About Us

Our Story

What’s it all about?

The Chester Arms is a community-centered, independent pub in the heart of East Oxford crewed by a talented and friendly team serving fine food and drink 7 days a week.

We aren’t part of a chain or tied to a brewery so the combination of food menus, drinks menus, events and charming character of the Chester Arms is truly unique.

We’re proud to receive so much fantastic feedback, in person and online (take a look at our Google reviews at the bottom of this page for a sample). It’s great to know that our cosy little pub puts a smile on so many faces. Whether it’s for a good meal, a refreshing drink, friendly service or the just atmosphere we hope you’ll come and join us sometime soon.

Culinary creativity

Eat

We offer delicious food served daily (see full opening hours at the bottom of this page) to suit any appetite or preference.

Our menus are crafted with passion for the food we serve, made with the finest ingredients sourced from selected suppliers and prepared with love and care. Every cut of meat is carefully selected, every chip is hand-cut, every baked bean is homemade and every salad is prepared fresh and crisp.

Take a look at our menus

A drop of the good stuff

Drink

Along with the traditional favourites, we serve a wide range of excellent crafted beers; on tap, or bottled to take out. Our choice range includes creative and refreshing regulars from the local Loose Cannon Brewery. We also have a wide range of Whisky, Gin, Rum and soft drinks to choose from. Our coffee is roasted a stone’s throw from The Chester Arms, on Magdalen Road so you’re always guaranteed a fresh brew with first-rate flavour.

See the full drinks menu

Fun and Games

Enjoy

Sunday night is Quiz Night. Fact. (Unless it’s Wine Tasting Night )
The, renowned Chester Tester attracts a spritely crowd of weekly hopefuls for lighthearted and enlightening competition. Come bathe in the collective knowledge (and ignorance) of some of the finest company Oxford has to offer. Cash prizes, laughs and banter all for £1 per person. Be sure to arrive early to grab a table!

Wine Tasting at The Chester is another favourite on the calendar. Every 2 months, the fine people at local wine merchants; Welch & Co select an assortment of award winning wines for you to sample. For only £30 per person you can savour the character of 8 excellent wines along with canapés throughout the evening and take a bottle of your favourite home with you. Get in touch for dates and to book your place.

There’s lots more going on all year round, so keep an eye on our Offers and news page or sign up for our newsletter to keep in the loop

Testimonials

What People are Saying

“The food was fantastic and the service was exceptional.”

"The staff were friendly and cheerful and nothing was too much trouble. Will certainly come again and recommending to my friends and family.
THANK YOU FOR A WONDERFUL MEAL."

Jovo

“Will definitely be coming back.”

Came here as a recommendation from some friends, so worth it. We had the steak platter and it did not disappoint. The steak was booked perfectly, chips were amazing and even the sides (cabbage and bacon?!) were incredible. Will definitely be coming back.

Harriet

“Warmly recommended”

"The slow cooked pork Sunday roast is just amazing and delicious! Warmly recommended"

Julie

"Top spot"

"Food was superb the local beers amazing and the huge portions are served in a chillout settings .. top spot"

Stefano

We’re proud to receive so much fantastic feedback, in person and online – take a look at our Google reviews at the bottom of this page or click on one of the TripAdvisor certificates below for a sample.

It’s great to know that our cosy little pub puts a smile on so many faces. Whether it’s for a good meal, a refreshing drink, friendly service or the just atmosphere we hope you’ll come and join us sometime soon.

Opening Hours

Opening hours are subject to change due to recent restrictions.

Monday	12pm – 11pm
Tuesday	12pm – 11pm
Wednesday – Friday	12pm – 11pm
Saturday	12pm – 11pm
Sunday	12pm - 10pm

Our Newsletter

Keep up to date with news and events from The Chester Arms

The Chester Arms

4.6 out of 5 stars

George

5 out of 5 stars

posted 6 days ago

Ordered the "3-4" serving of the steak for 3 of us which was definitely enough for 4 to 5 people. Very delicious steak, cooked well. The chips soaked up all the beefy juices and the cabbage full of bacon was excellent. Good service too, nice staff.

Rebekah Mainwaring

posted 5 days ago

Despite being more than a little short staffed we had a fantastic dinner here. Food was absolutely delish (can't believe I've lived this long never having bacon in my cabbage!) And staff were so friendly and helpful throughout, even though some of our guests were late arriving. Would recommend to anyone who likes a good steak 😍 the chips were also PERFECT!

Hannah

posted 1 month ago

Excellent food and excellent experience even though we were sat outside in the rain (under a canopy)! We came here when Al Fresco dining was the only option but still had a lovely time. The staff were friendly and the steak sharer was amazing. Definitely worth the price. We are big eaters so went for the 2-3 person option. It was pretty enormous but we only left a handful of chips. The steak is excellent quality and the side of cabbage and bacon was really nice. After a little while, the chips did become a bit soggy as they are all under the meat, but tasty nonetheless.

stavroula tsoka

4 out of 5 stars

Nice beef, well cooked. I would give 5 starts if the platter wasn't covered in peppercorn sauce. I would have preferred if it had come separately. But overall great environment and really nice food

Jack Tallon

Usually amazing service and food, we buy the 70£ platter every visit for 3/4 of us. Until we were presented with a waitress asking randomly one of my friends to leave as apparently he was there earlier on causing havoc. Long story short she assumed my friend was black because he had plaits (he was Asian in fact) and completely mistook him for somebody else. I called her racist and she replied 'my boyfriend is black' tall white woman probably in her 30's. Besides that big up the Chester Arms 10/10 usually and the owner is a nice as you can get.

Read All 869 Reviews