The Lamb and Flag

Nice alternative to the competition across the road!!  Excellent choice of ales/beers which won't break the bank.  Some of them can be a bit heavy ie Old Peculiar....
Food is nothing special but could not be classed as 'orrible!!
Can become quite busy with underpaid "part-time working students", who are finding it a struggle, BUT, they are great fun and very courteous, we found.  My wife loves them.
You could miss this pub, so keep your eyes peeled...

Gorgeous, quiet little local pub that’s run as a non-profit in order to support phd students.

Despite that, it’s still a wonderful place for a pint and a sit down.

Nice old pub, but seeing as St John's college owns it you'd expect a student discount.

Haven't been here in years but it sounds like it hasn't changed at all. Traditional Oxford boozer with no pretensions.

A cracking pub (i can't believe i have never reviewed it!). The Lamb & Flag nestles into St. Giles and if you don't look hard enough you could easily miss it.

Good points:

Plenty of Real Ale - I saw Spitfire, Lamb & Flag Summer Ale, Proper Job, Old Peculier among other on Saturday night.

Traditional Pub Grub - Great food and affordable for students.

Location - Just on the outskirts of the CBD so not as many tourists as you'd think! The L & F is popular with Students, Locals and Ale lovers.

Charity - The Lamb and Flag (as Brighters mentions below) is a not-for-profit pub and amazingly fund a handful of PHD's every year.

Bad points:

Hard to say really... This isn't "the perfect pub" but it's darn close. An easy 5 stars.

Situated just outside the centre of Oxford, this historic and friendly former coaching inn serves a good range of real ales and also does food.

The pub itself dates back to 1695 and, although the building reflects substantial remodelling in the 18th and 19th centuries, it is still a Grade II Listed Building. Inside, the front bar has been modernised and is a bit characterless, but the rear bars have lower ceilings and are more what you’d expect of an historic pub.

On my visit, the real ales included Skinner’s Betty Stogs, Palmer’s IPA, Lamb & Flag Gold, Shepherd Neame’s Spitfire and Theakston’s Old Peculier. They also do traditional pub grub, but I haven’t sampled it. Staff were very friendly and pulled a very good pint on my visit, so I’d happily return.

Historic note: Thomas Hardy apparently wrote a chunk of his novel Jude the Obscure here, and the pub is even said to be the model for the obscure tavern referred to in the novel. I’ve no idea if it’s true…

A cracking pub - one of the best in oxford which really is saying something! Great hand drawn ale, which you have to pay cash for (no cards - genius!) however rammed it gets you never have a ridiculous wait. Also a big draw for me, they sell proper pork scratchings - not the Mr Porky rubbish ones - the only way this pub could be any better was if they could actually make pork scratchings good for you.

The Lamb and Flag is superb. If the rest of the pubs in the country had any sense they’d take it as a template. It serves real ale well, pure and simple. It doesn’t go with gimmicks, it keeps enough staff on hand to avoid scrums at the bar, and they haven’t tried re-designing the idiosyncratic space that gives the place its charm.

Downsides, such as they are, are minimal. A later licence would be a god-send, and prices have crept up.

Apart from the Eagle & Child, directly opposite on the other side of St Giles, this is one of the few pubs in the area - just far enough off the main Oxford drag to avoid hordes of tourists. Its proximity to St Johns and Lincoln College accommodation means there’s normally a fair smattering of students, but with a decent mix of University staff and others such that no group really dominates, as is often the problem in Oxford’s town-gown pub divide.

Visited this pub just after my grandad passed away and I will always have fond memories of my family remembering the best of him. Very cosy and welcoming pub with a friendly atmosphere.

lovely atmosphere, friendly staff and always an interesting conversation or two to eavesdrop on…. one of my favs

The Lamb and Flag is old fasioned traditional pub with lovely cozy rooms candles and horseshoes on the wall.
you get alot of Oxford professors and students coming here.
the staff especially Lynn the manager, are lovely, chatty and welcoming
its such a warm pub with a great vibe hidden to most on the northside of oxford before heading into summer town.

This is really what all pubs should be like. Except that if they were, loads of annoying people would drink here. Fortunately, they can stick to all-bar-one and we can stick to The Lamb and Flag! I don’t really need to repeat what others have said - it’s a solid setup, bags of history, lashings of ale. Lovely.

The Lamb and Flag rates as one of the best pubs in Oxford. They don’t do food, you can forget getting any change for parking, they will never get a fruit machine, pump the most real ale in Oxfordshire and they don’t take cards. But they do focus on the important: top quality real ale (these guys really care about their beer), always plenty of staff on the bar, plenty of little cubby holes for a chat … and they fund two PhDs a year. So you’re drinking in a not-for-profit pub, which means they’re not watching their wastage on real ale, and their focus is on happy customers, not profit.

Plus, while sitting there you can enjoy the fact that Tolkein and C.S.Lewis and their buddies met there every week to discuss their writing. Complementing the Lamb and Flag, and now also owned by St John’s is the Eagle and Child opposite.

Great pub with consistently good beer. No annoying music so excellent for having a chat with friends.

This is a great pub and a definite if you're a tourist in town exploring the university. This little pub has wood panelled walls with little painted crests all around, one for each college in the university. There's lots of great beer in here, including a great bitter which can be hard to come by in other pubs. This is out on St Giles just beyond St John's college, so is far away enough from the centre of town to enjoy a quiet little drink.

I feel that this is an underrated Oxford pub. Its decor may not be stunning, but it is homely and welcoming. The range of drinks isn't bad either, including 'proper' Thatchers Cider. Not the liveliest place in town.. but a good place to meet a friend for an afternoon drink or to spend a quieter evening out.

The Lamb and Flag is conveniently located on St Giles street to be away from the masses and yet to still feel very 'Oxford'. It's usually pretty full and has lots of interconnected rooms, so you can have privacy without feeling cut-off from everyone else. The drinks are reasonably priced, although not the cheapest, and the bar staff very friendly. I love their crinkle-cut crisps, but that's the extent of their food, so don't come here expecting dinner. The decor is quite traditional and there is a cash-machine which is incredibly useful. A good place to hold informal meetings or to meet friends before heading off to livelier places, although it's a good evening in its own right.