The Swan & Castle in Oxford

One of the Weatherspoons in Oxford in the town centre near the castle and lots of other things. Love this place.

I went to Oxford for the weekend, and as a coeliac was looking for a safe place to eat which offered gluten free food. All GF symbols had been taken off the menu, so I spoke to a member of staff. They took me to the allergen screen and filtered for items which didn't contain gluten. I explained I was coeliac, and they said that when I order at the bar tell the member of staff the allergy and the kitchen staff take measures to prepare the food separately such as separate utensils etc. I felt reassured so we stayed to eat. I ordered a meal for my partners, then on the GF food I ordered 2 x halloumi fries and 1 x jacket potato with cheese and coleslaw. When the food arrived, it was the waiter who I had originally spoken to. When the food was put down, the 3 meals which were supposed to be GF had purple allergen flags. I made a remark about how nice it was to see that, and that it makes me feel reassured. To which the waiter replied that yes, they were all GF - although the halloumi fries were cooked in oil with items made of gluten. I was shocked, and said well then they aren't GF and aren't safe for a coeliac. He said 'are you super sensitive or something?' and I said no, this would be unsafe for all coeliacs and he said 'oh, I don't know anything about allergens. We're not allowed to talk to customers about allergens or you could sue us'. I said I can't eat that if it's been in a fryer with breaded items etc, and asked what else is cooked in the fryers with items sold to customers as GF and he said 'all sorts gets put in the fryers'. He said, 'I can refund you for them' and I had to leave the table with my jacket potato on going cold to go to the till and get a refund for the halloumi fries. I explained how dangerous it is that you are allowing coeliacs to order items that the allergy screen is saying are free from gluten and that you're saying efforts are being made to keep separate, adding allergy flags, but then actually behind the screens cooking them in oil with gluten containing items. I asked that it was raised with a manager immediately, and the member of staff said it wasn't a pub issue but a head office issue. I emphasised how unsafe it was and that something needed to be done immediately as the next person to come in could be a coeliac and be exposed to the same risks, so the allergy information on the screen needing addressing immediately. The member of staff was not taking me seriously, treating me as if I was a nuisance and I was being ridiculous not eating them, kept saying he didn't know anything about allergens. I asked that it was raised with the pub manager for immediate action as allergens are a serious H&S risk and he wouldn't, he made it clear it wasn't something he thought was very important and said 'it's not a pub/manager issue, it's a head office issue and we have no control over the screens'. The pub are responsible for lack of staff training, and not keeping food separately. The pub knows that these fries are labelled on the allergen screen as GF but yet knowingly cooks them with gluten and serves them to coeliacs. I said 'I you going to go to the table and collect them?' and he did around 5 minutes later. I'm a vegetarian, and also respect diary products and really hate food waste. When he came to the table, I said 'if you're going to bin them the other person I was with would eat them' - as I really don't like animal products being put in the bin as obviously, the reason for the refund was because the person that ordered them to eat them - me - couldn't eat them because of how the pub had prepared them. Our meal on our weekend away had also been ruined, and in fact this experienced ruined me entire weekend. The waiter replied with attitude 'NO, you've had them refunded so I am taking them back now'. And disposed of them. He was very rude.

I asked for Budweiser and they gave me a bud light

It's an interesting place. Have for a cup nice for a birthday meal.

Tall blonde guy was the best bartender ever

went here for a friends 18th birthday, a member of staff asked for id and i explained that all i had was a picture of my passport as my passport had expired and was being renewed. the waiter said that it was fine after seeing the picture and walked away. another waiter then came to our table and said that none of us had shown any id. we then told him that the previous waiter had seen our ids and had said that it was fine. he told us that we were lying and that they had cameras. told him to check the cameras again as we were telling the truth and that clearly there had been some miscommunication between them. he then also asked another friend for id who is muslim and was not drinking as he said that she was drinking even though there wasn’t even a glass in front of her. we were then asked to leave while the waiter laughed at us and took away the drinks we had already paid for and had barely drank. horrific customer service. incredibly rude and disrespectful. do not go unless you want to be treated like an animal and laughed at by staff.

