Latest reviews from Abingdon
| 78 /100 Cowshed Drinks (Beer Store) 14-16 STERT STREET “A new edition to the Abingdon beer scene, having opened in late 2022.
I visited on Friday lunchtime as it opened on 07/07/23.
I reckon we need a new category for this type of venue now, as there's a few about, it's a bottle shop / taproom hybrid with 5 keg lines and 5 or 6 tables to sit and drink at.
The keg lines were interesting, Vault City, Odyssey, Polly's, Phantom and one I didn't note down. I had one new rate then hit a few cans.
Bottle wise a decent selection of largely UK craft forward beers, plus some overseas interlopers allied to Belgian and German classics.
All can be opened and drink in with an add on tarif (think a pound).
Hot snacks available ... some cracking sausage rolls and pies on the counter.
They were an UT verified venue back in July but don't appear to be now, their website does have a taplist link but wouldn't work for me (Cookie issues?).
Cracking little taproom/bottle shop hybrid ... really friendly owners, I hope they do well. Oh and a resident French Bulldog ... what's not to like!!!“ |
| 72 /100 Broad Face (Bar) 30 BRIDGE STREET “Visited on Sunday 01/10/23 around 1945.
Smart pub, the wife liked it, seems to have had a relatively recent refurb. Was pretty quiet compared to the other venues we visited which I'd largely put down to the fact they finished food at 6.
The building is owned by GK, as alluded to in Glen's review, however the bar manager explained to me that the arrangement they presently have has NO tie to any GK beers. I'm guessing this is what Glen meant by the GK guest list, but I'm overly familiar with GK pubs. There were 8 cask lines, all in good nick, not particularly exciting mind ... think Timothy Taylor (the dark mild), DS - Hophead, Tiny Rebel, Dark Star, Black Sheep, Wadworths, Bath and St Austell also featured on cask. Good friendly service offered.
This was definitely the best of the pubs on offer in Abingdon for me on this visit ... do see Cowshed Drinks also (which I haven't got round to adding from a previous visit).“ |
| 60 /100 Nags Head (Bar) THE BRIDGE “Visited after lunch on the afternoon of Sunday 01/10/23.
Great location on an island in the Thames. Average sized pub but has an expansive beer garden on the island behind it with perhaps 4 distinct areas, some covered, some open.
Beer wise ... dull as dishwater ... Loose Cannon Abingdon Bridge and Landlord were the 2 casks, the Keg lines carried macro type offerings, A Brixton beer and some terrible GK brewed ISA.
Great setting, crap beers.“ |
| 58 /100 Crown & Thistle (Restaurant) 18 BRIDGE STREET “Stayed here for the night (dog friendly) on Sunday 01/10/23.
I've re-categorised the venue to a restaurant as things have moved on since lockdown it seems.
Now owned by Oakman Inns, the pub is only open on weekend nights and only had 1 cask Line, London Pride, plus a few macro keg taps. This was exactly the same as the restaurant bar where we eat. So not really right to class as a pub any longer in my opinion ... it's a restaurant, hotel then part time pub. The restaurant was very busy compared to other venues in Abingdon on a Sunday night and the food was good. Really don't bother coming in for a drink though if you're after a new tick.“ |
| 60 /100 Brewery Tap (Bar) 40-42 OCK STREET, “Visited on Sunday evening, 01/10/23, around 1945.
Walked in, had a quick look at the cask lines, all pretty dull then walked out again.
Reason ... crap live music (and be warned this seems a very regular thing here judging by the board outside). Now I don't want music in a pub but can put up with it over a pint however this bunch took over the pub ... the chairs were all re-arranged making it difficult to get to the bar and the singer, who was murdering, honestly don't know what song, was wondering up and down in the small space by the bar making it impossible to get there. The cask lines were really uninteresting ... Loose Cannon Abingdon Bridge, Rebellion Blonde, Landlord and something else.
Was not going through that kind of effort to reach the bar.
