Eating Out

There are many cafés and restaurants nearby the Physics Department on Little Clarendon Street/Walton Street. More ethnically diverse establishments can be found on Cowley Road/St Clements, which is a ~10 min walk east along the High Street, passing over Magdalen (pronounced "Maud-lin") Bridge. There are many bars and cafés near the bus and train stations on Gloucester Green/George Street/Park End Street and a new set of restaurants in the restored Oxford Castle/old gaol. If you wish to venture further, there are additional concentrations of cafés and restaurants in Headington (~5 min bus ride east from the High Street) and in Summertown (~5 min bus ride north from the Physics Department). There are also several 'pubs' which serve food.

Here is a selective list ... Personal recommendations have a *, while + indicates vegetarian friendly (Prices for food only: £ - under £10;  ££ - £10-20;  £££ - More expensive):

Near Physics Department

High Street:

Merton's Brasserie #73 (Modern British ££), Quod* #92-94 (Italian ££), Chiang Mai Kitchen*+ #130a (Thai ££), Café Zouk*+ #135 (Indian ££)
Pizza Express*+ 8 Golden Cross (Italian ££), House of Spice+ 61 St Aldate's (Bangladeshi ££), Sahara 11 Wheatsheaf Yard (Pan-European ££), Shanghai 30's* 82 St Aldate's (Chinese ££), Maxwell's 36-37 Queen Street (American ££)

Between Town Centre and the Physics Department:

Edamamé* 15 Holywell Street (Japanese £/££), Du Liban+, Broad Street (Lebanese ££), The Nosebag*+ 6-8 St Michael's Street (Modern British £-££), Randolph Hotel Beaumont Street (Modern British ££-£££)

Little Clarendon Street:
Strada+* #1-2 (Italian £-££) Pierre Victoire*+ #9 (French £-££), La Plaza Tapas bar #10 (Spanish ££), Café Rouge* #11 (French £-££),
Walton Street:
The Big Bang #124 (Traditional English £-££), Freud* #119 (Mediterranean £-££), Loch Fyne* #55 (Seafood ££), Taste #102 (Modern British ££), Jamal's #108 (Indian ££), Branca* #111 (Italian ££), Jericho Café*+ #112 (Mediterranean £-££), Brasserie Blanc* #71-72 (French ££-£££), Bombay*+ #82 (Bangladeshi £-££, BYO beer/wine),
Jericho: Al-Shami*+ 25 Walton Crescent (Lebanese ££), Radcliffe Arms* 67 Cranham Street (Pub grub £), Bookbinder's Arms 17 Victor Street (Pub grub £),
Woodstock Road:
Browns*+ 5-11 (Modern British ££), Wok 'n Roll+ 4-6 (Chinese £), The Gardener's Arms*+ 39 Plantation Road - off Woodstock Road (Vegetarian £-££),
Banbury Road: Old Parsonage Hotel 1 (Modern British ££-£££), Gee's* 61 (Modern British ££-£££)
North Parade (off Banbury Road):
Bagicha+ #15 (Bangla ££). Luna Caprese+ #14 (Italian ££), Chez Gaston Creperie* #6 (French £-££),

City Centre

Gloucester Green:
Gino's+ #94 (Italian £-££), Noodle Bar*+ #100 (Chinese/Japanese £), Al Maaza* (Indian/Lebanese £-££)
George Street:
A.S.K.+ #5 (Italian £-££), Bella Italia+ #14/16 (Italian £-££), Peninsula #21 (Chinese ££), Old Orleans+, #36 (American ££), Caffé Uno*+ #41-47 (Italian ££), Zizzi*+ #59 (Italian ££), Café Orient #77 (Chinese/Japanese £), Nando's+ #79 (Afro-Portuguese ££)

Oxford Castle:

