Wytham Restaurant Guide

2023 Review: “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.

“In an idyllic setting in the village of Binsey, very close to Oxford but along a rural lane, and with a lovely setting by the Thames” surrounded by Port Meadow, this cosy and popular pub “offers indoor dining by the fire in the winter, plus a spacious and airy conservatory with views of the garden; and tables on the terrace outside, or pub benches on the grass, with an outdoor bar”. It serves “a good variety of dishes at reasonable prices, plus daily specials”.

This “relaxed French bistro offering contemporary cuisine and good service” from chef-patron Pascal Wiedermann (ex-Terroirs) and his wife Laura has established a strong niche in Summertown, north of the city centre. A meal here is “always an enjoyable experience” – on a relatively “limited” menu, top billing goes to the steak frites.

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.

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.

This “lovely greenhouse” – originally a late-Victorian florist’s – has been a landmark dining destination in north Oxford for almost 40 years, and benefited from a £1.5 million revamp a couple of years ago that boosted capacity to 220. It’s a delightful spot for a meal, although the Italian-leaning cooking is generally felt to be “hit and miss”; the appointment of new head chef Lee Parsons should improve matters.

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”.

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”.

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.

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.

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.

“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.

“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”.

“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”.

“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?)”.

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.

“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”.

“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”.