Restaurant & Drinking Establishment
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Newly re-opened autumn 2009 by people who have previously set up award-winning gastropubs in London. Has seating on front terrace, and parking may be possible if reserved in advance. The new management describe their aim as "Just good food and good drink". |
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243 Iffley Road Useful links: Oxford Restaurants Oxford Hotels Oxford Pubs & Bars Oxford Gig venues Oxford Concert venues |
Excellent quality gourmet dining experience though service, whilst helpful and friendly, was perhaps overenthusiastic (with three staff coming to take orders that we had already tendered). However a minor point compared with the daily renewed menu of fresh food and imaginative 'English style' recipes. Starters of game terrine and sourdough toast, deep fried brawn and gribiche were followed by hare salmi with crispy polenta and, for me, braised ox cheek, dumplings and horse radish cream. We had no room left after this but looked wistfully at the puddings amongst which were quince and walnut crumble, buttermilk pudding and poached rhubarb, welsh organic cheese with Cox apples. Wine was reasonably priced and the bill for two around £50. A bit more than the average Cowley Road eatery but well worth the extra! Highly recommended for the discerning gastronome or a jaded appetite!! Zorba, 12/03/10 What a shame I live over 70 miles away! The food was delicious, the atmosphere warm and inviting. You can tell a lot of thought and care goes into choosing top quality ingredients. char, 03/03/10 Had a wonderful experience... great food and very cheerful and accommodating staff. We plan to go again and again when we wish to eat out in Oxford. 25/02/10 We booked to go for a friend's birthday and found the staff rude. We wanted to add two people to our booking 2 days before the meal and got into a discussion about our booking "going up and down like a yo-yo" and were told they would charge £10 per head for any cancellations! We were also rushed through our ordering and meal (which was really good food) to get another booking in. 07/02/10 It is the first, since I have moved to your island, that I go to a place that is a British restaurant. This perhaps reflects the funny relationship British people have with their attitude with food. I had a rib eye steak with fries (the equivalent I believe of my "national" steack-frites) absolutely delicious with the meat almost melting in your mouth, and they had dijon mustard to go with it (or the choice of English mustard too) if wished. The wine also was so exceptionaly nice, sorry I can't remember the name now. I will definitely go back and perhaps then be more adventurous in my choice from the menu! Lucile Deslignères, 17/01/10 We love this place, and have been 3 times in the last 3 weeks. The food really is superb, but the waiting staff add something special too. It seems they are all really happy to work there, which seems to make an enormous difference. Bar billiards, and dogs allowed in the bar area. Lovely friendly place, would recommend it heartily. A, 11/01/10 We used to go to the Magdalen Arms in its previous incarnation for Sunday breakfasts, and were curious enough to take our kids and our parents for Sunday lunch in early January 2010. The menu looked a little daunting, with some unfamiliar ingredients, but the food was absolutely delicious, freshly-made and wholesome, and there was plenty of it. They happily provided a nice vegan meal for our cheese-hating vegetarian and bowls of chips for our picky children, in spite of being fairly full and busy. There's a relaxed atmosphere - classy without being 'posh', and we didn't feel self-conscious having colouring books on the table. The service was efficient and friendly and it isn't frighteningly expensive either, in spite of the elaborate menu - starters/desserts for 4-6 pounds, mains from about 9 upwards and a pound for a basket of bread. You can get a pint of Theakstons too. Thoroughly recommended. Frances, 03/01/10 It is rare that restaurants live up to the hype but this place was fantastic the first time I went and has been consistently so every time I have been since. They just get everything right; the staff are friendly and attentive without being in your face, the decor and layout are similarly understated but welcoming, all of which makes the perfect backdrop for the food which is just outstanding. No fancy dish names just recognisable dishes with novel twists or flavours that make them taste like you have never had them before. My food vocabulary isn't up to explaining how they make their food taste so much better than anywhere else, but it just does! Ordinarily I'd be worried about building expectations too high, but actually all I'm worried about is that the more people try it the harder it will get for me to reserve a table! local, 29/12/09 My friends and I recently had a terrible time at the "new" Magdalen Arms. We arrived in the evening for drinks and food- found ourselves a table and then a member of staff proceeded to hammer nails into the walls around us for pictures. Nice to have some pictures, but surely there are times when the pub is not full of customers to do this! After waiting some time to order, we were informed that we could no longer have food as the kitchen had reached capacity. We had been present for some time, taken menus, and had not been informed that this could be an issue. When we complained, the staff were rude, and both myself and my party will not be returning to a venue that has so little respect for customers. Adam, 22/12/09 How nice to have good English food in an English pub for once. During my first meal there last night, we had a piece of halibut that was good enough for Jehova, with gorgeous chips, a fantastic pheasant and celeriac pot pie (which was sadly a little light on the celeriac), and some perfectly cooked curly kale that managed to be zingy despite only being dressed with butter and pepper. Really