The best restaurants in Oxford
Oxford's food scene has improved enormously in recent years with the city's top-end but somewhat conservative old guard now joined by a host of bright and lively restaurants, trendy pubs where the food outshines the booze, and small but stellar independents serving up authentic Asian cuisine to avid local fans. It's well worth making the trek out of the city centre to get to some of these lesser-known gems. Destination expert Etain O'Carroll shares her favourites places to eat in the city of dreaming spires.
City Centre
Quod Brasserie & Bar
Occupying the ground floor of a former bank, Quod is one of Oxford’s most popular restaurants with the student and young professional crowd as well as dons and other venerable Oxford folk. The location is perfect – halfway along the High Street, among the colleges – and the food (pizzas, salads, fish and meat dishes, plus daily specials) are briskly served by young waiting staff. The atmosphere is buzzing with a lively hubbub of conversation and large-scale contemporary artworks on the walls, just right for lingering over a braised shoulder of lamb served with cannellini beans, and cut through with anchovy and olives.
Contact: 01865 202505; quod.co.uk
Opening times: Mon-Sat, 7am-11pm; Sun, 7am-10.30pm
Reservations: Recommended (not taken on Saturday evenings)
Price: ￡￡
? An insider's guide to Oxford
Vaults & Garden
This is one of the most unusual café venues in Oxford, housed in the undercroft of the university church of St Mary’s. With the emphasis on fresh, organic ingredients, and with plenty of vegetarian options, it’s also one of Oxford’s healthiest places to eat. You can drop in for breakfast, lunch or afternoon tea, and best of all you can sit outside in the churchyard and admire one of the finest architectural spaces in England. If you're feeling hungry, go for the creamy goat cheese and puy lentil gratin followed up with a slice of heavenly orange, lavender and polenta cake.
Contact: 01865 279112; thevaultsandgarden.com
Opening times: Mon-Sat, 9am-6pm
Reservations: Walk-ins only
Price: ￡
Turl Street Kitchen
Run as part of the Oxford Hub charity and offering fresh, seasonal, local food, this city-centre eatery is popular with professionals by day and students by night. Set in an old Oxford townhouse, the bar area has stripped floorboards and geometric tiles on the walls, while the main dining area hosts exhibitions by local artists and has wooden tables you share with fellow diners. There’s a short, changing menu with tempting veggie options, such as marinated aubergine and courgette served with a butternut squash purée, and hearty meat dishes including a herb-roasted chicken supreme with a tangy blue cheese and fennel salad.
Contact: 01865 264171; turlstreetkitchen.co.uk
Opening times: Mon-Sat, 8am-late; Sun, 8am-5pm
Reservations: Recommended
Price: ￡￡
? The best things to do in Oxford
Ashmolean Rooftop Restaurant
Britain’s oldest museum is also home to Oxford's most lofty restaurant. This rooftop space has a glass wall that opens out onto a terrace filled with tables, and a grass 'lawn' where you can lounge on deckchairs with views to the green hills beyond. The menu isn’t bad either, and features a limited number of imaginative, well-cooked and beautifully presented dishes. The pork chops with butter beans, artichoke hearts and salsa verde are hearty without being too filling, and are good followed up by one of their indulgent cakes. Come on a Thursday evening for free jazz.
Contact: 01865 553823; benugo.com
Opening times: Tues, Wed and Sun, 10am-4.30pm; Thu-Sat, 10am-10pm; closed Mon
Reservations: Recommended (for evenings)
Price: ￡￡
Kazbar
Despite its Moroccan name and souk-like ambience – waxed ochre walls, old lanterns and brightly coloured cushions – Kazbar is essentially a tapas bar, and a very good one at that. Just beyond the medieval city centre, it’s a cosily romantic venue to spend an evening with friends or lovers. Good, mostly Spanish wines, spirits and beers, soft drinks and mint teas complement the sizzling tapas. There's also a great selection of cocktails from a sweet and tangy fig and vanilla daiquiri to the Marakesh Express, a cinnamon espresso shaken with Absolut vodka and Kahlúa.
Contact: 01865 202920; kazbar.co.uk
Opening times: Mon-Thu, 5pm-12am; Fri, 5pm-12.30am; Sat, 12pm-12.30am; Sun, 12pm-11pm
Reservations: Walk-ins only (except for groups of eight or more)
Price: ￡￡
? The best restaurants in Bath
The Old Bookbinders
This quirky pub, a fine local hidden away down an unassuming residential street, was built in 1869 for workers from the nearby Oxford University Press. Inside, it appears wholly traditional with tankards on the shelves and beer mats and posters on the walls, until you notice the train set on the ceiling and the delectable smell of cooking. Ale enthusiasts crowd the bar and diners huddle around tightly-packed tables at the rear to sample the traditional French bistro menu. Its down-to-earth modesty makes its charm all the more apparent. Come on Tuesday for the popular pup quiz or on Sundays for open mic nights.
