My first visit was phenomenal. Food was delicious, The Venue is cute and elegant but a little noisy. The most incredible was the waitress his name was Fynn, he explained me everything on the menu very well. I never had the proper experience in a...restaurant with a nice and professional waitress. He made my lunch great. And all his recommendations were accurate. Well done Fynn 10 of 10.More
Delicious food and great service from Drew who accommodated all special requests (and was very gracious when a glass was broken)
On our visit, we met a Basil Fawlty in training. This venue was chosen as our annual Christmas get together given that we all live looking miles away from each other, and was mid-way point. The website offers so much, which unfortunately doesn't quite deliver....Parking was a nightmare. We witnessed a family with two cars leave their vehicle in the small car park to go off trekking across the countryside. The owners are quite happy to manage the customer flow to the toilets, but not who uses the car park. We ended up having to make our way through puddles and mud to get into the restaurant. We were seated quite quickly, and to be fair there was quite a nice Christmas atmosphere. Christmas menus dished out, and orders taken promptly. However...no Pinot??? (my partners drink of choice, not mine, i was driving...and hiking to get back to the car..) Food arrived quite quickly too. Portions weren't huge but was ok in terms of quality. However, when our server came to ask if everything was ok, just at the point of us answering his question the server was interrupted by one of his colleagues so he got distracted.....once he'd answered his colleagues question he turned to us with a curt (John Cleese style) Hmmmmmm?? As if it was OUR fault that we hadn't answered his question when HE was interrupted.....VERY VERY RUDE....He then had the audacity to add 12.% service charge onto our bill (which is NOT clearly stated on the main menu....), and got very indigent/rude/short with us when we asked him to remove the charge.. In my opinion a service charge is optional, and is earned not a given right. Briefly the desserts were a massive let down. Choose the cheese and expect a couple of biscuits and a cheeky little game of 'spot the cheese' We were then told, that despite the fact we'd all driven miles to get together that we only had the table for two hours. Once again no indication or mention of this. Would we visit again? I'll let you decide on that one. And, for those of you wondering about monitoring the toilets.....see photo.More
Thank you for taking the time to leave us this detailed review. I'm pleased that upon arrival you were seated quickly and enjoyed the atmosphere and the majority of the food, but it's a real shame to hear that that is where your enjoyment ended....More
This is a great venue and worked perfectly well for our Christmas lunch, great food and location - very cosy and festive. We were a group of 36 people but they catered extremely well for us - great timing, no long waits, but we weren't...rushed either. We had some of our US colleagues with us and they loved the venue and ambience.More
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us this wonderful review. We're so pleased that your company enjoyed your time with us - we hope to see you next year (if not before!)
We had our wedding reception here earlier in October and words aren’t enough for the outstanding service we received. Emily and her team gave first class, efficient, punctual and fab service. Emily was a joy to work with and all of our ideas & plans...came to fruition and then some!! We have had soooo many compliments about the day from the food to the bar to the staff working on the day. The vibe we wanted was LOVE & that’s exactly what we got. So thank you Emily & all the team at The Perch - you gave us the best reception ever ❤️More
Great spot for a wholesome Sunday lunch. Extremely cosy, classic English pub. Amazing service from Fynn, quality food and great atmosphere. Friendly, warm and welcoming gastro pub!
Thank you so much for this lovely review. We're so happy to hear that you enjoyed your time with us and that Fynn impressed - we look forward to seeing you again soon!
This is the perfect place for a low key, relaxed lunch with a friend. I know, because that’s what I have just done. Service was warm, genuine and very efficient. The ambiance echoed that. It’s a favourite spot being so close to the City, and...yet with the feeling of a typical English country hostelry. The food was great. Clean plates! Perfect beef pie. Give me more! Battle the hurdles Oxford’s roads throw at you because it’s worth it. By that I mean walk or get on your bike. Because that’s the best approach for this hidden, but rightly celebrated Oxford gem. Follow the river (but get a map first)More
Thank you for battling through Oxford's intricate one way, road closure, road work system to get to us! We're so pleased it was worth it - I love the pie and I'm delighted to hear that you do too. Looking forward to your next visit.
