Greetings, Just to keep this alive, and apologies for any duplication and Oxford-focus: I think the Nut Tree in Murcot near Oxford is a good choice if you're mobile (and have a good satnav). There's a dedicated thread on it elsewhere here. For a celebration there's always Le Manoir, but that's expensive and is mainly for the ambience and service (I'm not sure the food matches the location, though the food is certainly fine, and service the time I went in May 09 was wonderful, as good as anywhere I've been except Arpége in Paris and the Quay in Sydney). For business lunch in the city centre, Quod in the Old Bank Hotel is fine. For something also central but groovier/alternative you could try Vaults in the basement of the University church. For a hasty central sandwich lunch you could do worse than Mortons in the covered market. Branca is ok, a short walk from the centre, and has nicely flexible hours and is very kid friendly. It can be quite cheap if you go early. The Old Parsonage is a bit too over-the-top-traditional-English ambience-wise but can be nice in winter time. For an informal pub meal you could do worse than the Rose and Crown, a short walk from the city centre on North Parade, with the falafel, or the pint of sausages, being a good choice. If you're positioned more towards Magdalen College, then I'd recommend the Cous Cous cafe on St Clements (an obscure but genuinely amiable choice), or, if you have a lot of time on your hands and are eating late, you can try the Hi-Lo Jamaican Eating House on Cowley Rd (though the food there is not super). For Thai the Chiang Mai Thai Kitchen is central and reasonable (and the fave of some of my more established colleagues here in Oxford) but can require a booking in term time. I often take visitors to Aziz on Cowley Rd because it's low key but nicer than the average Indian/Bangladesh place. V.
