What a lovely, old-fashioned (in a good way) restaurant and pub. It's so homey and nice and the staff is wonderful. It really feels like you're in their home. The bar and restaurant areas are very inviting. A friend of mine was staying in the hotel and we came by a few times to eat and drink. One of my favorite places in Oxford for sure. read more

Came here for a solo afternoon tea during my short time in Oxford. I would not recommend you do the same. As a massive cream/afternoon tea lover, I was profoundly disappointed in this tea. Firstly, the price is exorbitantly high- 38£ + 5% service fee ends up at 45£ meal with nothing else included. The service was mediocre, you have to get up and ask for things (like sugar or the bill),but this is to be expected at a very empty location. The tea was what I found most dissatisfaction in, it was so weak!! I chose Earl Grey and then the Assam, I let the EG steep for 20!!! minutes and could barely get flavor. I'm honestly not sure how this even happens. Tried the Assam, and it tasted of watery black pepper rather than a smooth rich black tea. The sandwiches and scones were fine, uncreative but they're the best part. The dessert tier (sans a fantastic espresso craquelin choux), left much to be desired. A painfully dry cake, brownie that was identical to those sold at Taylor's, lemon pudding (served with no spoon!) and cheesecake. I left with more to be desired, or would have expected less to be paid in return. Walk a few blocks south of Parsonage, there are far better tea's in town. read more

Parsonage Bar & Grill - Afternoon tea - Wine Bars Near Me - Oxford, OXF

We came here for a celebratory dinner with reservations for 11 people. We were immediately greeted and seated in a private room. Our server was very attentive and did a wonderful job with recommendations and tending to everyone. She helped with wine selections and kept everyone's glasses filled. We had some dietary restrictions in our group and she was able to ensure GF and DF menu selections were properly handled. Everyone was happy and we had an enjoyable experience. The room we were in was well decorated with artwork and felt cozy. read more

Ambiance is wonderful: a delicate and comfortable outdoor garden, suitable for lunch and dinner in summertimes; Service: polite, young and pretty waitresses, absolutely adding points to the dining experience; Food: gorgeous and high-quality, also nice looking Definitely will come back again~ read more

Parsonage Bar & Grill - Outdoor garden - Wine Bars Near Me - Oxford, OXF

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I think everything about this place was all wrong.... no. no. no. Came here for afternoon tea one day and as we walked in, we (3 of my friends and i) are given attitude greetings by the hostess, talking to us like were dumb. She sat us down and walked away. We had to ask another host for water and recommendations and menus. The second we were looking at the menu, I would say the prices are crazy expensive for one set........ what you get is NOT worth it and honestly, HATED all the food there. Nothing tasted decent in my opinion. The have a good variety and they do either pastry or finger sandwich refills, but honestly, it just was upsetting my stomach. They have four different options for the afternoon tea and each is priced per person. The tea itself was decent, but the bitter taste of the overall experience drowned out anything good about this place. Set on a nice patio with lots of flies, but in the end, someone who looked like they were the manager came over and got the check for us. She was nice about it and was super friendly and patient. read more

Parsonage Bar & Grill - Wine Bars Near Me - Oxford, OXF

Food: not sure, never got that far, but I am sure it is just fine. As for the rest, we walked into the restaurant at around 4 PM on a Wednesday. Admittedly, we did not have reservations. However, the restaurant was 30% full at most. And it was recommended by the concierge at The Randolph, so we figured a couple of tourist in shorts and no reservations would be tolerated. And I suppose we were tolerated, in a fashion. From the moment we walked in we were treated with an attitude that my wife summarized as "I have never felt more unwelcomed in my life." The manager who received us clearly had some pretensions as to the people he is willing to serve, and it felt like he allowed us to sit only because he is required by law. We were lead to a seat that seemed to be reserved for undesirables, despite the fact that the restaurant was largely empty. Then we waited for about 20 minutes looking around at each other awkwardly, before someone thought we might actually want to place an order. At that point I asked to be reseated because the table was covered in dirt particles that were drifting gently down at a consistent pace from the filthy awning above us. After checking with the same manager, we were informed the whole outdoor seating area (even emptier than when we were initially seated) was booked. At that point, we paid 5 pounds for our barely touched bottle of water and left. The server, who didn't bother to ask if anything was wrong, had such a look of relief on his face, it almost made me sympathize. My wife and I are driving through the English country side, we were dressed in shorts and t-shirts, and we did not have reservations after all. And I would not mind being turned away at the door for not having reservations or being dressed inappropriately for the setting. But once I am admitted as a guest, I expect to be treated with due respect. I had the privilege of eating from $1 noodle stalls in Beijing, $1,000 tasting menus in New York, and everything in between, yet I had never felt so disrespected. If you and your party look the way the patrons of this fine establishment are supposed to look, according to its' manager's opinion, I am sure it is a lovely place. For anyone else, I can't recommend an establishment that treats amiable strangers in such way. read more

Being from the US, when I imagine an upscale British restaurant to meet someone for tea: this would be the place. They have an awesome outdoor patio area surrounded by old vines growing up the building. Indoors the setting is a modern version of a quaint English old world setting. Tea coffee served in silver tea pot, lots of dishes and silverware, white cloth napkins. Excellent service. Excellent food quality. read more

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British comfort food done right. I had a goat cheese souffle for an appetizer and chicken pie for the entree, both of which were fantastic.

