The Bear Inn
6 Alfred Street, Oxford, OX1 4EH
About
A tiny pub on the corner of Alfred Street and Blue Boar Street that claims descent from a coaching inn dating back to the 13th century, which puts it in the argument for Oxford's oldest. The rooms are small enough that tall drinkers stoop, and the walls and ceiling are lined with thousands of framed snippets of club, school and regimental ties, a collection built up since the 1950s. Now run by Fuller's, it pours well-kept ale and serves pub food, with a decent covered area out the back taking the overflow. No reservations culture to speak of; turn up, duck, and squeeze in.
Photos
Features
First time in an Irish pub?
Rounds, trad sessions, last orders, and a few small things worth knowing before you order.
Read our pub-culture primer →More Pub Restaurants
The Magdalen Arms
East Oxford's benchmark gastropub: daily changing seasonal menu, proper front bar, closed Mondays. Worth the walk from the centre.
Turf Tavern
The famous hidden pub under the old city wall, dated to 1381, found down an alley off New College Lane. No bookings May to September.
The Perch
A thatched inn at Binsey across Port Meadow, with the best pub garden near the city. Food daily noon to 9pm; the walk earns the pint.