Restaurant & Drinking Establishment
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16th century pub / restaurant with oak beams and log fires. Oliver Cromwell once resided here and there's supposed to be a ghost. Specialises in welcoming all ages.
Wheelchair friendly.
Garden.
Private room for hire.
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28 Appleton Road Useful links: Oxford Restaurants Oxford Hotels Oxford Pubs & Bars Oxford Gig venues Oxford Concert venues |
Well I have to say I have been very pleasantly proved wrong. I HAD thought that customer service was a thing of the past in this country now, but it is most definitely alive and well. So, please ignore my previous “rant” and maybe try out the Bear for yourselves. JA, 12/05/09 I went to the Bear 28 years ago, and swore I'd never go back. It was over-priced, minute portions (a tiny piece of meat, about four oxo cube sized portions of potato, and 6 mange tout if I remember correctly). I always said it was the most expensive meal I'd had, and the worst! I went back there last night. The mushroom starter wasn't too bad, (lots of rocket filling the plate, but a reasonable size portion). The main course arrived and I'm sure the disappointment must have shown on my face! Canon of lamb: 2 tiny pieces of lamb cutlets, 3 tiny baby carrots, 5 mange tout, and a round potato! To be fair, when we ordered, the waitress did say that we could order extra veg or side orders if we wanted, but as the menu said "spring veg & potato", we didn't think we would need to! At almost £17 for the main course, you would expect a reasonable amount on your plate. I had a rhubarb trifle to finish, tasty but again for the money it was not exactly good value. The total bill was £84 and I just felt that I had been ripped off. I don’t mind paying a decent price if you get good food and good service but I object to paying £17 for a plate that had more plate showing than food! I had thought that the “nouveaux cuisine” of the 80’s (i.e. tiny portions, but over-inflated prices) had gone, but unfortunately it is alive and well at the Bear and Ragged Staff. I came home and ate a bread roll as I was still hungry! I don’t think I’ll be going back there for at least another 28 years! JA, 03/05/09 We had dinner at the Bear and Ragged Staff last night and were pretty disappointed. We had not been since the pub was taken over by the new owner so thought we would give it a go. First impressions were pretty good, the decor looked nice and our table was pretty good. The service was a bit tentative and we had a little confusion with drinks but I think they just weren't very experienced. To start we shared the charcuterie platter which was delicious, huge and very good value at £8. It included chicken liver pate, rillettes (not very authentic but tasty), parma ham, pastrami, cornichons etc. This was the best part of the meal and I would come back at lunchtime to have it again. From here it was downhill. For mains I had sirloin steak and chips (£17) with a green salad (£3) which was one of the most disappointing steak and chips I have ever had. The meat had hardly any flavour, and had been cooked under a grill so was barely brown and the texture wasn't great. The steak was cut thin so that to serve it anywhere near medium rare it was barely cooked. There was no nice brown savouryness that you would expect. The accompanying bearnaise was cold and bland. The chips were worse - heavy, oozing fat and limp. My husband also left his chips (side order £3) but did like his swordfish. The side salad was also disappointing and over priced - some of the leaves were soggy and the dressing was really oily. I was asked twice after the main if I had a good meal and twice I was nice but honest and explained that the steak and the chips weren't great (explained why). Both times the server just said 'oh' and looked a bit blank. No feedback, comments etc. I would expect at least some feedback if not a free coffee/discount from bill. When we left we noticed bowls of un-eaten chips on other tables so we were not the only ones with complaints. We left after a pretty good coffee and won't be back for dinner (the lack of interest and feedback suggest nothing will change fast). I would come back for the charcuterie at lunchtime but not anything else. This is a pity as I really wanted another good food pub to add to our list of places to go. The total bill was £63, £40 of which was our mains - far too much for mediocre/poor food (however the charcuterie is a bargain!) Oxjill, 25/04/09 Went to have lunch at the Bear and Ragged Staff with a couple of friends just last week and was pleasantly surprised. Last time I had been the food was very so-so. It turns out that the tenancy has changed hands on this property in late 2008 and that some guy who had spent most of his working life in Bangkok has returned to England and fell in love with the place. I can understand why, its a stunning set up. They know about service in Bangkok too! On to the lunch offering. There is a charcuterie offering two hams and chorizo and a greek mezze to start among others. Also a one/two course set lunch for £6.95/£9.95. We both had the Charcuterie (£8) to start, which came with pickle, relish, capers, gherkins and super fresh bread. Nice beginning! If this was the start under new management, maybe the main course will not disappoint too. I ordered the Hamburger (£10), rare. My hamburger was succulent and was actually cooked rare as requested. The bun was very fresh as were the hand cut chips. My partner ordered the Fish and Chips (£10). The cod was enormous, the handcut chips hit the spot again. All this was washed down by a pint of well kept Abbot Ale each. All told, the bill was £33. Not cheap, but given the quality of food proffered, I was happy to pay the bill. I will be back and will be telling my friends to give the place a whirl too! The Bear maybe on the up and up at last! Mad Dog, 12/01/09 The Bear and Ragged Staff looks swanky enough inside (I believe it has been revamped in the last couple of years), but the food is pedestrian at best. The impression given is that you are eating food being served up by a chain rather than a plush pub restaurant. This impression was underlined when the young waitress asked my wife if she would like her Chardonnay to be red or white... Captain Jack Harkness, 15/04/08
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