Dog Friendly Pubs in Oxford

Traditional Pub Games

Function Room

Friendly and comfortable with craft beer in cans and 3 on tap (at least 1 from a local brewery e.g. Loose Cannon) plus a cider. Retro e-gaming night Sunday, live DJs Friday, offers on prosecco and 2-4-1 cocktails week day evenings 5-8 (10 on Friday).

Alchemist

Rooftop, The Westgate, Oxford OX1 1TR

Disabled Access

WiFi

Another large rooftop bar in the Westgate Centre with a terrace and fine views of the city. Part of a national chain and aims to make your drink an experience. Has some beer on tap and in cans but most people come for the cocktails. As expensive as you would expect a drink served in a beaker or flask with some dry ice to be.The food seems reasonably priced though.

Templars Bar & Kitchen

17a Barns Road, Oxford OX4 3YQ

Newly opened 3 October 2016 on the site of the old Cowley Post Office and more recently a fish and chip cafe. Has some beer from keg.

Chequers

130a High Street, Oxford OX1 4DH

Down a narrow medieval passageway off the High Street, the Chequers is a fine old pub, much of which dates back to the early 16th century when a moneylender's house was rebuilt as a tavern. The name Chequers was first recorded in 1605. Note the fine carvings and the ceiling in the lower bar. Now in the hands of Nicholson’s, the pub always has a good selection of real ales albeit generally mainstream offerings. All of Oxford’s College crests are displayed on the ceiling, except for Corpus Christi, as the crest displayed is that of Corpus Cambridge! Now has an upstairs bar with three hand pumps as well as hand pumps in the main bar.

Crown

59a Cornmarket Street, Oxford OX1 3HB

A pub has stood here since at least 1364, and passed into royal hands in 1600 when the pub gained its current name. It was a rambling coaching inn and until 1774 had a frontage onto Cornmarket Street. The present building was the site of the stables and outhouses. William Shakespeare is reputed to have stayed here on several occasions when he visited Oxford. The Crown, a former Morrell’s pub, was the first Nicholson’s pub in Oxford and like the others, offers a good range of real ales, with tasting notes provided, and food is served all day.

Grapes

7 George Street, Oxford OX1 2AT

WiFi

First built in 1820 and rebuilt in 1879, this is a rare Victorian pub in the city centre. There is a single narrow panelled room, with the bar on one side and seating on the other, some separated by glazed timber screens. In the entrance there is some original tiling and signs. The pub reopened under West Berkshire Brewery ownership in April 2019 so it has a range of their beers and others from local breweries plus 12 beers from kegs.

Head of the River

Folly Bridge, Oxford OX1 4LB

Large pub converted from a warehouse on the banks of the Thames; the name was the result of a competition organised by the Oxford Mail and associates the inn with the finishing post for the Eights bumping races held on the river. The only city pub next to the river which may account for the high prices. There is a large paved area with awnings and marquees and a crane from its days as a wharf, and Folly Bridge is adjacent. Punts and boats can be hired here and the Salter’s pleasure boats, with their daily service to Abingdon, leave from the pier opposite. Internally the pub is relatively small, arranged over two levels. Extensively refurbished Feb/March 2017 and now opens 7am for breakfast.

House

11 Blue Boar Street, Oxford OX1 4EE

New cocktail bar in former restaurant with some bottled beers including Hook Norton and Leffe. Oxford Union members get happy hour prices at all times.

Jolly Farmers

20 Paradise Street, Oxford OX1 1LD

A popular gay venue for many years, the Jolly Farmers is an old building against the remains of the city wall. It claims to be 'the oldest continuous pub in Oxford'. The building dates from the late 17th century but the first record of it being a pub is in 1829. There are two small, low-beamed rooms and a raised area to the rear that leads to a terrace and small garden, now extended. Doesn't serve food but you can order in or bring your own.

Oxford Retreat

1-2 Hythe Bridge Street, Oxford OX1 2EW

Function Room

Comfortably furnished L-shaped bar, with distinct drinking and dining areas. Refurbished late 2019 and now more of a cocktail bar vibe. There is a secluded, outside, decked area called the tiki terrace; pizzas are served here all day at weekends. Only one real ale is sold, sometimes two, but this is supplemented by bottled beers, and it claims to be the only UK outlet for the very rare Swiss 1936 Biere. Students of the Said Business School get a 10% discount.

