The Magdalen Arms Reviews Summary

Category: Gastropub Oxford

Address: 243 Iffley Rd, Oxford, OX4 1SJ, United Kingdom

Phone: +441865243159

Rating: 4.4
based on 131 reviews.

Food Quality

Pros:

  • "Lamb was juicy, falling apart and just lovely."
  • "The food was perfect, staff were fast and friendly."
  • "Food was absolutely delicious. Ordered the lamb shoulder and the meat fell off the bone."
  • "The food was perfectly cooked by a team that are clearly passionate about what they serve."
  • "Cracking selection of beers and the food was delicious."
  • "Absolutely stunning food - great for sharing."
  • "The food was amazingly delicious, especially the lamb, which was well-braised & tender."

Cons:

  • "Atmosphere was warm and friendly but the food was mediocre."
  • "I ordered a main which was not very good, it was the roast beef but the sauce was not nice."
  • "The cooking techniques are not good enough."
  • "The food itself was good but nothing special and lacked everything that makes eating in a pub attractive."
  • "Absolutely awful food. The Spanish platter is a complete insult to Spain and Spanish people."
  • "The food tastes not bad, but the material is not fresh enough and there are too much oil used to cook."
  • "Chicken in a very challenging sauce, very watery, sour, and spicy, but mainly sour."

Service

Pros:

  • "Our waiter was very cheerful, friendly and prompt."
  • "Staff great.. atmosphere great and food great."
  • "Service is impeccable."
  • "The staff are friendly and always check us if we need anything."
  • "Staff and food exceptional."
  • "Staff were friendly, helpful and went out their way to check on our enjoyment."
  • "Lovely staff and quick service regardless of how busy it was."

Cons:

  • "The food is still good but the service is astonishingly poor."
  • "Below average service. One arrogant waiter, the other was slow yet pleasant."
  • "Pub understaffed for a saturday lunchtime so service was slow."
  • "Service appauling had a terrible experience waiting for an hour for Sunday lunch to be told they had forgot about our order."
  • "Frankly, it was the worse customer service experience in our 3 weeks in Europe and the UK."
  • "Friendly but unpersonal staff who made several crucial technical errors."
  • "The only slightly off experience I had was when I went in the morning to try the toasties advertised on the main menu board; the person behind the bar seemed confused what we were talking about."

Atmosphere

Pros:

  • "A delightful evening was had."
  • "The pub has an excellent atmosphere."
  • "A great gastropub in a good location for Iffley road residents."
  • "A lively and lovely pub."
  • "Wonderfully cosy pub that was packed with diners and drinkers on a Friday night."
  • "Nice atmosphere. Plenty of space between tables means you feel you have privacy."
  • "Welcoming and friendly staff. Great service with a traditional pub feel but amazing food."

Cons:

  • "The place has been totally transformed from the roughest Pub in Oxford into a snob paradise."
  • "Ended up in the bar area because our 9pm table wasn't happening anymore, very noisy area."
  • "High expectations did not come true. Busy, noisy, and more a restaurant than a pub."
  • "It can be quiet at times and it feels dead with all that space."
  • "So disappointing after reading the reviews and waiting weeks for a table."
  • "Bit noisy, but it's a pub so fair enough."
  • "Tasty food but very dark inside and possibly abit shabby in parts."

Value

Pros:

  • "Although good quality food and price but expensive service hence not for a regular weekly hangout but very useful for special occasions like anniversaries."
  • "Price was fair for what we had."
  • "It looks pricey on the menu but we had 4 mains, puddings and alcoholic drinks all for about £120! Bargain I think!"
  • "Prices are good value for the portion size, quality and provenance of the ingredients."
  • "It's definitely good value for the money."
  • "The whole meal was most reasonable."
  • "Prices are reasonable 60£ for lamb roast for 3 meals."

Cons:

  • "It was a bit on the spendy side but worth a night out."
  • "I just feel the food was not worth £18.00."
  • "After a 50 minute wait our food was bought out. A steak, 3 roast potato's, a slice of parsnip and a few carrots- for £58."
  • "For the price you pay, having had no choice, to then be presented with a bowl of pasta, while others get to feast on giant hunks of meat plus multiple sides, just feels like a total rip off."
  • "Great food at massive prices. Make sure someone else is paying."
  • "It's expensive but the food was excellent."
  • "Also if I don't want creme fraiche on my desert, please don't charge me to swap for ice cream. That's wrong on a £50 per head bill!"

Menu Variety

Pros:

  • "Menu is quite meat based, although a good range."
  • "Fantastic food with tons of variety that is always changing."
  • "They're constantly changing up their menu to match seasonal trends."
  • "The menu changes regularly, which is a rarity in pub restaurants and quality of cooking is great."
  • "Great food - at first you might think it is pricey, but portions are generous and they use 'happy' meat (free-range) which is hard to find when eating out."
  • "Delicious, small plates of freshly made, interesting food."
  • "The food is delicious, copious and affordable."

Cons:

  • "The food is good, but I've been here several times, and found that some key items always seem to be missing from the menu."
  • "I eat there 2-3 times a week and the food is really good quality, but the choice is very limited when you are vegan."
  • "Would like more vegan options, although exceptionally good compared to other pubs in Iffley area."
  • "It's just not good enough for vegetarians."
  • "There are zero vegan or veggie options."
  • "Food is really good, although I often find there’s nothing I really fancy."
  • "Preoccupied staff, boring or just uneatable food, never again, sorry."

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