Plough Inn — Restaurant in Oxford

If I could give zero stars, I would. Possibly one of the worst experiences in a pub I’ve ever had. Firstly, the menu was extremely limited. Claims to be a gastropub but served what I would describe as poor pub grub. There really isn’t much to eat if you don’t want chips and bread. I had a pie with cold, gloopy mash and a small portion of luke warm, fairly unappealing vegetables. Secondly, the service was appalling. The bar staff couldn’t crack a smile, the “waiter” was ill informed and grumpy. Inverted commas around waiter, as frankly he didn’t do much - you have order your own food and drink at the bar (walking up and down the stairs to get there - more on those stairs later). The pub cheekily then sticks a 12.5% service charge on the bill, which is outrageous given that service was non-existent at best. Finally, and most importantly, we had a first aid emergency which was not dealt with adequately. One member of our party fell down the stairs, which were extremely slippery. Due to the lack of table service there had been a lot of customer footfall up and down the stairs, carrying and spilling drinks. The stairs did not have a suitable handrail as it was covered in Christmas decorations. My mother slipped on the stairs and badly hurt her ankle. She received no first aid from the pub staff, who didn’t record the accident or check if she was ok. They brought us some ice, when we asked for it. She was left sitting in the toilets, in pain, being stepped around he people on their way to the loo. No member of staff came back to check on her. It’s a good job that I’m a first aider. We were a large party of ten, we spent a lot of money. We won’t be...

My son and daughter booked a table at the Plough Inn for a Mother's day treat. When we arrived, it was very busy but we were showed to a table and given the menus. I chose roast chicken, my son ordered vegetable Wellington and my daughter a veggie burger. When our food came we could not believe our eyes, my roast was £18 , it was a side plate with half a chicken breast, 1 potato, 1 slice carrot, 1 slice parsnip, a small dollop of bread sauce and a small piece if stuffing topped with a Yorkshire pudding. My sons dinner was of similar size and price but no Yorkshire pudding. I gave him half of mine , and my parsnip. I think we were just a bit stunned before I decided to speak to a waitress. She was lovely, listened, agreed and said she would speak to manager. We started eating, it was cool and bland. When she came back she shared manager's response that as they were doing a set menu for £25 they were doing smaller portions to leave room for dessert!!!!!!! Ridiculous, it was £18!!!! I requested that the manager came to speak to me as unfair on lovely young waitress. He did not come!! But response came back as, meals had been put through as child's portions, they would be happy to bring us remainder of portion and would charge us child price£11!! We declined, lunch had been spoilt and would never recommend! The manager should have spoken to me and not hidden behind lovely waitress, disgraceful...

Title: Shocking Racism and Abysmal Service - Avoid at All Costs

Rating: ⭐☆☆☆☆

I wish I could give zero stars. My recent experience at this restaurant was nothing short of appalling, marked by blatant racism, disrespect, and incompetence. As an Asian diner, I was treated with outright hostility from the moment I walked in. Staff repeatedly ignored our table while attending to others, made dismissive remarks under their breath, and even laughed when my group politely asked for assistance.

The issues didn’t stop there. Despite being nearly empty, we waited over 45 minutes for a table, only to be met by servers who rolled their eyes at basic requests. When our food finally arrived, the orders were completely wrong—a frustrating pattern we noticed at neighboring tables too. When we tried to correct the mistakes, the staff argued instead of apologizing, blaming us for "not speaking clearly."

The combination of racist behavior, inexcusably long waits, and unapologetically rude service made this the worst dining experience I’ve ever had. To fellow Asian patrons and anyone who values dignity: steer clear. This establishment doesn’t deserve your time or money. Management clearly has no interest in addressing these issues, as other reviews echo similar horrors. Save yourself the frustration and support inclusive...