Red Lion

14 Gloucester Street, Oxford OX1 2BN

Present building erected in 1904 in place of previous pub. Completely refurbished in 1984 and name changed from Red Lion to Oxford Bakery and Brewhouse; bakery removed and just Brewhouse from 1990 and then Fuggle & Firkin from 1996 but still brewing. Became the Goose in 2000 and then back to Red Lion when acquired by M&B in 2008. Rambling layout with different areas including two small dining spaces upstairs which could be taken over by a group. The paved or decked outdoor area is huge and part is covered and heated, though a basket of blankets is provided so you can keep warm in any weather. Emphasis on food and part of M&B's Country Dining Group. Refurbished February 2020.

Royal Blenheim

13 St Ebbes Street, Oxford OX1 1PT

Everards rescued this pub a few years ago and leased it to White Horse Brewery who run it with Titanic. A good selection of White Horse and Titanic beers is always available, alongside one Everards’ beer and there are ten hand pumps, so there is also room for some guests; a range of single malts is also stocked. The pub was built in 1889 for Hanley & Co. Ltd, City Brewery, and is a single, high-ceilinged, bright and airy room, served by a large bar; the seating areas are raised around the perimeter. There are no televisions but a drop-down screen for major sporting events. Next door is Modern Art Oxford which building was built in 1888 as the 'square' room and stores for Hanley's brewery which stretched from here to Queen Street. The squares were open-topped vessels made of stone or slate for fermentation. The fermentation room is still there on the top floor. Hanley's was taken over by Hall's Oxford Brewery in 1898.

St Aldates Tavern

108 St Aldate's, Oxford OX1 1BU

Not the original St Aldates Tavern, that was at no. 61 which still has its Morland 'Artist' plaque, but there was an inn recorded at this site in 1397. Rebuilt at least once since then, lastly in 1716 as the New Inn - this was a coaching inn in the 18th century. It became the Bulldog in 1965 and then back to St Aldates Tavern in 2005 after a short spell as the Hobgoblin. This friendly pub in the centre of Oxford features up to seven well-kept real ales often with at least two from local breweries. There is an attractive function room upstairs which is available to hire with its own bar and toilet.

Turf Tavern

St Helen's Passage, Oxford OX1 3SU

CAMRA Discount

One of the most famous pubs in Oxford, and yet one of the most difficult to find - stand under the Bridge of Sighs and you’ll see the sign. In all the guide books, so popular with tourists. It’s not actually as old as it looks (it dates from the end of the 18th century), nor is it as old as the city wall that bounds the garden to the south. There are several rooms with two bars and has recently had a Greene King 'Heritage' makeover. Outdoor seating is in the walled garden area and a small patio area outside the front door, heated by braziers in winter. Features in Thomas Hardy's novel 'Jude the Obscure' as 'an obscure and low-beamed tavern' which he renamed the Lamb & Flag. The pub claims that this is where former US President Bill Clinton famously "did not inhale".

Castle

24 Paradise Street, Oxford OX1 1LD

CAMRA Discount

A pub on this site from 1780 called Paradise House was rebuilt in 1892 to a design by H. G. Drinkwater. It followed the trend in the 1980s and was called the Oxford Ale House for a while before becoming the Castle Tavern. The pub is now above the street after the re-alignment of Castle Street when the Westgate Shopping Centre opposite was first built. Some period features remain, but the interior is modern with one long room and a pleasant half cellar. Purchased by Hook Norton in December 2016 for their first venture into the city and extensively refurbished, it now offers a range of real ales, not all from Hook Norton, and two ciders on the bar.

