Hardens Guide to the Best Restaurants in Oxford
Hardens guides have spent 15 years compiling reviews of the best Oxford restaurants. On Hardens.com you'll find details and reviews of 92 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 Perch
French restaurant in Oxford
Binsey Ln - OX2
In a “wonderful setting in the tiny hamlet of Binsey” (“perfectly placed for a riverside walk”), a “justifiably popular” pub whose “delicious” cooking “draws North Oxford out to the country”. “Eat by the open fire” or in the “ingenious” conservatory in winter, and profit from the “delightful” garden come summer. Veggie and Vegan options are particularly good here.
2. Cherwell Boathouse
British, Modern restaurant in Oxford
Bardwell Road - OX2
“Such a nice location, and the food is good… for Oxford”: this “beautiful and calm”, “old favourite” – “splendidly situated” on the river – is “especially lovely in good weather, when you can dine outside and gaze at each other, as well as at the assorted waterfowl that glide serenely past”. Its top culinary feature is its “exceptional wine list, with a very good range from acceptably cheap to ridiculously expensive”.
3. The Vaults And Garden Cafe
British, Modern restaurant in Oxford
University Church of St Mary the Virgin, Radcliffe Sq - OX1
In the University’s Old Congregation House, this “beautiful medieval room, brimming with students, churchy types and visitors”, offers a “uniquely Oxford experience”. A “very informal self-service” set-up, it revolves around “ample well-cooked dishesb using seasonal and organic ingredients”.
4. Oli's Thai
Thai restaurant in Oxford
38 Magdalen Rd - OX4
“The warm peanut sauce is to die for… the silken super aubergine curry so yummy” – this “cramped and very informal” café serves “the best Thai food in Oxford by a mile” offering dishes with “just incredible tastes” and “their cult status hasn’t gone to their heads”. (“What sets Oli’s Thai apart is the authentic home cooking found in Thailand: the massive flavours, the use of herbs and spices, and above all the consistency”). “If you can get a table (a BIG if!), it is well worth the time it takes to wait for one!”
5. Arbequina
Spanish restaurant in Oxford
74 Cowley Rd - OX4
A “fantastic new find on the Cowley Road” from Rufus Thurston, of hit local Oli’s Thai; and Ben Whyles of east Oxford staple Door 74. The “fresh, minimalist” setting (a conversion of an old chemist) is an appealing backdrop to “yummy and authentic” tapas from a short, typed list showcasing “first-class ingredients”.
6. The Old Parsonage
British, Modern restaurant in Oxford
1 Banbury Rd - OX2
2014 Review: “The food can be very good, although never exciting, but the room is lovely…”; this old stone building (plus gorgeous courtyard) houses a “very pleasant hotel and tea room” and is just the job for a “great Sunday brunch”, a “good-value lunch”, or “very civilised afternoon tea”.
7. Jolly Post Boy
restaurant in Oxford
22 Florence Park Road - OX4
One of Oxford’s best-known pubs is “newly refurbished and completely rejuvenated” since reopening its doors, under new management, in September 2016. “Whether you go for bar snacks or a small meal everything is spot-on” – and there are also 10 brews on tap, owing to a rare no-ties deal with the freeholders (Greene King).
8. The Fishes
British, Modern restaurant in Oxford
North Hinksey Village - OX2
2017 Review: “Well-sourced, thoughtful cooking, careful service and a great choice of puds” are three reasons why “you always leave The Fishes feeling cheerful” – others being the attractive waterside setting and pleasant garden.
9. Al-Shami
Lebanese restaurant in Oxford
25 Walton Cr - OX1
“Al Shami is an Oxford institution: it has been here for over three decades and has introduced many of us to the delights of Lebanese cuisine” helped by its embracing and welcoming style; the food “remains excellent”.
10. The Black Boy
British, Modern restaurant in Oxford
91 Old High St - OX3
2014 Review: In Headington, a “contemporary dining pub”, which attracts consistent praise for its “reliable” and “good-quality” cooking.
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