Oxford Tavern

The OT! Look, I just love the aesthetic here; it’s the way the late afternoon/​early evening light filters in through a hazy yellow glow. If you squint you can get a good idea of what it was probably like in its former incarnation as a titty bar. And it’s pretty big, with lots of rooms (front bar, side bar, dining area, some other dodgy side room) plus a pool table, photo booth, and beer garden. All this space and still it can get crazy packed! The menu has evolved a bit since the place first re-​opened in its current format and the emphasis is now firmly on meats: if you come here on a Sunday you will witness truly frightening smoked meat orgies. If, like me, you’re vegetarian (cue laughter) there are currently options like the eggplant schnitzel (while filling it’s not an $ 18 meal imo) or vego tacos with avocado ($ 5.50 each and they’re kind of on the petite side) or you can get the variety of dawgs as a vego option. They have various meal deals on each night of the week which are way better value than the standard menu if you time it right. My friends and I were were very sad to see that the fried Golden Gaytime is a thing of the past (it’s been a while since we last visited) and one friend had to settle for the ice-​cream twinkie hotdog, which is a sausage-​shaped log of ice cream in a twinkie bun with raspberry drizzle. This same friend, who almost exclusively drinks rum and Cokes, was also moved to try the frozen margarita — such is the transformative power of the OT!

Quality has dropped since this cool pub opened. It’s not the service or atmosphere that’s diving down. It’s the food, and in particular their burgers. The hickory burger is your standard cheese burger with bacon and a special sauce. Chomping down on my first bite I found that the patty was a lifeless beef flavoured dish sponge. Anyway as a hungry guy that needs a quick «tasty» pub feed. I am attracted to the Oxford tavern $ 12 meal model. I have had the $ 12 snitz which is probably one of the tastiest cheap meals I’ve had in a long time. But the burgers have failed. Again. Last time they forgot the bacon and served the dish sponge.
The three stars is for the bar staff.

Being a bit of a self-​confessed barbecue addict, I found myself meeting people that I’d never met before to talk about American style low and slow barbecue when I was in Sydney for a short vacation. It was suggested that we’d all try the The Oxford Tav after some great reports and folks quite often having «Meat Ups» there. So I called myself an Über to meet up with another BBQ enthusiast at our destination.
Upon walking it in was like stepping back in time and it was mentioned it used to be an old strip joint and you could see remnants of the former establishment through some of the furnishings. I just love places with character like this and it’s a breath of fresh air from the clinical, soulless venues that are so run of the mill nowadays.
I promptly ordered a beer and sat down awaiting my mates arrival. I was a fair bit early, so a couple of beers went by but it was good just to people watch for once and relax. Andy rocked up not long after and after a few drinks we were famished, so we ventured out the back to go see Black Betty.
One thing I must mention is quite often they sell out of their barbecue goodness not long after it goes on, so make sure you get there not long after lunch and we were lucky to be able to have a full selection of what the smoker aptly named Black Betty had to offer.
We had a selection of the brisket, pulled pork, ribs and sides and Andy and I enjoyed every bit of it. It’s great getting a different perspective on flavours, techniques and textures when it comes to American style low and slow barbecue and was great chatting to Luke the pitmaster to pick his brain on how he gets the best out of Black Betty to produce a mean feed.
What’s difficult about authentic American style low and slow barbecue is the long periods of time and sleepless nights to prepare, cook and rest the meat with the added difficulty of managing a live fire to provide a gentle and consistent radiant heat with a subtle smoke flavour. This is usually done with throwaway cuts of meat that require this special attention to produce a moist, almost melt in your mouth texture or else it usually ends up tough and/​or dry.
You can really taste the love that’s gone into good barbecue and I think that the Oxford Tav have done a great job of bringing a little slice of the States to Petersham. While we were there they also had a band playing and that combined with good company, a few brews and some good conversation made for an awesome vibe and afternoon.
Cheers!

I came here once many years ago and witnessed a jelly wrestling competition. Now the competition is for most hipster facial hair. Regardless, they’re pulling at my heartstrings with the food. Tuesday schnitzels specials great value and actually great quality. The Fried Chicken burger on the lunch menu is DELISH. $ saved on the reasonable priced food is clearly meant to be spent on alcohol. So go crazy, hipsters.

Drinks: $ 12 Jugs of beer or cider. Consumer big win.
Food: We were there on burger night and the burgers were vanilla even though we expected a big american style taste. Chips arent too bad though, and overall its cheap on burger night.
Smoking: This tavern looses a full star since all outdoor areas (which are designed as food and drink consumption areas) are smoking zones. I just love getting smoked in the face while eating or drinking with friends… This just means we are forced to sit inside.

