Restaurants

Big Society

95 Cowley Road, Oxford, OX4 1HR, GB

Rating: 4.3 ★ (1120 ratings)

Details

Big Society is a vibrant, award-winning pub on Oxford's bustling Cowley Road, offering a playful and informal atmosphere that truly sets it apart. The spacious venue, housed in a superb Grade II listed Victorian building, boasts lively interiors with table tennis, arcade games, and a welcoming beer garden, complete with heaters for year-round enjoyment. It cultivates a community feel, blending urban cool with cosy charm, making it an engaging spot for locals and visitors alike.

The menu specialises in American-style comfort food, with a focus on fresh, in-house preparations, including their famed buttermilk fried chicken and hand-stretched pizzas, baked in a stone oven. Patrons can also enjoy pretzel-bun burgers, a variety of hot dogs, and an array of tempting sharing plates. Accompanying the food is a diverse drinks selection, featuring rotating craft beers, expertly mixed cocktails, and their own refreshing Big Society Pale Ale.

This lively establishment is ideal for casual gatherings, after-work drinks, and weekend entertainment, often hosting quiz nights and showcasing live sports. Its relaxed setting, described as a "youth club for adults," also makes it a popular choice for co-working during the day, appealing to those seeking a dynamic yet comfortable environment. With high chairs and a children's menu available, it also serves as a welcoming spot for families.

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Location

Opening Hours

Monday: 12:00 – 11:00 PM; Tuesday: 12:00 – 11:00 PM; Wednesday: 12:00 – 11:00 PM; Thursday: 12:00 – 11:00 PM; Friday: 12:00 PM – 12:00 AM; Saturday: 12:00 PM – 12:00 AM; Sunday: 12:00 – 10:00 PM

Contact

+44 1865 792755

Comments

Megan Harber
15 May 2026
5.0 ★
Had a really great visit to The Big Society in Oxford. The space feels modern and vibrant, with a laid back but still lively atmosphere that works well for both drinks and food. The menu has plenty of variety and everything we tried came out fresh and well presented, with good portion sizes. Cocktails were a highlight, really well balanced and easy to enjoy over a long evening. Staff were friendly and kept things running smoothly even when it got busy. Overall a great spot for a social night out.

This review was made in connection with a Toast promotion.
Sorena
24 Apr 2026
5.0 ★
After several long hours at work, this amazing box completely refreshed me. The smell alone was enough to make me properly hungry—it was absolutely mouth-watering.
Honestly, it was my first time ever trying fried food, and I just wanted to say a big thank you because it was genuinely incredible. The taste, the aroma—everything about it was spot on🙏🏼
Lorraine Jackson
31 Mar 2026
5.0 ★
Such a great venue situated in the heart of Cowley Road, East oxford ideal for all the family.

There is an extensive range of beverages that are regularly refreshed to give you optimum choice.

The menu offers an excellent selection of pub grub, lunchtime menu and sharer platters and pizza 🍕 😋

Ping pong table, board games and books available

The venue is spotlessly clean with perfectly spaced tables and chairs. It also has a beautifully decorated rear heated garden, a spacious front seating area and adequately fitted bathrooms

The Staff are very friendly, welcoming and cheerful. Offering Great service and a memorable experience

Looking forward to returning again soon
FT
31 Mar 2026
5.0 ★
Came here whilst waiting to go to the Don Broco concert today, staff were lovely, food was banging, it's a great pub with a lot to offer. Good range of draught, great suntrap at the front, lovely beer garden at the back and a cool games room.

Shout out to the blue haired manager who took my onion intolerance incredibly seriously, most places don't do the most due to it not being a main 14 allergen, however she went above and beyond to keep me safe so I could enjoy myself later in the evening with no digestive problems!

If I'm ever back in Oxford I'll definitely hit this place up again!
Josephine Hargreaves
14 Mar 2026
4.0 ★
Tried the fried pickles which were so so good! Will definitely get again! The sauces were so tasty, the buffalo was so good and the sweet chilli was nice and spicy! The gravy was okay quite like kfc gravy, and the chicken was very crispy and super tender but a little too buttery tasting for my liking, still good but you only needed one tender each. Cocktail was nice too. Great beer garden lots of space.
Elizabeth Brophy
9 Mar 2026
2.0 ★
I loves coming here for it's unique menu and cocktails. Having tried it now post-take over; the cocktails are still great (if basic) and the staff is as lovely as always. The menu is huge (never a good sign), it's no longer has the best fries to price ratio, and while I usually like the cosy cluttered approach, here is feels like it's been Instagram-ed. It's a shame, because Big Soc was a unique place, but now it's basic.
I suspect part of the aim is to drive away old customers for younger ones though.
Reviewer A
31 Jan 2026
2.0 ★
As others have said - What has happened!? What used to be incredible, mouth-watering buttermilk chicken has been replaced by the tiniest, driest portions of chicken ‘strips’ with an over-inflated menu that doesn’t really offer anything close to what previously made The Big Society great. Pizzas have pools of oil and what tasted like peppers from a jar, over reliance on BBQ sauce to bring taste to dishes and significant price hikes. We left disappointed and with sadness as to what has become of our once highly rated Big Society.
Kique Borja
24 Jan 2026
1.0 ★
They made me pay £8 for the worst calamari I’ve ever had in my life. It was only there was only five pieces. And it was like under the dome it tasted horrible
emma parker
11 Jan 2026
5.0 ★
Well as you can tell from my rating, you can see we thoroughly enjoyed our visit here... nice small simple menu with a few varied choices on there and good to see plenty of vegetarian options or atleast the option to swap out for hallomi... friendly smiling staff which is always a breath of fresh air... lovley sized place with a very cute outside area half sheltered half not with large screens all over the place to catch the sports ( if that's your thing) in side to the left of the bar is a ping pong table, fuse ball table, pinball machine and arcade games the prices are highly competitive for the portion sizes they are not for the light hearted so go there hungry... I would highly recommend if your not a massive fan of spice but can dabble in bits ask for the sauce on the side its a beautiful mix having the buffalo sauce with the blue cheese and the chicken burger is by far one of the best I've tasted so moist and plenty of flavour 😋 100% will be returning on our next trip to Oxford... thanks to the staff for your service 👍

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