The Punter in Oxford

Bold statement but the best natural vegan / vegetarian food pub in the UK !! Made a special effort to visit The Punter, Oxford based upon the Good food Guide recommendations and it did not disappoint. All 3 courses were excellent, between the 9 separate dishes our group of 3 ordered not one single dish would be described as boring. All ingredients were fresh and natural with no processed mock meats in sight which is a refreshing change. The food quality was simply excellent and would be described as high end restaurant quality. One word of warning due to road works near the train station car parking was an absolute nightmare ( April 2024 ). We informed staff that we would be 30 minutes late and this was not an issue. This place would easily be in my top 3 places to eat as a vegan / vegetarian in the UK.

Lovely restaurant with great vegetarian and vegan options. My only reason for four stars is that there were several options with peanuts and given the small menu size, we were slightly limited for our group! But would otherwise highly recommend!

Mixed review and experience, unfortunately. This place sounded great on paper, and I love that it's all veggie and vegan, but it was just ok overall. We had a set lunch. The chocolate orange delice was really fab. The aubergine miso starter would have been better with more aubergine (it was loads of tofu with a small aubergine garnish). My main, tofu satay curry, was tasty but the texture ended up being too much after a while: just a load of sticky sauce with little textural difference. It has no rice or anything, so it felt like eating mainly sauce and tofu. I couldn't see any of the advertised chickpeas or spinach. So it was ok, but not amazing for us. What was disappointing was the service. It felt a bit cold and unfriendly throughout (though efficient). The place was empty so it was not like they were too busy or similar. At the end, I realised we were being overcharged for the pudding which they charged separately from the set lunch (it was actually part of the set). There was no apology whatsoever, which was disappointing. I'm not sure I will rush back in a hurry. Might give them another chance if in the area, but I wouldn't come especially.

From start to finish this evening was perfect, service was efficient, friendly and knowledgeable, but the food was out of this world, as a big ugly Rugby playing carnivore the thought of a veggie/vegan pub was a bit frightening, but i was blown away by the food. The wild garlic risotto in particular was 10/10, as was the miso aubergine, and the Parmesan chips, actually I could go on and on it was all perfect! Thanks so much, had the best time

Good meal and pleasant staff, would thoroughly recommend.

I arrived having not booked on a Saturday evening but they happily found me a table. The building itself feels like its had centuries worth of history of being a pub and that adds a lot of character to the place. It’s refreshing having a creative and completely vegetarian menu and it’s one that restaurants could take note on. That said the 3 courses i had, the salad was good and on par with similar I’ve had in restaurants. The satay sauce had a beautifully mellow warmth to it and the sliced chillies meant you could give it an extra little kick if you wanted. I felt the crumble had slightly too little topping but that was particularly noticed as the topping itself was flavoured beautifully and was far superior to any crumble I’ve had before. I would say it’s well worth a visit even for those who wouldn’t normally go to a vegetarian/vegan place

Excellent food though limited menu. Friendly staff and traditional pub atmosphere. Off the main road apiece and can be crowded and noisy late in the evening. Definitely return again

Some of the best food in Oxford. And the beer’s good, too.

Ate a lovely meal here today - the portions were quite small but fairly filling along with a starter and fries on the side. We really enjoyed the parsnip rosti which is currently on the menu. Nice Negronis too and a very pleasant wood burner. The staff were very helpful. It felt a bit cold and sterile in the pub somehow, perhaps could have done with some soft furnishings to absorb the noise, also there was music at a very low setting which was barely audible so the atmosphere wasn't maybe as relaxed as it could have been - but maybe that's just a personal detail. No parking available so please bear this in mind if visiting from afar.

Tasty food, pleasant staff and nice atmosphere.

Have been here a bunch of times with various friends. Great pub, food is excellent. Highly recommend.

Great to have a pub with many good vegetarian options, quite pricey though. Burger buns were a little dry, but enjoyed the other dishes. Dog friendly.

