Can anyone recommend a nice place to eat out in Oxford?

[XBenedict]

We are meeting friends there in a few weeks time but neither party knows Oxford that well. Can anyone recommend somewhere ?

Oooh, I loved The Trout when we were there - but more for the scenery too! And the peacock!

Actually I think The Trout is part of a chain of gastropubs (although I think they all 'sell' themselves as being independents, or whatever). There are a few of them that we go to and the menus are all the same.

OMG - that made it sound like we ate peacock - it's a live bird that wanders around the terrace!

Ooops, sorry, just seen you've already mentioned the peacock, LRD

LRP i kind of know what you mean - in 25 yrs of going there i think I have ever eaten there twice - don't know why we have not eaten there more often!

How about The Nosebag lovely place built in the city walls, everything homemade and gorgeous cakes, very close to Randolph,

It is opposite the student union building can't remember name of street, which is annoying as spent alto of time there!!

I stayed at the Bank Hotel and ate at Quod. The food was nice enough for me but they were charming to the two DC and they ate well too.

Browns is a bit crap tbh.

The old parsonage is lovely.

Nosebag is in St Michael's St, used to go there for their soups. Great lunch treat in between doing the Xmas shopping ... Not so sure for dinner in summer!

What is the pub that's the opposite side of the road to Walton Street but a tiny bit further out of town? White painted stonework? That's nice.

My Browns associations are the same LRD
Phoned in advance, told them I was bringing a child with ASD so could we have a quiet spot. They confirmed they could.
They sat us in the midle of the romm, jammed up against two other tables with music so loud and people just shouting at each other. Then 30 mins to take our order and one hour before any food.
Awful

Thank you Mondrian for street name, it is lovely in summer as well, they change the menu seasonally, and have a good selection of decent salads as well. Feel a bit homesick now

That's really shit, pag. Sounds as if it is their standard line, then.

doctrine - do you mean the Royal Oak on Woodstock road? Or actually on walton street? Anyhow, the Royal Oak is nice if not child-friendly.

We clearly need an Oxford meet-up and pub-crawl.

Up to a few years ago they never accepted advanced bookings so I'm guessing its a steep learning curve for them.

My memory of of Browns goes back to early 80's. Back then they were renowned for their waitresses and remember seeing an ad in the local paper for a waitress position at Browns, there was a size restriction, a height restriction and even an eye colour restriction .... That should be enough to put off all MNers off going there - even after all these years.

Pies are still neice after all these years.

Ewww.

Yep, that puts me off.

The Royal Oak if I remember was not really that foodie, maybe it was the Horse and Jockey( no longer there) or the Lemon Tree(?) further up the Woodstock Road

If there is going to be a pub crawl then I suggest we should start at Old Marston, couple of nice pubs there - food was pretty good at one of them - not sure which as I was a bit .... Lets say I was driven there!

Huh. I don't think I know either of those, berry. I clearly need to spend more time in Oxford's fine establishments.

The RO isn't foodie, just quite pleasant and in winter they have a lovely range of hot drinks - buttered spiced rum, that sort of thing. Hence, not so child-friendly.

at mondrian.

I used to have tutorials in the RO, complete with chips. They did good chips back in the dark ages

You'll be lucky to get a booking at the Manoir ...

Great food pubs are the Rickety Press in Jericho and the Magdalen Arms up the Iffley Rd. Both v good with children as is Branca in Jericho, also doing nice food - modern Italian (I think much nicer than Jamie's). Old Parsonage is really lovely and v close to the Randolph. View at the Ashmolean is nice but I don't rate the food that much.

But DON'T GO TO GEE'S!! It's been relaunched and is now nothing like old Gee's - very sad given that it used to be one of Oxford's best (albeit a tad hit and miss) - hideously expensive for what it is. They have lost all ambition and the menu is now just a long list of grills with a couple of pizzas and vege/pasta afterthoughts. Wildly disapppointing.

this has made me v hungry! I am in my office about five doors away from Branca (and just round the corner from the Rickety Press)

The pub that used to be the Radcliffe Arms in Jericho is now a lovely gastro pub. Went there a few weeks ago, food was really nice and the staff were great. Had a good choice for children too. Can't remember the name of the pub or the road tho sorry!

Yes, I mean the Royal Oak, thanks. Isn't the outside bit enclosed (no play equipment though)?

Magdalen Arms definitely for food but a bit far from the Randolph and parking is shocking (just for a change!)

The Lemon Tree shuts and reopens more often than, err, nutcrackers at Christmas - is it open at present?