The Trout Inn
Restaurant & Drinking Establishment
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Rambling riverside pub in the attractive village of Wolvercote, an hour's walk across Port Meadow (or a 10-minute drive from Oxford centre, up Woodstock Road and turn left). Peacocks, extensive outdoor seating, pretty bridge joining terrace to a private garden on the other side of the river. VERY popular in summer, especially with students taking visiting parents. Reopened March 07 after refurb. |
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195 Godstow Road Ads by Daily Info:
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I decided to take my elderly mother to The Trout, a birthday lunch. We have always loved the setting of the pub and had not been for quite a few years. Boy - has it changed. What is it about this country and pubs trying to be pseudo nouveau international cuisine? What a weird mix of a menu! I settled for a hot chicken salad and Mum ordered the duck salad. My daughter had a pizza, which I have to say, at least the base was home made! As for my salad, certainly not the best. Even the croutons were odd! Mum's duck salad was beyond 'crispy' and came with a brown elastic band! I kid you not, she was chewing away and then realised what ever was in her mouth was not quite right - she put it on the side of her plate and it was a brown elastic band! The waitress was somewhat surprised too. She dealt with it very well and said we would not be charged for the duck salad. The puddings were good, but should have been at £5.50 apiece! Not overly impressed at all with the food or the 'furniture shop' style decor. Oh you poor old Trout Pub, when will someone get it 'right' for you! Mik, 30/05/08 As a regular customer to The Trout I feel I must support the staff here. It is very true that recently the service has not been too good, but please spare a thought for these people; they work very hard for many hours without a break; they have also been short staffed recently so it's virtually impossible for them to give good service. Why not speak to the management? These are the people that need to sit up and take note, not the hard working, polite staff. friendly customer, 13/05/08 We had a great time down at The Trout this weekend. The weather was fantastic and I can't think of a better place to have been. We all enjoyed some great food and drinks on the terrace by the river. the pub was so busy - it was amazing how the staff kept going - they're superhuman! I think that the changes here have all been for the best. And it's not just me who believes that - just look at how many people were in the pub! I'd recommend The Trout to all my friends! Stu, 12/05/08 We were a party of 4 yesterday and had a nice afternoon at the Trout but it's a mixed bag on service. There are plenty of staff and the chap organising the dining area outside was a star - well organised and professional; waiting staff taking orders were a trifle erratic though, as were the bar staff. Food was rather good and you can't fault the location, but you have to accept that you are paying for that location. I agree that the old interior has been largely trashed and it now looks way too much like a designer furniture store, so some character has been lost forever. GET THERE EARLY at weekends and book ahead for a certain table. On a hot summer day I kid you not - you'll need to get there no later than 11:30am as outside tables for dining are on a first come, first served basis. Ben, 12/05/08 Quite possibly the WORST service in Oxfordshire. I always try to give this pub a chance as I think the setting is lovely. But it's no joke that every time I go the service is horrible. I went in on Sunday night with a friend at about 8:30 and was told that the kitchen was still open but that we'd need to order in the next ten minutes. Fine. We were told to go through to the bar (though there were tables available in the restaurant) and that someone would give us menus. We tried to order drinks and were told we were on the 'wrong' side of the bar so we moved from one side of a pillar to the other and were then served. As no one appeared and time was ticking (since we had been told that we had to order in ten minutes) my friend went to ask for menus - there were no waiting staff to be found. Finally, one came out of the kitchen and my friend explained our situation. We were seated - and asked if we knew what we wanted already (we hadn't seen the menus yet) so we chose (clearly we didn't bother with a starter). It took them 10 minutes to come to our table to take our order - and apparently we looked utterly hydrated as we weren't even offered drinks! Food came - (it's not great - not bad - just mediocre) but the waiter that brought it plopped my plate of food next to me - as he said it had been a long night - clearly he'd lost the strength to stretch his arm those 3 inches more and actually place my plate in front of me. When we had finished our meals they came over and asked us if we wanted pudding (shock). We said no so they just left us - apparently we were still too hydrated to drink coffee - let alone any other beverage. No bill - nothing - we could have walked out and no one would have noticed. We asked for the bill, the waitress came over and coughed on our cards (kid you not!) and then we left. Don't expect good service - you won't get it. Go in with zero expectations and you might, just might get a decent night out. oxfordservicelazy, 30/04/08 The interior has been vastly changed, and in my opinion, ruined. Expect to queue for ages for a table outside on a sunny Saturday lunchtime. They may give you a menu at the other tables outside but you won't be allowed to eat there. The menu was limited and expensive. Stupified, 26/04/08 I have to agree with Binty that the makeover has gone too far - the original features now look like fakes! But on a busy Sunday lunchtime, we had a great meal - fantastic fish risotto (really a stew!) and a superb pizza voted the best outide Trastevere - washed down with a very acceptable Adnams bitter. Still the best Sunday outing possible on a nice sunny day. Uncle Gareth, 31/03/08 I dropped in at the Trout for a Saturday afternoon meal fully prepared to like it. This is my second time there since the refurb and while I still wish they'd left it as it was, the decor didn't grate as much as last time (but still exuded that shiny, slightly cheap All Bar One feel, which I suppose is exactly the point). We started with a 'tapas' plate for two, which was £10 but gave a tasty selection of tortilla, spanish sausage, serrano ham, tapenade, etc. Favourable first impressions largely dispelled by the main course, chicken with chips for another £10, which was sub-Nandos: soggy, badly cooked, accompanied by a mayo-laden sauce, and served with a conspicuous empty space on the plate to highlight that I hadn't wanted to fork out an extra £4 for some veggies and they couldn't be bothered to provide even a salad garnish. The 'special' pizza looked decidedly ordinary; judging by other tables most diners seem to plump for the battered fish and chips. Service was friendly but as slow as it was back in the old Trout, in the days of horsebrasses and JRR Tolkien. However the riverside setting is still unbeatable and as long as you are prepared to lower your culinary expectations there are worse places to spend a long afternoon. Terence, 31/03/08 I was totally dismayed when I visited The Trout this weekend after 12 years. Despite the high quality of the refurbishment and friendly service, hundreds of years of The Trout's history and character has been totally erased in this interior make-over. The beams might as well be mock, for all the evidence of the pub's history. The make-over is totally of its time, and all the more gutting for that. A very great, irreparable loss. Binty, 25/03/08 We ate at The Trout for the first time in ages recently. It’s been totally overhauled—lovely décor, young, enthusiastic management and a ‘foodie’ vibe. It was really, really good. The food was of a standard that far exceeded the price. Through each course and right down to details like the bread and vegetables, it was really good and fresh. Great menu, good selection of seasonal specials. A veggie who usually ends up with something uninspiring and covered in cheese, I had a really good plate of pasta. The others had roast chicken and beef and a pork chop, there was a baked Camembert to die for. Good coffee, and selection of beers, wines etc. at the bar, and, happily, a great selection of non-alcoholic drinks too. I think The Trout was awful before. You couldn’t book a table, which meant that you generally queued for ages. At least now you can! Highly recommended, am looking forward to going again! Kate, 02/02/08 Having been dismissed as "a globe of light", I felt quite inspired to write a lament, for an Oxford that has totally forgotten its most famous legend and the ghost of Godstow. "Through years of leaves the river flows, Swans and peacocks, reeds, and rows Of sisters’ graves washed over. Stone houses, Inns, cover, Where I met my royal lover. Here, where