The Fishes

Wonderful pub. The highlight is the garden area. They have picnic hampers and rugs available.

A stylish gastropub with something for all members of the family, The Fishes has a relaxed, comfortable bar area and a separate dining area including a balcony. Views of the extensive garden provide an idyllic setting for the specialist picnic hampers provided by the talented chefs. Our Oxford offices include this in their top places to eat in the area.

When I lived in Botley, one of the highlights was an occasional walk down the road to the Fishes. While it's possible to sit there all evening relaxing with friends over a drink or two, the thing that sets this place apart is the quality of the food. It really is excellent!

Although I always walked there (and if you're on the bus you'll have to walk the last bit), car owners needn't feel left out, though the road is narrow and windy in places! There's also the opportunity of a post-lunch stroll into town taking the scenic route of the nearby (well-signposted) footpath.

The Fishes is a large pub with an extensive garden boasting a varied but seasonal menu. You have two options when visiting The Fishes; eat in the restaurant choosing from the normal menu or enjoy a freshly prepared picnic hamper in the garden. One of the unique features of the extensive restaurant menu is the “deli board” option. This means that you can choose from a list of ingredients, including cheeses, meats, salads fish etc to create your own Moroccan style feast. These dishes arrive, beautifully presented, on a wooden board and make an ideal sharing starter or light lunch. The rest of the menu is carefully thought out and cooked perfectly using top-end ingredients. I would recommend The Fishes as a sophisticated and tasty place to eat.

We've visited the Fishes a couple of times in the last couple of months and have generally had quite positive experiences of it.

I'll start by saying that the food at the Fishes is lovely, really well cooked and a varied and seasonal menu. They also do picnic baskets that can be enjoyed in their large garden. The kitchen is open onto the terrace area and you can hear the chefs talking to each other, just like you see on the TV. You really get the impression it's proper chefs doing the cooking and they know what they're up to.

There were, however, a couple of little things that let down the quality of the food. The first time we visited, the table wasn't ready at the time of our reservation and we had to wait over half an hour for a table to become available.

The second time, we were given a very dirty glass with one of our drinks and the service was so slow we had to leave before we could order pudding. It's a shame that these little things spoil what would otherwise be a very enjoyable dining experience.