We've found ourselves eating everywhere we go, except for Oxford and would love to have a meal or two there.
Looking for a good pub (focus more on food than drinks), and restaurant e.g. Lebanese, Indian, British etc.
If you've eaten lunch/dinner in Oxford and was happy with the meal(s) please share your favourites here.
If you or anyone in your party has any interest in J.R.R Tolkien or C.S. Lewis, you can try the Eagle and Child Pub, on St. Giles Street. The two regularly met here. Nothing particularly special about the place, except the exact sort of atmosphere you'd expect from an English pub. On my one visit, I was also surprised by the complete lack of any other tourists, given Tolkien and Lewis' world-wide popularity. The place really was filled with locals. But I may have been lucky that day.
Eli,
My recomendation, as always, is to ask a local. In Oxford you can use the gate at one of the closed campuses and ask the gate guard. I asked one who told me to go to the "Whit-shit" pub (I asked several times but that was the best I could make of it). He gave me directions down several alleys and we came to the Wheat sheaf pub. It was very down to Earth but had good food at great prices with no tourists.
Tell the guard what you are interested in and see what they come up with.
We had lunch at Eagle & Child pub in November and enjoyed it. Pub food is not gourmet but is good comfort food such as Ploughman's plate, Bubble& Squeak, etc. Enjoy Oxford!
In summer 2007, I ate at Far From the Madding Crowd pub and the Turf Tavern for dinner in Oxford. Both were enjoyable with good food and atmosphere. I hope you have a wonderful time in Oxford!
Plus the Eagle and Child (also known as the Bird and the Baby) is where JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis and their compatriots gathered on a regular basis during their tenures teaching at Oxford.
Eli, my family and really enjoyed the Eagle and Child. It was a bit a a good streatch of the legs from the train station, but after sitting so long it felt good to walk all the stiffness off. To keep the 10 yr boy busy, we gave him the camera and he got to take all the photos he wanted of the place. It was also our 20th anniversary, so he got to take the obligatory kissing photo! On a side note, near the pub is an Oxfam book store. They even have a small child's section, and oddly this is where our son picked up his favorite souvineers! The "Rotten Histories" series. Also, there is a mall, which we weren't able to visit due to the early hour they closed, and a Borders book store. It was really nice to see a familar chain on unfamilar soil. Again, more books for us. But we did pack light to travel to Europe! Just that the pack out needed an extra checked bag! lol I think you won't lack for goodies for your selves, to bring home and enjoyable times in Oxford!
Mary
There is a quaint old church in Oxford that is worth a visit--it is on the main street and you can climb the tower for views of the town. We were told that Shakespeare attended a baptism there and the locals seemed proud to point out the baptismal font. The dining hall at King's College is a must see especially if you see it as they are setting up for a meal. Lucky students!