poets, writers, dreamers, Talked and drank as twilights glowed, Times mingled, I lingered. Fools nullify the past that showed, Now mundane Mundus forgets its Rose." The White Lady, 22/01/08 We had a lovely family meal at your restaurant over the Christmas period:the food was delicious and the staff great. We took some photos inside and were so surprised when we had them developed to find that one of them had an energy orb on it. Is this your resident ghost? Martin and Yvonne, 20/01/08 Whoever has brought this about doesn't understand what an English pub is. It will still be very popular because some people like going to restaurants; that's what this is. I hope and pray that the owners return to tradional pint pulling and wholesome pub food with good fresh local ingredients. That is what this fantastically located pub deserves. CA, 16/01/08 Funny how this attracts so much attention.... or maybe not. We didn't even get to a table; we were told there were none available for two hours. It's a pub. The idea is you turn up. Everyone expected a wait before. Now Sunday lunch has to be planned days in advance... SLF, 11/01/08 Just wanted to thank The Trout for the wonderful time my family and I had on Christmas Day. Food was delicious, staff very friendly and loved all the table decoration, beautiful finishing touches.... Highly recommended for next year. williams family, 05/01/08 As occasional visitors to the Trout over the last thirty-something years, we returned on Saturday with some trepidation. And we were very pleasantly surprised - the food was good in both quality and quantity, and not over-priced. The platters to share for starters are particularly recommended, and a long walk over Port Meadow to work up an appetite first would be a good idea. The staff were friendly and efficient, without being over-attentive - they left us just the right length of time before taking our order, then the food came quickly even though the place was quite busy. And that, of course, is the Trout's biggest challenge - it will always be very popular because of its location and the worldwide publicity it has received from Morse & Co. There were lots of overseas visitors having lunch on Saturday - though not apparently very many students. The table numbers on the terrace go up to over 200; that's potentially a huge number of people to cater for at any one time. Of course the new decor won't please everybody, but personally I'd rather eat in an Ikea dining room than a dark and gloomy old building that's been kippered in tobacco smoke for the last three hundred years. And whilst the Trout isn't exactly easy to get to, at least you can park the car free of charge. Next time we are meeting friends in Oxford I know where I shall be recommending that we meet for lunch. JC (Worcester 1970), 05/11/07 I loved The Trout!! The location is superb. The decor is really lovely, very trendy yet retaining all the old character features. Our food was very good, especially the haddock soup (I could eat this all day long), rack of lamb and chocolate pud. Our waitress was a very friendly efficient Australian girl. Excellent experience!! I loved the Trout!!, 03/11/07 Last night we rolled by The Trout to break up a long journey. We detected the changes as soon as we walked in the door. We could not stay because we had not booked a table. We looked in the windows and checked out the riverside patio. The only way to describe the changes is vandalism. Typically bland, characterless, cheap and nasty. We will not return unless the olde world english pub is reinstated. 28/10/07 With reference to a previous Review: "Oh yes, one thing I noticed, sign on bar; no bare chests, footie shirts or rugby shirts. First two, fine, but the fact that most rugby shirts are college etc and not polyester ads for Carlsberg... just seemed a little odd! " Oxford's favourite Old Inn wot it haves, Is gutted and given posh lavs And a shiny new bar To attract all the Rahs And a notice to warn you "No Chavs." P.L.U., 19/10/07 Have visited many time in the past. We have mixed experiences. Once made the mistake of taking seasoned restaurant goers who were appalled at the poor service and mistakes. To our regret we have found recently that staff have become increasingly obtrusive and sometimes unpleasant. Over micromanaged is our verdict. Avoid this place if you want a pleasant night out. Ocassional Visitor, 15/10/07 After a miserly-sized and grossly over-priced snack lunch at a riverside place down-river at Streatley, my wife and I expected the worst, decided to hedge our bets, and ordered a 'to share' tapas. What a delight. Decent portions of a totally delicious assortment of flavours, beutifully presented and exceptionally reasonably priced. Any ideas of lunch in Oxford (or anywhere else) were quickly abandoned. Service was pleasant, polite and quick; always there, but not obtrusive. A lot has, of course been lost in the refurbishment but, given that the old has gone, they've done a very decent job of it we thought. Not glitzy, just quietly understated. Really looking forward to another visit on a slightly warmer and sunnier day, when we can sit outside janda, 12/10/07 Sorry to say that this delightful pub has been completely ruined by this latest "makeover". It now looks like something out of an Argos or Ikea catalogue; all frosted glass, leather and (fake?) wooden flooring. The fireplace whose open fire used to delight us in winter is now just an arty "wall of logs", just like you'd find in a branch of Zizzi. Apart from its delightful setting, virtually all character has been removed and dumped in a skip. Whoever thought this up should be ashamed of themselves. I won't be going again. I think I'll have a nice picnic on Port Meadow instead, go to the Plough in Wolvercote, and wait for the much-missed Perch to re-open. Disappointed Wolvercote Resident, 17/09/07 I'v been to The Trout several times since the refurbishment and feel it's about time I wrote a review... I would say it's not that bad. Obviously with such a beautiful setting this place will always be popular. I think most of the staff are very friendly but some of the managment are not. As for the food it could be better but I have tasted worse... but don't try the pizzas - they are a bit soggy, so really if you're not looking for anything too spectacular then try this place. Jenny, 15/09/07 First visited Trout as a child in early 60's when a Scotch Egg and a bag of crisps was best offering on the food front. Certainly it's altered over the years and trades on position and associations. I'm sure the new owners paid a fair bit for all that. Know their others quite well and they are very good, consistently busy. Quirky fixtures is now pretty much accepted as the norm, yes it was pleasant to have faded oils, old college pics etc but times they do change... Visited last night with 3 young clients who really enjoyed their first visits. Service pleasant, bit slow and laid back, bar staff ok and food was acceptable pub fare, I'd never say to anyone visit for that alone. There are better within a few miles for sure although Oxford is not spoilt for choice in that department. Oh yes, one thing I noticed, sign on bar; no bare chests, footie shirts or rugby shirts. First two, fine, but the fact that most rugby shirts are college etc and not polyester ads for Carlsberg... just seemed a little odd! markgj, 14/09/07 Food OK, but real problem with their attitude. We were told we could not have bar food in the bar because "it gets busy", though it was empty. We were told we could eat outside but there were no tables outside. When we did find a table we were told it was the wrong bit of outside. When we complained we were eventually offered a table in the dining room. We took it, but we did not want a sit down meal - just a bar snack. Why is this so difficult to achieve? I guess they can boss people around like this because they get customers however they treat them but I won't be returning. Grumpy Old Woman, 03/09/07 Having been to the old Trout before Mitchell & Butler's modernisation (www.mbplc.com), it was a real disappointment to experience this new Trout. It had a soulless ambience that you would see in any high street chain establishment (not what we would come all the way to the Trout to experience). In addition, the food was very bland, dull and badly put together - my rare steak was actually cooked well-done and my girlfriend's crab salad consisted of salad leaves (without any dressing) with some cooked crab meat (also without any dressing) bunged on top which we were charged 11 pounds for. Bad food, bad atmosphere but the service was fine. We certainly won't be returning any time soon. And we hope that Mitchell & Butlers won't go and destroy any more fine pubs around Oxford. R.I.P. C&I, 25/08/07 First time in the 'new' Trout, my local, since the makeover. Boy, was I disappointed. We sat down well before 6 p.m. outside on a sunny evening in August and waited and waited. Eventually we asked one of the waitresses for a menu and then waited some more.Eventually it arrived but no wine list. Finally when we did decide to order we were told that