Visited this place 23/10-11, with great beerfriends. This very old town pub is a visit worth for the pub it self. It can be very difficult to find, but if you see a pink hotel, you are very close ;-) Being a Green King Pub thats what mostly get there but they have a few guests as well..

Make this number 4 on the notional Oxford Pub Crawl. This is classic Oxford territory, tucked away under one of the city walls, you have to pass down alleyways to find it, unfortunately so have the tourist guides. 18th century with low beamed bars, it is several cottages knocked through, and a classic outside loo! The real reason for visiting this pub though is the beer choice, Micro’s from all over the UK make an appearance, like a constant festival. Complete nights can be consumed by merely moving across the handpumps. You’ll not find any staff who know what they are talking about, so you will have to strike lucky and find a fellow beer purveyor. Current Oxford Pub of the Year, that is how good the beer is.
Updated Rating Dec ’12 - Unfortunately this pub has gone down hill from my previous rating. The beers are often served in poor condition, the tight bar means that to get served is very difficult and you often do not get the beer you asked for and are overcharged. Not a regular for us now.

Nice place to drink beer, there are a good selection of beers. The place is atypical, really strange organisation but really pleasant. Population is young and pleasant too. Bar keeper will help you to choose the good beer for you.

A must place. Not so easy to find. A good selection of real ales in a good condition. Maybe too busy in the evening (19.6.2009).

In the late 1970s the Turf Tavern was tucked out of the way, it didn’t serve food and it was quite unspoilt. It isn’t spoilt now but it does have the feeling of “cashing in”. It’s still of out of the way of course, down a series of crooked alleyways, but no longer difficult to find as there are discreet pointers all the way to “An education in intoxication (The famous Turf Tavern)”. These bring you out into a small courtyard where famous visitors (and Morse) are depicted on the wall and there’s a large second terrace under two huge parasols. The pub itself seems to be a collection of old buildings tucked inside the town walls and you move from a tiny bar to a less tiny bar to an upstairs eating area which was packed with diners. (Visited 7 January 2012).

I’ve visited here countless times over the years and whilst it has it’s moments and I’ve had some good times here, it doesn’t really do it for me. It is clearly an interesting, atmospheric pub that is dripping in history, one only has to look at a remant of the old city wall running alongside the pub to see that this place has some tales to tell and dates back some considerable time. The pub itself is almost always busy as despite the trickiness in getting to it (its tucked away) the tourists still flock here. The beers are from a GK list (I believe) and so whilst you might get some occasional beers of interest much of the choice is hardly exciting. ceilings are low in the older front part of the pub. So whilst not it’s biggest fan I have to say it is probably worth a visit for the first timer.

nice terrace. Very big and cozy pub

Turf benefits from an interesting location, historic building, lively atmosphere, and good reputation. They have 8-10 taps, half of which rotate quite regularly. As of late, their options haven’t been very inspiring and due to the summer crowd they keep running out of beer. Last time I went there was only one cask on...But for the ambiance, there isn’t a pub in Oxford that can match it, especially during term time. If it was last year, I would have given it a higher score, but lately, due to the beer choices and food, I have to give it a lower score.

An atmospheric pub with a lot of character. Low ceilings and full of history. The beers are usually in good condition and usually from different micro breweries. Recommended.

Interesting building. Surprisingly fast service on Friday night. The building itself makes it worth visiting.