Contact: 01865 553549; oldbookbinders.co.uk
Opening times: Daily, 12pm-11pm
Reservations: Essential (for dinner)
Price: ￡
North Oxford
Gee’s Restaurant & Bar
This splendid Victorian conservatory first housed the flowers, fruit and vegetables of the Gee family, who were the leading nurserymen in the area. For the past 25 years it has been one of the city’s best (and best-known) restaurants, a North Oxford landmark still at the top of its culinary game. The location, with its tree-lined outside terrace for summer dining, is ideal. Inside, it feels like you're at a summer garden party with the glass conservatory, mismatched furniture and hanging lamps giving a light and airy backdrop to dishes such as sea bass with roasted fennel, capers and brown shrimp butter.
Contact: 01865 553540; gees-restaurant.co.uk
Opening times: Daily, 10am-10.30pm
Reservations: Recommended
Price: ￡￡
? The best nightlife in Oxford
Cherwell Boathouse
Yes, it’s a boathouse – an Edwardian one at that – where students and tourists hire punts for floating picnics on the River Cherwell. But it’s also one of the city’s quirkiest restaurants, hidden down a track in Victorian North Oxford. In summer you can eat out on the deck, listen to the soft splash of punts on the river and enjoy ambitious but well-balanced fare such as silver mullet with pickled Cevennes onion, rainbow chard and cheesy potato espuma (foam). In winter you dine inside the cosy boathouse, with its exposed brick walls and cluster of tables draped in white linen.
Contact: 01865 552746; cherwellboathouse.co.uk
Opening times: Daily, 12pm-2pm (2.30pm on weekends); 6pm-9.15pm (9.30pm on weekends)
Reservations: Recommended
Price: ￡￡￡
? The best restaurants in Dublin
Oxford Kitchen
Set in North Oxford's affluent Summertown, this relaxed but ambitious bistro has one of the most creative menus in the city. A large spherical crystal chandelier hangs in the window but inside it's more conservative, with exposed brick walls, cinnamon banquettes and a mix of booths and tables. Eat downstairs if you can (the atmosphere is far better) but either way you'll be treated to fine dining, with dishes such as succulent cod loin served with a brandade croquette, Jerusalem artichoke and caviar butter sauce. The subtle flavour combinations, well-balanced wine pairings and considered presentation make it well worth the expense.
Contact: 01865 511149; theoxfordkitchen.co.uk
Opening times: Tue-Sat, 12pm-2.30pm and 6pm-9.30pm
Reservations: Recommended
Price: ￡￡￡
East Oxford
Oli's Thai
Tucked away on a back street in residential East Oxford, Oli's Thai is a tiny place with a huge reputation. Don't be fooled by its plain décor and simple tables and stools; you'll need to book three months in advance to get a table here as the food is so good. The simplicity of the descriptions on the short daily menu belies the deep layers of flavour, inspired pairings and technical excellence that goes into the heart-warming aubergine curry, zingy crispy chickpea salad and sublime steamed sea bass. If you're lucky you might just nab one of the counter seats kept for lunchtime walk-ins.
Contact: 01865 790223; olisthai.com
Opening times: Tue-Fri, 12pm-2.30pm and 5-10pm; Sat, 12pm-3pm
Reservations: Essential
Price: ￡￡
? An insider's guide to Brighton
The Magdalen Arms
A laid-back unpretentious pub in up-and-coming East Oxford; the Magdalen Arms is the kind of place you revel in on a wet afternoon. Deep red walls impart a cosy charm, the stripped floorboards and mismatched furniture encourage a relaxed country pub vibe and the big, hearty flavours on the modern British menu brighten up the greyest of days. There's no showiness, just good heartwarming food. Couples play Jenga as they scoop up wood pigeon and venison terrine on sourdough toast, families dig into steak and ale suet-crust pie, and others linger over wild rabbit with chorizo, chickpeas, fennel and aioli.
Contact: 01865 243159; magdalenarms.co.uk
Opening times: Mon, 5pm-11pm; Tue-Sat, 10am-11pm; Sun, 10am-10.30pm
Reservations: Recommended
Price: ￡￡
Botley Road
The Porterhouse
The Porterhouse, a converted Edwardian boozer, oozes contemporary chic, with blue walls, stripped wooden floors and tan leather banquettes. Have a pre-dinner drink in the buzzy bar then move on to the intimate dining room for a classic cut of beef, dry-aged in-house, hand-butchered and cooked by Bertha, a beast of a charcoal oven. It's a meat eater's haven, with just a single vegetarian option on the menu, but everything is cooked to perfection. Choose your cut from the blackboard and sit back to enjoy the most succulent of steaks, a simple salad and a dollop of Gentleman's Relish.
Contact: 01865 248546; theporterhouse-oxford.com
Opening times: Food served Mon-Sat, 8am-2.30pm and 6pm-9.30pm; Sun, 8am-5pm
Reservations: Recommended
Price: ￡￡
