The Grand Café

Searching for the best cafe in Oxford or top brunch spots Oxford 2026? This cozy, independent gem has been my go-to for over 10 years – and it’s only gotten better! The quality of service has improved dramatically in the past 5 years (it was always great, now it’s exceptional), making every visit feel like coming home. For me, this place holds huge sentimental value: I’ve brought family members and closest friends here for more than a decade, creating countless cherished memories. The atmosphere is wonderfully inviting, and on our latest visit (Christmas Eve – yes, open and buzzing!), we chatted with the passionate owner before leaving. Their genuine warmth and stories about all food being locally sourced made the experience even more special. It’s these personal connections that set this cafe apart in Oxford. The menu is intentionally small but spot-on – everything is delicious, fresh, and guaranteed to brighten your day no matter what you choose. Highlights include a wonderful tea selection and dishes that feel like comfort food elevated. Their mulled wine made me fall in love with it all over again – perfectly spiced and festive! Standout moment: The soup was sublime – mellow, subtle flavors in a rich, well-made broth with beautifully diced vegetables. It transported me straight back to Europe, evoking that “close to home” nostalgia (especially meaningful on Christmas Eve). Hands-down one of the best I’ve had. Dishes took a little time to arrive, but it was absolutely worth the wait – everything arrives hot, fresh, and made with care. Perfect For… • Relaxed brunch in Oxford or light lunch. • Cozy catch-ups with friends/family. • Festive treats like mulled wine during the holidays. • Anyone craving locally sourced, heartfelt food. We all had a truly wonderful experience – warm, satisfying, and full of joy. I can confidently say this is one of the best cafes in Oxford, a timeless spot that keeps improving while staying true to its roots. If you’re looking for genuine hospitality and food that feels like a hug, this is it.

When the food came, I was a bit surprised because it was literally just eggs, bread slices, and tomato. For the price, I expected more, and honestly, I feel like I could get better value somewhere else. Taste-wise, it was just eggs and bread, nothing special. My friend ordered the one with bacon though, and hers was quite good. On the positive side, the server was really nice, which made the experience better. The interior looks nice, but you can’t rely only on the decor, right? The food really needs improvement, otherwise they might start losing customers.

A café you should definitely check out if you’re in Oxford! Apparently it’s the first café in the UK, opened in 1650🤩 The prices aren’t the cheapest, but honestly pretty understandable considering everything in the UK is expensive😅 They have a simple afternoon tea set, which I really liked — and the scone was so good. If you get the afternoon tea, make sure to do it the Devon way: clotted cream first, then strawberry jam!🤭

It’s really sad to see such a historic place being ruined like this. The food quality is extremely poor , even the tea was bad, which is honestly hard to understand. The scones were dry and clearly not fresh. Almost £10 for a scone that tastes old is simply ridiculous. On top of that, when I asked for an extra mug to share the tea, I was told it wasn’t allowed to share tea… seriously? 😂 Very disappointing experience overall.

It’s wonderful to visit and soak up the history, especially since it’s the first café in England — and I really liked the interior design. However, the coffee and food were just average.

Tourist trap, definitely avoid. This place is on a lot of blogs and travel guides. But honestly the low reviews don’t lie, the food is very expensive and is average at best. £12 for coffee that tastes burnt is a bonus. Jam tastes like supermarket jam.

The customer service really lets this stunning cafe down. I was mortified that staff were outright rude to my friend refusing to bring her a cup for her hot water. They gave her a teapot of water and suggested she used the same cup she had drink coffee from. As we’d spent close to £100 I cannot see why they would nt bring out a clean cup for water. The food was good quality so really shame about service. I had to explain 5 times my daughter wanted her sandwich not toasted. Not sure why that’s so difficult.

It is supposed to be the first café in England, I had to go and check by myself if time equals quality. The hot drinks were good, and the service a little slow. Definitely a must see when in Oxford, beautiful and relaxing space, with royalty ambience on the High Street.- Analía Croci

If there is anywhere to have afternooon tea, why not come to the oldest coffee house in England. This was another place I heard about from a YouTube video and my girlfriend and I were happy to have experienced it. We ordered tea and scones with fresh Devonshire clotted cream and jam. It was beyond delightful and the tea was perfect. The girls serving were dressed up in 19th century garb and looked the part. It was a lovely experience and cant wait to do that all over again.

