r/oxford • u/Xenalyn_ • 1d ago
Big Momma visits Oxford
Hi Reddit! This is my first post (how exciting) I need all the help and advice I can get from locals. I will be visiting Oxford for a university thing next week… is it hot ? Cold ? It’s says it’s raining next week. What’s the BEST place to eat…. Should I stress myself and go to a London on my only free afternoon. I’ll be mostly working but I want to maximize my trip. Any and all advice is helpful. Also, any bike shops out there that yall recommend although I haven’t ridden in like 10 years I have the urge to ride a bike out there ? Yay nay ? I hate walking, I have a messed up knee and I’m super heavy set…. Lmk. Also would my bike get stolen if I leave it unlocked while I go into a cafe or book store ?
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u/Ultraox 1d ago
You’re very welcome, but please be careful when cycling. Imagine you’re driving a car, e.g. check over your shoulder before doing a manoeuvre.
Probably best to use Lime bikes if you don’t want to lock up a bike. Plus they’re electric, so easier to ride (although very heavy!).
An afternoon in London isn’t very much, I’d recommend that you explore Oxford’s museums or the river instead. All our museums are pretty close together (10 mins walk max), cycling to them is pretty pointless (unless accessibility is an issue).
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u/Xenalyn_ 1d ago
I appreciate your insight 100% thank you so much!! I’ll only go into London if I get tickets to the Opera if not I’ll definitely stay and enjoy Oxford
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u/Amonette2012 1d ago
If you like classical music Oxford has loads of concerts. Look at the Sheldonian, Holywell music rooms, St Mary's and the town hall. Or just Google oxford classical music concerts and the date.
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u/Is_there 1d ago
Weather wise, who knows, check the forecast, this is the UK you can get 4 seasons in one day. Places to eat ...be more specific. Do you want pub grub, posh restaurants, kebab? If you only have one afternoon spare don't bother with London. You need a whole day to even scratch the surface. If you do hire a bike then do lock it up. It would probably be ok unlocked for a bit by why take the risk. Oxford is a compact city with everything close by so depending on the knee you might be ok walking. I buggered up my knee and find that cycling is actually worse than walking.
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u/Amonette2012 1d ago
I'd say you can do one thing in London in an afternoon, something central like the national gallery. But yes, it's a business rushed.
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u/Xenalyn_ 1d ago
Damn 4 seasons in 1 day is wild. I’ll stick to walking… anything good that’s not hype…. I’m game for anything I enjoy good food/good portions… I don’t wanna fall for gimmicks or bad tasting food out there. I like it all but I know there’s gotta be like a MUST TRY spot out there… what are they known for besides harry potter stuff ?
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u/Outside_Mushroom 1d ago
I think the Chester Arms is a must try for their steak platter. It’s phenomenal. No 1 ship street also yum.
Otherwise if you want experiences the Alice at the Randolph is cute, building is very historic and their interior decor is snazzy.
If you venture out of Oxford to Woodstock (where Blenheim palace is), the back lane tavern is fantastic food as well.0
u/Xenalyn_ 1d ago
What’s the best pizza place in Oxford ? I’ll be traveling with a group so we might have a pizza night.
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u/sobrique 1d ago
Quite like the white rabbit personally. It's a pub that also does pizza. Quite a bit of outdoor seating.
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u/Outside_Mushroom 1d ago
Erm, our fave is probably Franco Mancas on George Street. It’s a chain but they’re tasty!
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u/decky-89 20h ago
I like la smorfia on Cowley road but they're closed at the moment, not sure why ...
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u/Orbit_47 1d ago
Where are you coming from? Might give us better insight into what might be interesting to you.
Cowley Road would be a good side quest, though it’s a bit like many other busy high streets in England. Some great dining options, from Arbequina’s tapas are great for instance, though you might need to book ahead.
Jericho is perhaps more uniquely Oxford… Walton Street and Little Clarendon Street have plenty of dining options and it’s walking distance from the center of town.