great food, and impeccable service despite the pub coping with a huge Christmas party that sat down at the same time as us. The food was about 10 minutes late in arriving due to the 40 extra guests wearing paper Christmas hats next to us, but despite our complete understanding of the pressure they were under to cater to everyone there, by way of apology we were treated to a complimentary terrine and cornichons - which were divine - together with a bowl of characterful home-made salty bread which came out to keep us happy. An unnecessary touch, but one that goes a long way to explaining why this place is so good. Superb crisp Sagres lager on tap too. Medium-priced, very high quality food, amazing service, and great, great value for money. Highly, highly recommended. Jimbly, 15/12/09 I've been here a couple of times since the reopening now, and the combination of high quality food, value and friendly service is a real winner. The Hereford beef and ale pie I had to share on my last visit was a great example of how to turn a simple piece of pub food into a classic with the application of a little imagination. Needless to say I'll be back! Ed, 27/11/09 Several months ago wrote review about how dire the old Magdalen Arms and said needed a more upmarket business model. I doubt the new owners read it but they've done it. This pub is now utterly brilliant. The food is possibly the best in Oxford and certainly the best value. It's warm, friendly and a pleasure to be in. If it's anywhere near as good as the Anchor and Hope is in the long run then this will probably be the best dining in Oxford, far better than Jericho or the High St. I would move to East Oxford for this pub. Rich, 19/11/09 The new team at the Magdalen Arms are doing a fantastic job - the redecoration is lovely, it's exceptionally welcoming (towards our baby as well), there's a good wine list (sorry can't report on the beer), and the food is brilliant: the menu is what you'd hope for in a good gastro-pub (hearty, interesting, not all of it obvious, and very difficult to choose from!), and it's very well cooked. The kitchen really know what they are doing; and the competence extends through to the waiting staff and the bar, too. Easily one of the best, and friendliest, places to eat in Oxford; and how wonderful to have it in our neck of the woods. Thank you Florence and Tony! AnnaB, 10/11/09 Was there for Saturday lunch and can really recommend the place. Imaginative and tasty food for a reasonable price. 07/11/09 The food here is absolutely fantastic. I have been a number of times since it reopened and have sampled all manner of delicious things, many of them for the first time. What I like best is that I can trust that whatever I order will be wonderful, so there is little risk in trying something new (although the not-too-exotic mutton with barley was so nice I almost cried). The staff and owners are unfailingly warm, and happy to educate about the menu or recommend a nice wine. In short, it's a fine dining experience without the pomp and circumstance, and certainly the best meals I've had in England, let alone Oxford. Caitlin, 07/11/09 Great food especially the cassoulet and roast pork, great choice of wine at reasonable prices, and great atmosphere. Only thing lacking was the choice in real ales. Spread the word, don't want to lose a great place to eat in East Oxford!! Ollie, 02/11/09 Thank you Chiv/Shiv? (Siohhan) for suggesting a Virgin Mary and making it taste like the full blooded version! Can’t decide what to order/want it all? Let Chiv choose. Chiv recommends the purple sprouting broccoli for my light lunch on Saturday. (She has to be kidding, right?). All I can say is get some while they’ve still got it on the menu – and I never saw anyone do that with cheese before, amazing. Same dilemma for pudding – Chiv says ‘the muscat crème caramel’. What??! With all that other good stuff on the list? Ok, I’m up for the challenge because that would have been my last choice, sooo boring. Chiv wins hands down – it’s sublime. Alex and Mick thought they’d hit the jackpot with the calamari and aioli and the ham hock terrine, then the lemon polenta cake with pears and mascarpone. Maybe we all did. When the signs went up that the pub was available for lease, we thought ‘wouldn’t it be great if we got a nice restaurant’. We never really thought it would happen, but what Florence and Tony have done is way beyond expectation. I’ve never seen a menu change so often and remain so imaginative – we may never eat in town again. Why would you?! Anne, Sidney Street, 31/10/09 As a member of the committee meeting that was taking place at an adjacent table last night I can only endorse the views expressed here. The "committee" was in fact the Sidney Street residents weekly gathering, which up until now has met at another fine pub in Magdalen Road - The Rusty Bicycle. The arrival of Florence and Tony has given us a real dilemma as this is undoubtedly a very fine pub and restaurant, with owners that have earned their spurs elsewhere (including one of my favourite pubs in London). We may have to go out together twice a week from now on... this information comes as a result of a five minute chat with Florence, by the way - an indication of the friendly welcome that awaits. Anne and I ate there last week and recommended it to our fellow "Sidney Streeters", so last night was a reconnaissance by some of the other residents. I was amazed to see a menu as full of imagination and adventure as the previous week's. These people are passionate about food, using local produce and seasonal variation, and it shows in the menu. At last a culinary triumph for East Oxford! Let's hope we can still get a table there in a few weeks from now! Mick, 30/10/09 We had a jolly fine meal at the Magdalen Arms last night. It hasn't been open again all that long, but it already feels settled and smoothly run. I have to confess I'd never been inside the old MA, and was astonished how large it is. It feels lofty rather than cavernous, partly