The Lamb and Flag in Oxford

Really nice pub atmosphere, city wall pub garden with amazing portions of delicious food. Would highly recommend the Duck confit, and has a very welcoming atmosphere

Super fast service even though it was very busy. Great pub food

Historical old pub with bags of character.

Good beer, bizarre management. Was having a great time, drinking a great beer with about 15 work friends when this guy asked my friend to leave. His sin? He asked for a Jaeger shot (which they serve) and a Red Bull (which they serve) - apparently the fact that these are the component parts of a Jaegerbomb is a grave sin in the Lamb and Flag. He wasn’t loud. Wasn’t rowdy. Took no for an answer. But despite this, yellow shirt asked him to leave on some weird power trip. We attempted to reason w yellowshirt/mustache. Was not having it. Needless to say we all left and took our business elsewhere but it left a very sour taste - I don’t think any of us have ever been kicked out of a bar before, especially for asking to buy something that is on the menu. Edit: It turns out they DO in fact sell Jaegerbombs. My best guess is that they wanted us out because a good chunk of our group don’t drink and the rest of us don’t drink like undergrads. Better revenue to kick us out and replace w “better” customers on a busy Friday night.

A bizarre, and unpleasant experience. I've only been to the Lamb & Flag a couple of times before, but have enjoyed the traditional atmosphere and selection of beers. We were at the L&F to celebrate the 2-year anniversary of our company. We were a group of about 15, mostly software developers, so certainly not the rowdy type. As a group we had been ordering a mixture of beers and non-alcoholic soft drinks. After probably an hour and half or so, I went back to the bar and asked if I could order four Jaegerbombs (Jaegermaester finished with RedBull). The gentleman behind the bar informed me that they didn't sell Jaegerbombs. It's worth noting that it's not uncommon for some pubs in Oxford to not sell many spirits, especially where, like the L&F, they focus on local beers. To clarify, I asked if they stocked Jaegermaester, which he said they did, so I happily agreed to buy four Jaeger shots (nice as a cold digestif). After he'd poured these and I was about to pay, I saw in the fridge behind the bar a RedBull. I asked if I was allowed to buy a RedBull separately. My assumption had been that maybe that the reason he'd previously said they didn't sell Jaegerbombs was because of how their POS system was set up, and this wasn't an "off the shelf" option they sold to customers. After asking him this, the gentleman suddenly seemed to become annoyed, and told me "you're not welcome here" and to "take your business elsewhere". I was quite shocked, and tried to clarify/calm down the situation, saying I was happy to buy just the four Jaegermaesters and leave the RedBull, but he became insistent on not serving me. Startled by the whole situation, I returned to my colleagues without a drink (I didn't want to ruin their night and stop them from being able to enjoy their drinks). Then, after no more than a couple of minutes, the gentleman from the bar proceeded to come over, and told me that he wanted me to leave the premises. I tried to have a conversation and explain I wasn't drinking, and simply letting my colleagues have their drinks, but he told me "I'm not going to discuss it with you", and proceeded to ask me to leave. I did so, and my colleagues followed shortly after. I've reflected on this situation overnight and still am lost for any sort of explanation of the series of events. For something so trivial, in a nice setting, to escalate as it did felt wholly unnecessary and simply rude. It might be that this individual (I think was the bar manager) had something against me personally (that I wasn't dressed a certain way?), or that he perceived Jaeger to be an "uncivilised" drink? I don't know, maybe never will, but the experience left me feeling embarrassed, confused, and unwelcome. I hope the team at the Lamb & Flag takes a moment to reflect on how disproportionate and unpleasant this was, and how easily moments like this can sour what should have been a celebratory evening. An apology would be appreciated, but more importantly, I hope they reconsider how they treat their guests. No one should be made to feel like that over something so trivial.

I really love the atmosphere and history, but some beers there have probably gone off

Has a good pub smell. Nice selection of beers and cider but no food

Lots of history and great building

Please be aware that Lamb and Flag (no longer) serves food except for some snacks (crisps and such) and cakes. The atmosphere is fantastic and they have a good range of beers and ales.

Another cozy spot that housed C. S. Lewis while he was with us in the flesh. It warmed my heart to see a painting of him proudly displayed, along with a photo of J. R. R. Tolkien, fellow Inklings. The Inklings were an informal literary discussion group associated with the University of Oxford in England. They met for nearly two decades, from the early 1930s to late 1949. While there were no formal rules, officers, or agendas, the Inklings were united by their love of literature, particularly narrative fiction and fantasy. They would gather, often in C.S. Lewis's rooms at Magdalen College or at the Eagle and Child pub in Oxford, to read aloud and discuss their works in progress, offering each other constructive criticism and encouragement. The most famous members of the Inklings were: * J.R.R. Tolkien: Author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. * C.S. Lewis: Author of The Chronicles of Narnia and many other works of fiction and non-fiction. However, the group also included a number of other significant figures: * Owen Barfield: A philosopher, poet, and writer on language and consciousness. * Charles Williams: A novelist, poet, playwright, and theologian. * Warren Lewis: C.S. Lewis's older brother and a historian. * Hugo Dyson: A literary scholar and lecturer. * Robert Havard: A doctor and friend of Lewis and Tolkien. * Nevill Coghill: A literary scholar and translator of Chaucer. * Lord David Cecil: A literary biographer and scholar. * Adam Fox: A poet and academic. * Christopher Tolkien: J.R.R. Tolkien's son, who later became his literary executor. * Colin Hardie: A classical scholar. * J.A.W. Bennett: A literary scholar who succeeded C.S. Lewis at Cambridge. * Gervase Mathew: A historian and Dominican friar. * James Dundas-Grant: A member of the Oxford University Naval Division. * C.E. Stevens: A historian. * R.B. McCallum: A historian and political scientist. * C.L. Wrenn: A scholar of Anglo-Saxon. The Inklings played a significant role in the development of fantasy literature in the 20th century. Their discussions and mutual support fostered the creation of some of the most enduring and beloved works of the genre.

Great cozy pub. One of my favorites

You can't miss this pub. In addition to his wonderful atmosphere and attention, David, the current "landlord", is Spanish and very friendly. It can give you very valuable directions for visiting Oxford.

Sat in the sunny front lounge, it was a pleasant place for a quick drink

Cracking boozer, great service and a top pint of ale 🍺

Nice old pub with lots of rooms. Loud but fun.

Terrible. Waiters was so rude and arrogant... never experienced anything like this. Is this what you called hospitality???

Good selection and a variety of seating options. A little too chilly now that the hearth can't be used, but that's OK. Like a lot of centuries-old pubs in Oxford, this place has history - including hosting Inklings meetings with CS Lewis. The little snug is a great spot!

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.

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.

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.

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.

Really extensive selection of beers.

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

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.