The Victoria Arms has been a fave summer spot of mine for a while, due to its neverending lawn and gorgeous views of the river.

On a hot sunny day, you could spend approx. 40 hours sitting in the pub garden with a fresh pint or a spritz, chilling and chatting. You can punt along the Cherwell and tie up your punt at the end of the pub – how idyllic and incredibly Oxford?!

So, I was quite excited and intrigued when I was invited to try their Sunday roast, as it would mean seeing what the vibe is like in the more wintery months.

Despite it being a grey and drizzly day (when has it not been lately?!) the pub was buzzing and bustling, a very cosy atmosphere. The staff were immediately warm and attentive, talking us through the menu and giving us time to decide. A good selection of beers and ales is always appreciated, and I was able to try a few before deciding (I’m an indecisive Libra – so I appreciate this a lot!)

When having a roast, I often think it’s too much to also get a starter/dessert, but the menu pushed us to get some starters – cheeky! I went a bit off-piste from my usual style and ordered the Beetroot Tart Tatin, and Charlie went for the Chorizo Scotch Egg.

Generous portions alert!

For our roasts, we both went for the beef and what a huge load of beef we got. You definitely get your money’s worth here. We really loved the garlic greens, proper punchy garlic and a nice variation of texture to your usual roast. The roast potatoes were MASSIVE and they didn’t scrimp on them either. The gravy was delicious, peppery and smooth and again, a very generous helping. There’s nothing worse than a roast dinner with not enough gravy IMO. The parsnips could’ve been a little more crispy for my personal taste, but delicious nonetheless.

We didn’t have room for dessert unfortunately but will definitely be going back to try their weekday menu and may have room then.

Although it’s not quite summer, I think we’re all feeling like we need it soon so am just popping some images from my previous summer visits below to keep us going until it arrives.

Last year, they had a pop-up outdoor cinema showing a series of films. I wasn’t able to go to any of them but really hope they do this again this year as it’s such a nice idea and what a great venue for it!

Let us know in the comments if you’ve been to The Victoria Arms and what your favourite meal from there has been.

The Victoria Arms
Mill Ln, Oxford OX3 0PZ

Bitten were invited as guests, all views are our own