Oxford restaurants:
OpenTable’s top ten.

The OpenTable Oxford top ten at a glance

OpenTable describes Diners’ Choice as a monthly selection based on diner reviews from the preceding four months. Its displayed order differs from sorting the star ratings. Positions below follow the list, with ratings and review counts captured on 15 October 2026.

View OpenTable’s Oxford Best Overall list. Ratings, review totals and membership of the list can change. The choices below compare cuisine, atmosphere and location; inclusion comes from OpenTable’s diner-led selection.

Central Oxford for theatre nights and celebrations

Gino’s — Italian food at Gloucester Green

Gino’s at 94 Gloucester Green, OX1 2BU, is a family-run Italian restaurant serving pizza, pasta, meat and fish dishes. Its central position makes it a useful choice when dinner needs to fit around the New Theatre or Oxford Playhouse. Choose it for a straightforward Italian meal with a group whose tastes run from pizza to a fuller dinner, and tell the restaurant your curtain time when booking.

Gino’s restaurant and booking information · Gino’s on OpenTable

The Ivy Oxford Brasserie — an all-day High Street occasion

The Ivy occupies 120–121 High Street, OX1 4DF, with marble floors and burnt-orange banquettes that make the room part of the occasion. British classics sit alongside seasonal dishes and vegan options, while the all-day offer covers breakfast, weekend brunch, afternoon tea and dinner. Choose it for a central celebration or a meal between sightseeing stops, especially when a polished brasserie setting matters as much as the menu.

The Ivy Oxford menus and bookings · Plan a pre-theatre dinner

Jericho for Japanese dining or a Mediterranean evening

KIBOU Oxford — sushi and a colourful setting

KIBOU at 11–12 Little Clarendon Street, OX1 2HP, combines Japanese dining with murals, floral installations and an open sushi kitchen. Sushi and sashimi, tempura and bao give a sharing meal several directions, while a cocktail lounge, conservatory and garden create different settings within the Victorian building. Choose it for a date or celebration where the room is part of the appeal; ask about your preferred dining area when reserving.

KIBOU Oxford menus and bookings

Branca — a Walton Street meal before a film

Branca’s Mediterranean restaurant at 110–111 Walton Street, OX2 6AJ, sits opposite the Phoenix Cinema in the heart of Jericho. A walled garden and neighbouring deli add to the neighbourhood feel. Choose the restaurant for a sociable dinner around a film or a Jericho evening. The deli has its own opening pattern, so reserve against the restaurant’s service times when planning a sit-down meal.

Branca restaurant menus and bookings · Explore Jericho

North Oxford for a riverside lunch or hotel dining

Cherwell Boathouse — make the river the destination

Cherwell Boathouse at 50 Bardwell Road, OX2 6ST, puts a restaurant beside a working punt station on the River Cherwell. Seasonal menus and an extensive wine list make it a strong choice when lunch or dinner is the main event of your day. The family-owned Edwardian boathouse setting rewards the trip into North Oxford. If you want to combine dining with punting, check punt-hire availability as well as table availability.

Cherwell Boathouse restaurant and menus · Oxford punting and river trips

Parsonage Grill — portraits, British cooking and afternoon tea

Parsonage Grill is inside the Old Parsonage Hotel at 1 Banbury Road, OX2 6NN. Portrait-filled rooms, fireplaces and a secluded walled terrace give it an intimate hotel-restaurant character. Its British cooking takes a modern approach, with breakfast, lunch, dinner and afternoon tea offering different ways to enjoy the setting. Choose it for a smaller celebration or a long conversation over a meal, with the terrace an appealing option when conditions suit.

Parsonage Grill menus and bookings

Summertown for small plates or slow-smoked barbecue

O X T W O — seasonal sharing plates and wine

O X T W O at 267 Banbury Road, OX2 7HT, is an independent Summertown restaurant and wine bar. Seasonal small plates make it a good option for diners who want to order together and try several dishes. Its wine focus, Sunday roasts and live-music programme give you different reasons to visit. Choose a small-plates evening for a leisurely shared dinner, or check the Sunday menu when a roast is the priority.

O X T W O menus, bookings and music

Burnout BBQ — the original Summertown smokehouse

The OpenTable-listed Burnout BBQ is at 263 Banbury Road, OX2 7HN, in Summertown. Brisket, pulled pork and barbecue platters put slow-smoked American cooking at the centre of the meal. The hot-rod theme extends to a truck-front booth, making this an informal, distinctive choice for a group that wants barbecue. Select the Summertown restaurant when booking from this guide: the business also has a Westgate location.

Burnout BBQ menus and locations · Book the listed Summertown restaurant on OpenTable

East Oxford for tapas and Sri Lankan sharing dishes

Kazbar Oxford — tapas on Cowley Road

Kazbar at 25–27 Cowley Road, OX4 1HP, combines Spanish tapas with Moroccan touches in a lantern-lit bar setting. Sharing plates, Spanish wines, sherry and cocktails make it an easy choice for an evening built around conversation and ordering another dish. Choose it when you want tapas and drinks together, with Cowley Road’s wider evening scene close by. It heads OpenTable’s displayed October shortlist.

Kazbar tapas menus and bookings

The Coconut Tree — a lively meal in St Clement’s

The Coconut Tree at 76 St Clement’s Street, OX4 1AH, serves Sri Lankan sharing dishes with meat, fish and vegetable options alongside its signature cocktails. Its casual format suits a group happy to build a meal from several plates. Expect a lively room: the operator makes the rising music volume part of its description. Choose it for a sociable evening where energy matters.

The Coconut Tree Oxford menus and bookings · Explore Cowley Road and East Oxford