Love them or hate them, College bars are an essential part of Oxford life. Whether packed with legends drinking from their shoes (Teddy Hall) or decorated like a waiting room (Somerville), The Tab has gone on a mission to find the best and worst of our local boozers.

Three of the best…

St Peter’s College bar is continually voted the best in Oxford. This term it’s already been witness to fights, the police and a possible drugs bust, all of which combine to make it the most eventful bar for a night in.  A ‘Cross Keys’, the green and glittering gold college drink, offers 5 shots for the price of £5 and is sure to set you up for a dance on SPC’s bar tables.

Some Peterites off in search of a drink

Balliol ‘Crazy Tuesdays’ have become somewhat an institution with the bustling cosiness of all the cellar bars but the added plus of drunk chips just upstairs. With cut prices, there really is nowhere else to pre for Camera. Just last week students were offering food and drink to total strangers, such is the conviviality of the place.

Surely not a Tuesday

With a recent renovation St Hilda’s is now the proud owner of a bar just by Cowley and so perfect for those on the way to the O2. If you’re looking for something a little off the beaten track, comfy sofas and relatively cheap drinks will make it worth the trek.

This may be a picture of St. Hilda’s, maybe a retirement home

…and the worst

Described by a Keble 2nd year as an “ugly spaceship”, Keble is certainly one of the worst college bars, feeling more like a new age Cafe Nero than a bar.  Situated in a bizarre glass building, it lacks the pizzazz of Keble’s JCR and is vastly out of place given its surroundings.

It looks like Camera

Christ Church may have beauty but its bar is totally soulless. Often empty and with grumpy barmen, it doesn’t have the ingredients for the beginning of a good night out.  Signs such as the one below show it’s vibe.

We’re all in this together

 Jesus College Bar, with its clinical kitchen atmosphere reminding people of why it is they shouldn’t drink really wins the worst bar award. The most recent event on their Facebook page is bingo, which goes some way to informing you of the kind of evening you can expect there.  Unless of course you’re over 70 and have one hip.

Water into wine and all that