendary Oxford pub, nice selection of beverages

Top Bannana, a variety of unusual beers on tap

Beautiful pub, coffee and cake deal was a great start, followed by trying the ciders (my friends tried the other stuff too!)

Really cool historic pub. Some great beers on too. Would go back for sure

No lamb on the menu Hahaha no food really just snacks

Really friendly atmosphere - the same lamb and flag as before the reopening but somehow brighter and even more welcoming

Popped in off the bus had a couple of pints of yellow hammer scrumpy cider

I usually go if I'm catching a bus home after shopping. It's location in between two colleges on the main Banbury road ensures there's always a few punters in there. I liked the bar snacks. The staff were pretty busy entertaining each other last time I went in. Didn't feel like interrupting so only stopped for one. It's not always like that. Guess it depends on the time of day.

Mid day on a Saturday. Good beer. Nice wine. Great

Went there today feeling hungry and ready to order the delicious-looking pie in the photos only to find it's under new ownership and only offers bar snacks. What kind of pub doesn't offer any meals at all in this day and age? If you're no longer offering food at least remove the photos.

Really good pub, lots of ales to try, friendly staff, lovely pastry. Also a CS Lewis connection. Well worth a visit.

Authentic Oxford pub, with a great selection of beers!

Amazing and beautiful old english pub with unbeatable ambiance and vibe! Would HIGHLY recommend popping in here- go late if you can as it is usually packed. Really kind and friendly service and just a lovely place to see and have a drink with friends.

Great atmosphere and good beer. It's an easy place to reach, so excellent for meeting a few friends. I'm so pleased it's back in operation.

Lamb & flag Near some of the universities, so quite popular with employees and students. Just before we get into, City of Oxford.

Busy prep Xmas but bar staff v. Efficient.

EB was very helpful and gave great service - her beer knowledge is unmatched! Would recommend coming to this pub!! Cheers!!

I miss the "old" L&F ... but terribly happy it is reopened. Excellent range of beers on offer. Fabulous and historic location

Seems like a pub for faculty and students, nice atmosphere, however, reviews show that this pub serves hot food. As od 12/20/23 they do not serve hot food.

Love what they have done to restore the L and F as a community pub.

Great pub with a really good selection of beers and great atmosphere.

Good quality real ale. Great service, too. Super visit!

The pub has improved so much since pre-COVID, feels welcoming and warm

Warm cosy traditional lovely pub

Favourite pub in town! Warm and friendly with great range of beers

Nice to see this place thriving under the new ownership/post renovations. Nice beers and cosy atmosphere!

Local academic hangout. The "Inklings" hung out here. Beer, cold foods available in this pub.

I was wondering around Oxford looking for a coffee and this place caught my eye. A 500-year old pub tucked away, this place is an amazing spot for a quick bite.

So glad this pub is back! Good vibe, lots of history…and beer

Great pub, a really popular student venue.

New ownership. New management. New atmosphere. Rammed, noisy, busy, chaotic, and full of intense conversation. Have been coming here since 1982. Beer choice is broad and excellent. Staff seem to know their beers. Be prepared to duel for a seat, because you may not find an empty one. The other part of the “new atmosphere” is that the old (Medieval) loos have been massively revamped and no longer pong. ;-)

It's such an iconic pub. It has a really good atmosphere, perfect to enjoy some drinks after work or have a meal with friends.

Great real ale pub with eight on handpump. Popular place, great atmosphere. Beer quality top draw. Highly Recommended

A traditional pub, simple but effective with a great Variety of Beers.

A properly ancient British pub. Friendly service, excellent selection of cider and ales. Tasty bar snacks. Even reasonably priced.

Friendly, knowledgeable staff and a great atmosphere. Fantastic selection of local craft beers.

Great to see the pub open again and doing what it should be doing