Husband and I had a wonderful time. Was busy when we got there but got our food and tea pretty quickly. We defilitely appreciate how cozy the place is. I had the high tea with English breakfast tea and hubby had the ham and cheese sandwich. We met the owner and he was very nice. Sad to see other people did not have a pleasant experience, but this was our second time here and it did not disappoint.

Don't waste your time here. Terrible service. Unhelpful and rude upon entry. Came for afternoon tea about an hour and a half before they closed on a Monday. Not very busy, all we wanted was some tea. My husband and I got the cheapest tea. I ordered the earl grey tea and it had a wonderful taste which is why I'm giving 2 stars. Our food was burned and didn't have a good flavor at all. Overall, I would not come back.

We were bounced as undesirables!!! I was giving a tour to a university professor visiting from Rome and wanted to show him the Grand Cafe of Oxford. We arrived there well within opening hours. We were met at the door by a waiter who hurriedly told us that they were closed. We pointed out that closing time was more than one and half hour later. As I turned around to speak to my colleague to explain this embarrassing situation the waiter cheekily flipped the sign on the door (I still managed to see him though). I was taken aback by this whole situation, another man came along whom I believe was the manager. He claimed to have flipped the sign on the door himself an hour before (!!!). The whole situation was highly inappropriate and overall disgusting, I could clearly see that people sitting at the tables were getting interested and were on our side. One gentleman sitting at a table nearby, told me "I'm never coming back here".

Awful experience! It was not the first time for us at the Grand Café in which our expectations were not satisfied. But in this case, the experience was horrible. We went there with some friends who were visiting from abroad with the intention of sharing an afternoon tea in this famous café in our city. We arrived there walking from the centre at around 5:30pm (after having checked on internet that the closure time was at 7pm). As soon as we walked in, the waiter told us that they were closed. We were surprised by this reply considering there were people seating inside and the sign on the door was saying "open". They told it was quite and so they decided to close, there were many tables with people sitting. The waiter waited for us to turn around to speak to our friends and proceeded to flip the sign and then said "as you can see, we are closed". We then called the manager for an explanation and the situation was even worse. He said "this place is closed. I personally flipped the signed one hour ago (?????). I don't know what you see on internet. We are closed". The impression was that thye didn't want us there, possibly because we had three children? We told the manager that the waiter flipped the sign in front of us, but he slammed the door and went away. This was unacceptable and humiliating as it happened in front of friends whom we specifically took to see this famous place, it shameful to see that the Grand Cafe is run by incompetent and rude people who are ruining the name of a popular Oxford's spot in front of tourists.

High Tea! 3.5 Stars. Afternoon tea has long been the favorite of the little one. So much so, I have gained an appreciation for it as well. Little sandwiches, desserts and tea are the highlights. Here, there was a more relaxed atmosphere and service was a little slow. I tried a couple of pieces of the food and was not impressed. However, the Lavender Tea may have been the best I've had. The lavender tea was amazingly refreshing.it was fragrant and flavorful. I've never had a lavender tea quite like this one and I have to say that it may just be the best. Overall, the place was AOK for me. Other than service being slow, there was nothing bad here at all. The food was AOK. Again, the tea stood out. Overall, I think Yelp has it right at 3.5 Stars. This place is AOK and then some.

Rude staff. Turned away from getting tea because we weren't getting food and they said they were too busy. There were literally 5 tables sat with a minimum of 5 staff working the floor. Don't waste your time here.

Our friend recommended us to try the tea here as it's the first coffee house in England (as stated on the inside of their tea cups). We just ordered 2 pots of earl grey tea and a dessert with a layer of raisins in the middle and powdered sugar dusted on top. Nice flavor but too hard for me. Prices are higher than that of Patisserie Valerie a few doors down. I'm sure people mostly come here for the novelty. Service was friendly.

