All Bar One

Natasha Turner April 28, 2015

Having only ever glanced into All Bar One through their huge glass windows, I didn't realise quite how large the place is! It goes back and back and back, with two bars and various seated areas for dining. We went there for dinner on a Friday evening for a friend's leaving do and were led right through to the back dining area to a table that had our reservation name on it - a nice touch.

The atmosphere on a Friday evening is lively, and there's certainly a mix of people eating and those having after-work cocktails. It's not intrusive though, in fact it was much more enjoyable to have a bit of a buzz going on around us as we tucked into drinks of our own.

The deal of the night was a £15 bottle of Chiarli Pignoletto so we couldn't really help but order a bottle. It went down a treat and we ended up getting another! To eat, All Bar One offer main dishes or a selection of small plates for dinner. You can get three small plates for £16 or five for £26, which are great for sharing. The little mezze and feta and spinach bourek - which came with a smoky-tasting chilli jam - were particularly flavourful and it was definitely a good idea to order the patatas bravas to bulk out the meal. We ordered parmesan and rosemary fries on the side just in case we didn't have enough and I was so impressed by how the simple act of adding a cheese and a spice can spruce up a side so much! The only slightly disappointing plate was the wild Patagonian prawns, purely because the prawns were quite small and there were only a few of them. Our final plate of the five was the houmous and favetta, which, although maybe not as full of Moroccan spice as I would have hoped, was creamy and delicious. This came with some lovely, soft flatbread.

The waiter met our every need but was a bit over-attentive if anything. Having your drink topped up every time you take a sip is a little unnerving but I completely understand the urge to fish for tips at the end of your Friday night shift so that you can be the one sipping Prosecco instead of pouring it.

The décor is very swish and we definitely felt like we were in the right place to be celebrating. If you're after a quiet meal then I suggest looking elsewhere but if you have some partying planned and want to start the weekend in style, then I recommend All Bar One for a fancy meal without the fancy prices.

An update to my previous reviews: the aircon is fixed, and the Moet is still reasonably priced. Thumbs up again.

steve p 9 Aug 2012

In Aug 09 I said this was the most improved joint ever. How things change, as obviously they have lost whoever was responsible for that. The air con has broken down and not been fixed - it's a black hole in the summer now. Great pity.

steve p 1 Aug 2011

Has to be the most improved bar on the planet. Was once a dump with arrogant management, poor quality drinks, music far too loud and defective hygiene.

The drinks are good with a good range and well priced [like Moet champers at £33 the bott] and Moet itself has improved dramatically as antipodean competition has forced the French to get their act together.

The hygiene is excellent...I once spilt a small bottle of beer...staff descended in about 30 seconds to wipe it up.

The music is very backgroundish which is what I want. And the aircon works just fine, which helps in the summer.

Thumbs up for this place.

steve p 29 Aug 2009

We have not eaten here, but have always found this a great place for a pre-restaurant drink or a lazy Sunday afternoon glass of wine. There's a great range of continental beers and a fabulous wine list, which changes frequently.

Thankfully, the list includes some good French and Italian wines, if New World is not to your taste. The house wine is fine, but there are some really good options at the other end of the scale too - I recommend the Brouilly if you like your Beaujolais; my other half would probably recommend the Fume Blanc for white.

Beers and wines are both well kept, service friendly and efficient.

Daniel 7 Aug 2009

I would like to say that I wish the reviews I have read would have reflected a much better view of the bar in which I have worked for two years. All I can say is that, on behalf of all staff in All Bar One Oxford, is that we profusely apologise for any bad experiences that any patron may have had a poor visit to our bar.

It is true that in the past, we have been very badly run, and have rightly suffered because of it. I was working the shift in which featherpillow was so dissatisfied. It is true that we were utterly appalling on that day, confounded by three staff members not turning up for work, and the (now thankfully ex) manager swanning off at 1230, not to return before 1700. Again, all I can do is apologise, and promise that the bar is easily 100% better than it was on even a good day in summer 2007. We have a new menu, and are now overstaffed if anything- especially on the busy weekends. Our new manager has sorted out all of the problems that had affected the bar, and has strived us to now be consistantly over-performing takings wise. We also have scored over 95% for the last six months on our secret customer evaluation by the company.