Angel & Greyhound

30 St Clement's Street, Oxford OX4 1AB

Formerly the Burton Ale Stores and the Oranges & Lemons, the pub’s current name is derived from the names of the two meadows nearby, both of which were named after pubs that were at one time in the High Street. There is one room with raised seating areas to one side and the bar to the other. A bar billiard table is a rare survivor in Oxford, and there is a large collection of board games. There are outdoor seating areas to the front and rear, the former on busy St Clement’s Street is less peaceful than the latter. If you’re in any doubt as to whether to go outside, check out the weather forecast on the blackboard.

Cape of Good Hope

The Plain, Oxford OX4 1EA

A corner pub at the junction of Iffley and Cowley Road, originally 1785 and rebuilt to a design of HW Drinkwater in 1893 for Morrells; it gained its name due to being on a 'headland' similar in shape to the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. There are two rooms on two levels, both with a bar, and both with big windows overlooking The Plain; a few seats on the pavement at the front are supplemented by an enclosed yard at the back, where the seating is partially covered and heated. The upstairs room is not always open, and can be privately booked for functions. Food is served all day. The decor and furniture has improved after a refurbishment.

Chester Arms

19 Chester Street, Oxford OX4 1SN

A trendy back-street pub off the Iffley Road built in 1898 and now opened-out with boarded floors and powder blue painted walls. The stud copperwork bar front is of interest as are the brass light fittings but do not miss the original Halls Brewery stained and leaded glasswork on the entrance surrounds. There is a large patio garden to the rear with an impressive tree. If you want the famous Sunday Roast you need to be there before they open to get in the queue.

City Arms

288 Cowley Road, Oxford OX4 1UR

Formerly the University & City Arms and then a successful Firkin brew pub and then a keg only 'Scream' pub, the City Arms now has real ale again. There is a pool room where the brewery once was, and the bar area has lots of machines amongst its brightly-coloured sofas and chairs; the pub is very student orientated and admits no under 18s. Cheap food is served all day. There is no garden, just a pavement patio that has progressively been enclosed.

BrewDog Oxford

119 Cowley Road, Oxford OX4 1HU

A late Victorian building, this pub has changed hands (and name) a number of times in the last 2 years. Now taken over by BrewDog and fitted out with more tables and chairs. 15 beers on tap from BrewDog and others and plenty of cans and bottles. It should be much livelier than it has been for a while. Children welcome until 9.

Donnington Arms

147-151 Howard Street, Oxford OX4 3AZ

This classic 1930s corner pub struggled to survive for a while until it was taken over and re-opened as a Nepalese restaurant, which has built up a great reputation for the quality of its food. The pub retains its original layout, and some of the classic 1930s features such as fireplaces, and also keeps its separate public bar, which, with its dart board and other games, is run like a pub. The restaurant is run from the other room, the former lounge, and doesn’t intrude on the drinking area. This is a great example of how a back street pub can be kept open, catering for its local drinking trade whilst bringing people in from afar due to the quality of its food; we hope it thrives.

Coconut Tree

76 St Clements Street, Oxford OX4 1AH

Live Music

Didn't last very long as a 'co-working community hub' during the day (9-4 Mon - Fri) called the Wheelhouse where you can run your business or write that thesis for £3 an hour with free tea and coffee and after 5 and at weekends a pub/cocktail bar. Reopened Jan 2018 selling Sri-Lankan street food and cocktails. Has keg beer on tap.

Fir Tree

163 Iffley Road, Oxford OX4 1EJ

Multi-level pub with TV screens in the bar and front room and a quiet snug at the back. There is a small patio garden and smoking area to the rear and some pavement tables at the front. The interior of this quirky pub still bears the scars of its days as a Morrell’s Ale House, (and for a short while renamed the Old Ale House at the turn of the century) with a variety of finishes and artefacts and pictures on the walls. Very handy as a before and after-match venue for Oxford University Rugby Union FC, whose ground is opposite, and also for the athletics track, made famous by Sir Roger Bannister. Usually has an interesting choice of real ales. The kitchen is out of action at the moment.

Golden Ball

2 College Lane, Oxford OX4 4LQ

Basic two-roomed pub with a lively bar area with pool table and darts, and a quieter lounge. Don't take any notice of the signs, they don't have home cooked food or cask ale but there is a large garden with children’s play area and table football. Dog walkers are welcome.