We were denied a table at pretty much every fancy high tea place in Oxford. Thus, we ended up at The Grand Cafe in the afternoon for our proper tea break. Note to self: Make a reservation in advance if you want to have high tea in Oxford. The wait time felt like forever even though it was only about 15 minutes. There were just so many people there. The tables were so close together that no one could get up and walk around without bumping into your seat. It was packed like sardines. We ordered cream tea with plain scones, coffee, and a croquant valrhona. The scones were delicious of course as was the croquant valrhona. However, the croquant valrhona arrived a mess. The chocolate shell was broken to pieces and the macaron on top was just about smashed. It was a terrible sight. Service was cold and brisk. That seems to be the common thread here. Still, we enjoyed our time at The Grand Cafe. The restaurant is beautiful with calming shades of gold and blue and has that touch of money with all the marble. Did I mention it claims to be the site of the first coffee house in England? I'll take the history and cream tea but please Grand Cafe... Step it up! You're not even trying to entice customers to come back!

The perfect place for afternoon tea in Oxford. This is a small little cafe with glass mirrors that enhance the relaxing, afternoon tea experience. I highly recommend the high tea. It comes with sandwiches (egg, smoked slamon), scones (raisin and regular. but if you don't like raisins you can ask them to switch them for regular, like me) with clotted cream and straberry jam. So good.

At the site of the oldest coffee house in England. The space looks bigger than it actually is, due to mirror walls. We had the lady grey and lapsang souchong teas. The lady grey was unlike any tea I've had before, with some sweet citrus notes. The souchong was unlike any Chinese tea I've had, with a very smokey taste that my friend described as "drinking a campfire." We had the high tea, which consisted of four sandwich triangles, two small cakes, two scones (one plain and one with raisins/currants?), clotted cream (with strawberries), and jam. I am generally not a fan of scones since I find them dry and tasteless but the ones here weren't too bad. The service was friendly and kind.

Worst service ever experienced Myself and two friends visited here as a traditional Monday after breakfast after a conference we organise. We were met by a blonde waitress who seated us. We ordered, started to eat and were a little perturbed at her hovering beside the table. To the point I was considering offering her a seat! She then dragged in a large dirty street wheely bin though the narrow gap beside our table (I'm sure that must contravene some environmental health rule!). We were delighted when a group of friends from the same conference walked in and sat at the next table. We attempted to chat over the gap but, as you would in any cafe (and most usually with the help of the staff!) slid the table over a foot or so nearer them. Not blocking any access, in fact opening more up behind me. The same blonde waitress then proceeded to stomp about glaring and making pointed comments at us for daring to move the table a little. The waitress actually serving us was lovely so we ignored the nasty piece and refused to let her spoil the experience. That lasted until we asked for the bill. They presented us with one bill for the two tables and said by moving the table we had made it one (they were still a distance apart) and therefore we had no right to seperate bills. They also added a large service charge, because we were now a table of 5 or more rather than 3! We protested this and asked them to remove the service charge and split the bill as it should've been. The young waitress passed us on to a waiter and both of them apologetically said they were not allowed to. We asked for the manager who belligerently informed us that moving the table was disrespectful and against their policy. And therefore automatically meant we were one table. In other words, punishing us for sliding a table over by a foot! The blonde waitress had vanished, clearly because she had instigated it. As they would not budge we paid for a quiet life and gave a tip to the young pleasant waitress, whom we were afraid may suffer for the actions of the blonde one, and for us daring to do what any other cafe would encourage. I've grown used to the comparitively dire service in Oxford but this took the (overpriced) cake! Their insistance on the service charge was not even legal. So, in summary: 1. We ordered and were served before other friends walked in. 2. We remained at seperate tables. 3. A dirty wheely bin dragged past very close to our table. 4. The waitress was surly, spiteful, and very rude. And the manager no better. 5. Insistance on a service charge on a trumped up lie, which is illegal. It's normal in cafes to make paying customers welcome, happy, and encourage them to stay longer and therefore spend more money. That is the basis of customer service. The above list falls woefully short of even the most basic customer service. What it does amount to is a money grabbing establishment trading on it's interior and history while treating the customers as inconvenient punters there to be fleeced! I am furious at their behaviour and will never, ever cross that threshold again and would strongly encourage other visitors to this tourist popular city to also avoid. Peep in the door if you like the (not particularly notable) interior then go somewhere else for better coffee, better food (as that was only passable and overpriced) and surely better service. To be honest, a prison cafeteria probably would offer better service and more pleasant staff! AVOID!

