Housed in the prestigious, historic setting of Oxford Castle, Mal Bar retains its boutique credentials.

The Venue
Mal Bar has the most impressive location in the city — it’s set within Oxford Castle which dates back to 1071 (when it was built for William The Conqueror) and was used as a prison up to as recently as to 1996. The cells have now been converted into luxury bedrooms (seriously) and the bar is downstairs with a Champagne bar on the third floor. The basement bar is long and kept quite dark with subdued lighting.

There’s a pale wood floor and the bar on the right is shiny topped with a blue light underneath. Opposite are rooms to your left featuring exposed brickwork and bottles of expensive wine and Champagne in glass cabinets. And there are lots of tables and chairs at the end of the room. The third floor bar has a high ceiling with gold cornicing and, in true Malmaison style, is all blacks and reds. To top it all there’s a fantastic terrace on the top floor, which has just opened after three years. The kids can play on the patch of grass here and the views of the sun setting over the city can be spectacular.

The People
At the moment it's popular with discrete couples, more mature business people, plucky young professionals and, of course, hotel guests. The bars can be quiet at times but the opening up of the terrace bar will mean a lot more custom as people discover its wonders.

The Food and Drink
There’s a long cocktail list including tipples like Indian Summer (Wyborova Apple Vodka, Xante, raspberries and ginger ale) for £7.95 and Bajan Mojito which is Mountgay rum, passoa, vanilla, fresh passion fruit, lime juice and mint leaves for £7.95, and which is hard-hitting and fresh at the same time — the perfect mix. There’s a strong, very long wine list which encompasses all the continents — thankfully a shorter list restricts your choice and includes a 2006 Austrian Reisling from Knappstein at £6.50 a glass or an Argentinian Alamos Malbec (2006) for £6.60 a glass.

The English 2006 Chapel Down rose for £6 a glass is a good choice with its refreshing strawberry undertones. And you’ve got dessert wines, sherries, liqueurs and a good range of whiskies too, including Islay, Speyside and Orkney varieties. There’s a bar menu which includes dishes such as chicken chilli soup for £5.50. Caesar salad for £8.95 and a charcuterie platter for £8.95. Creme brulee is £5.95.

The Last Word
Already a pretty classy offering, the re-opened roof garden will propel Mal Bar well and truly into bar heaven.

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