Isis Farmhouse — Restaurant in Oxford

So sad.. I've been witnessing the slow demise of this place for the past 15 years.. it was always odd and a bit run down, but the garden has always been a draw in the sunshine. Having hoped that the (now not so new) owners would turn the Isis around with time, when they took over a fair few years ago, I've sadly been bitterly disappointed when visiting again recently. Unbelievably, the indoors looks more tired and grimy than ever. The newly put up Baroque style (?!) prints have nothing to do with the place, the "new" (ex-fly tip?) furniture is awful, the fake foliage everywhere tacky and off-putting. And after seeing an uncovered, big metal canister of raw unbreaded fish festering in the heat by their kitchen window for the duration of our visit, I certainly would not dream of risking eating there. (This was weekday lunchtime during the recent heatwave...) The staff were run off their feet despite hardly any people there and it seemed chaotic at best. They have now crammed a load of extra tables in the garden, most of them connected and with a sign nailed on a tree that forbids moving any of them... why? No idea, as the layout is hardly aesthetically pleasing nor sensical. This together with the tacky gazebo "extension" ruins the charm of the outside view completely. The current owners seem to focus on using the Isis as a platform for their own music and musician mates (I'm not a fan personally and it doesn't suit the place), whilst forgetting the basics of cleanliness, organisation, customer service and quality food and drink. I don't know what their credentials are, but any local could give them advice on how to improve things tenfold. This place has the biggest potential, despite access problems and the odd occurrence of flooding, but sadly it is sinking further and further into the pit. I'm not sure I will be returning, which is making me feel rather somber, but in its current state, I struggle to...

PHOENIX TO THE ASHES DRIVEN

The Isis Farmhouse Pub in Oxford might just be the Chernobyl of English Riverside pubs. Someone has evidently taken the most nauseating hallucinations from a bad acid trip and thought, “You know what? Let’s give this a postcode!” There's a special place in hell for establishments like this, and Charlie Brooker would probably have penned an entire 'Black Mirror' episode dedicated to its existence.

Now, onto the pièce de résistance, the culinary horror show they try to pass off as “food”. Ever heard of "Vintage Fish"? No? That's because most places respect the concept of sell-by dates. At the Isis Farmhouse, the fish is so old, it probably has tales of swimming with dinosaurs. It's an audacious attempt to redefine gastronomy by fusing the tastes of the Mesozoic era with modern-day salmonella. But if the age-defying seafood doesn’t get your gag reflexes going, the surroundings surely will. Imagine, if you will, sipping your stale beer on the lushest, greenest... astro turf. Because nothing says 'authentic British pub' like the plastic underbelly of a failed football pitch.

But wait, there’s more! For those brave souls who venture to the loo, you're in for a 'festival experience'. And by that, I mean festival portaloos that appear to have been salvaged from Woodstock's muddiest day and never cleaned since It’s as if hygiene became a mere suggestion rather than a standard. Every visit feels like an episode of 'Fear Factor'. The Isis Farmhouse isn’t just where good evenings go to die; it’s where dignity, taste, and probably several digestive systems have met their untimely end. If Dante had known of its existence, he would’ve added an extra circle to...

My Mum came to this pub on a trip to Oxford, on Saturday 12th August. She was desperate and had to use the toilet, since she felt that it would be rude not to buy anything from the pub after using their toilet, she joined the queue to buy a drink. However, she waited for a very long time - the waitress at the counter was chatting, laughing and being friendly with a group of guys before her, she did not care about keeping my mum waiting at all. She joined another queue to buy the drink but just then another group of guys cut in front of her. The waiter saw this and did nothing. She then again joined the queue she was at in the first place, the waitress seeing her, a Chinese woman, told her to wait because she had to write something, and kept her waiting even though she was the only customer there. The waitress's attitude, in contrast with her chattiness with the white guys before, was cold, and unfriendly. My mother, embarrassed, shocked and enraged, left the pub silent and upset. This ruined her trip, and left her with a bad impression of Oxford.

Looking at another review on the site where it reports their barman's racist attitude and comment towards a black customer, what happened to my mum was definitely racially motivated; the server saw that she was foreign and so did not want to serve her. Isis Farmhouse, the way your staff treats customers is disgusting. It is sad to see this sort of incident happen, in this day and age.

I think, the pub staff should adjust their medieval views and racist attitudes - go out of Oxford for once and see how diverse our world is. I can even send you some travel guides, if you'd...