The Chequers (central Oxford)

I went here for lunch today, arriving around 12.45pm. I ordered the burger for lunch and it came pretty quickly. It looked like it would be good as it was a nice thick handmade-looking burger, actually I had the large so there were two. Unfortunately they were both grossly overcooked being black in places on the outside and extremely dry and tasteless on the inside. I suspect they would have been lovely with a little less cooking. It took quite a lot of ketchup to get such dry food down! When the member of staff who was clearing tables was came over (after I'd finished) she asked if everything had been OK. I said the burger had been overcooked, dry and tough and she simply said, in a very disinterested manner, "Oh, I'll mention it". The pub was quite busy by this time so I didn't pursue it but I must say if staff are going to ask how food is then they might at least pretend to be interested in the answer they get! That said The Chequers is a nice pub otherwise with a wider choice of beer and a very large amount of seating for a venue so close to Carfax.

Tony Brett (DI User), 23/06/11

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Shame about the earlier review. This pub is fast becoming an Oxford classic. A fabulous range of beers served in excellent condition. Also a good range of unusual ciders and other tipples. I've eaten in here regularly and found the food to be above average and the service to be very good. This used to be quite a lacklustre place but it has imporved enormously over the last 6 months or so. There's plenty of places to sit (unusual in central Oxford) and the service at the bar is very efficient. It's a regular for my crowd of locals.

foxy (Unverified), 13/04/11

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The Chequers, one of Oxford’s larger city centre pubs, has relaunched its food menu, taking the focus away from bog standard “pub grub” and placing more emphasis on the quality of the food.

Unfortunately, it hasn’t worked. Everything was incredibly heavy (even the salmon en croute and Mediterranean vegetable tart were overwhelmingly stodgy) and had a distinct air of school dinners. Some of the dishes were not just boring, but actively unpleasant. The mash that came with the confit of pork tasted suspiciously like Smash and the pork itself was tasteless. The cheesecake had a bitter crust and a sour berry sauce, the two fighting for dominance on a depressing, flabby wodge of white goo.

The dishes that I most liked (a very comforting pressed pork terrine and a summer pudding, which was lovely in the same way that anything soaked in sugar and cream is lovely) were the ones that embraced the tradition of heavy English food. For something nice to put in your mouth when it’s drizzling outside, a lot of the menu is probably fine. But for anything more than that, the quality just isn’t there.

This is a shame, because The Chequers is a properly nice pub for drinking in. The pub is tucked off the High Street but ignored by tourists, with a rich history and beautiful architecture (most of the interior was built in the 1500s). It’s friendly too, with a decent and well-kept selection of real ales as well as a fair wine list. It’s a brilliant place to have a pint - but, probably, not so great for dining.

Lucy Ayrton (DI Reviewer), 13/04/11

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The Chequers is a great spot. It’s hidden location down an alleyway served it well all those years ago when the eccentric Landlord had on show his exotic (and surely illegal) collection of stuffed and live animals including, legend has it, a shark, seals and a camel. Today the alleyway location doesn’t stop thirsty punters from venturing off the High St to sample the local tipples, good food and lively atmosphere of one of Oxford’s historic pubs.

The new food menu is a notch above traditional pub fayre, serving such delicacies as Salmon en Croute and Braised Pork Confit. The ‘Pub Classics’ do make a strong appearance on the menu though so you can still get your fix of sausage and mash and chicken pie. The tasting menu gave us a tantalising sample of a dish from each section of the menu and varied quite widely in tastiness and quality.

The Pressed Pork and Sage Terrine with Glazed Apple knocked our socks off at the start. Soft, crumbly meat and sweet, crunchy apple combined marvellously. The Roasted Mediterranean Vegetable Tart however, whilst looking pretty, seemed to consist almost solely of onions cooked in various ways and was not particularly satisfying as the only veggie option served.

Next came the disappointing Braised Pork Confit. Here the dish was cold, the mashed potato scarily tasted too similar to the school dinner favourite ‘Smash’, the bacon was soggy and rather insipid and the only redeeming feature was our old friend the glazed apple. And so to the Salmon en Croute: a peppery, puff pastry tartlet that would have been great with just a little more flavour.

Finally pudding, which turned out to be a bit of a saving grace. Beautifully presented samples of New York style Baked Cheesecake and Summer Pudding were alternately rich and satisfying and fresh, the latter featuring deliciously moist sponge layers and crunchy berries.

All in all I would say that the menu isn’t terrible, and I dare say that when cooked fresh and complete these dishes would be more impressive. I worry though that in moving away from traditional and wholesome pub grub, the quality might have dropped…but it's a bold menu with lots of choice and as we all know, the proof is in the pudding, and the pudding happened to be rather good.

Nina Brown (DI Reviewer), 13/04/11

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The Chequers has relaunched. Amazingly, last night was the first time in all my years in Oxford that I have been into this particular hostelry. Part of the Nicholson chain, the pub has the same menu as The Crown on Cornmarket and The Eagle and Child on St Giles. I guess this means you can hope for a consistent product (though less can be said about adding to Oxford's culinary diversity).

The menu is standard pub fare with a couple of nods towards the more gastro end of the market. This launch allowed patrons to taste small samples of four dishes: Pork Terrine with glazed Apple, Braised Pork with Bacon, Mash, Cider Sauce and glazed Apple, Mediterranean Vegetable Tart and Salmon en Croute. Though this made it difficult to predict future full-portion-size value-for-money, I can comment on quality. The Pork Terrine was the only starter available and I would happily order that to enjoy. It was well-seasoned with plenty of texture and flavour. The Braised Pork was a little anonymous; the mash was soft and nicely seasoned, the bacon added a good salty kick but the pork - rather than being the centrepiece of the dish - was lacking in oomph. Other tasters at my table reported that the other dishes were perfectly tasty.

I guess it is a little early to judge the success of the new menu; that will come as others get a more rounded experience. I shall certainly be back to try a full serving of the terrine!

Simon Tavener (DI Reviewer), 13/04/11

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Went recently and was really impressed with the latest refit (I guess it may have been done a few years ago but I haven't been for ages so am none the wiser). I always liked The Chequers but thought it a bit grotty. Now however it is really cosy with some nice fittings and a much more inviting atmosphere. It definitely feels geared towards the tourist trade as it seems to be doing its best to create that traditional olde-English pub feel. But at the same time it shouldnt be overlooked by locals as the drinks selection is really good with a large selection of real ales and lagers (Stella Black anyone?) and a reasonable looking menu including a selection of pies.

Joe B (Unverified), 02/04/11

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