Maybe another time! Service and Selection scored subjectively.“ |
| 72 /100 Brewery Tap (Bar) 40-42 OCK STREET, “Large ,cosy pub with open fire. Traditional english pub with good beers and atmosphere.“ |
| 62 /100 Broad Face (Bar) 30 BRIDGE STREET “This is a pub on the town bank of the Thames, Opposite the Nags Head. Ostensibly it is Greene King but the Landlord goes for the guest beer option, so you will see up to 5 beers from the GK guest list. Warm and welcoming with a crazy, but lovely Romanian barmaid. The drinkers are well catered for here, it is stripped out, single roomed and friendly. A good option and second only to the Brewery Tap.“ |
| 56 /100 Nags Head (Bar) THE BRIDGE “This used to be the go to pub in Abingdon a while ago, it is right on the bridge across the Thames in a magnificent position with a great garden right next to the river. Inside it has been fancified to the limits, food orientated and no atmosphere. It is on 2 levels, which is great but you feel like a visitor rather than a guest. The TV is on constantly. There is basically no character in here now, which is a shame as it used to be my favourite in Abingdon.“ |
| 68 /100 Brewery Tap (Bar) 40-42 OCK STREET, “Quite a large pub on the west side of town, just a short walk from the centre. Six hand pulls and 14 keg taps at the back of the bar, but unfortunately with nothing really exciting. Warm and cozy inside with a real fire blazing away and a very pretty, bubbly barmaid on my visit. This is a proper, traditional pub and easily the best in Abingdon on my tour.“ |
| 56 /100 Narrows (JDW) (Bar) 25 HIGH STREET, “Town centre Wetherspoons in what was the old Post Office. It is deep and reasonably narrow, but the pub is named after the old street name. This is one of the more relaxed Wetherspoons, at least on my visit certainly. The bar is to the right as you walk in. Clean and tidy on my visit, with a good amount of staff. No carpets in the bar area, a bonus, open and bright. Worth a look.“ |
| 34 /100 Crown & Thistle (Restaurant) 18 BRIDGE STREET “Large hotel close to the town centre. To enter the bar you have to walk into the courtyard and then it is to the right. Obviously old but recently refurbished. Not much atmosphere in the bar unfortunately. The beers were only Fullers.“ |
| 44 /100 King’s Head & Bell (Bar) 10 EAST ST HELEN STREET “Large, rangy old Inn right in the centre of Abingdon, multi roomed but tarted up into a foodie more than drinking establishment. The bar is through the courtyard then to the right, it’s a little hidden away for first time visitors. Not the most comfortable of pubs really, all the tables are set up for diningand there isn’t a vibe. Not one I would return to really.“ |
| 50 /100 Narrows (JDW) (Bar) 25 HIGH STREET, “If you’ve worked your way through the beer selection in the Tap and the Nags, the only other place I could find in town for a half decent beer was Wetherspoons. It’s the usual fayre - around 12 real ales on offer at bargain basement prices along with a selection of common craft bottled beers. Tables are almost never wiped so you sit among crumbs and pools of spilt beer as the place slowly fills up with the local drunks. A slightly depressing experience.“ |
| 60 /100 Brewery Tap (Bar) 40-42 OCK STREET, “The local CAMRA branch seems to share its awards between this pub and the Nag’s Head around the corner. This is a traditional boozer with good honest pub grub and a homely feel. For ambiance and comfort the Tap is the better pub. It’s beer selection was a little behind however. There are 6 hand pumps. One is always wasted on the very poor Morland Original. Others had specials from Everards, Theakston and the local brewery Loose Cannon. A good place for a pint or two if your in town.“ |
| 58 /100 Nags Head (Bar) THE BRIDGE “Abingdon seems to be a bit lacking in really good places for a drink. The local CAMRA branch seems to share its awards between this pub and the Brewery Tap around the corner. On my visit, this one had much the better beer range, though I preferred the cosy feel of the Tap to the upmarket gastropub interior here.
The Nags has 8 hand pumps and isn’t afraid to put on some more unusual beers styles. There was a spiced saison from the Otley brewery and a US pale from Wild Weather plus a couple of porters on our visit. They also had a few from the local Loose Cannon brewery.“ |
| 66 /100 Nags Head (Bar) THE BRIDGE “Pub in a stunning location in the middle of Abingdon Bridge with a lovely little beer garden set at the confluence of the Thames and a mill stream. Pretty amazing being there when everything within sight was flooded. A combination of a well-designed layout and friendly staff mean that it’s perfectly balanced the obvious gastropub demands of the location with a traditional pub feel. And some comfy coffee shop sofas too for good measure. Eight real ale taps with a focus on Locales have helped it gain a deserved award as CAMRA SE Oxfordshire’s pub of the year (unsurprisingly Loose Cannon’s Abingdon Bridge is always on). Well worth a visit if you’re in the area. Might be a bit over-run in summer but it’s very welcoming in winter.“ |