we could not order off the full menu as we were outside and it was past 6 p.m. We were handed a small A5 menu but were told if we moved a few feet inside we could indeed order what we wanted. We dug in and spoke to the manager - and eventually were allowed to order what we wanted outside in August on a sunny evening! I wish I hadn't. My fish pie was very bland and dry. In fact it should have been called mash pie but kept me busy as I played a game called find the fish. I found three pieces and am still waiting to hear if I won that night. I complained and they did not charge. Sadly, the Trout still uses its good looks to charm people and then fails to deliver. It can and does get away with poor service and food because most diners only come once as passing visitors. A real disappointment. Mr C, 24/08/07 Right, I have been looking forward to writing this. I was a big fan of the old Trout and went frequently. The overwhelming number of negative reviews put me off going until last week as I felt I would side with the old timers and hate it. So I was intrigued to see what I would find. Overall it was a nice experience but it was one of the first sunny days of the summer so it should have been. Some things were better, many things worse. We arrived to no greeting and so strolled outside, spotted an empty table and started towards it. We were nearly in our seats when a staff member ran over shouting 'excuse me, there's a waiting list'. I suppose this is a good idea but we should have been greeted and informed if it's not just 'turn up and find a seat'. We didn't mind waiting as we weren't in a rush so we headed to the bar where, although the queue was shorter than the old days (this being, I assume, cos it's not as popular and wasn't as full as I remember, which I suppose is also good) we had to wait just as long as there was only one barman serving. He didn't know how to do a proper lager top either. My girlfirend asked for coke and, without asking if she wanted ice and lemon, grabbed a handful of ice and shoved it in her glass. That's just shocking. The 'coke' tasted suspiciously like pepsi. My friend's orange and lemonade cost more than an orange juice and a lemonade put together. The food service was better than before, we didn't have to catch someone's eye or wait too long for food to arrive. I didn't think the price was too bad but it was the first time i've ever felt hungry after eating a burger and chips cos there was just so little of it. Also, they didn't come round with a tray of condiments which was one of my favourite things about the old trout. The staff didn't look our way and I didn't want to get up so I had sauceless chips. The decor inside wasn't nearly as bad as I feared. It's pretty easy to avoid the small zebra print area and The Trout still retains its traditional charm. I had a nice time, I will go back, but I'm glad my expectations had been lowered or I would have been disappointed. MB, 08/08/07 3 of us went for sunday lunch 5/8/07 1.00 p.m Never been before. Pretty setting. Very nice meal. Welcoming staff. Meal a little over - priced, but nevertheless very enjoyable experience. The place was very busy indeed but we had booked previously as it was for partners birthday. Would recommend it to anyone especially on a day like it has been today, nothing like being sat by the river enjoying a meal that someoner else has cooked for a change. LINDA, MARK & STEPHEN, 05/08/07 Loved it, and will most certainly be returning. I had a girlie evening there a couple of weeks ago... the seating was perfect, cosy room with soft lighting, the food was excellent - we all thoroughly enjoyed it. I had seared salmon on crab and chilli linguine, it was exquisite. The cost was about average for an upmarket Oxford eating place. Dont let the naff reviews sway you, book a table and try it for yourself. Poochmorgan, 16/07/07 A real disappointment. The Trout has been refurbished to high standards and I cannot deny it is a lovely place for a drink. The style is modern/cozy meets rustic and it still manages to retain a lot of the historical character it is famed for but the food was a big let down. My burger was a tiny, shrivelled piece of flavourless beef with a minuscule portion of rather bland fries and though I had been told it would be served still "pinkish" (as they had refused to serve it "blue" to me) it was completely tasteless to being so overcooked it could have been any meat. The Brunette's smoked trout salad was in his words: "OK but not exactly worth the money". The beef Carpaccio I had had as a starter was fine but bland and the portion was also very miserly. The place was absolutely packed so I suspect bad reviews are never going to affect business . The location is after all so fantastic. It is a real shame though, I have never had a good eating experience at "The Trout" in over 18 years and I had hoped the new refurbishment was heralding a new era of gastronomic delights. It seems not and this is a real shame as the place is really lovely and the setting so relaxing. The service to give them credit was excellent , friendly and efficient (considering the huge clientele) but this is sadly not enough to bring me back for more than a drink. Pamplemousse, 02/07/07 Aliens have more taste than to write reviews like I have read below. Certainly Mr Tennant's Dr Who does. Just because anyone over the age of 25 seems to be terrified of change does not mean that those of us that still have our own hair can't have a say in modern refurbishment. Tasteful refurbishment can add to a historic setting and does not always detract. I feel that the new changes really add to the very special ambience of The Trout. The food was satisfying and timely and the service polite and understanding. Anonymous, 30/06/07 Wow! Not as hard to please!, 11/06/07 After previous visits I was expecting a nice big juicy burger in ciabatta bread and a nice helping of crispy chips and salad to eat whilst sat by the river at The Trout. But apparently they've been refurnished and are now "more of a restaurant than a pub" and "are run by a different company" which basically means that the menu items have an average of £3-4 added on from what they used to be. The burger is a solid miniscule chunk of gristle and tasteless cheap meat, wrapped in a semi burnt and chewy midi burger bap, lettuce so lank and dark green it looked like spinach (but without the taste) and some unmemorable relish. The generous portion of chunky crisp chips have turned into what look and taste like macdonalds mini portions of french fries. What a disappointment. macdonaldswerebetter, 04/06/07 Have just been to the Trout tonight for the first time in a while and have to say not my cup of tea. The menu is more expensive than before and you now get served at your table and can't eat outside after 8pm. The food was very good but not the place for cheap pub fare which is a real shame. The building has lost some of its charm. I never had any complaints under Vintage Inn ownership and at least you always knew what you were getting - and despite what others have said on this board I felt that Vintage Inn staff were always very friendly and I don't feel the current staff are any better or worse. Also we paid in cash and no change was given - I can only assume it was kept as a tip - I would like to have that option open to me and not assumed. I have to say I won't be returning - yet another Oxford pub that has gone upmarket. Stefan, 01/06/07 This self selling "location" was an historical Inn 900 years old, famous world wide, visited as a charming flag stoned Olde English Pubbe with ghosts and literary connections.. Even the Vintage inn management respected this actually genuine character. Doesn't anyone ask Why the queues to get served use to be so long? Doesn't it suggest to even a halfwit that it was immensely popular? The new management has squashed The Trout into its own "contemporary" trademark image of "stylish" (whatever that actually means) "eating house" - like their 20 other presumably likewise emasculated pubs. I suppose one has to be grateful the owners didn't lease it to a Little Chef chain this time. Or perhaps not. Even if the food and service are now the best on the planet, to disregard the traditon of such a place is just arrogant idiocy. And then they are surprised people are angry? Much longer term trout customer, 29/05/07 The trout has gone through three levels of management in 6 years. Give the new management a chance. The new management appear to have turned the location around. The service was notably improved and certainly heading toward excellent and the food was absolutely wonderful. 6 years ago the service, while friendly, was deplorably slow, to the point where I would take out of towners only as there are other pubs with similar (if not so spectacular)atmosphere. On refurbishment 3 - 4 years ago the location was deemed self selling, food quality significantly diminished, and the service rapidly degenerated to not very good and also deplorably slow. I will be returning on a regular basis (first time for 3 years) Longtime Trout Patron, 23/05/07 Though DailyInfo leads the field it’s interesting what other sites say. BeerintheEvening contributors aren’t keen. ‘What they have done to this pub over the past 5 years is borderline criminal,’ says hongkongdave. ‘If you think Vintage Inns had wrecked one of the most famous Old Pubs in the country,’ says oldguy, ‘you should see it inside now.’ Anonymous is eloquent. ‘Never again,’ he concludes. tom pom at itchyoxford notes the hats-off rule: ‘A very expensive and pretty ordinary meal was, weirdly, followed by a request (demand) that my son take his hat off!’ On the Abingdon Herald site Lorna Logan comments: ‘If you want to create a good “contemporary” restaurant why choose the most famous ancient pub in England to transform? Surely there are plenty of modern buildings that didn't need wrecking.’ Chris Gray, writing for the Oxford Times, loved it. But my favourite is fishface on oxfordshireforums: ‘I think it’s been gutted by aliens who have replaced Christopher Gray with a shapechanger lookalike that goes on about how good the (free to him) food is now it’s not a pub any more. You can tell it’s Aliens from the arty things on the walls like big squashed nipples. And the things like skinned cats on the floor. And only an alien would cover up flagstones and gut the most historic and famous old pub in Oxford. You know where you can stick your white bean soup. So why are they allowed to get away with it? Rise up ye olde Trout lovers of Oxford and hurl the squishy cushion thingees you have to perch on now into the Weir! Where is Dr Who when you need him to save Earth. Let us go forth and demand the restoration of our lovely old Trout and bring back real ale!’ Richard, 22/05/07 The Trout Inn at Wolvercote, following its refurbishment, is now just a pretty spot by the river (and it's the view from the terrace that makes it so). How can any business spend so much money and get it so wrong, surely the point is to keep the best of the old, evolve what you've got and make the new something better - thereby keeping old customers and attracting new ones? It's no longer friendly or welcoming and has been entirely stripped of character (inside and out) - it obviously did not occur to the owners that charm is a selling point. I acknowledge the decor is good quality (albeit swish), but I can get that in any decent restaurant chain . And who thought up the low-seating in the bar area - not exactly conducive to eating - and the idea of cramming the tables together on the terrace? The bar menu is limited, food ok (but not hot) and absolutely no choice of desserts. I hope the restaurant menu has more choice and is not quite so overpriced - £3 for a fingerbowl of "frites" and the most sorry excuse for a pizza that I've had in a long time. I have been lunching there every couple of months for several years with friends and we will be withdrawing our patronage. It's no longer suitable for long weekend lunches, people arriving over the course of an hour to join the group, with the odd extra person turning up, and children in tow. They have gone after a different sort of clientele, although the place wasn't exactly buzzing today, and our money just doesn't fit - never mind, who needs customers anyway? Morse would turn in his grave. Hosty-Ghosty, 19/05/07 My first visit to the Trout since 1969!!! I was tempted to cancel when I downloaded the map and found a poor review next to it but was meeting up with friends from College days. Well, we had a wonderful time! Table for six reserved for us, young attentive staff , approprite length of time before meal arrived; fresh ingredients and well presented. We would go back just for the decor we found it so pleasant. We took our coffee outside by the river when we had finished eating. A very positive experience. Thank you Trout staff. JG, 10/05/07 We've been to the Trout three times since the 'disasterous' renovation, so much talked about by your other reviewers. We love it - it's so different from the old Trout, which was a textbook example of how not to run a pub. The old Trout was filled with rude, miserable staff who, with gestapo like efficiency enforced a series of bizarre, customer unfriendly rules. The previous queuing system for food and drinks was probably the worst example of custumer service seen in Britain since the 1950's. The general hygeine and decor of the place was awful, the outside area was largely left untended, the fires in recent years hardly lit. The atmosphere was of the frenetic 'when will I get served', and 'who does he/she think they are pushing in' and 'why the f*** can't they serve us quicker' sort. In short, it was torture. The new place combines modernity with old-fashioned style, the staff are very friendly and efficient, the food is much better, the atmosphere relaxed and calm. I cannot recommend it highly enough. Oliver, 06/05/07 I have just been at the Trout. Apart from the peacocks it used to be one of my favorite places in Oxford though I didn't go often. The new decor is not bad. It kind of ruins the atmosphere of old inn making it more sophisticated, but we thought we should give it a go. Outside we noticed that there were no students and wondered why as the day was great. Right after I was told that no food would be served till 6pm. Again we found it unpleasent but thought about trying. After all we had walked through Port Meadow and could rest a while while waiting and having a beer. To our suprise, later when we could order food, on the outside we were only allowed to order about 1/4 of the whole menu. For the rest we had to eat inside... By that time we thought we had had enough, realised why students and locals are gone and only some tourists were there. Still lovely sight... Not the Trout anymore... We just took the bus and went for dinner in Oxford... teka, 03/05/07 Completely ruined my afternoon. I was 'TOLD' (not asked) to remove my cap, I felt completely insulted in front of my mates who were there on my recommendation. I will never ever go there or recommend anyone. Bar man was so rude!! mike, 23/04/07 Completely awful. I hadn't been for ages, and was mildly keen to see the new look. The decoration is bland and all looks a bit wipe-clean for my taste, and I wish they wouldn't play floaty, frothy blah from their speakers - you know where you are with a pub jukebox, and most people actually go to pubs to talk to people, rather than pretend they're on hold to their bank's call-centre. The outside tables are very closely packed together, and were poorly supervised: it seemed that hardly any were free of used glasses, trays of slopped-over beer, and crisp packets nodding like a field of poppies. The designers had obviously been clever here, insisting that the feel of the old pub was preserved by the mandatory dabbing of bird shit on each bench. When ordering my drinks (and how, may I ask, does three indifferent shandies and a packet of crisps come to well over £10?), I was asked by the barman whether I would mind removing my hat (a fetching panama). I replied that I would, as this was a pub, not a church or a restaurant. I gave in, though, but as the bar-manager came past, mine host told him of my infraction, and he informed me sharply that not only did they have a dress-code, "rules", in fact, but that they had the right to refuse to serve me, &c., &c. I asked where these rules and codes might be (being naturally law-abiding), but was told that "we don't, like, have them up on the walls. We don't want to be like everywhere else" Bad luck there, mate. If the day's come when a man can't wear a straw hat at the bar of a riverside pub, we might as well all just go home. Mertonian, 21/04/07 Very good. The location was as picturesque as ever and the food was better than it used to be. For those purists who seem to think a lick of paint and a new menu is tantamount to disaster I say relax. I was slightly disappointed by the limited offerings of bitters but at least Landlord was on sale. My wine drinking friends enjoyed the Chenin Blanc which as there cheapest bottle serves as house white in price but not in name. The staff were very accommodating, moving us quickly to a larger table when our party grew in size. Nor was there the usual subdued sneer so often seen in Oxford restaurants when one of my student friends requested tap water. 