Really nice place. The tea was delicious and I really enjoyed the croissant with butter and jam. Staff was quick and attentive. Especially since we were in a hurry waiting for the bus to arrive. But the food and the bill arrived perfectly on time. Special thanks for their attention. The place is gorgeous and has a nice vibe. Loved the interior decoration and the silverware/plates etc. A little pricey though.

My friends had been talking about The Grand Cafe leading up to our trip to Oxford, and I was absolutely delighted once I had the chance to visit myself! The restaurant had a very polished aesthetic, and I felt quite proper as I sat enjoying my vegetable soup and mint tea. A friend did the high tea, and the presentation was magnificent!

The croquant valrhona is AMAZING! I actually make my bf bring me one everytime he goes to Oxford for work. Everything else was also pretty good. Can't wait to go back just to eat there again. Also, service is slow pretty much everywhere in Europe, just accept it and enjoy the delicious cuisine.

Cute and quick but the pastries/scones/tea are all quite average. The scone is more on the chewy end of the spectrum but was nonetheless tender and buttery (I prefer the scones at Vaults down the street quite more). I had the mille feuille-- the pastry was too dry and the cream a little too sweet. Still, it's a cute place for tea that's conveniently located right off of High Street.

Do yourself a favour and avoid the breakfast here. The worse in Oxford and I've been to many places in oxford. Half of my plate was toast and the eggs had no flavour and the sausage was rubbish. I should have taken a photo. Definitely not going back for that.

One of the only things I like about English culture: High Tea. So far, the Grand Café is the best place for high tea that I have experienced in Oxford. You can even get champagne! Your scones and sandwiches come in a cute tray, with strawberry decorations. Before I came here, I always thought scones were a dry, lame, and crumbly pastry. But, after a bite of Grand Cafe scones, I realised I hadn't tried GOOD scones before. The texture and flavour of the (fresh) scones here are just perfect. The decor is inviting as well; very...Casablanca...

The tea is decent. The cocktails are great and fairly inexpensive after 7 PM. Nice atmosphere, fairly open and airy as well. Come late in the evening. I would continue to come here if it were not for my recent experience with the manager (a blonde lady): A few nights ago, several friends and I arrived just after 7:30 PM for pastries, tea, and cocktails. We were informed by the bartenders (the manager was not present) that they had stopped food service and had no pastries at this hour, and they suggested that we get them somewhere else and return for the tea and cocktails, which we did. The next night, we arrived again around 7:30 PM, this time with pastries in tow, and ordered some tea and sat down. The cafe was almost empty. A few minutes later, the manager came over and asked us if the pastries were purchased elsewhere, to which we replied yes, and explained the situation we experienced last night and that we did not know that tonight they would have pastries for sale. The manager was not understanding at all, and chided us like schoolchildren. She even said that she would "let it slide this time", as if she had thought to kick us out or something. We were all at that moment drinking our own pots of tea from her establishment which we had just purchased. We found this extremely rude, unprofessional, and petty. I won't be coming back here again.

If you do visit the Grand Cafe, beware the cream tea..... For our anniversary my lovely boyfriend treated us to a trip to Oxford... as the weekend was drawing to a close, I decided as my treat to him we should go and get a really fancy afternoon tea! The Grand Cafe had amazing reviews and as it was also the site of England's first coffee house, its heritage would lead you to believe this would be amazing..... The Grand High Tea was £17.95 which included "finger sandwiches, 2 scones and 2 hand made chocolates, a glass of champagne and a tea or coffee". We only waited for a moment to be seated and ordered the Grand High tea. The waitress then explained that the grand high tea only came with one champagne and one tea so we would have to order another. I agreed this was fine and asked whether it would be more beneficial to order two with this being the case.... she replied "no there is plenty on there for 2 people"...... The High tea came.... it was the most thoroughly disappointing experience I have ever had. There was the equivalent of one sandwich (2 small slices of bread) between 2 people. 2 scones, with a very small serving of cream and jam and then the single champagne and tea (we ordered extra champagne and tea to top this up) and 2 chocolates rolling around on the top. As my name is Alice, I have felt its been my destiny to experience as many tea parties as possible and after having experienced some amazing cream teas in my life with little finger sandwich refills and top ups of tea etc this show was really poor. It was extortionately priced for what was served. I don't mind paying more when it means higher quality and was very prepared to buy 2 of the cream teas but I was so shocked I refrained from getting another. The chocolates were handmade, however tasted cheap and like soap. The scones we acceptable... and the sandwiches were un-rateable. This was meant to be a grand and lavish high tea, it was more like a grand and lavish fail....