Isis Farmhouse

The Tow Path, Iffley Lock, Oxford OX4 4EL

Quirky pub on the bank of the Thames, not accessible by road; just upstream from Iffley lock which you can cross from Iffley village or walk/cycle down the Thames path from Folly Bridge (just over a mile), or Donnington Bridge (about 500yds). Or tie your boat up outside. Large garden. Now has 3 hand pulls with beers from Oxford Brewery (previously Shotover). Also has local beers on tap, often Tap Social. Summer hours shown. May reduce hours (and days) in Winter and can close suddenly if no customers or the weather is bad. Phone if it matters.

James Street Tavern

47-48 James Street, Oxford OX4 1EU

Built in1872 as a private house and shop it soon became a pub called the Red, White, and Blue with a sign of 3 croquet balls. In 1995, under Morland, the complete interior was demolished to make one large bar to represent a Victorian tavern and the name was changed to fit. The manager left suddenly in December 2018 and now run by the same people as the Old Bookbinders in Jericho. Reopened mid May after refurbishment.

Jolly Postboys

22 Florence Park Road, Oxford OX4 3PH

The pub was built by Morrell’s in 1935 when William Morris was developing the Florence Park estate for his expanding number of workers at the nearby Cowley plant. Closed for some time and rumoured to be changing to a fast-food outlet has been taken on by the people who revitalised the Chester. Still Greene King but apparently free of tie. Internally a bit stripped out so can be noisy and set up to serve (apparently very good) meals. Sharing platters a speciality.

Magdalen Arms

243 Iffley Road, Oxford OX4 1SJ

The turn-around of this pub has been nothing short of remarkable - from a basic, rough sports bar into what it is now a well-run, gastro pub offering good beer and award-winning food. The pub has been split into two areas: a front bar, which has a strange mix of furniture and bric-a-brac including animal heads, and the restaurant area, which is screened off from the bar. Daily food specials are displayed on the blackboards, and the walls are also covered in modern art. The back garden is enclosed, and there is outdoor seating to the front and side too.

Marsh Harrier

40 Marsh Road, Oxford OX4 2HH

Small, welcoming, terraced pub just off the Cowley Road, an oasis in an area that is a real ale desert. It has a superb and extensive garden to the rear with a barbeque area. Under new management from the end of 2016 and steadily improving. Now doing food, pub grub, pizza, Sunday roast, and a vegan menu.

Old Black Horse Hotel

102 St Clements Street, Oxford OX4 1AR

Basic bar in an old hotel, originally a coaching inn. There are big screen televisions showing sport.

Original Swan

188 Oxford Road, Oxford OX4 2LF

A two-room corner pub with a large lively bar and a smaller, quieter lounge, both served by a central bar. The pub is reputed to be haunted. In the 19th century there were two pubs in Temple Cowley called the Swan. This one was built in 1854 and became the Original Swan in 1880 to avoid confusion with the other which was actually older and no longer exists. Always looks closed from the road, you have to go through the car park and in the back.

Oxford Blue

32 Marston Street, Oxford OX4 1JU

First recorded as a pub in 1880, the Swan, and changed to current sporting themed name in the 1980s. The Edwardian frontage is largely unchanged. It closed suddenly in December 2014 'to make the premises safe' and has now re-opened May 2018 under Charles Wells' Pizza, Pots, & Pints managed pub concept. Refurbished and opened up inside. The regular beers are from Wells & Co's new brewery in Bedford. The guest ale is served from a cask behind the bar.

Port Mahon

82 St Clements Street, Oxford OX4 1AW

Grade II-listed pub with several rooms, and a strange layout - the main room is up six steps from the street, and then you go down steps to the other room; the bar serves both at two levels. Often has music events hosted in an upstairs room; - there may be an entrance fee, check FB, there is a web site but it is not up to date. Note the wooden phone box and the board games; the doors on the ceiling are remnants from the Morrell’s ale house tat era. Extensively refurbished May 2019 and appears to no longer be part of 'Hungry Horse' operation.