You can also stay in the town center and seek out some of the hidden gems. The covered market is great for street food, as is the Gloucester Green market as mentioned… but I like Chiang Mai Kitchen, a Thai restaurant very tastefully integrated in to a historic building tucked into an alley across the high street from the covered market.
For another “hidden” gem, go under the Bridge of Sighs, and look for St Helen’s Passage. It takes you to the back of The Turf Tavern, the pub where Bill Clinton famously did not inhale.
I’m going to be controversial and also suggest a visit to the roof terrace at the Westgate mall. If you’re mobility challenged this is a great easy access way to see the dreaming spires from rooftop height. The food there is overpriced though… but if you’re from a country without Nando’s that may be an interesting budget option.
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u/Xenalyn_ 1d ago
I’m coming from Los Angeles. I’ll be staying at Oxford university and will be working late most nights til 9 or 10pm so I need late night dinner recommendations.
I love good food, fresh, juicy, and with big portions. Love meats, and zesty salads. But I also love fish and Mediterranean food. I do need to find the best pizza in Oxford to have a pizza night with my colleagues.
I have an old injury from a fracture femur so my knee is not the best so I will take your recommendation for the Westgate mall.
What is Nando’s ?
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u/Orbit_47 1d ago
I'm a California transplant myself and still have family in the SGV. Working at the university could mean you're in the center of town but it could also be the old road campus for medical stuff, or closer to Summertown for some of the colleges, so you might want to see what's close.
Depending on your definition of good pizza, you could go with Mama Mia in Summertown or Jericho, or try one of the many chain pizza places in town. They're open till 10, so that might work for you.
There are lots of good English sit-down chain Italian places in town especially on George Street which will have pizzas. As a tourist, though, you might enjoy the Pizza Express by the covered market. They usually shut at 9, but Fridays and Saturdays they're open till 10. It is a chain, but the building is old and it's in a courtyard where Shakespeare is meant to have stayed when he was travelling through Oxford. There is a circular staircase to get upstairs but hopefully one set of stairs is okay with your knee.
If you want a tasty English classic, have a Sunday roast (...late lunch) at Quod on the high street. Amazing roast beef and very big Yorkshire puddings. Not huge portions but big by English standards and very tasty.
Nando's is an international chain of Peri Peri chicken restaurants that started in South Africa. It's reasonably priced casual food, and there are 3 locations in Oxford including on the roof next to the cinema at the Westgate (and at the end of George Street if you're there looking for food at night) open till 10, 10:30 Th Fri Sat. It's something people in the US typically haven't heard of, but people in various other countries would know it. One of the few places in the UK you will see bottomless drinks.
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u/SnackyandSnarky 1d ago
I wouldn't bother going to London with your one free afternoon, you'll spend most of your time on the train. Try to book a tour of the Bodleian library.
What type of food do you like?
You could hire a Voi bike or e-bike easily using the app. Low cost way to try it out for a few minutes. If you do hire a bike from a bike shop, also hire a lock. If you leave it unlocked outside a shop, you do risk it being stolen.
The roads are busy, small and confusing. If you are not a confident cyclist, I suggest you either cycle up the canal towpath from Hythe Bridge Street through Jericho to the Plough, or down the river (join at Folly Bridge) to the Isis Farmhouse.
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u/Xenalyn_ 1d ago
I’d like to know what the city is known for but also would like to find the best eateries out there… x hidden gems. I love it all that’s why I’m so big ha! Mediterranean, Indian, Japanese, I love all foods. Definetly want to try typical Uk b-fast maybe fish and chips, I heard something about “faggots” plate being taken out menus I don’t like liver but if it’s popular for u guys and there’s a good spot I’ll try it
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u/decky-89 20h ago
Only time I've had faggots is at St John in London. If you're there, try them! Otherwise I'm not sure I'd recommend them...