It’s cheap but slow and very rude service by a tall young blonde guy. I heard him say to another customer “what do you want!!???” The bathrooms are dirty and reek of urine.

Nothing says good morning like a chef verbally harassing their staff and swearing constantly loud enough the whole place can hear. Food took 30 minutes to come out despite there being relatively empty. When the food arrived, the eggs were over cooked and cold somehow. Gross stuff. Bad vibes.

Awesome food and awesome Drinks

Very Tasty food for a low price

Menú habitual de un pub Wetherspoons, gran elección y relación calidad-precio. Muy buen ambiente navideño. El personal era muy amable.

It's a spoons, get what you get

Visité Oxford hoy para algunas compras navideñas. Estaba deseando un almuerzo ligero en este Wetherspoons. Ayer miré las reseñas de aquí y las Cuatro Velas. Fueron ligeramente mejores para aquí, aunque ambos tuvieron buenos y malos. Pedí una pizza margarita de 11 pulgadas y un tazón de papas fritas. Llegaron en el corto tiempo habitual. La comida era casi incomible. Las patatas fritas estaban frías, suaves y grasientas. La pizza estaba flácida, muy delgada e insípida. Esta fue probablemente la peor comida que he tenido. Aunque no terminé la mayor parte, me ha dado un malestar abdominal. He estado en muchas Wetherspoons a lo largo de los años. Varían de mediocres a buenos. Normalmente buena relación calidad-precio. El Cisne y el Castillo son los pozos. Nunca más.

Sam the bouncer was proactive and caring above any expectation I would have of a bouncer. He went above and beyond, I truly wonderful man. Come here to meet him!

Everything was lovely but very loud

Very bad mood of the waitress in the bar on Sunday morning december 8th. Feels like she does not like her job.

Lovely pub, Great breakfast. When we visit Oxford again; we'll be sure to pop in again.

Lovely and lively, great food and service.

Poppy served us and was very helpful, food was great and service was quick 👍🏼

the two female young managers are so kind and leng ! love the staff and it’s so nice in there would come everyday if i could. my fave spoons to visit 10/10 toilets clean staff are so kind #kitchenstaffareunderratted

Dav kai alisha poppy sophie and joe are amazing xx defo recommend!

Disgusting behavior from the security staff laying his hands on my friend and pushing her while waiting to get in the pub. Absolutely trash behavior.

HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE. The security guards were rude, did not accept any form of identification other than UK issued (which we don’t have as we are internationals). A female friend of mine was shoved by security guards even though she was already leaving peacefully after the guard yelled at her. When escalated with the manager Jake Stockford, he denied any incidence of physical manhandling and instead blamed my friend for “arguing with security” which can warrant being “ejected by security when public refuse to leave premises” even though we never actually entered the pub. This blatant lack of accountability or even an apology for disrespectful behaviour by staff is absolutely unacceptable and frankly shameful when its backed by management too.

I got manhandled by one of the staff on November 18th before I could even enter the pub. Absolutely disgusting and disgraceful behavior. I traveled all the way from a different city to celebrate my friend’s birthday and told the bouncer I had an e-visa (as UKVI are getting rid of BRPs now) & I was ready to share the Share Code. Bouncer did not let me in and started shouting at me to leave. I told him to be respectful and not to yell. But right as I was leaving, he legit SHOVED me from the back into a crowd. I was not drunk and hadn’t drank at all. I was being calm and respectful. Yet he felt entitled enough to actually lay hands on me, in front of a whole crowd and manhandle me that way. I am disappointed by this behavior, and would appreciate if managerial staff can get in touch with me to investigate this matter. I tried calling the pub thrice but no one answered the calls. This bouncer was absolutely awful, entitled, and actually physically harmed me completely unprovoked when I told him I’m leaving. I need him investigated ASAP.

This particular evening meal was for my Birthday. Friends turned up to Surprise me. Loved every minute. Cocktails were Deeeee-lish-ous. 😋😋🤪🤣🤣

OK pub but tables left a long time before being cleared.

Nice place, typical Spoons pub. Spent a while here had breakfast and then later drinks and early evening meal. In my opinion the temperature of the pub was a bit cool as I think the air con was set low for the temperature outside.

