Finest eating places in Oxford | BBC Good Meals

January 20, 2023

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On a Saturday evening, it looks like all of Oxford has made a beeline for this rustic but stylish gastropub to feast on beneficiant platters of complete shoulder of lamb. Sister pub to The Anchor & Hope in London, The Magdalen Arms takes a gutsy method to trendy cooking; anticipate starters equivalent to Cornish mussels marinière, and mains equivalent to Hereford steak and ale suet crust pie and buttered greens for 2. The wine listing affords loads of selections across the £30 mark, and the bar employees make a imply mojito. If it is sunny, ask for a desk on the terrace. Mains from £13.

Arbequina
Informal eating, low-cost eats

This transformed chemist’s store on Oxford’s Cowley Highway is the place you will discover a few of the greatest tapas within the nation. Request a seat on the lengthy, steel-topped counter to observe robustly flavoured plates like sea bass with fennel salad and piquillo peppers come off the plancha. Should-try dishes embrace crunchy salt cod croquetas with aioli, and slow-roasted pork stomach with mojo verde. The primary-floor eating room is ideal for bigger teams. Tapas from £4.50.

The Mason Arms
Informal eating, special day

For a style of the Oxfordshire countryside, head to this rural thatched pub, the place Leon Smith’s meals is so native and seasonal which you could order roast rump of lamb raised within the adjoining subject, served alongside spiced bhajis made with courgettes from the pub’s vegetable backyard. A part of the Artist Residence group of boutique inns, the decor fuses English pub stylings with trendy components, together with neon sculptures by artist Andy Doig. Mains from £15.

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Outdated Parsonage Resort
Informal eating, kid-friendly

The secluded walled courtyard of this ivy-covered Seventeenth-century parsonage is the right, tranquil spot for afternoon tea. The restaurant, that includes charcoal partitions hung with quite a few artworks and a gentleman’s membership really feel, is equally well-liked with diners. The ‘very excessive tea’ possibility contains recent finger sandwiches, featherlight scones with exceptionally good jam and a delightfully squidgy brownie, served with free leaf tea from a silver pot. Afternoon tea from £33.

Gee’s
Informal eating, kid-friendly

After a Saturday evening in town, a quiet brunch among the many greenery of this Victorian conservatory is a soothing expertise. Scrambled eggs get a Mediterranean twist, with morcilla (blood sausage) and Pugliese toast, and the beneficiant serving of avocado with smoked salmon, poached egg and toasted sourdough is all the time a tempting possibility. The all-day menu contains the likes of linguine with crab and brown shrimp, and wood-fired guinea fowl. Mains from £19.50.

Brew
Low-cost eats

With its gleaming copper and bronze Elektra espresso machine, retro ’60s-style orange moveable file participant and assortment of dog-eared classic vinyl, this bijou espresso store wouldn’t look misplaced in hipster Brooklyn. Specialist coffees are freshly floor and expertly ready, and the vary of snacks contains an fascinating spinach cake.

2 North Parade
Informal eating

In case you’re searching for native, natural produce, head to this contemporary, fashionable grocers. You will discover every part from natural yogurt and cream from North Aston Dairy to wines from Brightwell Vineyards, in addition to regionally farmed natural fruit and veg.

Branca
Informal eating, kid-friendly
This well-liked modern brasserie with an annex deli has been drawing the crowds to Oxford’s modern Jericho suburb for the previous 15 years with its accessible all-day menu of pizza, pasta, steaks and Mediterranean-inspired dishes, equivalent to chargrilled sea bream with creamed spinach and new potatoes. With a menu for under-12s and a leafy backyard terrace, Branca is right for household eating. Mains from £14.

Cherwell Boathouse

Big day

There isn’t a extra romantic or tranquil setting within the metropolis. Dine al fresco on the banks of the River Cherwell, having fun with crowd-pleasing dishes like rump of lamb and smoked haddock tagliatelle, and watch the punts drift by from this transformed Victorian boathouse. The award-winning wine listing affords loads of alternative to splash out for a special day. Mains from £20.25.

The Feathers
Informal eating, special day, kid-friendly

Located near Blenheim Palace, The Feathers is a Seventeenth-century townhouse lodge with a captivating wood-panelled eating room. Subtle, trendy European dishes would possibly embrace roast complete plaice, with brown shrimps, cucumber, pea shoots and dill new potatoes or wild mushroom and spinach pie with creamed leeks. A particular menu for kids below 12 contains spaghetti Bolognese and sticky toffee pudding. Mains from £11.

Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons
Big day

Raymond Blanc’s superbly maintained Fifteenth-century Oxfordshire manor home within the village of Nice Milton is a paean to perfectionism. From the manicured garden the place you sip pre-dinner champagne and nibble on delicate canapés to the immaculately turned out waiters who patrol the ethereal conservatory eating room, every part is in its rightful place. Blanc’s trendy haute delicacies attracts on Asian influences in dishes like Cornish crab, kaffir lime, coconut and fervour fruit. Six-course lunch menu £205 per particular person.

Rooftop Restaurant at Ashmolean
Informal eating

Rise up shut and private with the town’s dreaming spires from the terrace of this landmark museum’s rooftop restaurant. Designed by acclaimed architect Rick Mather, the fashionable glass-fronted eating room is flooded with mild through the day and is a surprising location for any type of refreshment, from a glass of wine to afternoon tea or a three-course meal (which can embrace such delights as pork stomach with porcini mushrooms, smoked pancetta and puy lentils). Mains from £12.50.

The Rusty Bicycle
Informal eating, low-cost eats
You’ll be welcomed like an area at this pleasant neighbourhood back-street pub and beer backyard in east Oxford. The simple-going menu options burgers made with dry-aged prime cuts, wood-fired pizzas and more healthy choices equivalent to bowls of kale Caesar salad. Craft beers embrace the pub’s personal small-batch-brewed Dodo lager. Mains from £8.50.

Quod
Informal eating, particular events
This modern lodge brasserie within the metropolis centre is the right pitstop for a lightweight lunch after a morning’s sightseeing. The good-looking inside, with its uncovered brick, flagstone flooring, marble-topped bar and enormous arch home windows is flooded with mild. Mediterranean-style dishes could embrace spinach and ricotta ravioli with pine nuts and basil or a spicy Italian sausage and pink pepper pizza. On a sunny day, ask for a desk on the secluded terrace. Mains from £15.95.

5 foodie locations to attempt

The Lined Market

Open each day, this 18th-century market is the place to return for every part from recent meat and fish to Korean meals. Don’t miss the Oxford Cheese Firm’s jaw-dropping show.

Bitten Road

Month-to-month road meals occasions in Oxford Fort Quarter play host to native merchants equivalent to The Souvlaki Brothers and Goujon Monkey (that is fish and chips served from a classic Citroën van).

Jericho Cheese Firm

The aesthetics could also be cool, however the welcome is heat at this specialist in British and Irish cheeses. Look out for native Rollright, a comfortable cow’s milk cheese.

North Parade Market

Two Saturdays a month, North Parade Avenue transforms into an artisan and natural market, with recent produce and road meals from native merchants.

Gatineau

This patisserie is run by Hervé Gatineau, former head of pastry at Maison Blanc. Attempt the outsized brioche au sucre.