Once again, I apologise sincerely to all customers who have been disenfranchised with the abysmal service of previous years. I promise that we have taken notice, and are now 100% better, and will prove that to you all through excellent service, delicious food and a well poured pint.

Andy R 15 May 2008

Having just enjoyed a wonderful evening in All Bar One I feel the need to make my comments. Being familiar with their bars across London, I thought surely it cannot be that bad! And it was not...the atmosphere was great, friendly, and attentive staff! A couple of decent tracks, all round a good bar feel! Table service on a Friday? Surely unheard of in Oxford in a bar from my previous experiences, but not here! Enjoyed a great selection of tapas- 6 plates for £20, sounds a bit much but left fully satisfied between three, with table service all night long! Change still in my pocket from a £20, having enjoyed a cracking bottle of vino or two, and not the house rubbish (highly recommend paying a little bit more for the next one up)! Cannot comment on lunch, but will keep you posted following my eggs benedict tomorrow!

Sigal 29 Jun 2007

can someone please close this place down!! Having been a regular for some years the place just seems to have been run into the ground by poor ownership and managers. The place in recent weeks has resembled a building site with the toilets being possibly the worst I have ever seen in a restaurant. They are certainly not of a standard that reflects their over-inflated prices. I had spoke to a manager of the attention needed to repair the broken flooring, only to find a month later nothing had been done!! I then find that the restaurant is staying open whilst it is being redecorated. As a customer it would have been nice to have been informed of 'men at work' before i entered the premises. All of this smacks of greedy owners who will not close in order to redecorate and would rather stay open to cream profits off unsupecting customers.

There are never enough staff, probably because no one wants to work there given the plethora of bars and restaurants on oxford, and most look downtrodden and that they don't want to be there.

There are certainly much better establishments than All Bar One. If you want an example of how not to run a restaurant then this is it.

the soothsayer 22 May 2007

All the complaints about food interest me not at all as I think you have to be slightly mad to want to eat in a place like this but the appalling - and ridiculously loud music got my goat. Not only did it start the evening too loud it got louder. When I - and two other, unconnected people - simultaneously asked for it to be turned down we were told it was automatic and the staff could not do anything. Bad service, which I have NOT had here, would only mildly annoy me, but being lied to by staff is the limit.
AVOID.

stephen p 18 May 2007

I've never yet been in this chain restaurant on The High without coming away deeply disatisfied. Today will no doubt be the end of the place - at least, every customer in it hoped so today. We waited forty-five minutes for lunch, were apologised to continuously by the three waiters who could not seem to get anyone's order right; we watched people leave in disgust at the wait or send their lunches back because they were burned/cold/incorrect. We witnessed the manager screaming at a waiter and the non-English-speaking cook being pressed into service as a waiter. Our lunch was soggy, late, and latterly covered in disinfectant spray as the waiter attempted to clean the table AFTER we had been served our food. When we went up to pay and expressed our disastisfaction, the manager spat the dummy, screamed at the entire restaurant and attempted to throw everyone out. Enough said, really.

featherpillow 6 May 2007

Whilst classier than establishments in George Street, I found All Bar One to be full of rude bar staff and clientele who think they are trendy even though they are hanging out in a chain pub. I ate here a number of times when it first opened circa 1999/2000 and thought it was ok if a little pricey for what it was, but there are far better places to grab a bite to eat so I don't bother anymore. Also, why oh why does this place continue to give you your bar change on a silver tray? It really annoys me that they can't simply put it in my hand!

Joe B 14 Mar 2007

Avoid like the plague. Dirty glasses, chipped plates and overpriced. Sort it out!!

14 Mar 2007

Appalling atmosphere, appalling service, appalling music, food OK (when it arrives!) but not great. All in all a pretty dismal experience. We went on Sunday late afternoon and though the place was pretty empty the staff had obviously no interest in serving us and were more into gossiping and giggling.

My partner had to physically block the end of the bar to attract the attention of the staff to order. The waitress then had the gall to ask if we wanted to add a tip to our CC bill!

It felt cold and sad and quite frankly had about as much ambience as a motorway service station. The music was too loud and it obviously only interested in the trendy young market .

All the appeal of a root canal. Don't bother.