7/10. JJ, 16/04/07 We visited the 'new' Trout for the first time last night. It has long been our favourite place to relax after a stroll accross the meadow and pit stop at the perch on the way. All I can say is I wish we hadnt bothered to move on. Arriving at 7pm, we wandered onto the terrace to be met by a sea of empty tables, yet a waiter telling us that because we had no reservation we wouldnt be able to eat. Apparently the kitchen closes at 8pm...if the aim was to turn the Trout into more of a restaurant, this seems just plain strange. After some discussion, we managed to get a table in the dining area on the patio (the surrounding tables never did fill up) and were presented with a menu containing about 5 options. In stark contrast to the wide ranging and fairly impressive looking menu inside, we were informed that a limited service was available outside. As a customer that visits the Trout precisely to dine by the river, I found this disturbing evidence of the new aim to get tables turned around as quickly as possible. Sure enough our main course was with us within 10 minutes of ordering. Whilst I was never a huge fan of the hour long wait for food previously, it was a good excuse to soak up the atmosphere (and a bottle of wine!). As for the food - ok, but £10 for chicken and chips (in a very pretentious ramekin sized bowl) is just not on. If I wanted to go to a restaurant, there are many I would chose above the new Trout (the 'lift' music played inside being one reason), yet sadly it no longer functions as a relaxing pub for an impromptu evening by the river. Meg, 07/04/07 As it was such a beautiful day today (5th April) my husband and I thought we would have lunch at The Trout and we were so glad we did, we had a lovely lunch and were very impressed with most things apart from the manager, she was very abrupt with us, I don't think she likes customers! Emily, 05/04/07 I went to the Trout after a long walk in Port Meadow. I had not been there for about two years and was interested to find that it had been renovated into a modern gastro pub. I was impressed with the variety of drinks to choose from especially since I am a big fan of Belgian beer. We went to sit outside in the garden and then decided we wanted to order a bowl of french fries. I went to the bar and they informed me that a waiter would take my order at my table. After waiting for about 20 minutes I waved to get attention but I was completley ignored. I then went to speak to the waiter and he informed me I was sitting in the wrong area for food. Their were no signs or instructions anywhere to indicate this. He informed me that I could sit at the assigned table and then move to where I was sitting at the time once I received my food. He said it was too difficult to bring it to my table and that if he made an exception for me then he would have to do it for everyone else. Our table was 2 feet away from the back door! I was very upset when about 5 minutes later two tables in my area were served food by waiters. I was glad in the end we didn't get chips as the bowl looked so small for £3.00! I can't believe it was so hard to try to order chips when really I would consider it as a bar snack! I was very disappointed by the attitude of the staff! This use to be one of my favourite pubs but after that experience I don't think I would be going back anytime soon. Penny, 02/04/07 The Trout is still a beautiful setting, however it is now London bar meets old world pub. Some things are good, most things are bad. The worst being the car park and the stupid humps, which scraped the bottom of my car and someone elses when I went in. If you don't drive a 4x4 expect to navigate your way over the obnoxiously vicious device. Not happy, at all. Bex, 02/04/07 We went to the Trout last weekend and discovered what the people had done to the place. We left immediately. Sure, I guess the food has improved but to be honest I think it wasn't that bad before. But what they have done to the whole athmosphere is just not right. It's a pub not a fancy restaurant. If I want to go to a restaurant there are plenty in Oxford and some of the best in the world close to Oxford. The Trout has now become a place for pre-booking people who drive their cars to Wolvercote without just taking a stroll along the river. This seems to be a general trend and therefore it is no surprise that there is a minister for fitness in the government. I don't mind that people are improving their food and therefore the price increases but why would you get rid of such a nice athmoshere. test1, 30/03/07 The Trout does indeed look fabulous - and the food is good. But at what price ? The old Trout was never really a 'locals' pub , but at least people felt that they could wander in , stand at the bar and have a drink. And I guess they must have been doing something right, because you couldn't move in there of a weekend or during the summer! The food wasn't spectacular but it was good value and people appreciated the fact that paying £7 for a main meal didn't entitle you to michelin standards! The volume of customers meant that the queues could be horrendous and I guess the owners thought that something needed to be done. And so,by hiking up the prices and making it more like a restaurant, they have alleviated the problem of coachloads pulling up at the door. But such a refurbishment doesn't come cheap and in order to claw back the money spent, prices need to be raised and tables need to be turned quickly. So you may think that by paying the extra money this might entitle you to a more leisurely dining experience in a more relaxed setting, but I have found this to be not the case. In fact I have it on good authority that staff are told to seat, serve and present the bill within one and a half hours! That's how much they value your custom! So guys, visit the Trout, enjoy the food and TAKE YOUR TIME! susie q, 29/03/07 What exactly was exciting about the old Trout???!!! Well it was certainly in need of some personality - previously miserable, it now feels like the pub has a life and soul - and all those upset about the refurb?! I'm looking forward to going back. What a comfortable and friendly yet now 'special' place to go. katie, 29/03/07 Re Baxter's comments, it depends whether you care anything about where you are eating. It's all very well having improved food and service (at a cost!) but the price is too high if it comes with the destruction of a pub's ambience. And personally I regret the disappearance of local staff, The Trout used to take pride in being a local employer. I would guess that The Trout is one of Oxford's premier tourist attractions in terms of visitor numbers and it is reasonable to aim at the occasional visit market. But what those visitors expect is character, not mind-numbing corporate kitsch designed by those who confuse character with style or perhaps don't care. I will admit that The Trout is a difficult venue to get right and it has gone through numerous incarnations in the 25 years I have known it, including a mercifully brief attempt to turn it into a Chelsea cocktail bar. But not even the fire a few years ago managed to wreak so much destruction on the interior. Perhaps I will go again in the summer and see if they have managed to ruin the riverside terrace as well. And maybe by then the car park entrance will have been redesigned so that people don't have to do a three-point turn by a narrow bridge to get into it. Bookman, 28/03/07 WoW What a fuss has been made by the re-opening of the Trout. It seems to have really stirred the emotions in this neck of the woods. All I can say is that I am sure there are plenty of pubs and eating houses in Oxfordshire that people can go to if they wish to have pre-prepared food, appalling service and a wish to leave feeling let down. What the Trout has done it has done well and truly raised the bar when it comes to eating out. The old saying "if it ain't broke" does not even come into the conversation with regard to this venue. It was broken and now you are able to arrive at a set time, sit at YOUR table, be served by someone who has knowledge and may I say experiences from outside the borders of Oxfordshire, you will eat what is quite obviously freshly prepared food and leave feeling you wish to return. CS Lewis was a visionary writer and I was there today and saw DC Lewis being filmed so each and everyone should aspire to improve and develop and that is exactly what the Trout has done. baxter, 27/03/07 As the makeover is so very controversial, I suggest people contact the owners and tell them what they think. As Richard has pointed out, the real owner is Mitchells and Butlers PLC - the web page is www.mbplc.com/index.asp?pageid=9. white lady, 26/03/07 I'll set the decor discussion aside for a moment, and just point out my complete disgust upon ordering an entree plate of flatbread and dips **specifically** referred to as 'suitable for sharing', only to find it far too small. To pay TEN POUNDS for a handful of flatbread pieces and couple of dobs of hummus and tatziki the size of 50p pieces is absurd. Whatever you do, DO NOT ORDER THIS! mister z, 26/03/07 We booked and ate there on Saturday night and had such a lovely evening, there was no stress of wandering around trying to look for a table, all of the staff were extremely helpful, the food was absolutely delicious and I would certainly recommend the Amaretto ice cream! Give the new Trout a chance and I would certainly not be put off by the reviews below - we loved it and will definitely be returning. Millie, 26/03/07 A very pleasant and very tasteful and refined, chic and upmarket venue internally. (Externally of course they can't change much so the river is as rumbustuous as ever and the peacocks will presumably continue to beg for food and crap on the seats.) We really did enjoy it, apart from old memories, which won't burden most of the numerous new clientele. It could have been a nice tasteful restaurant anywhere in the urban