Nice (cheap) places for lunch in Oxford?

[teenyweenytadpole]

Am meeting an old friend in Oxford for the day as it's half way between both of us. We basically want to mooch about a bit and have a long lunch. Any suggestions? I am very poor at the moment so cheap would be good! Thanks.

What kind of thing are you after?

I always head for pizza express, but I'm clarsy like that

Are you both driving? Any kids in tow, and if so how old?

Hi, thanks, no we're both coming by train from separate directions, no kids in tow (yay!). Last time we did it we ate at Jamie Olivers which was lovely but too ££££ for my current financial position! I heard that there is a place at the uni where you eat and the food is cooked by the students? Mind you if it snows, we'll be calling the whole thing off!

The FE college does (or used to do) lovely dinners very cheaply but the decor left something to be desired: there's only so much you can do with 1960s institutional buildings! www.ocvc.ac.uk/our-restaurants It's quite close to the station.

Oxford Brookes University does something similar but isn't handy from the rail station. I wouldn't have thought Oxford University would do, since they have no catering students.

If you have plenty of time on your hands you might consider the Perch, a lovely pub in Port Meadow. It's a pleasant longish walk to get there, and from there you can take some good walks along the river. I haven't been there for years so check they are open and serving food!

I recommend the Al Salam Lebanese restaurant which is very near the rail station. Excellent value for money: my friends and I had a Christmas dinner there for £10 a head last year, excluding drinks. www.dailyinfo.co.uk/reviews/venue/399/Al+Salam/

Have fun!

Thanks so much, I checked the FE college and they only do a lunch service between 12.00 and 1.00 which sounds a bit rushed. Might well give the lebanese a try, sounds yummy, thanks!

I like this tapas place in Little Clarendon Street - about 10-15 min walk from the railway station. They do a lunchtime deal of £8 for two tapas per person, which are quite substantial, so you can have a filling lunch sharing four tapas between you. Little Clarendon St also has some nice shops to have a mooch in after lunch, and is very close to the city centre.

The Jam Factory is two minutes walk from the train station, not over-priced and not a chain (which makes a nice change for central Oxford). The Covered Market also has a few little non-chain places which aren't too pricey and might be nice for lunch, including a quirky place that does about twenty different types of gourmet pie. The Cowley Road has lots of cheap ethnic eateries but its a bit of a hike from the centre.

PS If my husband was here he'd probably be recommending chips, beans'n'cheese from Hassan's chip van as Oxford's ultimate affordable dining experience :-P They are actually gorgeous...

Having just posted I've now noticed that this thread is six months old...oopss :-P

jam factory good, also the ice-cream/sandwich/tea Oxford chain (forgotten name but all over Ox), also covered market.. cowley rd for asian..

oh, well! god, made me hungry now!

and i wonder where they went after all thaty?!