Ashmolean Rooftop Restaurant

I booked a vegan afternoon tea for two at this place. The place was very very busy - we waited a bit for our table and for our food to arrive. It's a nice rooftop location for drinks but to be completely honest, I did not find it special. The vegan afternoon tea was amazing though!

What a pleasant surprise this was. Great food (nice looking as well as tasty!), lovely veggie options, nice mocktails, we had exceptional service from our waiter. All on a nice outdoor deck in the sun. Perfect.

The Ashmolean is a fantastic museum in the heart of Oxford; the restaurant is a nice pitstop when browsing through decades of history. We've had amazing weather when visiting, so the rooftop terrace is a great opportunity to enjoy the weather with a view over the rooftops. As for the food, for a premium size, the portion size and quality is fairly average. We've had the olives and sourdough bread for starters which were both a bit disappointing. The lemon chicken was nice, but for £8 quite a small portion, even for a starter. All in all, worth stopping by if you're visiting the museum. Solely for food and drinks, there might be better places around.

Had a fabulous solo "artist date" here. Was made to feel very welcome and given a wonderful table with view of the rooftops. The service from Lesley was *brilliant*. Everything beautifully timed and I didn't have to wait ages for the bill (as that sometimes seems to happen). The wine was crisp and cold. The food was just wonderful. Light yet tasty with superb ingredients. The vegan burrata especially delicious. Tasted just like the real thing. The roof deck in the sunshine was a piece of heaven and loved the big bright interior of the restaurant. I will be coming back lots!

It’s good. Not great, but at least good. The location is fabulous, central, a little bit social and on a bright day, it makes for a cheery atmosphere. Across the six of us, we had everything including the cream tea, and everyone was happy - or looked it. The waiter forgot our coffee order and it was hard to get their attention even though it wasn’t busy. But because it feels roomy and there’s lots of space with a high ceiling and sky views, maybe it was busy and I didn’t realize. The prices are fair and so all in all, I’d say this is a safe bet for a nice meal that you won’t talk about for years.

We stopped here at the beginning of our visit to Oxford, starting at the Ashmolean Museum. Rooftop restaurant, really nice views of the surrounding buildings. We stuck with lattes and desserts, and we very happy with the food and the service. A nice place for a break in your busy day !

Afternoon tea at £28.50 a head plus automatically applied 10% service charge - which I don’t approve of. The food just wasn’t that great and neither was the service. None of the desserts tasted home made and some of the sandwich filllings were very lacklustre. There was no attention to detail - cups and crockery low quality etc. I think I expected it to be similar to the afternoon tea experience offered by Bettys and other similar chains and it isn’t - which is a shame for somewhere in such a beautiful location. Would not recommend the afternoon tea option at this price.

Very decent tea and cake, excellent views and amazing service. Situated on top of the museum.

I've had dinner here twice - it's only open late on Friday and Saturdays - and the food has been fabulous each time. This must be one of the best restaurants in Oxford, and it's a spectacular location, with great views over Oxford and a modern aesthetic. There's lots of outdoor space, including some funky deckchairs and cushions for more relaxed lunches, a great spot in summer. The menu is on the brief side but there's enough choice to keep everyone happy. On my first visit I had divine braised beef, and the second time roast cod But it's the food that makes it so good at nighttime: well made with delightful flavours. It's well worth the trip.

Dining room ambiance is lovely. Enjoyed the 2-course lunch with Bellini for £18 for lunch. Butternut squash soup and panna cotta were my selections; duck and chicken were also possible entrees. An enjoyable lunch while strolling the free Ashmolean Museum collections for sure!

This is one of the best places to grab a drink, albeit a pricey one, in Oxford. It's quiet, classy, beautiful, and the view is nice. However, the food is simply not worth eating. Every dish we tried was worse than then last, which would have been fine had we been at a pub, but here the food is quite expensive for what it is. My recommendation would be to come here for an afternoon tea or a drink, but avoid the food. Service is a bit slow as well, but it's a relaxed environment, so don't come here if you're in a rush.

Come for the views, stay to be completely ignored. Came for tea and a snack after browsing the museum. Opted to sit out but instead of seating us at the tables, we were sat in a corner with grass and slouchy lawn chairs. Slightly awkward seating to eat but whatevs. Finally, after waiting nearly 15 min, we ordered our hot drinks. After 10 min, my husband had to get up and ask where the hell my pastry was. By this time, my coffee was cold because I wanted to enjoy the pastry with the coffee. We finished but no one ever came near to even look at us. My husband got up (again!) to pay the bill directly. If you do come, just leave without paying. I wish we would have. They wouldn't have checked on you any way. I told the manager they service was horrible and he just gave me a mousy shrug and a whispery "I'm sorry". Phhhffffffff. PASS!!!

A smart view over Oxford is a small piece of the restaurants offering, the main being the bright setting and clinking of glasses. It seems insincere to be drinking french wine at the expense of time spent in the museum, I can only hope the Ashmolean recoups some of the money we poured into their tills and I certainly felt a pang of perversity. Everything was a Yelp three stars and there is little else to add, the braised chicken from the set menu was pretty good and you can't fault the staff. I'd suggest working your way up and finish with a coffee with a cake, a full three course meal is reckless at these prices.

I don't usually write reviews, but the service for this place was absolutely terrible. I watched as other people who arrived well after my party did get their food (and finish eating) before I even flagged down a waitress, who then tried to justify that we hadn't gotten our food yet because they wanted to send our starters first. Complete bull shit, especially since that only one out of many starters came

Went twice during a recent visit to Oxford! Service was friendly and engaged -- we remember Phoebe, Archangelo, Charlie especially. Food was very good, not quite gourmet, but very good -- it hit the spot on a cold night. Not cheap but reasonable value for money. AND you can hear yourself talk. So we recommend it!

The setting is better than the view and the service. I had a delicious pumpkin soup and a fairly bland, over-oily salad. Server forgot that two of us ordered soup and a check was hard to come by. The sunny outdoor seating is a great.

What a shame about the slow, sloppy, unfriendly service in this otherwise fabulous restaurant. I have tried lunch here three times and, each time, the food has been wonderful and the location simply can't be beat -- ultra-modern architecture and decor, fabulous views across the dreaming spires to the hills beyond -- but the service has been of such insouciant slovenliness as to make the experience overall not-great and definitely not good value. This is a pricey, upscale place, but the wait staff seem to be more interested in acting posh than actually providing anybody with, uh, food and drink. It's not rocket science -- you just have to give a good goddam. Last time I went here, it took 90 minutes to complete a two-course lunch and, on several occasions, there was simply nobody to be found to help with an order or query for many minutes at a time. On each occasion, also, I have been accompanied by an elderly parent or two, and no acknowledgement of the possibility that they might need some extra attention was given. I'm over you, Ashmolean Dining Room. You're like the dazzlingly beautiful and intelligent boyfriend who forgets my birthday -- you never really cared about me, did you? I have more self-respect now. I'll find someone who does.

As with the Museum the dinning room as been all done up and looking tip top. Great place to grab a cup of tea in a quiet place.