Prince of Wales

73 Church Way, Oxford OX4 4EF

An excellent pub in the centre of Iffley village, set back from the road and surrounded by a garden; it was once the village bakery and became a pub in 1883. There is a good choice of Wadworth ales served from 2 banks of hand pumps. The smart décor, nice location, and free newspapers and books to read, make this a great place to relax. A 5 minute stroll from Iffley lock and the Thames path.

Rusty Bicycle

28 Magdalen Road, Oxford OX4 1RB

Lively and comfortable one-room inter-war bar, popular with students and young professionals from the East Oxford area. There is a patio garden with a heated shelter. Arkell’s took over the pub a few years ago and renamed it from the Eagle Tavern. It is now run by the Dodo Pub Co and has a sister pub in Jericho, the Rickety Press.

Blackbird

Blackbird Leys Road, Oxford OX4 6HT

A basic two-roomed pub at the centre of the Blackbird Leys estate. Blackbird Leys Farm was owned by James Morrell of the brewing family in the second half of the 19th century until sold to the city council in 1895. In the 1960s the area was developed as a council housing estate for workers from the nearby growing car industry and for people being moved out of St Ebbe's in the city centre which was being redeveloped. The pub was opened on 13 December 1962.

Star

21 Rectory Road, Oxford OX4 1BU

Traditional pub just off the Cowley Road with a pool room. Note the antique video games console in the bar, a rarity these days. Under new management from October 2020 and has had a clean up and a lick of paint. No food but kitchen being renovated.

Ampleforth

53 Collingwood Road, Oxford OX3 8HH

Estate pub built in 1939 by Ind Coope. The local of C. S. Lewis who lived nearby. Closed May 2015 and for sale. Local group formed Community Pub Co. ACV agreed. March 2017, Planning approval for conversion to community pub and some residential. Local group has lease from Heineken and pub reopened November. Now has new lease and expanded in to previously unused part.

Mason's Arms

2 Quarry School Place, Oxford OX3 8LH

Oxford CAMRA’s City Pub of the Year 2014 and 2016, and now again in 2019. It is a fantastic free house and a shining example of how a community pub should be run. The Meeson family have made this pub a focal point locally, offering a great range of beers, including some from their own brewery, Old Bog, named after the outhouse behind the pub, sadly not brewing at the moment. There are several sports teams (darts, aunt sally, bar billiards), and at the back of the garden there is a large function room, which is available for hire, and is also the venue for the annual Headington beer festival, normally held the first weekend in September. As well as the large garden, there is a heated decking area which can be used all year round. To complete the picture, there is sky sports on the numerous but not intrusive televisions, and other events such as meat raffles and quiz nights are as popular as ever. If you’re visiting Oxford, don’t leave until you’ve been here; the journey out from the centre is worth every penny!

Six Bells

3 Beaumont Road, Oxford OX3 8JN

Originally a private house and dates in part from 1782. A pub by early C19 and named after the 6 bells in St Andrew's Church. Easy to find near the London Road roundabout despite not having a proper pub sign. Extensively refurbished September 2018, including cellar and toilets. Has a number of separate seating areas and an L-shaped bar. Now managed by Sheldon Inns, who have a number of pubs in the Midlands, but still tied to GK.

White Hart

12 St Andrew’s Road, Oxford OX3 9DL

Terraced, stone-built pub opposite the church in Old Headington village, the White Hart has a good selection of Everards ales and guests and has 2 real ciders on the bar. It holds a beer festival every year in April or May. There are three drinking areas and a very large garden. Note the framed extract from a play 'The Tragi-comedy of Joan of Hedington' by Dr William King of Christ Church written in 1712 about the proprietor of a dishonourable ale house; thankfully now the pub has a much better reputation! The food is traditional and home-made with pies a speciality. Local CAMRA City Pub of the Year 2013 and 2017.