I chose this vegetarian pub for my birthday dinner because it looked so cosy and because I love supporting veggie/vegan places. I was not disappointed. The fire was lovely, the pub is a warm and welcoming place. Our waiter happily explained the menu, he was kind and unpretentious. Our water ran out and without us asking he zoomed in and replaced it. Our food was served quickly and was hot and tasty. A perfect evening. Thanks very much we will be back.

A very nice place, the food was so good It did take a long time to choose because I wanted to try everything on the menu. Try the crumble but you might have to share.

Always a lovely place to visit with plenty of seating & lovely waterside views. Freezing temperatures outside made the warmth of the wood burner all the more cosy. The staff are welcoming, polite & provide excellent service. Our meals (vegetarian pasta & burger) & drinks were delicious. Highly recommended.

Great vegan/vegetarian menu! Food was on the expensive side, but deffo justified when it hit my taste buds which was great, but I HATE IT when the gratuity gets added on to the bill at the end, especially when the service was less than mediocre (the waiter wasn't sure if the drink I was about to order was an ale). I much prefer to pay a tip if I think the service justified it. However, my hasselback squash was delicious!

Absolutely beautiful vegan food. Highly recommend.

Very nice spot. vegan and vegetarian food and delicious.

Lovely cosy pub on the river, with cosy atmosphere. Food was well presented and loved the sound of EVERYTHING on the menu! Creative and inventive veggie food! However, portion of hummus was small for price/amount of pita, and my food, although looked wonderful, was exceptionally salty which is a shame!

A nice small cosy pub. You can order food there too. The barmaid was friendly. I have not ordered food there yet but it was busy when I went there and everybody was there to dine so that's a good sign

One of my favourite pics to go to for a treat. Delicious food!! Lots of gluten free choices for me. Plus, I’m able to bring the puppy into the pub. The parsnip dish was superb.

Very cosy on a cold, wet Sunday evening. Food was incredible and the service was brilliant. Will definitely be back.

We had a great evening with delicious food. Loved it, thanks

Welcoming, great beer and such good food.

Nice location, attentive staff and quick service. The menu looked great. However, the food was very average and bland for the prices paid. £17-18 for a main. If the food was half the price, I would have been satisfied. There are so many imaginative ways the food could have been improved for a little more effort.

Great art decor! Food was amazing, the best mushroom burger I have ever had! Great service as well. We went for a drink and lunch, is slightly out of the centre so wasn't too crowded but still had a nice buzz

All around 5, the vegan and vegetarian options are great--no "forest food" here!🙂

I enjoyed the vegan meal - celeriac soup and paneer satay with a couple glasses of wine. Lighting was too low for me but I imagine during the summer a nice place to patio dine outside near the canal.

Incredible food and impeccable service, the candlelight meant it felt cosy and comfortable. Am planning on coming back

Excellent food and service in relaxed pub setting by the canal. Staff polite and efficient, all dishes were tasty and well presented. Drinks and food all good value. This was our second visit and experience had been consistently good.

Cosy veggie/vegan pub by the water. Very impressed with the food….not your average pub grub.

Friendly staff with good draft beer downside cards, only no cash.

Three non-vegetarians, but I have started watching what I eat. We were tired, and it was close to our hotel. We had a nice short walk beside the canal, entered a spacious room that felt exactly right, and settled. Vegetarian Scotch egg? How could I not try that? We all found something that suited us, and awarded full marks for taste and value.

Nice vegetarian/vegan pub good food nice atmosphere in nice place by watrrway

Utter waste of time, beer was off yet the bar persons protested that it was "okay" even though it was basically mud water I could have scooped out the Thames. They have deleted my comment once, so I expect the same as they do not like or receive negative feedback

Wow, fantastic tasty food. It's amazing how much vegetarian food has changed. Service was excellent. Can't fault it, if you get a chance go.

Really excellent vegetarian and vegan food!! A tad on the expensive side.

nice interior with lots of artwork and nice old wooden tables. the polenta was better than the burgers

Pricy but really good food. Very pleasantly surprised by how good the food was.

