Oxfordshire Restaurant Guide

“Close to the centre of Oxford but a million miles away in atmosphere, at the end of the rural Binsey Lane”, this “delightful riverside gastropub” surrounded by Port Meadow is “a very special place”, complete “with elegant indoor dining and outdoor terrace, and also pub benches in the large garden with simpler food served from the ‘shed’”. “A lovely place for special celebrations and an excellent choice of dishes to suit all tastes.”

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”.

2022 Review: “So good – writing this now makes me crave their tofu noodles!” – this Oxford institution takes a culinary tour tracing the voyages of China’s legendary fifteenth-century admiral Zheng, with a handful of dishes from each of Sichuan, Canton, Malaysia and Singapore. There’s now a smarter branch in Chelsea.

“A foodie gem”, this well-known eighteenth-century pub in a village on the outskirts of Oxford has been going through a period of flux, hence we’ve removed a rating for the time being. High-profile chef Jon Parry joined in summer 2022, after our annual diners’ poll had concluded, having made a name for himself cooking over an open fire at The Mash Inn in Buckinghamshire, and declared his ambition to ‘turn The White Hart into something really special’. Four months later, owner Baz Butcher announced his intention to sell up and retire to France.

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.

“You really feel like you’re in a continental bistro” at this “good-value and ever-reliable venue” in Jericho which has been popular for two decades. There is extra outdoor seating nowadays, which adds further to the Mediterranean atmosphere, and this year will see the opening of five bedrooms.

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”.

This “independent & affordable” restaurant, wine bar and vintner in Jericho makes a “very welcome addition to the Oxford food & drink scene”. With more than 400 vintages available, wine is very much the star of the show, backed up by “very knowledgeable staff” and a “friendly ambience”. There are also branches in Salisbury and Frome.

This “old-school” Gallic bistro is “consistently good in every way, and still probably the best-value food within walking distance of the city centre”. It’s also “much better than the chain used to be” (having split off when that company went spectacularly bust 25 years ago).

“Brilliant cooking and a very buzzy atmosphere” attract a “significant Chinese clientele” to this “big restaurant in the lovely Old School on Gloucester Green”, in the middle of Oxford. It has a sister restaurant at Westfield Stratford in east London.

This very “attractive hotel” just north of the city centre makes good use of a “lovely” seventeenth-century building with an ambience redolent of “Oxford academic power and money”. Foodwise, the ratings are dragged down by the odd reporter who feels its “bog-standard brasserie food needs more competition”. The best bet might be its “very nice traditional tea – especially when served in the courtyard garden”.

The “wonderful greenhouse setting” of this romantic and long-established north Oxford fixture was revamped and extended to the tune of £1.5 million during a three-month closure last year, giving it an appropriate leafy atmosphere. Originally a late-Victorian florist’s, the Grade II-listed building was converted into a restaurant almost 40 years ago. There’s a “nice buzz” to the place, and a “reliably good European menu” from new chef Matt Smith, but the feeling persists that – if you take into account the prices – the food is somewhat “run of the mill”.

“The beautiful roof terrace of the Ashmolean Museum” makes a “great location” for an “excellent afternoon tea” – with a glass-fronted indoor area for winter use and an open-air lounging space and bar in the summer. More generally though, it’s “a pity the food is overpriced and doesn’t live up to the setting”.

The “surprisingly delicious and wide-ranging menu” combines sushi with yakitori skewers (the so-called ‘sticks’) at this extremely popular Japanese-inspired group, whose “bustling” branches betray the Scandi style of their Copenhagen-based owners. It’s “a perfect choice if not everyone wants sushi” (even if it’s “expensive and portions are a bit on the small side”). A tenth branch is promised in late 2022 in Westfield W12.

“Much better than the long-established, tired pizza chains!” – the Elliot brothers’ growing group is the most-mentioned of London’s more artisanal pizza multiples in our annual diners’ poll, inspiring joy with their “authentic Neapolitan preparation, with quality ingredients” and featuring “yummy crusts and interesting flavour combinations”. And you get “consistent quality irrespective of the branch visited” too, even if conditions can be “a little cramped and chaotic”.

“Genuine Japanese-style ramen and dumplings” from Japan Centre owner Tak Tokumine hit the spot with “generous portions, excellent flavours” and “very good service” at his expanding group based in the West End. There are now seven venues in London, plus Ichiba food hall in Westfield Shepherd’s Bush and offshoots in Oxford and Manchester. The summer 2022 launch of a branch in Kensington High Street was expected to be the first of several under a new franchising arrangement.