Grand Cafe is the perfect place to enjoy the English tea with scones, jam and clotted cream. My friend had the tea and scones, while I chose a frivolous glass of pro secco and vanilla ice cream with honey and strawberries. With real vanilla in the ice cream, of course. I also had a taste of the scones. I had never tried clotted cream before. On its own it does not have much taste, it is kind of neurtral and reminds me of mascarpone. But paired with the jam and freshly baked scones it is a real treat, well worth trying. The service was excellent. A perfect place to sit and enjoy life and talk. No loud music. It is difficult to find anything negative about the place. The only thing I can think of is that the pecan pie was sold out.... but that is understandable late in the day. I would like to go back and try some other options from the menu. The sandwiches looked tempting.

Grand, Grand, Grand cafe. Decor is superb, seats a little close together, but it's deservedly popular. Food was good, delicious cakes and coffee if a little pricey, ....but it's worth it. Neighbouring tables had started lunch options and it all looked pretty good. Service dropped it a star, how long does a Caesar salad take?? But We will visit again.

This is a pretty cool place - supposedly the first coffee house in England, or so it says on the cups. I had the cream tea, which came with some pretty nice sandwiches, chocolates, scones, etc. Altogether a very nice cream tea. The decoration is really nice. The only downside was that the food did take quite a while to come, but it was worth the wait.

I wanted to give this place a negative 5 starts but it wouldn't allow me. The service was horrible and the food tasted SO SO. The girl Paula who served our table was giving us horrible attitude since the beginning. We felt unwelcome. Poor customer service, rude and inattentive. Waste of our money and time. There are better places to throw your money away then this. AVOID THIS PLACE

Although it is stupidly expensive, there is something rather glamorous about sitting in a marble-floored bar with an iced coffee (pleasingly prepared in a cocktail shaker and finished with double cream that makes pretty patterns on the inside of the glass). It fills up with cocktail-drinkers in the evening, so you'll need to dress up a bit not to feel out of place if you're going at night, but in the daytime it's a pretty relaxed sort of place, and I suppose the staff are so grumpy because they're wasting their cocktail-making talents on grubby students. Or something.

I am fairly disgusted by the grand cafe policy that they refuse to bend their reservation policy (or lack there of) even on account to accommodate someone with severe disabilities that impact their mobility. One of my guests has cerebral palsy and it simply is not possible to queue outside or go somewhere on the off chance of having a table. This is the first place I have asked that would not make accommodations for this and I really wanted to be able to take the group here. I spoke at length with the manager and he was incredibly unhelpful. I would avoid this place at all costs so as not to support business who won't make these kinds of allowances - its imperative that businesses can make allowances to enable people with disabilities to be able to enjoy their services as much as those without. Its a disgrace.

Unfriendly and arrogant waitstaff... My friends and I were very excited to have breakfast at the "oldest coffeehouse in England" but were unpleasantly surprised by the rude waitstaff. When greeted by our waitress, she bluntly asked if we were on separate checks or the same. We asked to be separate and then she said that it is easier if we all paid together. I understand, but why does it need to be asked in that way. Then they were out of honey for the porridge with honey and strawberries and we were given no substitute. What finally set us off was when we asked for our bill, the waitress ignored us. We had to call her over about 5 times. She rolled her eyes and came to greet us. It was unbelievable. The food was decent but very overpriced. Don't waste your time here.

This is a nice place to have lunch - the food is really excellent. Try the pate and the pies - delicious. I also really recommend the cakes. Wash it all down with a pot of coffee - they make it fresh here and strong! The room is a little bit odd, with marble pillars, gold paint and big mirrors - but don't be put off, as this place is not as pretentious as it appears. The staff are really friendly, efficient and attentive. The place is a bit pricey but it's well worth it for the treat. A nice place to visit if you're a tourist - this is supposed to be the oldest coffee house in the country (but the Queen's Lane Coffee House across the street claims the same thing). Give it a try for a special lunch - it also does a good cocktail in the evenings.

