Hardens Guide to the Best Restaurants in Oxford
Hardens guides have spent 33 years compiling reviews of the best Oxford restaurants. On Hardens.com you'll find details and reviews of 45 restaurants in Oxford and our unique survey based approach to rating and reviewing Oxford restaurants gives you the best insight into the top restaurants in every area and of every type of cuisine.
Featured Oxford Restaurants
1. The Lamb Inn
British, Modern restaurant in Little Milton
High Street - OX44
Situated in the village of Little Milton outside of Oxford, this charming 16th Century thatched public house has been serving elevated British pub food since its reopening under new ownership from 2022.The kitchen, run by Michelin trained Head Chef Nat Berney, provides ...
2. Cherwell Boathouse
British, Modern restaurant in Oxford
Bardwell Road - OX2
“A table by the river on a summer day is idyllic” at this magical Oxford institution, where “lovely food is served in a romantic setting alongside the River Cherwell in a location where punts are still built and operated”. Run by two generations of the Verdin family for the past 55 years, it invariably has “great staff and a nice ambience” – although “food is not the main objective, but it’s still very good – we tend to visit for the wine-tasting nights” (the list is very good here).
3. Shoryu Ramen
Japanese restaurant in Oxford
The Westgate, Queen Street - OX1
“The ramen is excellent” at this West End-based group from the Japan Centre’s Tak Tokumine – although “the rest of the menu is not as good” and the venues tend to be “too cramped and/or noisy to be ideal”. A drive to expand via franchise operations has apparently stalled since the summer 2022 opening of a branch in Kensington High Street – a possible sign that “we may have passed peak noodle”.
4. Chiang Mai
Thai restaurant in Oxford
Kemp Hall Passage, 130a High Street - OX1
Now of three decades’ standing, this much commented-on “family favourite” is still the spot for “reliably good authentic Thai food in a lovely environment” (“an Elizabethan house tucked down an alley off the High”). Even if it is “not the force it once was”, the food is “never below very good” (“the green chicken curry remains the benchmark”), and even for those who have patronised the place for nearly as long as it exists, “over-familiarity still does not dull the pleasure” of a visit.
5. Victors
American restaurant in Oxford
307 The Westgate Queen Street - OX1
This faux-wisteria-hung rooftop venue above the Westgate Centre offers “surprisingly well cooked dishes for an ambitious range from all over the world”. Victors has branches in Newcastle, Alderley Edge and Hale in Manchester, and takes inspiration from American-Asian cuisine.
6. The Vaults and Garden Cafe
British, Modern restaurant in Oxford
University Church of St Mary the Virgin, Radcliffe Sq - OX1
“A great choice for lunch in atmospheric church vaults close to the famous Radcliffe Camera and Bodleian Library” – guests sit “on long trestles” or in the garden feasting on “good freshly cooked food, with vegetarians and vegans particularly well catered for”. After 20 years, the café’s future is in the balance, its church landlord wanting to replace it with a social enterprise.
7. Quod
British, Modern restaurant in Oxford
92-94 High St - OX1
A “perfect” location right in the centre of town is one of the draws to this “spacious” and “buzzy” fixture, set in the Old Bank Hotel, and also profiting from a “lovely” rear terrace. It’s one of the more commented-on spots in town, although the “well thought-out” brasserie fare is arguably “solid”… “nothing wrong with it”. Still, it’s “worth booking to avoid disappointment” (not least come graduation, when it tends to “get packed”).
8. No.1 Ship Street
British, Modern restaurant in Oxford
1 Ship Street - OX1
“A real find in central Oxford” – this “small backstreet restaurant” not far from the Ashmolean wins nothing but praise from its very large local fan club. “Good-quality food (well cooked rather than inspired)” is central to its appeal, but it’s an all-rounder with service that’s “fully engaged without being familiar”, a “relaxing” setting, and a “thoughtful choice of wines at reasonable mark-ups”. Top Tip – “the fixed-price lunch is the best deal in Oxford”.
9. Sticks'n'Sushi
Japanese restaurant in Oxford
Rooftop Terrace, 311 The Westgate, Castle Street - OX1
“Expensive, but high-quality yakitori skewers and sushi” are a “delicious and original offering that suit all ages”, and win little but praise for this “very consistent” chain, whose minimalist Scandi style reflects its origins in Copenhagen. Success continues to bring fast expansion, with recent openings in Westfield W12 (in December 2022) and Shoreditch (in March 2023) and more soon to follow in Richmond (October 2023) and Kingston (early 2024). Phew! Top Menu Tip – “truffle paste cauliflower side dish to die for (who knew?)”.
