In late January, The Oxford Tavern welcomed new owners on board in the form of brothers James and Josh Thorpe of Thorpe Hospitality. While the duo disclosed plans for upgrading the Petersham pub icon (whilst retaining its charm of course) little detail was unveiled in terms of what exactly they had in mind. Until now.

But don’t worry, The Oxford Tavern that we all know and love will remain intact. General Manager of the Oxford Tavern Jenna Phillips explains: “The inner-west in general is a hub of creativity, on any given day you can find somewhere doing anything from bands to a drag show to a spoken word showcase. It has endless opportunity for people to just be who they are and support one another. We want to encourage this as much as possible at the new Tav – no smoke and mirrors, just honest booze, great food, great music and a variety of events that are inclusive of all in the community.”

First and foremost there’s the interiors – while minor renovations are expected down the track, the original space will largely not be meddled with. Yes that includes the venue’s collection of neon signs lighting up neighbouring New Canterbury Road.

The real revamp has occurred in terms of the food and drink menu. Neil Mudie has been named the new head chef, a man who specialises in smoked meats. This skill of course comes in handy at ‘The Tav’ where 200kg of meats are smoked each weekend, sometimes from 4.00am, so that they can cook for at least 10 hours before reaching the plates of guests.

A Sunday roast has also now reached The Tav, inspired by its sibling venue The Taphouse’s much loved weekly special. But this is a Sunday roast with a barbecue-themed twist; plates will be heaped with smoked brisket or pork belly, gravy, roast potatoes, carrots, broccoli and a Yorkshire pudding to match. The existing menu has also welcomed a few new members; joining the famed spicy half charcoal chicken is a range of new barbecue-inspired burgers. Our pick? The Brisket burger with house slaw, smokey BBQ sauce, jack cheese and pickled jalapeños that The Tav themselves call “out of this world”. The Tav has also introduced a rotating array of weekly specials; including schnitty and trivia Tuesdays.

And then there’s the beer. Thorpe Hospitality previously revealed that they hoped to turn the beer offering far more local at the venue. The result is a new drinks list with a particular focus on hyper-local brews created within a 5km radius of the pub, and the ability to claim being the only pub in the Inner West that exclusively sells independently owned beer brands. There are currently 13 beers on tap (including those from Young Henrys, Yulli’s, and Stone & Wood), with plans to expand to 16 in the next few months.

For those who can’t fathom a beer there will be a bevy of other drinks to choose from, including a spritz-dedicate menu (with seven takes on the summer favourite) and cocktail jugs mixed with PS40’s house made sodas and alcohol.

The Oxford Tavern
New Canterbury Road, Petersham
theoxfordtavern.com.au