Oxford Restaurants

Well-heeled Londoners often weekend in Oxford, and this has helped propel its dining scene to world-class levels. Theres also the prolific student population, which needs to eat as well, though at slightly cheaper prices. All of this adds up to a plethora of dining choices in Oxford, from some of Britains best tables to simple pub cuisine. Reservations are strongly recommended for the more popular restaurants during the summer months or special events.

Where to eat

For a quick bite to eat, head over to Covered Market, where you can find take-aways and sandwich shops that would put McDonalds right out of business. Cowley Road is a good place to stroll along for Indian food, and one street over is St Clements, which has Oxfords best seafood restaurants. East Oxford is full of ethnic cafes, while North Oxford is where the most upscale restaurants are located. Oxford is also bursting with pubs, many of which serve absolutely fantastic food at great prices.

Local cuisine

British cuisine centres on meat and potatoes, although that never really describes the actual dining scene in any English town. With an influx of ethnic groups from around the world, you can find virtually any kind of food in Oxford. But if youre not familiar with true British cuisine, youll run across strange-sounding things on the menu such as bubble and squeak, toad in the hole, Cornish pasties and the ubiquitous fish and chips. Much of English cuisine is based around take-away shops. England really is the capital of great fish and chips, once served in newspaper and eaten straight out of the bag. Douse a bit of malt vinegar and salt on your chips and youre good to go.

Afternoon and high tea are also English institutions. Afternoon tea, traditionally around 16:00, consists of tea or coffee and a small meal like scones or sandwiches. High tea comes at 18:00 and was designed more for the British working class. High tea is more substantial than afternoon tea, and can be enjoyed in most English homes or tea shops around town.