10. Pizza Pilgrims
Pizza restaurant in Oxford
Westgate Roof Terrace - OX1
“The best whistle-stop pizza in London” for its army of fans – the Elliot brothers’ successful chain continues to grow, with their latest opening in Queen’s Park in June 2023. But even if “you can’t knock the food” or the “realistic prices”, the rest of the experience is somewhere between “pleasant” and “a bit underwhelming”.
11. Ashmolean Dining Room
British, Modern restaurant in Oxford
Beaumont St - OX1
“Light and spacious, with friendly service”, “everything is excellent” at this dining room, cleverly positioned in a modern glass box on the roof of this famous museum – “except the food, which is just OK: unimaginative and overpriced, which is such a pity”.
12. Sichuan Grand
Chinese restaurant in Oxford
The Old School, Gloucester Grn - OX1
“Good Sichuanese cooking and a good variety of dishes” (albeit “not as extensive as the ‘My Sichuan’ restaurant it replaced”) make this venture “in the lovely Gloucester Green Old School building” more than “enough to tickle the tastebuds at very affordable prices”. The Westfield Stratford sibling has now been joined by a second Big Smoke offshoot, in Holborn.
13. Edamame
Japanese restaurant in Oxford
15 Holywell St - OX1
An Oxford institution in its 26th year, Meiko & Peter Galpin’s “tiny restaurant”, “close to the historic Holywell Music Room”, serves “top-quality authentic Japanese home cooking”, including “large bowls of tasty ramen soup and daily specials”, with “one sushi evening a week” (much in demand, on Thursdays). Top Tip – “it’s cramped”, very popular, and there’s “no advance booking” – so it pays to arrive very early.
14. Pierre Victoire
French restaurant in Oxford
Little Clarendon St - OX1
This “reliable bistro” in a useful central location “can’t be beaten on price for lunch or pre-theatre, and the food is as near to authentic French as anywhere below comic prices”. It “seems to have been here forever”, having split off from a national chain of the same name that collapsed in 1998.
15. Al-Shami
Lebanese restaurant in Oxford
25 Walton Cr - OX1
2021 Review: This Jericho veteran inspires remarkable loyalty from fans – “been coming since it opened 30 years ago and it’s still the best Lebanese I’ve found in the UK” – “and great value too”. Others find it “pleasant enough”, with a “wide range of nicely flavoured dishes”, but complain there’s “no excitement”.
16. Parsonage Grill
British, Modern restaurant in Oxford
Old Parsonage Hotel, 1 Banbury Road - OX2
With its “log fire and paintings on the walls” and “pleasant terrace outside for better weather”, this small hotel in a 17th-century “former rectory in central Oxford” makes for an atmospheric bolthole in the ‘City of Dreaming Spires’ – and the perfect setting for a “generous set tea” or relaxing lunch.
17. The Porterhouse
Steaks & grills restaurant in Oxford
Mill Street - OX2
2021 Review: “First class steaks” and “excellent wine pairings” help win enthusiastic reviews for this large, attractively converted pub near the train station, which opened a couple of years ago.
18. Cuttlefish
Fish & seafood restaurant in Oxford
36 St Clement’s Street - OX4
A “wonderful selection of delicious fish” – including “the best fritto misto ever” – and with “interesting daily specials” is the draw at this popular and “good-value” spot with “helpful and friendly service, close to Magdalen Bridge”. You can also opt for a burger if you don’t feel like seafood, and there’s a decent range of veggie dishes, too.
19. The Punter
British, Modern restaurant in Oxford
7 South St - OX2
2023 Review: This “picturesque riverside venue” on Oxford’s Osney Island (which opened in 1871 as The Waterman) is notable for its “laid-back but beautifully presented vegetarian food, full of flavours from a varied and interesting menu”. “I’m not a vegetarian myself but most definitely hope to be back”. Top Tip – “the whipped goats’ cheese”.
20. Branca
Italian restaurant in Oxford
111 Walton St - OX2
Even after two decades, they’re “constantly looking for ways to improve the menu” at this “good-value” staple – an attractive Continental brasserie in Jericho. The “eclectic” cooking tips its hat to the Mediterranean and “never disappoints” (“bring anyone and they will enjoy the meal”). Further joys include a “great deli” and expanded outdoor seating; as we went to press, they were finally due to open five long-awaited bedrooms, rounding out the package.
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