The Old Parsonage

Address: 1, Banbury Road, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX2 6NN, United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)1865 310210
Website: view The Old Parsonage’s website
Style: Hotel bar
Food: Set menu

Review

You'll have to duck through the door to get into The Old Parsonage -it's a 350-year-old building, and people were a lot smaller back then. The front room dates back to 1660 and still contains leaded light windows, wooden carvings in the surrounding panelling and the original fire, which fills the bar with the delicate smell of burning wood.

The bright red walls are covered in modern portraiture, both in the immediate bar area and up a few steps to the lounge which doubles as the restaurant, though in the summer months you can sit in the huge terrace out front of this beautiful building, which is covered in sweet-smelling wisteria.

The drinks menu is just 16-strong - mostly classic drinks, though it invites off-piste requests - served by uniformed waiters. The bartenders and confident and accomplished and the drinks quality is high, though the place might lack a little in atmosphere and there's little 'connection' between the staff and customers for such a small place.