Solid food and great staff. Yea, it’s vegetarian or vegan, but it’s delicious for meat eaters too

This is a very popular vegan and vegetarian restaurant and I would advise booking if you want to eat at a particular time. It is extremely handy for people arriving by boat. We had moored up just opposite and went in at 6pm to enquire about availability and were told either "now or 8.30" as all the tables were booked. The food we ate was excellent and the service attentive. 12.5% is added as a service charge to the bill but it's all shared with the staff, which is good. Food prices seemed a little high, but that's probably the Oxford effect.

Excellent vegetarian restaurant located in Oxford, on the banks of the Thames. The dishes are all excellent and the products are quality. The pub has a friendly and cozy atmosphere. The service is great. In short: a gem!

Delicious food, great warm evening atmosphere on the terrace.

Nice chilled pub by the river with good staff and a nice ambiance. Slightly limited wine list.

Lovely pub with friendly, helpful staff. The food was amazing; finally a place that makes good vegan food that isnt all mushrooms. Plently of great options done well with good portions. Can't fault it, thank you!

Super amazing place. Food was amazing too. Really would recommend this place

Went for a weekend date night. Staff were very friendly and attentive. Food choices were ample and came out in a very timely manner. Atmosphere was very relaxing and chilled. 5/5 - will definitely be returning.

Great vegetarian food, the hosts were polite and helpful. Recommended even for meat eaters.

Innovative veggie food, great location and kind service. Shared miso aubergine, peach and labneh salad(really good), tofu satay, lemongrass curry and greek salad. Subtle clever flavours and good quality ingredients. Staff lovely and attentative.

The Punter is excellent. It has truly excellent vegetarian food, cask ales, friendly staff and a really chill atmosphere right along the Thames. Great place to catch up with friends or come alone and read a book. Highly recommended

Lovely pub by the side of the canal

Came here for dinner and it was absolutely great. It had a lovely "old pub" atmosphere and the location is great being just by the river. The staff were all very friendly and service was brilliant. The food was absolutely excellent! The menu has a great selection and I really would love to come back to try the other dishes! Even the non-veggie was waxing lyrical about how good the scotch egg was. I think he could have taken a doggy bag home with about 5 more in!

Amazing food and lovely location just by the river - each dish we had was outstanding. Thank you!

Fantastic veggie food and some great beer and wine in a popular contemporary / rustic bar setting. What more could you ask. Highly rate!

Hubby & I like to try as much as possible when we go out, so we ordered 2 starters (Miso Glazed Aubergines 👎🏼, Tomato & Basil Bruschetta 🆗), 3 mains (Tofu in Satay Sauce👎🏼, Tomato & Fennel Roast Aubergine👎🏼, Heirloom Tomato Greek Salad W Vegan Feta 🆗) & the only 2 vegan desserts they had on the menu (Lemon Tart, Strawberries & Basil 🆗, Chocolate & Hazelnut Praline Parfait ❤️). Our favorite was the chocolate dessert. The rest was nothing to write home about! The staff were sweet and friendly. Just make sure they don’t seat you on the table for 2 between the bar and the kitchen. Not only is it behind the coffee machine which makes so much noise everytime they use it, but the table was so close to the kitchen that each time they went in or out, the door would slam so loud that it had me jumping everytime. Something really needs to be done about the loud noise from the slamming of the kitchen door!!!

Delightful, unpretentious and considered dining experience with just enough variation to please all levels of plant based eaters. Staff were genuine and generally attentive. Asked to sit outside despite many “reserved” but later unoccupied tables. Only downside in an otherwise outstanding experience.

What a fantastic meal! This place is sooo good - had the tastiest vegetarian food I've ever had and can’t wait to go back! The staff were super friendly which made the whole experience a meal to remember!

We had a delicious early evening meal here. We were driving back home after a day out and tried The Punter as we were looking for vegetarian/vegan food. We're very glad we did! Both our main meals were delicious & the desserts were perfect! Highly recommend and will definitely eat here again if we're in the area.

We had a lovely early evening meal here. It was quite full - but we were fitted in quickly (we had no reservation). The staff were lovely and friendly, the food was excellent (vegetarian and vegan options). There was a nice atmosphere and quick service throughout. There is also some seating out the back in the terraced courtyard. The Punter is in a nice quiet spot next to the canal but parking spots might be a problem on busy evenings. I would absolutely recommend The Punter for going for a meal and would definitely go again if we're around this spot in the country or driving through this area!

