You can’t really beat the location for its wow factor and this bar has been a veritable Jericho institution for some time.

The Venue
Freud’s was Oxford’s original cocktail bar back in the 80s before the others caught on. And it’s certainly set in the most spectacular venue in the city - a formerly derelict Greek Revival Church. It’s of palatial proportions and has a faded elegance with the imposing steps rising between its massive weathered stone columns.

There are a few blue metal tables and chairs outside and inside it’s an enormous space with tall stained-glass windows and drapes hanging from the high ceiling. The long bronze bar is on the left and there are tea lights at each table. Seating is on plain pine chairs with metal legs and, of course, on pews. There's a Freud’s in Covent Garden, which is a tiny basement bar, and the two couldn’t be more different.

The People
Ever since it opened Freud’s has been popular with the local crowd as well as with the more transient student population. It's open till 2am at the weekends and so attracts after-hours drinkers when they get kicked out of the pub and it can get very busy at the bar so be prepared to wait for that 'one last drink'.

The Food and Drink
Cocktails are all different prices and include Apple Martini and Holy Freud Lemonade which is vodka, lychee liqueur, cranberry, lemon juice, elderflower and soda. There are four whites and four red wines ranging in price from £11 to £19. It’s a fairly run-of-the-mill selection which could do with improvement. In bottles there’s Beck’s, Budweiser, Guinness, Hoegaarden, Peroni, Stella and Staropramen.

The lemonade is made with real lemons and it’s delicious and not too tart. The menu encompasses sandwiches, salads (£6.95 for a Greek salad), wraps and pizzas for £7.85. The Parma ham and rocket pizza is tasty, thin and crispy and the ham and rocket were thankfully thrown on the last minute in true Italian style.

The Last Word
A cocktail bar in a church in Jericho…after a couple of drinks it all starts to make perfect sense.

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