world. Sadly that is the whole point. At one time The Trout was unique. Hence the pain and upset the latest change of decor has caused to many other old Trouts (can't resist saying that). Still I've seen the Trout being altered by different new managements and companies for many, many years. I'll give this about 5 and then someone will rediscover the Inklings/Morse/ Fair Rosamund/ Old English Pub heritage as if it were new. Don't ditch those old horse brasses and stuffed fish yet. They'll be wanted when the zebra skin mats and leather poufs are passe. I wonder what the ghosts make of it? White Lady, 24/03/07 We went to the Trout on a preview night. I suppose the fact that it had been closed for eight weeks should have prepared us for the worst but I still find it difficult to believe that anyone could do so much damage to the fabric, feel and atmosphere of a pub in such a short space of time – or why they would want to. From the new oak-and-stone floors to the modish lighting, what they have done is an act of vandalism, a design atrocity on a scale I don’t think I’ve encountered before. True the food and service are better but it’s the senseless destruction of the (already scarred) Trout we knew and loved which hurts so much. Who has perpetrated this atrocity? A message left here says it is ‘being done by the same people who own The Boot in Lapworth End and The Orange Tree in Chadwick End’. The message is signed ‘The New Owners of the Trout’. In reality there are no new owners. The Trout is still owned by Mitchells & Butlers, who own 2,000 managed pubs but use the smoke-and-mirrors device of a series of brand names, including Vintage Inns and O’Neill’s, to disguise the fact that they are the (upmarket) Macdonalds of the English pub trade, serving 96 million meals a year, with food sales exceeding £500 million. Recently they joined up with the two gastropub entrepreneurs who own The Boot and The Orange Tree to create something called ‘Project S’. The S may well stand for ‘spend’ since M & B are trying to push food spending from £8 a meal to £16 wherever ‘demographics’ permit. The new Trout is one of the disastrous results. Perhaps Oxford should respond with a campaign: ‘Oppose corporate greed. Don’t dine out at the Trout.’ Richard, 23/03/07 This is the first time I have left a review ever but felt I needed to after reading some of the ridiculous comments that have been made. How anyone can say that the food is not better, or as one person has said, worse is TOTALLY beyond me. I can tell the difference between freshly made food and food that has come in frozen, clearly those that have written negative reviews can't. I admit that the fish and chips has been made to sound more than it is but even that is still better - previously chips were frozen McCain chips, peas frozen and yes fish frozen. Now the fish comes in fresh and the chips are made on the premises. I can only assume that people didn't realise that before they were eating pies where the filling came in plastic bags from a lorry quite often frozen, defrosted and then a pastry lid placed on top. Now even the stock is made over many hours with a lot of hard work put into it. Personally I like the refurb and love the food. Guess it boils down to your taste. poppy, 23/03/07 Went to the Trout yesterday for the first time since its refurbishment. Previously I'd have rated it as beautiful setting, lovely old pub, average food and average service. Now the service errs on the pushy side though the food is definitely better..... but what have they done to the interior?? It is completely ruined. The character of the pub has been destroyed. This is nothing short of vandalism to a lovely old building. Can anyone recommend an alternative pub by the river? caffeineman, 22/03/07 After reading all the negative comments here I really felt I must give my own opinion, anyone who has said that the interior is tackie obviously doesn't have any class or style. I went to The Trout with my friends and had a excellent meal, the young lady who served us was extreamly polite, exterior and interior all done to a very high standard and very tasteful. well done to all at the Trout, your doing an excellent job and I for one will be coming back soon and recommending you to others. Diana-summertown, 22/03/07 It's completely depressing. Don't go. Of course, crowd control on a summery Sunday lunchtime will probably no longer be a problem for them, which perhaps is what they were aiming for with their unbelievably revolting refurb...? It won't be a problem for me either as I'm never going again. Any recommendations for an antidote to restore my faith in the world? anna_ox, 20/03/07 I made my first visit to the Trout for several months this weekend to find that this idyllic Oxford pub has been visited by the heavy hand of Progress. Any visitors who fondly remember the Trout of only a few months ago should be prepared for a few moments of stunned disbelief as they enter, followed by a deepening rage at the comprehensive destruction of the pub’s ancient and atmospheric interior. Gone is any sense of the centuries-old inn in which CS Lewis was said to have written Narnia and Inspector Morse enjoyed a pint: instead we have an unrecognizably remodeled interior of chic mood lighting, leathery ornamental mirrors and furry chairs. The end result is a tackier version of the Perch or the White Hart in Wytham; it no longer feels like a place to slip into for a leisurely pint, but a fully fledged gastro-resort complete with Australian waitstaff demanding to know whether you have a reservation. Leaving the tragedy of the interior aside, the pretentions of the new Trout are evident from the menu: chips and mushy peas are, absurdly, frites and pea puree, while prices for a main range from £8 to around £17. For all this, anyone who remembers the uninspired food and frequently indifferent service of the old Trout will have to concede that these aspects have improved: the food was competently cooked and preceded by fresh bread and oil; the manager personable and obviously keen to make a success of the place. But do these advances have to come at such a massive cost to the Trout’s history and atmosphere? I can imagine what Morse’s pithy response would be. Expect to see his unquiet ghost stalking the terrace behind the peacocks on dark winter evenings. Laurie, 19/03/07 As a long-term Oxford resident, I also attended the re-opening of the Trout on Saturday out of curiosity and a desire to give it a fair go. The easy, relaxed atmosphere is quite gone as we were rushed through our order and promptly encouraged to pay up and leave. From the moment I walked through the door, the staff seemed armed and ready to tackle any looks of dismay or disappointment, including my remark that I was disappointed with the changes which was dismissed by what I can only describe as an impertinent retort that I was 'in the minority'. The fact that the venue was uncharacteristically half-empty on a Saturday somewhat contradicts this. We saw several people walk out without ordering. The 'freshly made' food was, if anything, poorer in both quality and quantity. I am amused by the owners' reference to 'food factory' considering they own several minimalist restaurants in Oxford. In sum, if you choose to patronise the Trout, be prepared to be served with large amounts of freshly-prepared, quality 'spin' and not a lot of great food. Disappointed hobbit, 19/03/07 The Trout we all knew is sadly no more. Some of my fondest memories in Oxford were summer days spent at the Trout after a nice walk through Port Meadow. Recently I went back after it was "refurbished" and am sad to report that the pub is all but ruined. Basically "Fish and Chips with mushy peas" is now "Beer Battered Haddock with Frites and Pea Puree" for four pounds more. The inside has been gutted and the charming Tolkien-esque feel is now replaced by bizzare minimalist stylings including velvet seats and animal fur-style rugs, not to mention lots of modern art. It's an environment where travellers and students aren't made to feel welcome. I found the staff to be cheeky and rather arrogant. The food is essentialy the same only renamed and significantly more expensive. I practicaly cried as I left. Previous patrons of the Trout would do well to steer clear. Steven, 18/03/07 Went in to the re-opened Trout today. Deeply disappointingly the 'makeover' had removed every last vestige of its remaining character. It seems to have been modelled on the reception area of a gym! The pub now has piped 'spa style' music thoughout and on the terrace which is also now flood-lit. I didn't eat but the menu didn't seem particularly inspiring (a heavy concentration on Pizzas, steaks, etc). Was left with a very sad feeling - can't believe so much character can be lost. Their brochure is quite amusing in a cringe-worthy style. As I left even the peacocks were walking out. No doubt it will be hugely popular. G-bit, 16/03/07 It opens from the 16th March and they take booking! 