because there's a restaurant-y section curtained off, but I imagine you could get a lot of people in there! There's a beautifully motley assorment of chairs and tables, with lots of unvarnished wood about the place. Some of the chairs had a pocket for your hymnbook in the back. We were welcomed by the barman and told that if we wanted to eat we could sit anywhere. I'm not a fan of the sort of pub where some bits are food only, some drinks only, you need a numbered spoon and a PhD just to work out where you're allowed to go. So this was a nice relaxing start. The menu took some studying. It's not ridiculously long, just a good serious set of options, including words I didn't know. (Perhaps everyone but me knows this already, but Trevisse is a sort of lettuce, red leaves, slightly bitter and a bit like endive.) A passing member of staff told us to go and order at the bar when we were ready, just as we were beginning to wonder if we should go and order at the bar: further evidence that the staff actually appear to see things from the diner's point of view! In the end we chose Gravadlax and Pea & Ham Soup followed by Hungarian Mutton Stew with Dumplings and Confit of Duck, Puy Lentils and Trevisse, with extra Greens on the side. The staff were able to check the ingredients and confirm whether dishes were gluten-free. The food was really, really good. The Gravadlax came with home-pickled cucumbers and was rich and i-dill-ic! The soup was really hearty but not so blended that you couldn't taste the individual items. I suspected a very good stock at its heart. The glass of St Chinian I was recommended did indeed go very well with both the soup and my main, being velvety and berry-flavoured. The Confit was delicious, and its accompaniments went very well, including the Greens. They turned out to be perfectly-cooked baby cabbage with the right amount of saltiness and very good flavour. They also (reportedly) went well with the stew and dumplings, whose sauce was very thick and tomato-ey with paprika-ish hints. It was declared tender, succulent and filling with lovely, slightly chewy dumplings and perfect dollop of creme fraiche. We were quite full by the end of the starter but couldn't bear to leave any of the main courses because they were so nice. And although we were already well-fed we really wanted to try the pudding collection. Cakes are also home-made and the Lemon Polenta Cake was gluten-free so we tried that and the Stichelton (an excellent stilton). The cake came with a poached pear, we think spiced with nutmeg and cardamom. At any rate it wasn't overwhelmingly cinnamon-flavoured. The Stichelton was served with rhubarb chutney (we thought home-made) and oatcakes. One of the dessert wines, Monbazillac, is available by the glass and cut through the sweet pudding like an icicle. The coffee was also very drinkable. Drinks are an interesting point - from the menu I'd have guessed they'd have organic cider, ale from microbreweries and Fentiman's ginger beer. It's not like that! The beers are a pretty standard selection, and the only gingery drink on offer was Britvic ginger ale. My companion pronounced: no nonsense drinks which do not detract from the star of the show, unquestionably the food. Having said that the wines are something special. I didn't read the list carefully but it seemed like an eclectic and carefully chosen mix, not just the standard Merlot / Sauvignon options. All in all it's an unpretentious, grown-up sort of place. It's by no means unwelcoming to students, or any other demographic, but it won't bend over backwards to feed them happy hour cocktails. While we were there we saw a big group round a table, what looked like a committee-meeting, a couple of girls gossipping, a man reading a newspaper by himself and a couple. In this spot a welcoming venue where anyone and everyone can foregather is not just a luxury but vital to the community. A large noticeboard outside asks if anyone has excess fruit, veg or flowers on their allotments and would like to swap it for lunch. (We wondered about the flowers, until we saw the fabulous displays of lilies in the bathrooms.) The food is also a pretty sophisticated offering. We're used to gastropubs that offer Ostrich burger and chips, but there's not a chip in sight at the Magdalen Arms. It makes other venues seem very shallow by comparison. Our bill came to £58 for the two of us. That's without a bottle of wine, but with alcoholic drinks. We felt it was definitely worth it, not least because the portions were delicious and generous, garlicky ciabatta at the start was free, service was excellent throughout and we were very full. Definitely a place to return to, and somewhere we would take guests with confidence. A new favourite. Jen Pawsey and Su Jordan, 29/10/09 Don't be put off by the fact that this used to be a spit n' sawdust football pub, the atmosphere and decor is now completely different and this is noticable even before you get inside. The food is absolutely outstanding - original and cooked to perfection. Average cost of mains is probably about a tenner, so in my opinion very good value considering how good it was. Sagres lager on tap is a nice touch but real ale lovers may be disappointed. Plenty of time for guest ales to be brought in as the pub gets more popular of course. It's fantastic to have a restaurant like this in Iffley Fields, and should definitely appeal to the north Oxford crowd as well! In summary, we couldn't fault the food, service, value or surroundings. Highly recommended. Jeff, 29/10/09 I recently ate at the newly re-furbished Magdalen Arms on Iffley Rd and it was one of the best meals I have ever eaten. Beautiful atmosphere, fantastic service and cooking of the highest level from chef Tony Abarno. It is a must visit for everyone and I think it will quickly become known as Oxford’s best restaurant; personally I think it already is! At last we have a restaurant in Oxford to rival London; hurray!!! Rufus, 28/10/09
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