Pamplemousse 30 Jan 2007

I agree you can't offer waiter service without waiters! The trouble with All Bar One is they try and be too many different things. Bar, coffee shop, bistro, restaurant, pub - make your mind up because it leaves the customer confused!

It's like they are trying to cover so many different areas even they don't know what they've morphed into.

If you are prepared to pay the over the top prices for their food I would advise going to a proper restaurant with a more relaxed ambience. One positive though is the staff are generally lovely. God knows how All Bar One hold on to them as they work them so hard.

frank w 26 Jan 2007

Tip - if it's busy in here you could be in for a long wait!!
This bar never seems to have enough staff on to cope, despite their best efforts. The last thing anyone wants is hastily prepared food delivered by a waiter running around like a headless chicken. The poor lad serving us ended up serving three tables at once. Whilst this might seem very ecconomical perhaps All Bar One could try and employ more staff as it is quite unsettling to see staff to-ing and fro-ing all the time!
I suspect the management are too busy trying to make as much as possible by spending as little as possible. More people would generate more money and make the place more comfortable. Stop thinking about your wallet!! Otherwise good.

amy 24 Jan 2007

All Bar One is your slightly-better-than-average chain bar with an inoffensive atmosphere. Good for large groups of people.

Having said that, an old flatmate of mine used to work for the one in Sheffield told me that the music they play is from the internet which somehow meant all the All Bar Ones across the country played the same music at the same time. Make of that what you will...

WL 14 Dec 2006

Having been put off by the distinct lack of atmosphere at All Bar One, my partner and I decided to brave it last week. We were spoken to and seated immediately by very friendly bar staff. We also opted for the sharing platters (6 for £20). The menu for the platters was good with a wide variety of options and different tastes catered for.
Between us we had (amongst other things) hummus and pitta bread, battered tiger king prawns with sweet chili dip, chicken satay with peanut dip and the duck wraps.

The food arrived very quickly and it soon became apparent that the reason behind this was that it was clearly all pre-packed and prepared and had probably been taken out of the freezer earlier in the day. The chicken satays were burnt and made with reconstituted meat, although the dip had a wonderful flavour. The pitta bread was also burnt (although I can concede that I hate the taste of charred food but it may suit other tastes - any Burger King fans etc.!) and although I had no problem with the duck, my partner complained that it tasted odd and of bad quality and refused to eat any more. The battered king prawns were good but again, quite clearly not made to order. The dips were the best part of the meal as they were all delicious and we had plenty to satisfy two of us. The hummus was ok - slightly bland and (strangely) greasy though.

Overall, not worth the money or enduring the awful ambience - however, the staff (and our waiter in particular) were fantastic - very friendly and helpful.

If you fancy a slightly up market chain pub with a bit of a rubbish atmosphere (and average food) then All Bar One is the place for you.

Dr Mukti 29 Sep 2006

Having discovered the great food offered by All Bar One while in London during a vacation, I have now become a regular at the Oxford version. It would be easy to overlook All Bar One as being simply another chain bar, rather than a restaurant, and the view from the street is of its long bar displaying various wines, and the large "over-21s only" sign. However, once inside, there are actually a large number of tables for enjoying a meal.

I have become a fan of the sharing plates available in the evening, at the affordable price of one for £4, two for £7.50 and three for £11. The selection offered includes hummus with a pile of pitta bread, tiger prawns and a Thai dip, spicy meatballs, and satay chicken. These can be added to by a (huge) bowl of chips for £1.95, or a selection of breads with olives and sundried tomatoes accompanied by balsamic vinegar and olive oil for £4. For those (men!) with larger appetites, a variety of "big plates" are offered, including a beef burger in ciabatta with chips, sausage and mash, chicken and pesto pasta and giant mushrooms with asparagus. These larger dishes come in at around £7-10. At lunchtimes the fare is slightly altered, with more smaller options, such as soup and sandwiches at about £4-6.

All Bar One naturally also offers a large selection of wines and beers from around the globe, with the wines starting from around £9. The service when I have visited has generally been very good, although at the weekends it can get very crowded, which means that a long wait at the bar to order food can follow. It also tends to get quite smoky in the evenings, which may be a problem for some during a long wait at the bar. However, the convenient High Street location, affordable prices, and tasty food make All Bar One a great option for a group night out or a long boozy lunch.

Victoria Head 4 Mar 2004

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