Don’t go on weekends the security team is extremely abusive !!!

Very cheap drinks. Hooray. Great for a party or get together. Good location. Plenty of seating. Pleasant staff.

A friendly, well run pub. Way better than the other Wetherspoons pub in Oxford (see my review 😫). Had a nice pint of Shipyard, served by a friendly efficient barman. Then ordered a Curry Club Jalfrezi with free J20 drink via the excellent Spoons app. Drink arrived within 5 minutes via a nice friendly lady who may be the shift manager (she had a walky talky so was obviously important 😜). Curry arrived after about 12 minutes which was about 4 minutes later than the app said but well within the realms of acceptability. (See photo of curry) The food was very nice. I eat a lot of curries and this was good for the price. I was bulging at the seams after eating it. All in all a highly creditable performance. Great staff make all the difference. I have added this pub to my favourites list.

The food was good, but the restaurant was dirty, sticky tables and floors.

Food I was served today after a couple of bites I realised I wouldn’t have even fed it to a dog absolutely vile

Great service good atmosphere good value

I had two pints, one keg, one cask. Both tasted bad. I'm not sure what they are doing but they are doing it wrong.

Not much to really say it's a spoons I've never been ill in a Spoons and the food is always fantastic value for money. I'm never disappointed.

Good place for food and ales. Just front of the Westgate.

The Swan and Castle pub in Oxford, a JD Wetherspoon venue, offers a spacious and airy atmosphere with affordable drinks, including a range of real ales priced around £2.49 to £2.75. While many enjoy the budget-friendly menu, some reviews highlight inconsistent service and a mixed crowd, making it a basic choice for a casual drink in the city. For more details, you can check .

one of the managers theo is lovely he is holding the place together.

Typical Wetherspoons, cheap and cheerful.

Ordered a vegetarian all day brunch, got given one with meat sausages on it. Waitress couldn’t even apologise or listen to my concerns as a vegetarian. Thoroughly disappointed

The day we visited it was cash only because the wifi was down. It's looking a bit tatty in there now and the toilets aren't great. Food was ok service wasn't great the girl looked like she didn't want to be there and was clearly struggling to add up our order using brain power..

Pedido panini, e inglés completo. Los panini no tenían nada dentro. El desayuno tenía frijoles fríos y un hongo crudo y tocino que un veterinario podría haber revivido. Pedimos un reembolso y lo conseguimos. No vamos a volver.

We hebben deze pub op zaterdagavond bezocht. Het was er druk en vol. Gelukkig nog een tafeltje vrij. Veel jeugd op stap en soms een stag/hen party. Vriendelijke en snelle service. Het landelijke concept is voordelig met een goede prijs/kwaliteit verhouding. Veel deals zoals combinaties eten met drinken, 2 voor de prijs van etc. Eten was prima. We hebben als afsluiter van een cocktail pitcher genoten.

We visited this pub on Saturday evening. It was busy and full. Luckily there was still a table available. Lots of young people out and about and sometimes a stag/hen party. Friendly and fast service. The national concept is affordable with a good price/quality ratio. Lots of deals such as food and drink combinations, 2 for the price of etc. Food was fine. We enjoyed a cocktail pitcher to finish.

Travelling to Oxford St Giles fair Stopped off at the Swan and castle beautiful spoons inside sadly the four candles was closed

Llamando para tomar una copa durante nuestro paseo por Oxford, fue como esperábamos, muy ocupado con los bebedores y comensales. Con el precio competitivo del bar y menús de comidas, mientras mejor Wetherspoons son invariablemente bien utilizados, este pub no fue la excepción, estaba limpio y ordenado, que siempre es una buena señal. Disfrutamos de nuestras bebidas mientras recobramos el aliento para continuar nuestro recorrido por Oxford. Sin duda recomendable como lugar para visitar.

Absolutely shocking service..How people can mess up a simple breakfast order is beyond me. Poached eggs of a separate order was placed onto the same plate as bacon. Asked for it to be returned, and it appearsled to have just been taken if the plate and returned - irrespective of it being pointed out that we would need new eggs. Ended up walking out and bit eating , won't be back. Plenty of better places to eat breakfast with our the level of stupidity displayed here .