15/03/07 Could anyone confirm the re-opening date? 16th or 23rd? I'm re-visiting Oxford but leaving on 23rd. Would be very nice to be at The Trout again. WL, 14/03/07 The Trout serves nice food at a reasonable price, however their system to put your orders in can only be described as ridiculous and not at all efficient. Having lived in Wolvercote all my life I have been going to The Trout regularly since I was born! Unless it is only you in there you can safely bet that you will be standing in line waiting to put your order in for quite some time. In the summer be prepared to have a wait of up to an hour (yes, an hour!!) to put your order in - you'll have to stand in a queue so take some comfortable shoes!! I love The Trout, you can sit outside all year round due to heaters strategically placed and the surroundings are gorgeous. The staff are ok, and the food is good ..... it's just that stupid queuing system that sometimes puts me off. Oh, and a few years back the manager banned my mother after she repeatedly sent back her steak! I have to admit that it got a bit annoying, every time she went in she ordered a steak (her favourite meal and not exactly the hardest thing to cook) and ended up sending it back every time. In the end he just told her not to come back. I think she had probably decided she wouldn't come back anyway seeing as the chef was clearly incompetent at cooking steak!!! I have always stuck to the fish and chips myself! Lolly, 12/03/07 Now opening March 16th, I was told today! JohnN, 10/03/07 Have always loved the Trout.On our Honeymoon in 1961 we sailed from Henley-on-Thames to the Trout and back again! The only problem to me in recent years is that the real ale is always too cold. Real Ale should never be at icy temperatures! Mike and Carole from Norfolk, 22/02/07 The Trout has good food and the peacocks walking around is cool but the thing is you do have to wait for ever to be served and every time I have been on a sunday at half 12 I'm told they have no Sunday dinners left only one out of the 2. Does this not mean that they should start making more and not having to turn people away at that time in the day. I could understand if it was 2-3 pm but this was half 12 and it happened every time I went so in the end I just started to go to somewhere else. The service is appalling, takes too long, and I had a waitress stood next to my table eating food when I had been waiting an hour for mine!!! Not impressed at all. elephant, 19/02/07 The Trout will re-open 23rd March as an individually stylish country pub and no longer a big corporate food factory. It is being done by the same people who own The Boot in Lapworth End and The Orange Tree in Chadwick End. All fresh food and great hospitality! The New Owners of The Trout, 15/02/07 Just phoned the Trout to find out when it should be reopening. Answer machine message advised beginning of March. It is currently closed for refurbishment. Anon, 07/02/07 The Trout Inn is closed at the moment. Have no clue if it is temporary or when it will reopen. So this is to warn anyone thinking of walking across Port Meadows and then stopping for a meal in the Inn. We tried to do just that today and thus discovered it was closed. 28/01/07 Went here wih friends from NZ who had fond memories of this place. Sadly memories are all they have. When we got there we were told they had been busy and had no real ale. A pub with no beer (excluding usual plastic beer) - what pub has no beer!!!!! Food order was wrong though the manager eventually gave us one free main course. It seems it is closing soon, hopefully to be reopened a better place. Still a lovely location but "Buyer Beware". Anon, 28/12/06 Quite like this place. Tends to rest on its laurels too much but overall I can honestly say that I have enjoyed my visit here. The service was reasonably quick and efficient, the meals were well presented and the waitress was most helpful. The ambience was charming although it is possibly a good thing that the lighting was so low that the meals were difficult to examine - this unfortunately lead to me eating some mushrooms!!!!!! (my pet hate) right-said-fred, 07/11/06 Had dinner at the Trout early on yesterday evening. We have been there many times before but have made a note not to go back again. It was not particularly busy yesterday evening but nonetheless we waited for 40 minutes and then enquired where our food had got to. It came almost immediately but had obviously been sitting around for ages. The food was lukewarm and very poorly cooked and frankly the worst meal I have eaten for a very long time. Nobody bothered to come to see if we were OK (which is probably just as well as what do you say when your food is terrible?). We left without bothering to order dessert. This is a great shame as it is a lovely setting and it used to be a really good place for a meal. Elisabeth, 27/10/06 Great setting, ok food. I found the staff helpful but they were obviously struggling to cope with the food ordering system which seems to be designed to maximize profit at the expense of customer service. Probably best to give the food a miss and just settle for a couple of drinks. jules, 21/10/06 The only time that I actually went into The Trout (as opposed to enjoying the local walks) I was totally disappointed. Long wait and when we actually received the food it was stone cold and the staff obviously couldn't care less when we complained. Never again. Disappointed, 28/09/06 I went to The Trout last Sunday, by recommendation. I'm a foreign citizen, being in Oxford for just a few days and had previously visited just three pubs in Oxford. However, I've been to England a lot. This is the nicest pub I've ever been to! The service was not at all what you all described below. Yes, I waited in line 10 minutes to order our food and yes, my friend had to wait alone at the table, but it was the same at another pub in central Oxford, so what's the problem? The waiter was nice. The food was GREAT (by English standards ;-) ) I really recommend The Trout, we had a very, very nice evening on the terrace. Lovely place! Karin, 20/09/06 Excellent ambience. Food was average/poor. Worst service EVER! Mal, 13/09/06 During a year of living in North Oxford we gave this place the benefit of the doubt on several occasions, but finally we vowed NEVER to go back. The Trout represents the worst case of "we've always got so much tourist business we couldn't give a toss about service" that I have ever encountered. Corporate arrogance in the extreme. Firstly, it is perennially understaffed, ONE person serving drinks on a hot summer day?! Secondly, to queue for ages for the privilege of spending money with them for food? - Not my money! Lastly, the garden is scruffy, with many of the seats covered in c**p from the pet peacocks and cigarette ends apparently unswept from the previous days. As riverside pubs go, the polar opposite is the superb Victoria Arms at Marston - Can be equally busy on a summer weekend but well sorted food ordering system, clean and attrctive gardens and a proper welcome compared with the Trout's usually harassed and disinterested staff. johnginlondon, 12/09/06 Very lovely setting and the food is great but the staff can be quite short with the customers, also didn't like that they have no high chairs for toddlers, was very uncomfortable with my newborn on my knee throughout the meal passing it back and forth with my hubby :( Other than that had brill time, thank you. Lena, 30/08/06 Lovely pub, lovely scenery but the service is so bad!! Belinda, 27/08/06 As a regular - I live very very nearby - I must echo the many comments above. The location of the Trout is wonderful and very impressive as "our local" for visiting friends but the service is absolutely unacceptable. The food is poor to average but the range of wines for a pub is quite extensive. In different hands the Trout may well move up the gastro ladder, and with more staff and a reorganisation of method they may well improve service times, but the bottom line is that they are full irrespectively and thus there is little motivation for change. So enjoy the views and the walks (eat before you go out) but there's little profit in taking arms against this particular sea of troubles. A local, 28/07/06 My experience with the trout was quite a mixed one. The queue for food was horrendous: 30 minutes plus just to get our order placed. There were only two people at the bar both for food and drinks, and the queue was frequently held up by people asking the server about the menu and this and that. There were too many waiters around in proportion to the people taking orders, and I had a bad experience with an extremely rude waiter who did not serve our table even though we tried to catch her attention and also had the nerve to pick up our money on the table asking whether it was ours (fair enough, it may have been her tip but I still felt it was rather rude). Not much choice of ales, food was nothing to shout about. Desserts were so-so. Not the best pub fare I've had, frankly I preferred The Perch which is nearby. They did serve a whole trout though, which I found quite interesting. On the plus side, the inn is situated right next to the river, with a lovely view of the cascading water and of