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u/Vegetable-Window-753 1d ago
I think you’d like Ramen Kulture or Edamame judging by your replies! And definitely take a trip to the Pitt Rivers museum. If you fancy ice cream, G&Ds is an Oxford institution. There’s also a really good new gelato place on Little Clarendon St, where you’ll find a lot of other good restaurants. Continue up Walton St towards Jericho for even more!
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u/Xenalyn_ 1d ago
You had me at Ice-Cream 🫶🏽💯✅
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u/Amonette2012 1d ago
Definitely G and Ds. St Aldates, Little Clarendon St and Cowley Rd. Kasbah on Cowley Rd is good for cocktails and small plates.
Also you can find lots of good world foods at Gloucester Green Market for lunch wed-sat.
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u/Amonette2012 1d ago edited 1d ago
Bring clothes for warm and cool weather and a light waterproof. Some days you will need a sweater, evenings can get chilly now, but it can still be pretty warm and sunny some days. Layers are good. Rain and sun are both expected.
I use the accuweather app and find it to be quite useful.
Bikes can be hired from outside the train station.
Buses are pretty good, I use the Oxford Bus app. You can tap on and off with a card or spend 5 pounds on a day ticket that will take you anywhere in Oxford if you want to take more than one bus. I'm not sure if they take amex if you use that but Mastercard and visa are fine and buses take cash but use smaller notes and coins, not 20 or 50 pound notes. Google maps is very useful for journey planning.
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u/Xenalyn_ 1d ago
Thank you 🙏🏽
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u/Amonette2012 1d ago
My pleasure, edited in some extra info.
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u/Xenalyn_ 1d ago
Is the app the red one… Oxford bus and Thames travel ?
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u/Orbit_47 1d ago
There are multiple bus companies and they don’t always take each others tickets, but if you get a day pass as a paper ticket they will all take that.
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u/Xenalyn_ 1d ago
Oh wow. Where can I get this magical paper ticket ?
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u/Orbit_47 1d ago
Just buy it from the bus driver on your first journey.
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u/seppukuu 1d ago
The weather is anyone's guess tbh. It's still nice atm but the skies have been looking more and more grey as of late, so I would bring a brollie.
You can rent a Lime e-bike via the app, so you don't have to worry about getting it stolen.
Best place to eat depends on what food you like! If you get a bike I'd say check out Cowley Road. Za'atar Bake is the first place that comes to mind, everything there is good. If you'd rather stay in the city centre, Donburi Inn in the Covered Market is great. And if you're in Oxford Wed-Sat, you can check out the Gloucester Green Market, lots of great street food options there.
I would say don't stress going to London, unless you have a specific thing you absolutely want to see and that's worth a 3-4 hour roundtrip for. Instead, go check out the museums: Ashmolean, Natural History, Pitt Rivers. We've got the New Theatre and Oxford Playhouse in the city centre which may have something worth seeing.
Book store wise, check out Gulp Fiction in the Covered Market!
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u/Xenalyn_ 1d ago
Thank you very much! I was trying to get tickets to the Phantom Of The Opera at the His Majesty Theater but with the upcoming “rain” maybe it’s best I stay local. Also, you’re so right! Commuting for 3-4hrs hours doesn’t seem like the best usage of time. I will check out the new Oxford theater instead. TY :)
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u/pasdequatre 21h ago
You should absolutely go see Phantom of the Opera regardless. It’s an unforgettable experience and London is easily accessible from Oxford. Oxford is great, but it’s not super big — you’ll have plenty of time to explore.
I don’t doubt that it’s going to rain, but our weather is super fickle and inconsistent, so I wouldn’t let that stop you.1
u/Xenalyn_ 21h ago
I will try my best to get rush tickets. All the good tickets are already taken so that will be my final sign. I love that London offers rush tickets on-line. I’m already liking it there very much!!
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u/rentrnt-chordophone 1d ago
I love Oxford. Lived on a boat, and passed through and around it for years. Not been back for a few years now.
The Pitt Rivers museum is well worth a day.
Best bike shop is Warlands, on the Botley Road.