Good Wetherspoons pub, spacious and quick service.

Nipped in here for a cold drink whilst in Oxford town-centre. Ordered on the app and noticed some decent offers. The staff could be a bit happier, but you know exactly what you're going to get in a Wetherspoons.

Very average atmosphere. I just had coffee but the coffee did not taste good.

We went there for a retirement get together. The beer was very good. It was busy as the gay pride folks were about. Service was very attentive in light of this. Thoroughly enjoyable. Very good value for money.

Customary Wetherspoons experience, helpful staff, clean premises and centrally located.

After a tour of the Castle it was time for refreshments and here was conveniently not far. Knowing how to proceed, noted table location and gave order. In no time the plates arrived. Helped ourselves to the already paid for hot beverages. All very satisfactory for a sustaining lunch.

Good filling, affordable, fast food. Freindly staff. Interesting artwork. Exclusive carpet ✨️ with Swan and Castle motif. Bright and cool. Close to bus stops. Shopping. Everything . Central.

Standard Wetherspoons location. Gets busy as expected. Reasonable range of drinks available.

For a spoons it not bad service was fast drinks cold and the place was vert tidy.

Average weatherspoons. Good value for the price.

Excellent Wetherspoons in Oxford but did not have a big Meal so cannot give it a larger Score Everything Else Okay and Enjoy the Pleasure of Visiting.

Been there once very rude staff also there's a rat problem going on there i heard from a loud mouth Scottish lady and its being treated as a mentance problem.

Every time I go it’s very nice the bartenders are always lovely great place to go meet up with people

Not the best of Whetherspoons I have been to

Best spoons in Oxford (and only one).

30th June 2024 Brilliant fun watching the football today 😀 The service has really improved since my last visit and the new members of staff were friendly and enthusiastic. A really lovely experience.

I had the traditional breakfast, it was really good at an excellent price. Everything looks pristine and they have all type of options for any specific needs

Called in this spoons for a drink on a tour of the others in the city.Clean & tidy and tables kept clean and staff polite.

I go in Spoons here every single week on Sat to have brekkie. The cleaning staff have become friends now. Elaine and Jo do an amazing job in there. The bar staff are lovely too

I wouldn't be able to be in there sober. At least the drinks are cheap and I can get pissed quick

Great quality to price ratio. Pleasant staff.

Overcooked bacon, undercooked sausage, greasy cold potatoes, coffees from a push button machine. It’s fast and it’s cheap. Coffee refills are free

Visiting my daughter she took me to this lovely little pub staff very welcoming and friendly a great selection of hook Norton real ales sampled a couple before bus , well kept ale will go again sorry got this pub mixed up with the castle pub ,but having said that I did visit this one and apart from not doing hook Norton their beer was still good and staff helpful will go again .

Great comfort food that doesn’t disappoint!!! Chicken wings, nachos and halloumi fries 😂

My daughter had her purse stolen from her bag (which was on her chair by the window, so not in full view) by a man in a red bucket hat who is barred from the pub. It's only a small bag. This occured at 10.40am 27/4/24. We know this because she called the manager to say it had been taken when she had a notification from her bank 20 mins later to say a purchase had been made in the local WHSmiths. The manager saw it on the cctv when she called to inform him it had been taken. Why are Wetherspoons staff more vigilant about who they let in the pub? It wasn't even particularly busy. Beware men in red bucket hats and protect your belongings in this pub.

Our first visit and so impressed. Easily the best fish and chips in my life. Quality and quantity with excellent service.

Come here after gym once a week (Leg Day!). Good value food- always tasty, never cold.

Door staff over familiar with all women of all ages coming in for a drink. Uncomfortable to watch 😕

I went for the southern fried chicken basket. The chicken was impeccable crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside like it should be, fries were lovely as well together with that delicious sauce. Only that I didn’t quite understand was the coleslaw on that plate. Everything else was great.

The best Wetherspoons in Oxford.