Black Boy

91 Old High Street, Oxford OX3 9HT

This pub and restaurant was taken over by Everards in spring 2013 and still has the main emphasis on food. A former basic Morrell’s pub and then Greene King; it retains a small bar area where you can have a drink. There are 5 boutique bedrooms available. The present pub was built in 1937 in the back yard of the original dating from mid C17 which was then demolished to widen the road. Called the Black Boy since at least 1805 there was originally a painting of a black servant above the door which came from a coffee shop in Little Clarendon Street, a that time called Blackboy Lane. The rebuilt pub had a sculpted figure of a black or Moorish servant in a niche above the entrance. This was destroyed in 1990 and replaced by a painting of a sooty chimney-sweep's boy. That has also gone and now there is just a stylised BB. Refurbished and reopened 1 Dec after 5 month closure. Opens 8am for breakfast.

Butchers Arms

5 Wilberforce Street, Oxford OX3 7AN

A friendly, back-street, late-Victorian hostelry; this red-brick pub is a little hard to find but worth searching out. The long single room has the bar in the middle, and a paved seating area outside. It offers a good range of Fuller's beers, traditional pub food, and light lunch options. The inn sign, a parody of the arms of the Butchers' Company, and the motto, which means 'God gives us everything', are both of unknown origin.

Chequers Inn

17 Beaumont Road, Oxford OX3 8JN

The oldest pub in Headington Quarry, the Chequers is a large building with a well-kept garden. In 2011 sub-divided so that the bar area remains, but the lounge is now operated as Aziz Restaurant (Indian and Bangladeshi).

Corner House

Hollow Way, Oxford OX3 7JF

Large Banks's pub by a roundabout with a central bar and two rooms with no internal connection. Built between the wars for the proposed Slade council estate which never happened. Still retains some original features such as a nice fireplace in the bar, and, apparently, some murals done by soldiers stationed at the nearby barracks during WW2 but they are papered over or hidden. A very welcoming, community focussed pub. In 2013 Marston's sold it to New River Retail who had plans to turn it into a convenience store but this fell through and it has been leased back to Marston's. Extensive refurbishment carried out Jan 2018.

Up in Arms

241 Marston Road, Oxford OX3 0EN

Present pub was built in the 1930s on the site of an earlier one (opened 1880), probably for Ind Coope. Sold as a Banks’s pub and converted into a Chinese restaurant in 2009; the old lounge (the library) area became a cocktail bar with red seats and purple walls; the larger former bar the dining area. Closed 'for refurbishment' at the end of 2015 and open sporadically in early 2017 but closed again. There was a proposal (March 2018) to covert to a 'cafe and Islamic Education Centre' but a local community group fought to save the pub and it is now open under the Dodo Pub Co. Originally called Somerset House from the legend that General Fairfax stayed in a house of that name when the Parliamentary troops were quartered on Headington Hill during the third seige of Oxford in 1646. Opens from 9 for breakfast with café vibe in the daytime and in-house coffee shop.

Victoria Arms

Mill Lane, Oxford OX3 0PY

A deceptively large, rambling pub, many people arrive here by punt on the Cherwell, but you can walk or drive along the road from Old Marston village. The buildings and land were bought by the Oxford Preservation Trust in 1959 to save the area from development, and it was leased to Wadworth for 125 years in 1986. There is a terrace and a large garden, popular in summer, where they sell ice creams and hold barbeques. Sold by Wadworth November 2020 and now run by Butcombe Brewery.

Gardeners Arms

8 North Parade Avenue, Oxford OX2 6LX

Opened as a Morrell's pub in1872 and has been run by David and Jenny Rhymes since 1993. The building is narrow, with a central bar and small kitchen, and seating front and rear. There is a baby grand piano which anyone sober enough is encouraged to play. There are old photographs of Oxford and a clocking-in machine among an interesting collection of objects on display. Good value food is served daily and both humans and dogs are catered for!

Gardener's Arms

39 Plantation Road, Oxford OX2 6JE

Established in the 1830s this is a cosy pub down a narrow street off Woodstock Road. A popular and relaxing place to eat and drink, the small bar opens up to a spacious dining area, once two rooms, serving some of the finest vegetarian and vegan food in the city. At the rear is a large and pleasant garden, as well as the outside toilets. The famous weekly quiz is on Sunday evening. After re-opening in summer 2021 the pub has decided to continue with table service because it is quicker and avoids queues at the very small bar.

Harcourt Arms

Cranham Terrace, Oxford OX2 6DG