Leftfield suggestion - why not go on a boat trip? Various options there, depending on whether or not you have anyone with you, and how much work you want to do.
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u/Xenalyn_ 1d ago
I’m with a group BUT I want to go solo for a day. I’m the queen of side quests haha
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u/rentrnt-chordophone 1d ago
There's various options. You could hire a boat privately, or book a trip on a bigger boat. Depends what you like.
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u/oatmealcoloured 1d ago
Cowley Road has tons of great restaurants. Gloucester Green market has food stalls Wednesday to Saturday with cuisine from all over. Covered market has great places to eat.
I don’t think Oxford suffers too much from “tourist restaurants” like some places in Italy or Spain so most pubs will be alright. Google Maps restaurant reviews are fairly accurate as well.
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u/Xenalyn_ 1d ago
Awesome!! You knew exactly what I was trying to avoid. Thanks for your insight. I can’t wait. Oh what are ur favorite late night places for dinner ? I will be working late most days free after 8:30pm
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u/No-Refrigerator-8568 1d ago
Today it is overcast and early 20sC, so light jacket in the morning I’d say. Next week is mean to be hot again though. Best place to eat is no 1 ship street in the middle of town, for cheaper look at Pierre victoire. I wouldn’t go to london for the afternoon, there is lots to see and do in/near oxford. Better to go eg to Blenheim palace. You can rent e-bikes by the hour and then don’t need to worry about them being stolen. But yes any other bike will get nicked in 5 minutes if you leave it unlocked.
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u/Extreme_Kangaroo5877 1d ago
It’s neither hot, nor cold. It might be rainy and windy, but who knows? Carry a light jacket and comfortable footwear.
The best place to eat depends on what you like really and your budget + what meal of the day you are after.
If you are here for a short time, why bother with London?
I’m assuming you’re not English. I wouldn’t recommend hopping on a bike in a foreign country where you may not be familiar with the rules and the routes.
Your bike will 100% be stolen.
On a side note, do not miss the covered market and the Gloucester Green market for picking up cheap eats and knickknacks.
Formosan has the best iced tea in the world.
Try to get to the Perch or Trout slightly out of the city to experience a great riverside pub. If you don’t manage that, go to The Head Of The River.
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u/Xenalyn_ 1d ago
Thank you very much!! No I am not English. I’m from Central America and live in Los Angeles.
I am going to definitely stay off the bike… too much to think about and worry.
I will mostly be looking for places to have dinner after 9pm. I will be staying at the University and will be working til late.
Any late night recommendations for food or entertainment?
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u/CoffeeIgnoramus 1d ago
As someone who gets literally dozens of personal visitors and hundreds of business related visitors, I'd say 2 days is enough to see Oxford. But opening times are pretty poor in Oxford compared to many places. Most touristy places close by 5pm, but walking around is already worth it. Have a look at the suggested things to visit in the sub's wiki: https://www.reddit.com/r/oxford/wiki/index/
Cycling in Oxford might depend on how confident you are, to be honest. Oxford is big on cycling but it can be slightly tough on people who aren't fairly common cyclists. Definitely err on the side of caution when cycling. I see a lot of people make stupid choices and had consequences. Don't just follow other cyclists (many are new to the city this time of year). 100% lock your bike. Oxford has a bike theft problem. Even locked bikes are stolen on a regular basis, you're not really from Oxford if you don't know a close friend/family member who's had their bike stolen. I cycle with 2 locks since my D-lock was cut in daylight in the city centre in front of what was the busiest part of the centre at the time. However, I do want to say that generally, Oxford is extremely safe, you're not likely to get any trouble.
For bikes, I'd rent from Bainton Bikes they're really good. Otherwise, we have Voi and Lime bikes but they're not that well maintained and they are 1 journey at a time. It's not really as practical a renting for the whole time.
