Oxford Restaurant Guide

“Sometimes it just has to be ramen”, and this group from Japan Centre owner Tak Tokumine provides noodles and broth that are “consistent, quick”, “high-quality and very reasonably priced” – “service isn’t amazing but the food makes up for it”. The 12-hour tonkotsu pork broth is a speciality of Hakata, Tak’s home district of Fukuoka city on the island of Kyushu.

“Long standing and always fun and reliable” – this well-known venue (est. 1993) has competition these days from the likes of Oli’s Thai. But between its remarkable setting – a historic, Tudor-style building in a medieval lane off the High; its “absolutely fantastic” Thai food (not least green curry); and its “nice buzz”, it continues to please all who comment on it. Further boons: the “lunchtime menu is fantastic value” and the “team are so welcoming and friendly” too.

2024 Review: 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.

“Rightly an Oxford institution”, this self-service café with a “student vibe” is a “go-to place for a good-value wholesome brunch in a buzzing atmosphere”; sit inside on trestle tables or “outside in the sun, surrounded by the architecture that makes Oxford famous”, as you enjoy “fab cake” and “tempting” mains, with a “great choice from vegan to Asian curries and lovely cakes”. Fans are “glad to see it has survived” thus far – indeed some 15,500 of them signed up to save the venue, which remains at the heart of an eviction dispute between café owner Will Pouget, and the University Church of St Mary the Virgin, where it sits, and whose landlord wants to create a larger social enterprise in the space; having already been adjourned in April 2025 due to the complexity of determining if the land is consecrated (the pivotal point), the case was listed to recommence at the High Court shortly before we went to press.

“Lively and convenient venue”, “well-placed in the centre of Oxford” and serving brasserie fare in the “attractive surroundings” of the Old Bank Hotel. Ratings here are often dragged down by the odd report of “variable” results – the “good-value set lunch menu” goes down best with reporters and helps make it a popular choice for business lunchers as well as loving parents with their bookish offspring.

This “calm and pleasantly traditional” bistro in a sidestreet close to the city centre “never seems to disappoint”, with its combination of “charming, professional service, great wine and really excellent food” – “set lunch is remarkably good value at £21.50 for 3 courses” (main courses are mostly £20-30 each). Top Menu Tip – “try the Lobster Bisque”.

With “clever”, “good-quality Japanese food” – in particular the “excellent, if relatively expensive, sushi” – and “busy, competent service”, these “fun, stylish and friendly” Scandi-minimal venues are “always buzzing”. Founded in Copenhagen by a pair of Danish-Japanese brothers more than 30 years ago, the company came under new ownership in 2024 with big expansion plans, and unveiled two times F1 champion Fernando Alonso as a major shareholder in April 2025. Recent London openings include a “huge new site” in Islington and Battersea Power Station.

Nisha Katona’s Liverpool-based operation has two branches in London (Charlotte Street and Westfield Stratford) offering her “very tasty” Indian street food – “with the occasional hint of raw spice”. The Lancashire-born former barrister launched the business in 2014 and now has 28 outlets around the country, whose “enjoyable, authentic food” is “really great for a chain”.

“Sneakily good pizza” – double-fermented Neapolitan-style – ensure that many branches are “always packed” at the Elliot brothers’ still-expanding chain, whose new summer 2025 opening at the Truman Brewery on Brick Lane marked a return to the site of one of their earliest pop-ups in 2013. Nowadays, it’s one of the more commented-on multiples in our annual diners’ poll. Top Menu Tip – “pepperoni and honey!”

A meal at this “great location on the roof of the Ashmolean” makes the perfect culmination of a mooch around the museum (or a visit in its own right) – but it can seem a little “mediocre unless you’re outside on the terrace”.

2024 Review: “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.

“The kind of restaurant you are happy to find!” – an Oxford legend run by Meiko & Peter Galpin for almost three decades now, and whose “convincing cuisine” focuses on Japanese home-style cooking. “There’s a small menu that changes regularly and a special sushi menu on Thursday evening” – add in a “relaxing environment with friendly staff” and “reasonable prices” and it’s “top-notch all round”… do, however, be prepared for the fact that “it’s really busy all the time and you can’t book, so have to queue outside”.

Reams of praise for this “always reliable bistro” near the centre, which is a real local “favourite and always packed”. By all accounts it “produces classic French dishes” at “very reasonable prices too” – not culinary art but “amazing VFM!” (and for a big group meal, its wide menu with something for everyone makes it an excellent choice).

A substantial 17th-century parsonage in the city centre, now a plush boutique hotel with a “charming atmosphere and well-chosen art on the walls”. Its Grill is “an excellent all-rounder with a good choice of well-executed dishes”. Afternoon tea is also on the agenda, and “one set tea is quite enough to share between two with an extra pot of tea added”.

“High-quality fish dishes” at “very reasonable prices” are the draw at this low-key spot just across Magdalen Bridge from the city centre, where fish ’n’ chips or fritto misto costs £14.95 and a signature cold seafood platter on crushed ice £24.95 – but you can also splash £95 on 50g of caviar.

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”.

Long-serving Jericho brasserie/deli with a heavily Italian bias and a “good range of dishes to suit all tastes” – “service is thoughtful”, and "there’s always a cosy private table for two available despite its popularity”. Self-service deli-style meals provide quick and cost-effective weekday lunches, with standard table service in the evenings and weekends, and there’s a nice garden to eat outside when it’s warm enough.

“Tapas at another level” has earned local cult status for this outfit that celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, and is hidden behind neighbouring historic shopfronts (for a chemist and a watchmaker) – “every dish is delicious, and there are excellent veggie options too”. “It’s so popular you always have to book”, and the timed slots are restricted by opening limited to three days a week (Thursday to Saturday) – a problem that should be eased by the late-2025 launch of a new branch in the city centre’s old Covered Market, with 90 covers spread over two floors (downstairs walk-in only) and projected 7-day operation.