Great place for a good meal and drink. Good service and friendly staff. 👍

It’s a weatherspoon, you know what you’re going in for, fast service to get drink and food basically In and out.

Nice place at reasonable price.

A newish Spoons close to the centre. A good number of outside tables for the warmer months and fumers amongst us.

I counted 8 staff members with only 1 serving at the bar. The person who appeared to be in charge was to busy talking to do any work. Completely ignored my efforts to attract her attention. When I complained I was told I was being unfair as the other staff were all busy which was a lie as I could see them around the back talking. Really, really awful service. It's a good job it's cheap.

Overall the experience was average for a wetherspoons. It was quite dirty, old and worn and the tables were sticky etc. The food (burgers) was cremated and not at all what we expected, wetherspoons is uniquely cheap and cheerful most of the time but this was just not it. They could do so much better. There is parking at the ice rink nearby or in the multi storey car park but neither are particularly close. If you are parking there to get food, there are so many better options for food in the shopping complex that will not disappoint.

Great place to chill out and have a drink and a bite to eat. Staff are very friendly too, and prices are good.

What a awful place especially the bar manager they ban you for life for breathing. They wait till you order drinks then kick you out all the staff are rude will not return

The food quality is very good, served hot and delicious

Went here to meet friends from Birmingham, and I had a couple of drinks with a meal , very disappointed with the menu first of all doesn't offer stake and the choices on there wasn't really what I wanted the chicken was rubbery and more bones than meat , the coleslaw was in a tiny pot, two fork full and it was gone , the whole meal was just about hot , the saving grace was the chocolate fudge cake and ice cream, our friend had 2 cups of coffee and it was horrible, and couldn't drink it had to clear our tables before sitting down at them and moved our own plates to one end of the table to make room , If your just going for a beer or glass of wine then yeah why not ,but if going for something to eat then don't bother there are plenty of better eateries in the city centre

Whetherspoons can not do curry, or indeed most dishes properly anymore. They used to be cheap and cheerful but now they are lower than cheap to the point of obvious rip-off. Soft poppadoms, mystery meat meant to be beef apparently. Total ripoff. What is telling is that the usually excellent mixed grill dishes haven't been on the menu for ages. One positive is the always excellent staff who are very well recruited and trained, so it is a shame they have to cart this slop around. Really gone down hill yet still have hiked prices. £13 for a small bowl of tinned can stuff you can buy from sainsbury's for less than £2. Come on guys this is taking the p***

Staff were really friendly, food came out quickly. Only reason I don't feel I can give 5 stars was because the water machine was out of order so I had to queue at the bar for some water. Most weatherspoons have a couple of water machines and glasses to self serve.

Some Wetherspoons inhabit grand historical buildings stepped in local history. This one just seems to be an industrial unit below some flats. It may as well be an All-Bar-One for all the atmosphere you’ll find here. That being said it’s still a standard Wetherspoons with a great central location and all your fave drinks and dishes at reasonable prices.

Security guards (both of them) were very rude and raciest. Student night but don’t make a noise coz security only like the sound of thier own voices on headsets. They both are clearly suffering from small Man syndrome.

Large central Wetherspoons - good food - not the greatest selection on ales compared to others in the chain.

Typical Wetherspoons pub, central location quick service via App, great real ale and value for money food

Simply great value, Had burger meal wigh pint. Just cannot be beaten for price.

Food good. Good price. Kids enjoyed there food.

I had a good time with my work colleagues last Saturday, however I have a very good reason to believe that someone (even potentially one of the bartenders) spiked my friend's drink. Fortunately I was going the same direction home and guided my friend as far as I could safely. They started recovering consciously while we were taking a walk, however their body was still struggling to walk. My friend had only three glasses that day: two Jack Daniels and Coke and one Aperol Spritz.

I didn't eat there but the food I noticed looked good. It's a wetherspoons so not flash place but great to meet up for a drink

Bit,slow behind the bar breakfast was very good

Another very good Weatherspoons pub , efficient friendly staff , good prices what more could you ask for

Usually able to rely on a Wetherspoons breakfast…..not here! Luke warm breakfast, eggs completely underdone, not good at all