Never darken the door. Where do I begin? The service? So slow that the tea was bitter and cold before the food (including, in one case, the scones that were part of an overpriced "tea") arrived. So dismissive that one diner was told his coffee cup could be rinsed out if he wanted to drink a cup of tea (3 others had ordered tea and there was plenty) but "we can't" give you a clean cup. The food? The aforementioned scones? Thick and doughy - more than half left behind. The clotted "cream"? (methinks UHT alternative sadly populating UK shelves). The toast? The blackened mess presented as something people (and not pigs) apparently pay for in a restaurant was not toast. The bagel with smoked salmon? Has anyone in Oxford ever been to New York? Montreal? Anywhere outside of a place where animal fat is gratuitously slathered onto otherwise edible items in the name of gourmanderie this item would be considered animal cruelty - I would not be surprised if cows had been sacrificed in the production of this food course). The disgusting combination and amount of butter and cream cheese on an otherwise innocent bagel left us speechless. I have one word for you Grand Cafe - schmear!

Worst experience ever ! We were refused service because we ordered tea only and they wanted us to order the full dinner. I asked for manager, but was told that he wasn't there at the moment. I asked to leave the feedback but they appeared to have no customer feedback book. Will never come back and will tell all my friends to never visit this place.

High tea here is a casual response to the age old tradition with no compromises. Nice selection of quality loose tea leaves. The scones were fresh out of the oven and the sandwiches were on fresh bread with thoughtfully prepared fillings: smoked salmon and egg salad. There were small truffles - not a huge portion of sugar but when you've just had a scone with jam and clotted cream who needs dessert? The price matches the level of service and quality of food, I'd heartily endorse this as a great destination to hit on a stroll through Oxford.

First time I went and I loved it!!! I loved the tea, the scones, the ambience.. Thank you for a wonderful service!!!!

I've been here twice for evening lubrications with a friend in the past and always enjoyed what was served. Their pricing is reasonable and the bar staff are amply friendly. The first time I went they had half price drinks all evening however the second time it appeared that they had removed that offer, still wonderful regardless. It has always been a nice smart casual crowd there to talk and relax.

It is a grande cafe indeed. They have an amazing assortment of teas and drool- worthy pastries and cakes. I just love the decor here.

I've never been here for high tea, so this review is only for the cocktail happy hour. First of all, this happy hour is on weekends and goes all the way until 11 PM! The cocktails are priced pretty cheaply (£4-5) during happy hour and they are made with a special charm that only this place and these bartenders can deliver! I always go for the white Russian!

Great ambiance, nice place to bring visitors to Oxford. The scones are great and the afternoon tea is a fun experience for international visitors. It's a great place to go for a bit of 'wow' factor without being over-the-top. The tea selection is rather limited for being a tea shop, and it does seem a bit touristy, but all in all it's a nice treat. Prices are on the high end but not unreasonable for Oxford.

It's amazing to see that since the latest review almost a year ago where the issue about the service was pointed out very little has actually changed. I guess in Oxford businesses don't have to worry too much about service as the footfall, especially bang on in the centre, is just there regardless. Anyway, I visited this place with a friend for a coffee and while I agree about the glamorous décor and good location when we went for one of the (several) empty tables for 4 we were scolded and told that we'd be asked to move should a larger party arrive. (Please tell me where else in the rest of Europe would you be told that if you occupied an empty table in a literally empty place you might be asked to move later on...) Drinks arrived quickly, but one had to be returned as their cafetiere was broken and that's all there is to say about my catering experience in this place. I award it 3 star just because its atmosphere is great, and perhaps they really do make great cocktails, but I can't comment on that as I only ever visited it in the day and maybe as the other contributor said, it's all a little beneath trained cocktail waiters to just serve you a cup of coffee.

Some good aspects, but marred by traditionally off-hand British service. In almost any other country, this place would have table service all day long. Instead, the only visit to our table was from a waitress who told us, the proprietor's mother does not like people drinking out of beer bottles. This snobbish, enraging nonsense, combined with the slack bar service outweigh the decor (good by Oxford's low standards), and cocktails (average quality but cheap).

Hopelessly pompous, massive appeal to tourists and students with money to burn. Until the mid-1990s it was the Cooper's Oxford Marmalade shop and frankly that was a better use of the space. Patisserie Valerie just down the road is better, as are Quod and High Table nearby.