Toot Baldon Restaurant Guide

“Definitely a good choice if you’re in the area” – i.e. just five miles from the dreaming spires of Oxford – this “very comfortable country pub” boasts one of the best gardens in these parts and is particularly appealing come summer. Some feel the menu is “limited” and “relatively expensive”, albeit “generally good with some unusual dishes”, much local sourcing, and a fair selection of veggie-friendly options.

This “big old pub with a jolly, slightly bohemian atmosphere” is a well-known “gastro-pub (with the emphasis on gastro)”. It achieves solid and still-plentiful support in our annual diners’ poll, despite a feeling that “the food falls well short of the standards at its London siblings, Anchor & Hope and Canton Arms”. Top Menu Tip – “the suet crust steak-and-ale pie to share is a lovely, lovely thing”.

“Enhanced by a pre-prandial stroll around the wonderful gardens”, a visit to Raymond Blanc’s “superlative” Oxfordshire property (actually he’s sold most of his stake to LVMH nowadays) is one of the biggest culinary treats in the country. Raymond is celebrating his 40th year in this picture-book 15th-century manor in a quiet corner of south Oxfordshire: one of the top-5 most commented-on venues outside London in our annual diners’ poll, it scored particularly strongly this year – the first full year in which head chef Luke Selby has had a full 12 months at the stoves in the lead-up. “Yes, the prices are eye-watering” – that’s noted every year – but practically all reporters this year feel “it’s worth the money” given its “culinary excellence”. “It is made even more special by the team: friendly, helpful and proud to be part of the Manoir experience”. “After a warm welcome, you are guided to the lounge for a drink and the menu before going to the table. Then on to the dining room before adjourning back to the lounge for coffee and petit fours”. The cuisine itself is “classical with flair”: you can eat a three-course à la carte meal for £205 per person, or a seven-course menu for £245 per person. “The finishing touches are what makes dining here such a pleasure” and those who stay over feel particularly well looked-after. (“The whole experience was simply sublime and rounded off our celebrations incredibly well. How do we celebrate our next anniversary so well?”).

This converted chemist’s shop from the Oli’s Thai team remains a big local favourite, inspiring lots of positive feedback from a sizeable Oxford-based fan base. Take a seat at the popular zinc counter, or profit from the “great bar” next door, offering cocktails and Spanish wines. NB – it’s only “open during the latter part of the week (Thu-Sun) and reservations fill fast”, so this isn’t the place to rock up unannounced.

The “beautifully cooked fish” is “great value” at this popular restaurant “just across Magdalen Bridge, so very handy for the city centre”. Fish-phobes have plenty of options, too, with burger, vegan and kids’ menus on offer. Top Menu Tip – “the Fritto Misto is exceptional, and a family favourite”.

This “airy and bright” brasserie in the Old Bank hotel – replete with charming interior courtyard – has a notably “vibrant atmosphere” that means it’s generally packed (a little too packed come graduation day and Christmas). While the odd cynic feels that it’s merely “trading off its good location” in the middle of the High, there was also praise this year for its “very good- value set lunch menu” (two courses £25.50, three courses £30.50).

“Fabulous home-style Japanese cooking” emerges from the kitchen at Meiko & Peter Galpin’s Oxford institution, now in its 27th year – “you may need to queue to get into the tiny restaurant and share a table, but that only adds to the authenticity of this wonderful place” and its “very friendly atmosphere”. It makes no claim to be a standard restaurant, serving only a set lunch and set dinner, with an in-demand sushi night on Thursdays.

“This gem of a self-service café is the perfect spot for lunch in historic Oxford city centre” on long trestle tables or in the garden; combining “good-value wholesome food” – everything from “vegan dishes to Asian curries and lovely cakes” – with a “buzzing atmosphere” and “the most fabulous location behind the University Church with stunning views to the Radcliffe Camera”. But while “it’s the setting that makes this café special” it also threatens its future after 20 years, with its church landlord wanting to evict it to make way for its own social enterprise. The legal battle is expected to be settled in the High Court this year.

“The building is the star” at this stalwart in a cosy Elizabethan house quaintly tucked down a medieval alley off the High. These days it’s “under strong competition” locally (and perhaps “unlikely to recover its crown as long as Oli’s Thai continues in some form”), but many “still get drawn here for the green chicken curry” – long a standout – and, while, “it’s not fine-dining”, it “remains a dependable option” where “for a fair price you get a huge choice of Thai staples”.

“More hit ’n’ miss than they used to be, but still a go-to chain” – the Elliot brothers’ successful group is heading towards 20 branches in the capital, but “still producing quality dishes despite becoming quite a brand”: “lovely scorched, pillowy-based pizzas with plenty of power in the ingredients” and “reasonably priced for the quality!” Latest to launch, in June 2024, was a branch by Euston.

“You can’t go wrong if you order tonkotsu” at this ramen group from Tak Tokumine of the Japan Centre – the noodles and 12-hour pork bone broth are “authentic” and some of the “best in town”. The venues can be “cramped”, and “the constant banging of a drum to indicate dishes being ready can grate”.

“LOVE this chain and would happily eat there any day!” – These “always buzzy” Nordic operations (originating in Copenhagen 30 years ago) provide a “tasty mix of sushi and grilled yakitori kebabs” in Scandi-minimalist dining spaces. One or two reporters hesitate at the prices for these luscious morsels – “not sure you can justify the cost of leaving full up” – but the overall satisfaction-level is high. They added a branch in Richmond’s former House of Fraser in May 2024 followed by another on Islington Green in September.

This “backstreet gem in the centre of Oxford” is “such a nice place to eat”, with a “very nice ambience, like a traditional small French bistro”, “relaxed service”, and an “old favourites-type menu with one or two twists”, featuring “particularly well cooked but not adventurous dishes” (including “absolutely perfect fish”). Top Tip – “the daily special lunch for £16.50 is the best-value set price menu in town”.

“Lovely” South Indian cooking – with “great thali options, that you can tailor to your own tastes” – is served at the Headington offshoot of a restaurant established in Cheltenham: “it’s welcome to have Keralan food being offered in a city whose Indian options have diminished dramatically in the last decade or so”. Top Menu Tip – “masala dosa is the smart option”.

“A real find” – “take your date here and feel the love”, say fans of Antoine & Camille Chretien’s “ex-pub turned into an unexpected and excellent French restaurant” in the village nextdoor to superstar compatriot Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons – “the food is wonderful, the service superb and the dining room just spacious enough to be comfortable”. Top Tip – “look out for the value-for-money midweek ‘Deal Days’”.