The Duke's Cut

Me and some of my colleagues go out to lunch once a month. This month it was suggested we try The Duke's Cut. It seemed a nice friendly pub, not too busy and the barman seemed polite etc. However I was a little disappointed with the menu. The only vegetarian dish was "Pasta Bake" at £6.50 although having 1 vegetarian dish didn't bother me too much. What did bother me was for 2 pasta bakes and a tuna sandwich it seemed to take nearly our entire lunch hour and when it arrived the "pasta bake" was just pasta with a melted cheese on top and mixed leaves - basically an overpriced macaroni cheese. Hmm...

The Dancingman (DI User), 11/04/11

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I'm so glad I stumbled upon this pub!
I spent a very enjoyable afternoon out on the terrace, watching the world go by, drinking very reasonably priced jugs of Pimms with my friends and enjoying some really brilliant food. A perfect place to go for a relaxed and friendly environment without having to leave the city centre.

Lorna (Unverified), 05/05/10

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Really nice. Good decor, friendly (if a little lacking in knowledge) bar staff, range of drinks, not loud or packed. Hope it stays this way! Oxford centre needs more places like this.

TH (Unverified), 24/10/09

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Could not believe how much the place had changed.... A+++ The only one thing that was still the same was a portly mid 30's chap drinking some fizzy wine out of a small fluted glass whilst eating something called 'lamingtons' he told me. Unsure if he was joking with me or drunk.

Neil Down (Unverified), 17/08/09

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Excellent, clean & friendly place to go for a drink after work. Much better than any of the other places in town and good to see a proper pub rather than a wine bar - which isn't rowdy, dirty or too loud. Excellent atmosphere & lovely staff. Well done!

Katy (Unverified), 04/07/09

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I couldn't agree more with the above review. I was dragged along by some mates tonight with some trepidation as I hadn't enjoyed my time at Rosie's and I have to say I was totally surprised! It has completely changed and is all the better for it. The bar staff are all new and easy on the eye and there's lots of wines to choose from if that's your sort of thing. The biggest difference though was the toilets which used to be pretty skanky but now have had a makeover complete with chandelier. A chandelier! It seems a lot of people who were there work in the area and were equally relieved to have somewhere new and nice to go to after work on a Friday. I will definitely return!

Billy (Unverified), 18/06/09

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Wow what a transformation!! The dive previously known as Rosie O' Grady's is now an airy, spacious, shiny new pub! We went on the opening night and will definitely be going back on Saturday to watch the rugby on the flat screen TV which one of the staff proudly showed me. A good selection of drinks including four real ales made my other half very happy, especially as he sampled each one and gave them all a thumbs up!

The staff were friendly and helpful and, it seemed, almost constantly cleaning or arranging. It was pleasantly busy without being packed and we saw the door man ask a crowd of rowdy blokes by the door to keep it down. They left shortly afterwards and I'm glad to see that somewhere in Oxford isn't so desperate for custom that they've let their standards drop to the lowest common denominator.

samsab (DI User), 15/06/09

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Closed May 2009. Re-opening on June 13th 2009 as The Duke's Cut.

01/06/09

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"Security" on the door at the weekends and no proper beer. No, really! Just a lager or two, Guinness, cider and Caffreys, which I personally wouldn't wish on anybody. Seats held together with sticky tape and surly bar staff complete the sorry, sorry picture. One to soon go the way of dives such as The Friar, Fox, etc?

Doctor Jools (DI User), 01/02/09

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Hadn't been for ages but found recently that Rosie's is still the best watering hole on Park End Street (though that isn't difficult given the woeful competition). Pub consists of 2 bar areas - small lounge section with battered sofas and fire, whilst larger bar area leads down to a small terrace overlooking the canal. If you're very lucky you can grab a seat out here in the summer and listen to the usual Park End crowd drunkenly swearing at each other from the street and you may even catch a glimpse of someone taking a slash in the bushes opposite if you wait long enough!
On the plus side, there's a great selection of Irish spirits and the rare sight of Harp lager. They used to do Kilkenny's but sadly no longer. Can get a bit boisterous in the evening but that adds to the general atmos. It's a small point also but if you're a bloke, watch out for the totally woeful toilet facilities.

Joe B (Unverified), 07/04/07

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