Caffé Carluccio's (Italian ££) The Living Room (Modern British ££) Prezzo Italian (££-£££)Park End Street:
Al-Salaam*+ #6 (Lebanese £-££), Smollenskys* #17 (Modern British ££)
Hythe Bridge Street: Bar Risa #3-5 ((Mediterranean £-££), SoJo* #8 (Chinese ££), Bangkok House*+ #42a (Thai ££)
Adjoining/nearby streets:
Liaison*+, 29 Castle Street (Chinese ££), Chutneys Brasserie+, 36 New Inn Hall Street (Bangladeshi ££), Bar Med, 28 St Ebbe's (Mediterranean £-££), Aziz Pandesia+, Folly Bridge (Bangla/Indian/Thai ££)

East Oxford

Cowley Road:
Joe's Café-Bar* #21 (Modern British ££), Café Coco*+ #23 (Mediterranean ££), Kazbar* #25-27 (Moroccan/Spanish ££), Moonlight #58 (Bangla £-££), Hi-Lo+ #68 (Jamaican £-££), Nando's #80 (Afro-Portuguese £), Hajduczek #84 (Polish ££), The Globe #92 (Modern British ££), Gashi-Gashi #96 (Japanese ££), Mario's* #103 (Italian £-££), Euphrates #126 (Kurdish ££), Mirch Masala #139 (Indian £), Oxford Thai* #179 (Thai £-££), Dhaka Brasserie+ #186 (Bangla £-££), Red Star Noodle bar* #187 (Chinese/Japanese/Thai £-££), Aziz*+ #228-230 (Bangla ££), Dil Dunia* #209 (Indian ££), Café Baba #240 (Mediterranean ££)
Adjoining streets:
The Magic Café+, 110 Magdalen Road (Vegetarian £)
St Clements:
Fishers*, #36 (Seafood £-££), Thai Orchid+ #58a (Thai ££), The Pink Giraffe+ #43b (Chinese/vegetarian ££), Qumin* #86 (Indian ££), Moya+ #97 (Slovak ££)

Headington

London Road:
Mirabai #70 (Indian £-££), Café Bonjour #136 (Mediterranean £-££), Bar Meze* #146 (Turkish ££)

Adjoining streets:
Flame*, Windmill Road (Persian ££)

Summertown

Banbury Road: Xi'an* #197 (Chinese ££), Saffron+ #204 (French/Indian ££), La Dolce Vita #215 (Italian ££), Greek Taverna* #272 (Cypriot ££),
South Parade:
Cibo* #4 (Italian ££), Portobello #7 (Italian ££), Mama Mia Pizzeria #8 (Italian £-££), The Lemon Tree*, at the Woodstock Road end (Mediterranean ££)

A bit further (but worth seeking out)

Cherwell Boathouse Resturant*, off Bardwell Road - 15 min walk from Department (Modern British ££), The Trout Inn*, Wolvercote - 30 min walk along river via Port Meadow (pub grub ££), Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, Church Road, Great Milton - 10 miles (French - Michelin ** £££)

 

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Reviews/locations of most of the places listed above are provided by Daily Information and the Oxford Restaurant Guide.

For reviews of Oxford pubs, see the Daily Information guide. Especially handy for the Physics Department are the Lamb & Flag (profits support needy graduate students at St John's College so drink up!) and the Eagle & Child (aka Bird & Baby) on St Giles, while the Turf Tavern (Bath Place), King's Arms (Parks Road/Hollywell Street corner), Head of the River (Folly Bridge) and the Rose & Crown (North Parade) are particularly worth a visit. Many pubs serve food - good vegetarian/vegan cuisine at the Gardener's Arms on Plantation Road and excellent value fish & chips etc at the Radcliffe Arms on Cranham Street. If you take a stroll across Port Meadow you will find the Perch in the village of Binsey close to the Thames ... keep walking by the river (~2 miles) to Wolvercote and you will reach the even more popular Trout inn.

To find out what is on (music, theatre, cinema ...) look up Daily Information or In Oxford. A variety of information about Oxford can be found here (not kept up to date) or from the City Council. The Tourist Office has many free guides, listings etc - look in at Broad Street on your way to/from University College.

This guide was created by Subir Sarkar (May 2008)