The Oxford Arms: what to order and when to go

The short version: the Oxford Arms is at 265 Camden High Street, NW1 7BU, on the corner of Jamestown Road. It opens late morning and stays open until 1am (2am on Fridays and Saturdays). Expect a ££ bill, a lot of football and honest pub food. Phone ahead for groups: 020 7267 4945.

What it is

A big, open-plan, high-ceilinged corner pub, midway between Camden Town and Chalk Farm stations, and a short walk from Camden Town tube. CAMRA lists the operator as The Green And Red Pub Company, while the pub describes itself as a Mayo family-run pub in Camden Town since 1968. It is not trying to be a gastropub and says so: the licensee told the Morning Advertiser in 2018, “We’re not a gastropub”, and described it as good pub food for people watching football.

Go in for the Victorian bones. CAMRA says one entrance keeps its original wall tiling and mosaic floor, which it calls well worth a look, and black-and-white photos of old Camden hang on the walls. Camden Council has locally listed the building, with its red brick, terracotta decoration and timber shopfront, according to Layers of London.

A bit of history

The Maloney family took the pub on in February 1968, and Westminster Extra reported three generations working there when they marked 50 years in 2018. The pub once had two bars; a refurbishment in the late 1980s made it one. The family told the Morning Advertiser the area then had a very big Irish community.

What to order

The licensee said in 2018 that fish and chips was the biggest seller, followed by the home-made pies, with a chef doing some Caribbean dishes. The pub’s April 2022 menu is the best guide to the line-up, though prices will have moved:

• The Famous Oxford Arms Breakfast: egg, bacon, Cumberland sausage, beans, hash brown, black pudding, mushroom, tomato and toast, served until 14:00. It was £9.95 in 2022.
• Fish and chips: battered cod, chunky chips, peas and tartar sauce, around £13 in 2022.
• Gammon with two fried eggs and chips: £12.50 in 2022.
• Sides: chips, chips with cheese, onion rings.

Check the current menu before you go. The pub also promotes Sunday roast and stone-baked pizza. Reviews on Tripadvisor are mixed (3.4 out of 5 from 247 reviews), with praise for value and a reliable local feel and complaints about slow service and food quality. So order the simple things and do not expect fireworks.

What to drink

The 2018 draught line-up was lagers: Heineken, Foster’s, Stella, Kronenbourg, Carling, Cobra and Camden Hells, the last described as very popular. CAMRA’s current page says cask ale is not available, so do not come for real ale. Guinness gets mentioned by reviewers.

When to go

• Quiet: late morning, before the lunch rush. One reviewer called it a good place to duck out of the Camden crowds before midday.
• Busy: lunchtime, and match days. CAMRA lists five screens inside, three outside and a large projector for big games.
• Food: served daily until 21:00 per CAMRA, later on Champions League nights.

There is a beer garden at the back, with a covered, heated area for smokers according to one reviewer. Opening times vary between listings, so a quick call on 020 7267 4945 is wise. For groups or a big match, phone to reserve; no online booking system turned up.

The theatre upstairs

The Etcetera Theatre sits above the pub, up a round staircase of 20 stairs reached through the bar, so it is not wheelchair accessible. David Bidmead founded it in 1986 in the function room, and Londonist once called it apparently London’s smallest theatre. It is run separately from the pub, so check the Etcetera website for the programme and tickets.

For after

Walk down to Camden Lock, on Camden Lock Place off Chalk Farm Road, NW1 8AF. Entry is free, and Visit London says the market is usually open from 10:00 until early evening, though stalls vary. Weekends are very crowded and weekday mornings calmer, so a Thursday stroll beats a Saturday one. Camden Lock Market started on 30 March 1974 as a small Sunday crafts market. Prefer water to stalls? The towpath from the lock is the end of the Canal and River Trust’s two-mile Little Venice to Camden walk.

Sources: Morning Advertiser, CAMRA and Visit London.