James St. Tavern — Restaurant in Oxford

I’ve been coming to James St Tavern for about a year as part of a board game group (Oxford on Board - join us on Sundays!!!) and I can’t speak highly enough. It’s a great venue for games as the side area with the retractable roof is brilliant for all four seasons and really spacious and lots of tables. The pub itself is cosy and has a nice atmosphere - not fully “trad pub” but more of a modern pub vibe. The food has always been awesome (best avocado toast in Oxford for sure) and I appreciate that they give the group a discount too. The staff have always been really friendly, flexible, and accommodating, and the service has always been quick and hassle free. The price point is decent for Oxford as well. There’s a great range of drinks for those who do and do not drink alcohol - always such a bummer when as a non drinker I’m limited to coke. That’s definitely not the case here as they have coffees and teas lots of nice soft drinks - and a choice of non dairy milks as well. I like the diversity of things that happen at the pub as well - from open mic music to art shows and taking part in local community events like Cowley Road Carnival. 5/5 for me - keep it...

Oh my. Breakfast, anyone? For now but not for long, James Street Tavern (or JST for those in the know) is Oxford’s hidden breakfast gem thanks in large part to new chef Lena, impresario Josh, and manager Molly: aside from a range of bap offerings which will include a perfectly fried egg with crispy edges, you can find an English or American breakfast that ticks all the boxes. To me, the star of the show were my waffles, an imported iteration of an old-family recipe (so I’ve been told). Choose from sweet or savory options, but whatever you decide, expect a stacked thin duo of delicate mouthfeels; the waffles outer crispness traps inner soft riches that dissolve on the tongue. My pair was topped with a baseball-sized dollop of not-overly-sweetened whipped cream with a side of legit berry compote. So good and satisfying, I wanted to start over again. You get the idea. Bonus were the roomy and chillaxing tables. For your next breakfast, forgo the tourist-riddled cramped sweaty cafe and amble into the James Street Tavern, located in the southeastern...

Top pub. It has a large beer garden, which is unusual for Oxford. It usually has good beers on from a wide range of breweries (such as Shotover, Loddon, Box Steam and XT), in addition to more standard stuff from GK. It's a popular venue during Cowley Road Carnival, and has good mix of locals, visitors and students the rest of the time, meaning that the crowd can be quite diverse.

The pub is a key part of Oxford's music scene. There are regular open mic nights, often with very competent performers. The pub is also home to Oxford's Galician, French/Breton and Scandi music nights, and a Sunday afternoon session, where you'll see and hear a variety of weird and wonderful instruments - the Galician night is often particularly lively.

The pub also hosts at least one of Oxford's knitting groups, and I believe it's a popular stop on Oxford Hash events.

I think the hand drier in the gents may be some sort of standing joke. To my knowledge, it has never worked, and and it was refitted (but not working) after the loos were otherwise completely...