The vegetarian and vegan mains were outstanding, prepared with fresh, seasonal ingredients beautifully presented. I highly recommend trying the veg scotch egg (starter) and the polenta dish (main)

I was in Oxford as a tourist but my friend lives there and recommended the Punter. We went there for dinner and had first plus second course and dessert. I liked it very much and the prices are reasonable. The peppers al padron tasted like at an original tapas bar. With the fish and chips I got the real english pub experience, especially I liked the good quality of the fish. The dessert was also good. I recommend the restaurant!

The food was nice but the service was weird. The staff were wandering around looking for things to do and asked us the same questions repeatedly, all offered to take our orders separately and were, if anything, too attentive bordering on annoying. Despite this I was unable to swap a burgers side of fries for a salad or side salad without paying full price for the burger and a full menu cost of a salad which seemed very strange and restrictive for a menu built entirely around a dietary restriction. The food was tasty though when it arrived. Outside very busy and buzzy, inside very quiet and only really containing staff on this particular occasion..

Loved this place! We are not vegan but thought the food was brilliant - innovative and delicious in a beautiful, peaceful riverside setting.

Very good food friendly staff. Plenty of vegan options. Service charge is optional and they point it out to you which is good. We left a tip but not the full 12.5%

Discovered this place by accident when I moored up on the adjacent river Thames for the evening. Bit busy, nice staff and good vegan/vegetarian food

I will keep this brief as the mangement and staff won't learn anything from it and most customers are touristsI doubt they will take any notice. So, here goes; 1. The upside,the food was good. 2. The staff really are terrible, indifferent would be the nicest thing I could say about them which clearly comes from the manager. 3. We were there for an early evening dinner, we were told we had to vacate by 1930hrs which was agreed when we booked and confirmed we would be gone by 1930hrs. They have a female manager ( a bit of a jobsworth) came over to our table just as the deserts were arriving at 1910hrs, to remind us we had to vacate by 1930hrs, ten minutes later 1920hrs she strutted over to say the same again. We left at 1925hrs paid the bill complete with service charge which I couldn't even be bothered to argue about. 4. Finally I have enclosed photo of my colleagues main course shoddily placed down with fries all over the table, there was no apology, perhaps the server expected him to pick them off the table and eat them, needless to say he didn't. So that's it, great location good food. Would we ever return = not a chance.

Popped in for a pint and a bag of crisps. £13 for two pints and two bags. The beer selection a little limited, but the location is fabulous. Looks onto the river, Thames. The food is all vegan or vegetarian, including crisps (Fairfield) and I assume drinks.

Excellent vegetarian and vegan food in a shabby-chic atmospheric riverside pub

Absolutely wonderful! Great meal, lovely staff and a perfect setting. Recommended!

Really excellent vegan veggie pub, right by the river, it was warm enough to sit outside, friendly service, interesting dishes, wonderful company, couldn't be faulted!

We had a great lunch yesterday.The food is clearly made fresh from scratch,and the flavours were excellent. I wish we lived nearer,it would be a regular favourite if we did. The staff were efficient and friendly too.What a delightful setting,we enjoyed a walk along the tow path before setting off for home.

Location: 5/5 5 minutes from the train station, 10 minutes from the city center. Right by the river waters. On a good day you will see ducks, swamp chickens & geese. Even a crow! Herons! Food: 5/5 On the pricier side, portions occasionally small, all vegetarian/vegan, and yet... it's finger-ticklingly good! The pasta (tagliatelle, ayy! Disruptiano!) & noodle dishes were always lit, as they say. Selection of tasty beverages great. Cheap gin, for Oxford. Atmosphere: 4/5 Can get a wee bit loud inside, but this is a Good Vibe. It's not massive, so you might need to book... worth it though! Can get a drink in a takeaway cup and sit out front by the water ways, lovely stuff. Service: 4/5 Friendly and nothing to complain about, albeit they aren't going to kiss your hand on entry (which Dr Advice *respects* tbqh) Overall: 5/5

Really good food, sometimes slightly too fancy for their own good. A lovely vibe.

