The Gardeners Arms — Restaurant in Oxford

This was probably my wife and I’s absolute worst experience at any restaurant ever. Before we arrived at this restaurant, we had bought some Jaffa Cakes from a local grocery store (we are from the United States, and I was very eager to try this British snack). After we sat down at our table, I pulled out a Jaffa Cake and ate it. I could see in the corner of my eye our waiter (he was a tall male) throw his hands up as he was approaching our table. He then told me to put away the snack, which I politely did and apologized.

Throughout our entire dinner experience after this occurrence, he only came to our table one more time to give us our food. Other waitresses had to serve and check on us. After my wife and I finished our meal, we waited about 15 minutes for our check. We could both see the same waiter serving other tables and hanging out at the bar talking to his co-workers, yet he never came back to our table. He even made eye contact with us a few times. After waiting so long, I finally decided to approach the bar and asked another employee if I could go ahead and pay our check. Our waiter was at the bar when I paid, and he refused to make eye contact with me as he continued talking to his co-workers.

When I got back to our table, I booked our taxi back to our Airbnb. While we waited, I decided to take out my Jaffa Cakes and eat them, which FINALLY got the waiter’s attention as he made eye contact with me from the bar. He shook his head and approached our table after ignoring us for most of our dinner experience, and he again told me to put it away. I was taking my time in finishing the Jaffa Cake I was eating, and he yelled at me saying, “Seriously? Put that away!” in front of other customers around our table.

After I initially ate my Jaffa Cake when we first arrived to the restaurant, I never took it out again until I was fed up with our waiter’s behavior — which was very inappropriate. My wife and I never could get the waiter’s attention to serve us until I took out the Jaffa Cakes again. I tried to be as polite as I could. I even said “thank you” to the waiter as me and my wife left the restaurant.

I do not recommend eating at this restaurant to anyone. Our waiter’s inappropriate behavior ruined our dinner experience and the rest of our night. Also, the food was only okay. My wife and I were very eager to try this restaurant as it is not always easy to find vegetarian/vegan restaurants in many places (my...

Loved it. Just loved everything here. Have been quite a few times and it's a go to place after a nice day. Just to end the day with the best meal. Friendly staff and service. Make sure to book in advance as it can get quite busy sometimes. Sunday nights are quiz nights which was much more fun. The best place for Vegans and vegetarians in Oxford. A MUST TRY. Must must try. This was the place I wanted to be on my birthday for my special dinner date. And it was the best decision for that day. First we had a calzone and a burger which amused us. And then the surprise kept coming for all the other dishes. Chilli hot dog. Never expected red lentil can be used in many ways. The mushroom pie was another delicious one. Hot chilli garlic bread is another must try. For that price you get a burger with toppings and sauces of your choice and a bowl of fries. We usually order Cajun fries or Cajun fries with cheese. The curried mayo here is the star. Try Southern fried vegan burger with curried mayo and special hot sauce with other mayo or sauce and toppings of your choices you won't regret. The spinach calzone is our comfort food here. Fully loaded fries and dirty fries won't upset a fries lover. Toilets are in the back. Neat. There is seating outside in the back or inside. The place is quite cozy for groups to chill out. Last batch of friends hanging out or a single person who likes to read a book. There are books around here. The street beside it is where u can park your car. But there are only limited spaces. Really talented chef and he is a...

I've been living out of the country for a while and was in desperate need of some real pub food. Surprisingly, as a country guy, the gardener's arms hit every point straight on for a pub experience, I had a lovely evening. If that experience is what you're looking for then this is the place.

Other reviews talk about there being table service only, this wasn't the case on my visit, I ordered at the bar. I do think there's a balance to be had with bar service plus the option to order via website etc, but again I wanted to feel at home in a pub, so for me this was great.

We sat outside on a Monday evening in April and the atmosphere was lovely, several groups of locals enjoying a chat and a pint. Nicely furnished with cosy lighting, and the electric heaters were very much appreciated. The interior feels like a classic pub, not your brighter chain pub-style decor, and it got much cosier once the evening lights switched on.

The mushroom pie here really hit the spot, absolutely delish and went down a treat with a pint. My partner had the fully loaded fries, which we'll definitely also recommend. Props to the chefs for some fantastic cooking and a great menu, everything on there sounds good!

I never expected it, but it's just wonderful to be able to sit and look at the menu and just pick whatever, and have to even think about whether it's vegetarian or not.

Fantastic place, a real surprise gem of the UK, highly...