The Ashmolean Dining Room

A location on the top floor of the superbly transformed Ashmolean Museum ensures that this eatery gets its full quota of tourists, academics & students. Plate glass windows let in plenty of light & there’s a terrace with rooftop views, plus a lawn with deckchairs for some really classy alfresco eating & drinking. Inside it’s smart, snappy & convivial, with a winning formula of keenly priced sharing platters plus large & small plates taking in French bistro staples (grilled minute steak with pommes frites), Italian classics (risotto, linguine al pesto, melanzane parmigiana, osso bucco) & a few Spanish dishes thrown in for good measure. Meals end well – if desserts such as superb fig & frangipane tart or chocolate & espresso mousse are anything to go by. A perky wine list & efficient staff seal the deal.