Frequently Asked Questions

Are children allowed within the venue?

Persons under 18 years of age are permitted in the venue until 7pm if accompanied by a responsible adult.

Are dogs allowed in the pub?

Your furry friend is welcome to join us within the garden area if on a lead and well behaved. We have water bowls and snacks available also.

Can we bring our own food or drink?

Uhm … no!

Can I reserve a table or area of the bar?

Yes! You can reserve tables via our website, this will then be confirmed by a member of our team by email. We have a 15 minutes late cut off time before we give away a reserved table. Click here to reserve a table.

What is your entry policy?

We are quite relaxed here at The Oxford Retreat. We only ask that all guests be pleasant and respectful to our team.  We have a zero tolerance policy to any behaviour we believe to be inappropriate to either our guests or our team and a two strike rule on noisy behaviour that affects other guests’ enjoyment.

What sport do you show?

We show most major sports tournaments across our screens. The World Cup, The Euros, UEFA Champions league, Six Nations Rugby, Wimbledon, Grand National and The Oxford v Cambridge Boat Race. We don’t show Premier League games, boxing or the UFC.

Do you have a happy hour?

Happy Hours are from 5pm to 8pm daily.

Do you have a function space for private events?

We do! We have two function rooms. The Gallery is on the ground floor and can be hired weekdays and some weekends. The Study, is located on the first floor and is available to hire throughout the year. Please see below for FAQs specific to our function rooms.

Gallery & Study FAQs

What are the house rules for the space?

The house rules above also apply to The Study.

What is the capacity of the space?

The Gallery can accommodate approximately 100 standing and seated guests or about 40 seated guests. The Gallery can also be hired with a section of our Garden at an additional cost.

The Study is a versatile space and can accommodate about 100 standing and seated guests or 40 seated guests. There is additional seating on the heated and covered Terrace.

We can also seat guests for Conferences, Board Room Meetings and Presentations.

Is there a Hire Fee?

Yes. Both the Gallery and Study are available for private hire at a rate of between £30-£50 per hour dependant on the day of the week. Minimum booking time is 2 hours. For further details please enquire through our “Reservations” page.

Can I play my own music?

Yes! The both spaces are set up with a headphone cable and socket which can be plugged into most phones, tablets and laptops.

What about DJs?

You can certainly have a DJ in the Study. We have a roster of DJs who can play a variety of music who play for our events. We do on occasion permit other DJs but this must be agreed in advance.

What facilities do the Gallery and Study have?

The Gallery has its own dedicated bar and access to our covered/heated Garden. There is also a large TV screen.

The Study has its own dedicated bar, restrooms as well as a covered/heated Terrrace. There are also two large TV screens.

Can we show a slideshow?

You can hook up a laptop via HDMI or a USB stick directly to our TV screens.

Can we put up decorations?

Yes, within reason we allow our guests to dress the room up as they wish. We have hooks on every wall. Please don’t use sticky tape to fix decorations to the wall / ceilings. Please no glitter, confetti or confetti balloons of any kind.

Can I arrive in advance to set up? 

We will try to be as flexible as possible, but it depends on whether there are any other events taking place in the function room earlier on in the day. Our management team can advise on this at the time the reservation is made.