The Swan & Castle in Oxford

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!

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.

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.

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.

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..

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

Ordered panini, and full English. The panini had nothing inside it. The breakfast had cold beans and a raw mushroom and bacon which a vet could have revived. We asked for a refund and got it. We wont be going back.

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

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.

Calling in for a drink during our walk around Oxford, it was as we expected, very busy with drinkers and diners. With the competitively priced bar and meal menus, the better Wetherspoons are invariably well used, this pub was no exception, it was clean and tidy which is always a good sign. We enjoyed our drinks while we caught our breath so as to continue on our tour around Oxford. Definitely recommended as somewhere to visit.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

The best Wetherspoons in Oxford.

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

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

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

Nice place at reasonable price.

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

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.

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***

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.

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

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.

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

Stopped in for brekkie. Food ok service quick.

A fantastic spoons but it can get rly packed...

Plate was cold so food was not hot and less than a spoonful of beans

Have been here many times over the years for both food and drink. A medium sized, modern style branch situated just over the road from the busy Westgate Centre. Today I popped in for Vegetarian Breakfast and Coffee. The pub wasn't too busy when I arrived, so it was fairly easy to find a table. The total is a bit more expensive than other Wetherspoons branches, with total coming to £7.81 (Vs £6.49 mostly elsewhere). Breakfast was well presented and cooked, although a little lukewarm with some items. Service was good. Worth popping in if in the City Centre, as it is one of the more affordable places to eat and drink.

Wetherspoons. Cheap drinks, bad food.

Just popped in for a coffee as it was lunch time . I never got to taste any of their food but it looked good 👍

cheap drinks and noisy with excellent app to table service from the bar staff. if these things are for you then look no further, there's even a bus stop right outside... love it.

Decided to go to this Wetherspoons for a Christmas works do. After approx 30mins of being here we were asked to leave, the reasons were "Too noisy". Bearing in mind, it was 10pm on a Saturday, zero pre-warning was given & we had just ordered drinks. One friends Ukrainian partner decided to speak to the 20yo manager to shed some light on the situation & was laughed at because of her accent. Professionalism at it's finest. Well played.

Decided to go to this Wetherspoons for a Christmas works do. After approx 30mins of being here we were asked to leave, the reasons were "Too noisy". Bearing in mind, it was 10pm on a Saturday, no pre-warning was given & we had just ordered drinks. One friends Ukrainian partner decided to speak to the 20yo manager to shed some light on the situation & was laughed at because of her accent. Professionalism at it's finest. Well played.

a staple. a really good spoons.

Brie and cranberry panini ame with 1 singular cranberry and pretty much a 5cm in length but 0.1cm width bit of cheese, dreadful food, was like eating fried bread on its own. Busy atmosphere but nice for it to be lively, servers seemed nice but food was an extreme letdown.

Chips were reheated, burgers were tasteless and not very hot.

Re-fillable £1.50 tea and coffee couldn't believe this and it is any coffee not just your regular filter. Worth going just for this although food was good too we had the Christmas panninis

Our food was good and arrived quickly. Only thing that spoilt our visit was the amount of uncleared tables, some still had empty plates for the duration of our visit. Not good.

Customer service too bad. I ve been waiting in queue but bartender take order from next guest. Is it rasisist? Coz iam asian he is not? Need to think about it . First come first serve

We went there after the Oxford Christmas Market 16/11/23 19:00 with my wife, 8 year old son/12 year old daughter for food and some drinks as was feeling in the festive mood. 1 of the managers (a young 'studenty type' brunette girl asked us to refrain from eating our own food in there as 'it's company policy' which we agreed to/apologised and moved outside to finish off their food. She then came storming outside and 'told' me ABRUPTLY that we weren't allowed to eat outside (at this point my daughter who is autistic got extremely upset). My wife responded by saying that 'they're children for crying out loud' and as a result left the pub in tears. I admittedly said to daughter (overheard by 1 of her colleagues) that I thought it was a 'jobs worth' thing to do as you're only children and as a result of this was refused service from that point onwards and was asked to leave????!!!!. She then was looking over at us whilst muttering something (no doubt derogatory) towards us to another colleague and laughing....professional🤔🤷‍♂️!! Before I left, 1 of her colleagues agreed that she had dealt with it in the wrong manner but couldn't serve me as she had made the call not to. STUDENT types with no people skills/common sense and not to mention rudeness at it's finest!! I thought you were supposed to lead by example when becomming a manager??!! We had intended to eat our dinner in there/buy drinks but you now have lost trade as a result!! If you're thinking of a quick bite to eat in there and your children haven't quite finished 2 chicken nuggets and 4 chips, I wouldn't bother if she's on duty!! Complaint made!!!