course the beautiful (and hilarious) peacocks that insisted on strutting around eating sugar off the tables. For the view and the ample seating inside and out I would say that the Trout is the most scenic pub I've been to yet, and if anything is definitely worth visiting to hang out in. It's also in close proximity to nice walks along the river and Godstow Abbey. YY, 14/06/06 I know that the Trout is a very busy pub and therefore on a gorgeous sunny day if I go to the Trout Inn, then I know that I am going to wait for a drink and a meal as a lot of other people will have the same idea and want to sit by the river in a lovely location. What annoys me more than anything is not standing in the queue waiting but is a customer standing behind me complaining about it!!!! Why stand there if you are just going to complain, go somewhere else, there are hundreds of other pubs in Oxford, that won’t be as busy, go there. Also once you get to the front of the queue please don’t complain to the staff because it makes the queue longer. I think the Trout is a lovely pub, there are queues and you can wait for a while but the staff have always been lovely and the meals are great. Tasha, 13/06/06 Bland middle of the road straight from a freezer food served by an uninterested unmanaged staff. Lucky if you get something to eat within an hour of ordering and if waiting staff do ask you if you'd like anything else then don't bother asking for it, because it won't turn up. The queue system imposed is ridiculous, I'm sure it is the root of the poor service. The term home-cooked should not be applied here, this is corporate Vintage Inns catering at its most frozen and miserable. A pub of this heritage within this location deserves to be owned by a team that actually care. Leave this place for a quick (if thats not some kind of oxymoron within this context) glass of Pimms after a walk across Port Meadow. superfreak, 12/06/06 The service at the Trout is truly appalling. Totally complacent and an insult to its customers. 55 minutes queueing up followed by 45 minutes waiting topped off with us being told (without a hint of remorse) that what we'd ordered was off! An hour and three quarters wait just for a pub lunch? I don't think so. They may have enough passing trade not to care but what goes around comes around... simontig, 29/05/06 I agree with most of the comments above....Very nice, in fact lovely, setting ..but service is something the management should really concentrate on.. 20 to 30 minutes wait to get a seat on the terrace, then 20 to 30 minutes queueing time and on top of all this 30-40 minutes wait for the food to be served...is definitely not what one is looking for on a warm lovely afternoon FABULOUS PLACE WITH POOR SEVICE STANDARDS! Fatima, 15/05/06 Yep, got to agree with most of the comments regarding the service. I was lucky enough to be only the second in the drinks queue, but still waited about 10 minutes. The barman was halfway through serving the person in front, started talking to another member of staff and forgot he was serving! The chap had to ask again for his drink. The crazy queueing system for the food in such a cramped place means your first hour is spent getting food and drinks. At least the service is then by waitress. The food was bland, and the portions mediocre. I remember coming here as a kid with my parents - the most beautiful setting in Oxford, but now a great disappointment. And yet always full. I'd be interested to know how many are first time visitors and how many are locals returning. Mark, 07/05/06 Smash? Smash mash? You're having a laugh! Rubbish food. Nice peacocks. spud lovers union, 07/05/06 I have to agree with Anonymous. If you go as a pair then one of you has to sit by themselves at the table reserving it while the other waits in what can easily be a 20 min queue to get food etc. They were very inflexible. We went to get lunch one nice day and they wouldn't let us eat outside because it was March 27th not April 1 and wouldn't serve us because we couldn't find a table. Result: we had to walk back to the Perch, by which time we could only get a sandwich because lunch was finished. I find their selection of beer pitiful, the wine expensive, their staff unhelpful and inflexible and their food expensive. Frankly you'd be better off going to the Raddy Arms and then taking a walk on Port Meadow. Or walking the long way round the edge of Port meadow to the Perch whose staff are generally polite. It's a beautiful setting, but that's all. Martin, 13/04/06 Very good lunch there today - efficient, friendly service, plenty of atmosphere and a good extensive menu. All this at a reasonable price. Anonymous, 12/04/06 Every summer, once, and only once, I visit the Trout on a warm summer's evening or hot sultry weekend lunchtime. Why only once? Well - yes, the setting is fab, and the walk there is beautiful - but the service is appalling. You queue at the bar to order food, and although there seem to be loads of waiting staff hanging around, the person taking your order personally makes all the drinks AND takes your food order,one slow person at a time. The same goes for the drinks! I went for dinner with a friend. She spend 25 minutes queueing to place our food order, returned to the table, and I spend 30 minutes queueing for drinks! Such a shame, but speaking with the management - they're always so full they see no reason to improve the situation! Well, I suppose you can't argue with that! Shame really though - I'm sure I'll make the same mistake on a warm evening in 2006 as well! TC, 15/02/06 The Trout is one of those pubs that nearly everyone who has been in Oxford for more than one year has either visited, or will have heard of, and is well aware of its reputation. Walking to The Trout across Port Meadow is a wonderful experience in the summer, and a lovely way to spend the day; setting out about mid morning and arriving in time to have a few refreshing drinks, sat by the river, and eating generously served portions of 'proper English Pub food', before ambling back across the meadows and home again. Alternatively, The Trout is an ideal place to convince the parents to take you. Being only a ten - fifteen minute drive from the city centre, it is quick and easy to get to, but once there, you feel like you are in the middle of the countryside and have been transported back in time by about 50 years. At this time of year, there is a roaring log fire inside, and the mellow atmosphere is highly conducive to spending a long winters afternoon sat around the old oak tables, drinking glasses of mulled wine and roasting your own chestnuts. The Trout is most definitely renowned for its food; and this is well known so if you intend to eat at lunchtime, you really do need to be there by 12.30 if you hope to find a table and order your food within a reasonable amount of time. After this time, you may find yourselves queueing for at least 20 minutes to even order your food, though admittedly once ordered, it is generally served to the table in an impressively short time. This is, of course, assuming you managed to find a parking space to begin with in the small carpark. The menu is fairly extensive; there are a number of starters and lighter snacks, a range of sandwiches and wraps which change daily, and large menu of proper main courses as well as specials at certain times of the year. When we went, we ordered the vegetarian lasagne, beef and ale pie, fish and chips and the Hunters Chicken. Main courses tend to come with a set side vegetable of mash, new potatoes or chips, and either fresh veg or side salad, though I have never had a problem to swap this if I prefer something different. The meals were brought to us amazingly quickly despite the number of people eating that day. The portions were, as always, huge, piping hot, and delicious, and the veg and chips all freshly cooked. Despite being fairly stuffed at the end, we also all found space for one of their delicious puddings. The choice was impressive - three hot puddings, and a number of cold desserts also. I went for the fruit crumble with custard (apple and raspberry), which was absolutely divine; while others chose the profiteroles and the chocolate brownie with ice cream. All were presented nicely, were generous in size, and finished off our meal nicely. Costs at The Trout aren't unreasonable, though at the same time are probably not aimed at the typical student budget for a pub meal; hence its popularity with students being offered a meal out by parents. Mains start at just under £7 for scampi or lasagne, and peak at £14 for steak. However, most float around the £7.50 mark, and all puddings are set at just under £4 each. Lighter snacks and the sandwiches are all about £4 each. Basically, The Trout is a good recommendation for any family lunch out, or for a large group of friends to make their way towards during the summer months. It is full of character, and serves wonderful food, and is definitely a place that every Oxford student or resident should experience at least once while here. Alison Hook, 08/11/03
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