My friends informed me that The Oxford Tavern used to be a pretty dodgy place back in the day, which is still reminiscent in the décor of topless lady neons and paintings on your way to the bathroom. Walking in you do expect to see some men in heavy leather jackets and tattoos smoking, not Inner West hipsters playing pool. I guess that adds a charm to the place.
I was surprised to see how busy it was for a Monday night, the beer garden out the back was packed (not just with the table of 15 that we booked). This seemed to be a problem for the staff as there was only one person serving at the bar so the line to get drinks and food was a long, however the food did come out quickly and it was delicious. I don’t mind a pub with an American cuisine flare and to be honest it’s what I expected from the looks of the place.
They have great $ 10 meal deals each night of the week and a special on jugs of cider for $ 12 which went down pretty well with our party!

Foods good, the $ 10 lunch and nightly specials are the way to go. Would score higher if there was a better selection of beer

I like the redesign — Petersham needed a trendy spot, and there’s enough social and physical kitsch left behind at the old strip pub to make it interesting — but it does feel as though it’s trying a bit too hard.
$ 10 lunch Mon-​Fri is a good deal, and value for money the day I stopped in. There’s plenty of room in and outdoors at this time of the day.
Black Betty, their imported meat smoker, is a nice fixture. But American-​bbq-​style smoked meat is already a jumped shark in Sydney and Melbourne, and is priced like it.
I think I’d like it more after a drinks session; I’ll have to give that a go. Although doing so would probably happen at a time when the place will be packed out by like-​minded revellers.

$ 10 schnitty Tuesdays are the best. A bit light on the novelty crinkle cut chips, but you won’t leave hungry with a generous schnitty serving and tasty coleslaw. Everyone under 25 in m’ville and Petersham are here so be prepared to wait for food, but if you arrive after 8pm it’s not as narly.

Not a strip club anymore! Great food, lovely outdoor area and good beer. A bit pricey for us poor uni students but still a great place to eat and drink.

Ahh, the ‘tav.
While you’ve kept your topless advertising for posterity, I must admit your current offerings are as appealing as lady displaying her breasts while I eat. That is: not very.
People have raved about your change — how you’ve become a local but kept the interior (and exterior) the same, but you know what? I’m not buying it.
An okay meal in an okay venue does not make for an awesome place to hang out.
Maybe you should’ve kept the ladies after all?

Best local pub to go to in the Inner West of Sydney. The old dodgy TOPLESS motif is gone (even-​though they kept the logos, which now have an oddly endearing quality).
It is now a hip place to go to for drinks with your mates!!!
The BBQ on the weekends is great fun! A bit expensive once you start picking through the choices but that’s only because I’m a slob. Eat like a person and you’ll be al-​right :)
They do delicious tacos! The fried Avocado Taco is awesome. Wednesday night is cheap taco night.
Deep Fried Golden Gay Time (coated with Peanut Butter) is intense, maybe share it the first time you try it. They also do a bowl of icecream and waffles you have to eat with gloves. This is definitely a novelty, I suggest you share it unless you want to go into a food coma for 5 years.

I love you Tav, but as with all things popular in the Inner West you’ve let the fame go to your head so I’mma down grade ya.
I visit the Tav every-​single-​week, but upon inquiring about hiring out your beer garden for a private function on a Thursday night, you say you wanna charge me a minimum 15 grand because the beer garden currently quote unquote makes «a lot of coin» and that by the time I want to hire it you reckon it will be making a lot more coin than it currently makes? I gotta tell ya you’re dreaming. Not only that but I wouldn’t be allowed to play my own tunes? Piffle.
Yep you dont have pokies, but you dont have live music neither. You’ve mixed up our food order more than once, and well those tacos are starting to get soggy my friend.
I am dissapoint. I guess profit really does come before locals. It’s a fine line between being the new kid on the block and a flash in the pan.

The popularity of the «new» Oxford Tavern is a testament to how desperately Petersham locals needed a decent pub. Don’t get me wrong, the Huntsbury still holds a special place in my heart (and wallet), but the Oxford Tavern is a no-​pokies haven for the area.
They have jugs of cold beer and $ 10 Bloody Marys on Sundays — the two things that got me hooked.
They have a bistro that’s pretty popular, but in my experience the only thing you’d want to touch off the menu are the burgers — the steaks are overcooked, the cerviche is tough and the salads are stodgy. The $ 5 cheeseburger on the other-​hand… AMAZING.
One thing that surprised me is how popular the place is with young families. If you head there on a Friday or Saturday afternoon before 7pm you will have to watch where you step. There’s little tikes everywhere.

This is a dinghy strip club, there are topless barmaids most of the nights of the week, and I only went in here as I was curious as to what goes on. It’s situated in Petersham which in contrast is inner city surburbia at it’s best. I almost gasped as I walked in and was served by a girl in her panties, they are so natural about it. I was with a friend and we didn’t stay for long. But I would only recommend going here if you had company and if you really wanted to be out of your comfort zone for a cheap thrill. They advertise all day happy hour schooners but the beer is heavily watered down. They have strip shows where the girls dance on the weekend so that generates a bit of a crowd — but it’s mainly a guy-​zone.