We ventured out that day to take a walk around the Port Meadow near Oxford and were on our way back from Godstow (walking along the path next to the River Thames) when I told my wife that I was hungry and looking forward to...getting back to the city to find some place to eat. Not two seconds later, we saw a sign for The Perch Freehouse and that they were open for lunch, so we took the path and in a few minutes were rewarded with what I must describe as an almost Brigadoon-like reward - the patio and entrance to The Perch, looking quite out of place and yet, at the same time, perfectly set. We knew we'd stumbled upon some place special and headed on in. We were met by a friendly man at the bar who told us that he was pleased to see us (as we were him) and then escorted us out to a lovely covered area where we were seated and then given menus. Not knowing exactly what to expect menu-wise, we were pleased to see that they had a very nice assortment of lunch options and a good drinks menu as well. After a couple of minutes, we'd decided on a couple of alcoholic beverages and then ordered the Beetroot Salad plate (£10.95) that came with pear, local bleu cheese and red and gold beets and the larger of their two Fish Plate, which were to include double portions of prawn cocktail (shrimp salad), peppered smoked mackerel pâté, rollmop herrings, whiskey & treacle cured trout, pickled cucumbers, caper berries & warm breads (£21.95). We figured we'd start with those and then see what else we might want. Not too long after, our orders were placed on the table and, I have to tell you, they were both just perfect and amply proportioned. It was definitely enough to share and we both enjoyed every bite. I was particularly taken by the mackerel pate and the prawn cocktail, while my wife focused mostly on the beet salad, supplementing with tastes of the cured trout on the different breads that we were served. In the end, it was more than enough and, as much as I'd hoped to try out samples from their dessert menu (the gingerbread pudding had my name on it), we decided to save ourselves and just enjoy the food, the setting, the excellent service and the fact that we'd stumbled in to a place that just made our day all the much better. Highly recommended and worth the walk.More
My husband and I had our wedding reception in the Perch's marquee in early September and it was simply magical! Emily, the Events Manager was incredible. On the day she made sure everything went off without a hitch and in the lead up to the...wedding provided so much guidance and support. I could not thank her enough. The rest of the team at the Perch were also amazing. So friendly and warm. Especially when out wedding had over 100 adults and 20 children! The venue is beautiful, spacious and classicly Oxford. The food is delicious, and the drinks are pretty damn good too!More
I hadn’t eaten at the renowned Perch since the 80’s when I lived nearby for a year. Both the service (courtesy of Drew) and the food exceeded my expectations (and memory) and the walk after eating along the Portmeadow was just as nice as ever!
A lovely pub in an amazing setting on the River Thames. Large garden. Some indoor and some outdoor seating for meals. We sat indoors. Lovely menu - up market pub food. Good service and lovely food. From here, you can walk along the Thames and...do a circular walk.More
Have been to The Perch twice this October. Both times the food was amazing. The crispy lamb and the fish platter were especially good for starters. This time round my husband had the steak pie and I had the pigs cheek - they were outstanding....The meat was meltingly tender in both cases. We thought we were too full for pudding, but looked at the menu. I was too full; but the others shared the cheesecake and loved it. There are vegetarian options on the menu and a separate vegan menu that looked tasty and well thought out. The do wine, non-alcoholic drinks and beer - including 'small beer' with a 2.something abv. It is a lovely place. Do go.More
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us this wonderful review. We're so pleased to hear that you enjoyed such a wide range of our Autumn menu choices as well as a good selection of the drinks on offer. Really appreciate reviews...More
My parents and I really enjoyed our lunch at the Perch. The pig cheeks were delicious and melt in the mouth, and the gingerbread pudding was the perfect stick-to-your-ribs winter desert. A special thank you to Drew who looked after us excellently and was great.
Thank you so much for this review. Absolutely delighted to know the Pig Cheeks went down well - a real cold weather treat! Drew will be delighted to know that he helped contribute to your enjoyment! We hope to see you again!
We held our wedding reception at The Perch and it was all brilliant. Emily is absolutely wonderful - guiding us through the process of organising a wedding and making it all as low stress as possible, as well as being a kind, calm and efficient...manager on the day. The marquee looked beautiful and we felt so well looked after - nothing was too much trouble. So many of our guests also said that it was the best food at a wedding they'd ever had and we couldn't agree more. The sharing platters are amazing. If you're looking for a relaxed and beautiful venue then we couldn't recommend Emily and her team at The Perch highly enough. Thank you!!More
An excellent experience and evening at The Perch. A truly wonderful pub with a great ambience, beautiful setting and outstanding staff. Service was exceptional and efficient. A special thank you to Christian who made our evening extra memorable with his friendly, fun and helpful manner....The food was exceptional, tasty and fresh. The pies were sublime and we would highly recommend trying them. Thank you to all the freak for an amazing evening, we had a fabulous time.More
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us this review. So, so pleased to hear that your experience was so enjoyable. Christian especially is over the moon to hear that he helped you have such a good time. We look forward to...More