Cosy atmosphere with an unobstructed view of the river Isis. Generous spaces and beautiful seating. Great for a catch-up with friends or just a cheaky pint.

Wonderful atmosphere great food and friendly staff what more do you need.

Disappointing food. Was really excited by the menu but our meals didn't live up to expectation. Portions were huge but lacked flavour and were plain due to a lack of sauce/ varied vegetables. I make nicer food at home. It is a real shame as the setting is lovely and staff are attentive.

Excellent food, friendly staff.

I had one of the best curry dishes I’ve ever had in my life here. If you make a stop to England, make the drive out here to eat. Try to get a reservation. I was lucky and got seated but it was rather busy.

The food was delicious - highly recommended.

Nice drinks and very nice art inside .

Utter crap, the barmaid did not have a clue about the beer she was serving and was quite derogatory towards me because I dared questioned or challenged the beer quality being poured which was crap.

Great atmosphere, excellent dishes. Veggie heaven . Try the Lentil minestrone if it’s on the menu

What a great discovery I used to use this pub years ago but had no idea it had been taken over as a Gastro Pub. They have a good and unusual Gluten Free Selection on the menu and all vegetarian with options for GF and...

Best pub in Oxford. Great setting, lovely beer and great food. Popped in for a quick pint with my daughter in the afternoon. Got very well looked after.

The Punter pub has a good gentle atmosphere. For a pub the wine list looked adequate. I liked that the wine list had an explanation, this does make choosing the drink pleasing especially as wine has such a vast diversity. A lot of pub's don't do this.

Went here for a friends birthday lunch. Walked from city centre as recommended to us. It was the best veggie food I’ve had. My 2 friends are vegan and they thoroughly enjoyed their food too. The food was very tasty and enjoyed a glass of...

Friendly pleasant place, first time myself but my fellows diners are regs. Very impressed, will def be going bk. NB though vegan only menu

Another fantastic visit in March 23 (my third) Three of us. Food and service and atmosphere once again all 5 stars The food and whole menu is always innovative and inventive and incredibly well thought out, presented and cooked. And not ridiculously expensive. Recommended

Who knew being veggie could be so tasty?!

This is far and away my favorite pub and eatery in Oxford. The atmosphere is convivial and warm, the staff is attentive and friendly, and the food is unfathomably good. Our server Robin was an absolute Mensch. I teased him about upselling us, but indeed,...

Absolutely wonderful vegetarian food. The scotch egg is incredible!

Great vege/vegan place. Staff was pretty friendly, no real complains. Food left me with mixed feelings, as some of it was slightly bland.

Firstly I booked online and on arrival I was so glad we had. This is a lovely venue nestled right next to the Thames, in fact we had a little walk before to work up our appetite. This is a pub that now has an...

We had planned a trip to Oxford and while researching our trip came across this venue. Being veggies it was ideal. We booked a table online, I think this was a wise choice as even on a Tuesday evening it was very busy. We had a good pint of decently kept real ale while looking at the menu and ordered some very exciting dishes. All of these were of very good quality. Price's for the quality was very good. Highly recommended.

My favourite place to grab a nice vegetarian meal with quality in Oxford!!! The restaurant is super cozy and the staff is extremely helpful and kind. I have been coming here with all different sorts of groups of friends and family. It works super well as a romantic venue, but also to have a fun night with friends. Would recommend this place to anyone - the price is reasonable and there is something on the menu for everyone.

What a great place ! Pubs offering exclusively vegetarian menus are few and far between, and The Punter exceeded our expectations. The food was amazing and the staff deserve great praise for the level of service given - we were very impressed that our day out in Oxford ended on such a high note ... thank you !

Nice place to get a drink, staff are friendly and the atmosphere is great, especially next to the river.

So wonderful to find well thought out vegan food in Oxford. I thoroughly enjoyed my bean burger and parsnip soup. Delicious

Fantastic food. Rightly recognised as a top spot for vegan and vegetarian food in Oxford. Generous portions and delicious.

Great location and fab menu. Would highly recommend the bhajis.