This is me turning my google maps saved list into something more annotated and personal. Always open to additions!
restaurants
- 天天美食 - recently went and have to put this one at the top of the list. genuinely ate so much food — so yummy and really reasonable prices.
- Three Thousand Restaurant - big yummy bowls of soup noodles & hotpot!
- CHICK PEA - great veggie/vegan falafel + bowls! super fresh, nice people who run it
- Aleppo’s falafel - Najars/Rozana/etc are the classic central Lebanese wrap places (and they’re awesome), but Aleppo’s is significantly better with awesome pickles and super soft, thick, flatbread
- Taste of China - whenever my family visits they’re always too cold and want to go here — lots of options
- Edamamé - maybe the best Japanese food in Oxford? always has a long line but it goes fast because they serve fast and kick you out as soon as you’re done eating. try the katsu. I really want to go to the sushi night on Thursdays.
- Pierre Victoire: candle-lit set menu French food. a fancy (~£30) prix-fixé bistro (better deals at lunch!)
- No. 1 Ship St: the British version of Pierre Victoire? for a special occasion
- Rickety Press: library-themed pub with really good pizza! however not super allergy friendly
- Dishoom Permit Room: actually authentic (~expensive) Indian food. go for bottomless chai in the morning and study there for a while
- Kazbar Tapas - small portions but super cool vibes and good food (I suppose it is tapas)
- Turf Tavern - cozy pub
- Sartorelli’s Covered Market - nice sourdough pizza! tempted to buy their funky beanie
- Ramen Kulture - haven’t been in a while but I think it’s better ramen than Edamamé
- Rachel’s - the only decent banh mi in Oxford
- Manos Fresh Food Bar - Greek wraps! also a lot of harder-to-find greek products
grocery, deli, markets, ingredients
- ItaliAmo Deli - the lunch wraps/etc are fine but the one on High Street has burrata at a reasonable price which is huge (if you’re me)
- Gloucester Green Outdoor Market - the best produce in city centre for great prices on wednesdays. on other days they have vintage stuff which I always enjoy (in particular the sweaters on Thursday are really nice quality), and food stalls with a really wide cultural range.
- Branca - in particular, I’m a huge fan of Tracklements chilli jam, a brand which I found in some supermarkets in London but not in Oxford. that condiment is like a pull factor to England, tbh
- Seoul Plaza - snacks!!!!!
- East Oxford Market - lots of amazing local products but the most notable stall here was Tiddly Pommes which is the best (apple) juice I’ve drank in my life, made from unused apples that would’ve gone to waste; and each bottle is rated from sweet to sharp.
- Oli’s Thai and Elle’s Deli - run by a cute couple and they have a nice branca-like selection of world-foods and also fresh local farm produce like eggs. pretty sardine packaging. always tempted to buy everything. their “Bao Buns & Noodle Soup Nights” sound cute
- OxUnBoxed @ covered market for zero waste groceries
- Hamblin Kiosk @ covered market for great bread
- Jericho Cheese Company - a little pricey but genuinely stunning cheese. great alternative to quince- Damson paste. selection of Italian/British products like pasta/butter/sauces. nice bread too!
- Wild Honey - local honey, lots of health foods, nice chocolate and tea
cafes
disclaimer: I don’t drink coffee so this is pretty vibes/hot-chocolate based
- Society Café - awesome magazine selection and pretty good drinks
- Common Ground Cafe - a cultural/arts hub and coworking space with good cafe drinks
- Formosan - the proper Taiwanese bubble tea bar. open til late. kind of smells like feet sometimes because of the heated floor in the no-shoes seating area but sometimes that’s okay!
- Coba Bubble Tea (covered market) - the more fun fruity bubble tea that I like. cash only. leave a post-it-note drawing!
- Tree Artisan Cafe - I find this is where I usually end up meeting phds/older people. Great sandwiches and smoothies and people-watching
- Jericho Coffee Traders (on high street) - nice for people-watching out of the window in the front. coffee people tell me it’s really good coffee; I wouldn’t know
- Barefoot - good for sweet treats
- Gail’s Bakery - chain but still maintains quality bread. I am eternally sad that they stopped baking the honey almond walnut. bonus points because they slice the bread
- Green Routes - probably the best matcha. seems to have a nice brunch. awesome cosy vibes like a little house inside
- Missing Bean Roastery - awesome vibe and you can literally watch them blend beans in the fancy machine. good huge toasties
nature
- Port Meadow: pretty basic but good for stargazing
- Bagley Woods: huge National forest, a 20 min bus from city centre. makes for a good half-day trip. best season is spring when there are cherry blossoms?? in november there are autumn colours and mushrooms!!
- Merton Fellow’s garden for a picnic in summer
- The Water Meadow for a walk barefoot along the river
- Botanic Gardens but only in a good season (e.g. autumn, spring)
things to do
- go to wednesday social at EOF hackspace: a general purpose workshop with 3D printing, metalworking, woodworking, sewing machine, etc
- Christ Church Art Room art club on thursday/friday evenings. a well-stocked art studio, focusing on printmaking. very social and has an awesome teacher that fills the place with the warmest energy
- music/comedy events at Common Ground Cafe
- [orchard]
- Last Bookshop Jericho has a really nice selection super cheap
- do the funky quiz at Gulp Fiction
- look on eventbrite or similar for kilo sales
- walk around and admire the lamps (better if it’s night)
- go to a workshop at the Bodleian Bibliographic Press “these days you can just push a button on the twitter” but in the past they used to print text in a detail-oriented tedious process called typesetting (says the lovely old Richard who taught the workshop). they have the original machines from ~1800s, and you can print your own pieces of text.
- Ashmolean Museum, in particular the ceramics room!!!!
other
- Stuart’s Bikes - he has an in person store but if you call him he will literally bring the bike to where you live and let you try it out before you buy it. amazing bikes, adorable guy.
- Objects of Use - satisfies my craving for beautifully made utilitarian items. love just going in and touching the ceramics and learning about some new tool
- Scriptum - old-vibe stationery
- Pens Plus - modern fountain pens and inks
- Hoyle’s - very nice games shop
- Blackwell’s books on Broad Street - classic Oxford experience, it’s HUGE; probably one of the biggest book stores I’ve been to
on my list to visit because i’ve heard good things
- Gatineau (allegedly the best bread)
- Chaiiwala
- Peloton Espresso
- Damascus Rose Kitchen
- Organic Deli
- 101 Coffee
- Mostro Coffee
- Ji The Chicken Shop
- The Magic Cafe
- oxford generative music exchange
- Yeti
- Worton Kitchen Garden (animals and garden with food from fresh produce)
- Qin Noodle
- Oxfam superstore
- LASSCO Three Pigeons
- Parsonage Grill
- Arbequina
- Harcourt Arboretum
- Wytham Woods