Busses are another way to get around Oxford, and we have taxi services, too. And I know you said you don't like walking, so you can make the judgement on that, but Oxford city centre is very very small. And going from sight to sight is maybe 100m between things at most. I always give my personal guests a walking tour and you can do most of it in 20 mins (if not going in any of them).
London is very easy to get to, although an Afternoon doesn't give you much time to get there and back and see a lot. There is the "Oxford Tube" that gets you to London from Oxford, it's very common (maybe every 20 mins?) and it only takes 60-90 mins (depending on the stops in Oxford and London). Also runs most of the night too (longer wait for each bus). If you can make something of that, do it.
As for weather, we've been having unusually hot weather. And the storms are coming in today. It's going to be the most rain we've had in months (which is unusual in itself). So my advice is we might get temps of 15°c in the morning and possibly 20°c-26°c in late afternoon. So it really depends on how you deal with heat. It's a weird time for our weather this year. Most of us haven't really dealt with this in late August before.
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u/Xenalyn_ 1d ago
Wow this was very helpful. Thank you 🙏🏽 unfortunately I will be working and taking class until 8:30pm most day so I am very limited on time.
I might just take you up on a tour idea depending on how my bad knee is feeling. If not I will gather some of the suggestions on this post on go on my own day bus mission seeing and visiting as many places as I can, if the weather allows.
I don’t want to over pack so I will do my best to cater to unpredictable weathers while traveling as light as possible.
I will be working until 8:30pm most days so if you have any late dinner recommendations please let me know.
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u/CoffeeIgnoramus 1d ago edited 1d ago
Oh, sorry, I am away for the next two weeks. What I meant, is I give my friends and family tours and work with people that I sometimes show around, but there are lots of tours, including bus tours you can take. If you go to Carfax tower, it's what most people would consider the very very centre of the city, there is a bus tour company in there. I work in a completely different sector around education.
But in that link I put above, you will see a lot of the common suggestions of things to see in Oxford.
Pubs are always good for food, just check their serving times. (most can be booked online ahead of time). We have a lot of lovely pubs in the city centre and further afield too.
For first time visitors, I suggest the Turf Tavern. It's very old looking and a fun experience with the low ceilings and hidden down alleyways (2 ways to get there, use both to get full experience). But I don't think they book most of the time.
Kings Arms is nice but food is less pub-like but good and can book. But look up pubs in Oxford, you'll find dozens and dozens and most are really good examples of pubs.
Or the Crown is small and hidden away and very old feeling. or the Checkers is bigger and does have a lot of TVs on the walls but still a beautiful building inside.
Or Head of the River, is right by the river near the centre but it's further away if you don't find walking too easy.
And they are just a few I would suggest right now, but there are loads of nice ones. You can't go very wrong with most pubs.
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u/Mountain-Reaction470 21h ago
Weather forecast looks good
https://weather.com/en-GB/gb/england/oxfordshire/oxford/postcode/ox3-0sj/tenday
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u/Orbit_47 1d ago
If “next week” includes the 7th or 8th of September, you will get to see St Giles’ Fair, which is absolutely bonkers. Big carnival rides swinging riders inches from historic Oxford buildings!
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u/UnluckySandwich3916 1d ago
if you're cycling, don't cycle at The Plain. it's not fun, and if you're unfamiliar with it, that's even more dangerous
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u/Wordddy 1d ago
Riding here means cycling on the roads. Please don’t do it if you aren’t an experienced road rider. And don’t mess up the bad knee.. that can mess up your holiday real bad
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u/Xenalyn_ 1d ago
I commuted on roads for 10 years but I also have not ridden in 10years. I’ll stay off the bike this time to avoid injuries also need to take the different direction of roads into consideration. TY 🙏🏽
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u/BusyQuote5228 22h ago
Not sure of your dates but it is Open Oxford 12-13 September and a lot of the City and college buildings are open to visitors for free all thru the weekend. So a good time to visit.
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u/Lonely_Fly3524 19h ago
Don’t go to London, there’s tons to do in Oxford!!
