Lamb & Flag Oxford

This is one of the great small pubs in the area. And what's better is that it's not one of the Michelson pub chains. Not that they are bad... I just prefer the non chain pubs for variety and some different options. The food is amazing and the atmosphere is awesome. It's wild busy during happy hour so if you want a seat get there before 5pm.

A very good selection of local craft brews. As an American brewer on vacation it was such a welcome relief to get some craft beer with full flavor and alcohol content. We were staying just up the road and I loved stopping for a pint on our way to and from the tourist stuff to help keep my spirits up. Thank you, thank you, thank you for being an island among all the other pubs serving the usual low alcohol beer. Oh, and the bartenders were fast and friendly.

This has now been fully refurbished and is a vast improvement. The interior is traditional but light and roomy, with large ante rooms towards the back. And a huge bonus for Oxford, the toilets are extremely well kept with a high quality fitting. As for the beers, a large number of real ales and craft beers. The real ales included genuinely interesting selections from smaller more niche outfits. I tried the Cotswold North one, a pleasant and nice session IPA. The real ale scene in Oxford has upped its game enormously in the past few years and I found the Lamb and Flag and the Royal Blenheim to be the two best in the City Centre now.

We dropped in on a cold wet afternoon and were greeted with a lovely warm friendly pub. It felt like a lot more of a local than some of the more touristy pubs in Oxford. The staff were lovely and they had a great selection of beers. The food looked good, unfortunately this time around we weren't eating. Next time we might well give it a try. Recommended if you want more of an authentic British local pub vibe.