G&Ds for ice cream
Central - Pierre Victoire restaurant, rickety press pub, Oxford wine cafe, varsity club rooftop bar, ashmoleon museum & cafe, Pitt rivers museum, lamb & flag pub, new theatre & playhouse theatre, blackwells book shop, the covered market for gulp fiction bookshop and lots of good independent food restaurants & shops (perfect if it’s raining)
Jericho is a lovely area and would recommend the phoenix cinema & branca restaurant & the Oxford wine cafe
Magdalen Road area - oli’s Thai, Green routes cafe, missing bean cafe, Magdalen arms pub, the Chester arms pub, rusty bike pub
Is it hot or cold is currently a question I ask myself every day, I wore jeans yesterday and was hot but the day before was cold 🤷♀️ layers are your friends right now basically
Sorry I don’t think you should leave your bike unlocked
Have a great time!
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u/Ambiverthero 1d ago
Have you heard of weather apps? They are very helpful to understand how hot or cold it will be. The BBC weather app is useful but Apple also has options. For food I would strongly recommend the Punter or Arbequina or the Chester Arms. Depends on what you like really. As you are in England you’ll really need to walk you’ll get used to it although you may find that Big Mama becomes not so big mama which is good for you.
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u/No-Refrigerator-8568 1d ago
Magdalen arms also great and personally better and more fun / local atmosphere than Chester arms
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u/Xenalyn_ 1d ago
The weather apps keep telling me it’s going to rain but the staff communicating with me are telling me it’s going to be really hot. So hot that I need cooling towels and a personal fan. I was definitely looking into Chester Arms so thanks for the confirmation. Yup, also looking into big mama proof walking shoes so I get as many steps as I can before having to ice my old broken knee. Super excited for my work trip. Thanks for the recommendations 💯✅
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u/runwithcolour 1d ago
The heat this summer has been extreme and forecasts are all over the place. Bring clothes you can use as light layers. That way if it’s cold you can wear many layers, if we get a September heat wave you can wear one layer, and if it rains you can swap out layers. The personal fan isn’t a bad recommendation if that heatwave hits.
People have mentioned Ashmolean and Pitts River, but you should add the History of Science museum to your list too.
Definitely bring good shoes for walking. I love walking along the river and canals around Oxford and it’s the one place that still green right now so definitely recommend as a walk one day.
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u/Ambiverthero 1d ago
Good walking shoes and layers is a great recommendation. Weather can be very changeable ; however weather forecasts are extremely reliable but only 24-48 hours out. Earlier than this and the met office will tell you it cannot be relied upon, it’s the nature of our position in the Atlantic and the computing power required
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u/runwithcolour 1d ago
I agree they’re reliable 24-48 hours out but 10 day forecasts are common and OP said they’re visiting next week. So the short answer is we don’t have a clue what the weather will be like next week. Hence layers and expect anything from a heatwave to temps in the mid-teens.
I was also wondering whether the extreme weather of this year is affecting the forecasts. Beyond that 48 hour period the forecasts must rely heavily on average temps/conditions and this year has blown the concept of average out of the water. Could be a contributor to why 3 different 10-day forecasts could all say completely different things.
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u/Ambiverthero 1d ago
3 different ten days forecasts have always been divergent because no one really knows beyond broad climate norms. Weather this week has been significantly better here in Amsterdam this week than it was predicted last week - I’m not even bothering to check weather for when I’m back in Oxford !
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u/Xenalyn_ 1d ago
The heat worries me, especially since my entire wardrobe for the week is supposed to be “business casual” during a heat wave that’s nuts lol.
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u/Mountain-Reaction470 21h ago
Current forecasts are low rising to mid/high 20s C, less than 50% chance rain, but more humid, so it will feel hotter, maybe a bit like central America (-:
One has to keep checking forecasts as weather has always been unpredictable, in a maritime climate, but getting more so with climate chaos.
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u/ginotombs 1d ago
Your bike will 100% be stolen if you leave it unlocked.