We had two high teas. They were beautiful to look at. My husband enjoyed his cream tea. For myself, I took a chance in that I didn't recognize the foods offered on the savory tea. It was too rich for my taste. All a matter of your preference. Tea offered was stunning. read more

Parsonage Bar & Grill - Lovely afternoon spot for tea - Wine Bars Near Me - Oxford, OXF

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Went for tea here when I was in oxford with some mates. We sat outside and it was absolutely beautiful; perfect weather, completely shaded, and a beautiful space! The tea was just what we wanted, we shared the afternoon tea bc we weren't super hungry and it was the perfect amount and not expensive at all! There's also endless refills on sandwiches and scones. The pastries weren't as amazing as they could've been but don't let that stop you from going here bc it's totally worth it! The staff were also extremely kind and helpful! read more

Parsonage Bar & Grill - Wine Bars Near Me - Oxford, OXF

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Just an absolutely prime spot in the heart of Oxford. Top notch mate. Also a really well priced place to stay while in town visiting. Great service, great food, great drinks. Had a miscommunication with the very polite waiter regarding our order, and he immediately made things right and then some! Another visit we dined on the patio, which is beautiful and really gives you the sense that you're sitting in a time capsule from hundreds of years ago! Although most of Oxford is that way. We were provided blankets for a slight chill, which is just another reminder of the excellent service here. Cannot wait to return. Highly recommend. read more

We had afternoon tea here, and it was wonderful. We sat on the patio and it had a calm and pleasant atmosphere, almost like being in a garden. We made a reservation before and had High Tea, it came with about 5 small sandwiches, 2 scones with jam and clotted cream, and an assortment of small pastries. You can ask for more scones and sandwiches for free. We split one between two people who were moderately hungry. The tea itself was also good (we had the parsonage blend) and comes in a big tea pot. I highly recommend. read more

This one is specifically for the non-English folks reading this: the Old Parsonage is a really solid choice for afternoon tea (that's the fancy one you've probably seen on TV, the one with the tiered plate of goodies, the scones and the clotted cream.) Just about every place in Oxford claims to do afternoon tea. But if you want it done right come here. You get your own teapot with the tea of your choice (they serve a lovely Earl Grey). They have savory and even champagne teas but I went with the classic afternoon version. Within 15 minutes I was delivered a tiered plate of yum: several different kinds of tea sandwiches, two wee scones, and a selection of little pastries. I'm not a huge pastry fan, but these all were good if very sweet and very rich. The scones, importantly, were clearly freshly baked: if you've ever had one that was more like a hockey puck than a scone it was old. These scones were warm and flaky, as they should be. The tea sandwiches were all tasty and give the illusion that you've eaten a proper lunch as well as tea. Expect to pay around 30 pounds per person, including your pot of tea: not cheap, I admit, but it will be done right! PS: you can make reservations by phone or online. They seem particularly busy on weekends, so reservations probably aren't a bad idea. read more

Parsonage Bar & Grill - Afternoon tea for one - Wine Bars Near Me - Oxford, OXF

We ate here twice during a recent stay in Oxford. The first time, it was for afternoon tea. Of all the places we had tea in England, this is the only one that did not use a tea bag, but brewed a proper pot of tea and served it with an elegant silver tea strainer. The little sandwiches were delicious, and scones and clotted cream and jam? If you are an American, you will realize that you have never had a true scone before! Light, airy, delicious! Since we just wanted a snack and not actually a whole meal, my companion and I ordered just one full tea and one extra cup of tea and divided all the pastries, sandwiches and scones in half, which made a nice afternoon treat that did not spoil dinner at 8. The second time, we came for cocktails and dinner. Ordered a gin martini that was absolutely delicious, with 3 large olives! The scotch quail eggs as a bar snack (two tiny eggs!) were wonderful. My companion ordered Cornish sole, cooked perfectly, served with seabeans, and I had rabbit pie. Both were unique, at least for us, and very tasty. Perhaps the best part of the meal was the dessert--creme brule to make you forget any version of creme brule you have ever eaten before. The burnt sugar on the top was perfectly crispy and broke into delicious shards. A hushed, classy atmosphere that was the perfect experience of fine dining. (And the lovely scent of a real wood fire in the front room. Also, patio dining is available on fine days.) ETA: Both times we went in, the hostess asked if we had reservations, which made us feel that we might be turned away. But when we said, no, no reservations, they got us a table without any fuss. Do not show up wearing shorts and tennis shoes, however. This is a nice place! read more

We made reservations here after I passed it on my walk and it looked so beautiful from the outside. From the outside the stone house looked just like what you would expect from Oxford and the beautiful walled courtyard would be a great place for cocktails or lunch when the weather is warmer. When you enter the decor is both historic and traditional with a big working fireplace but also modern with deeply colored walls and velvet sofas. The menu was inspired by traditional British fare with a modern take without being too fussy. I had the chicken and leek soup wich was wonderful and the filet. My father has the rabbit and leek pie-he enjoyed it some much he forgot to give me a taste. We also had an extremely nice bottle of wine. I wish we weren't so full that we could have enjoyed the desert selections. Also-the fresh bread was so so good. I typically avoid the carbs from the breadbasket as the selection is usually unimpressive and not worth the calories but this was so good and hearty. The service was professional and friendly without being overly intrusive. The restaurant was a nice ten-minute walk from our hotel, so we had a chance to digest as we headed back. Highly recommend read more

After a couple of days out hiking and camping, we arrived in Oxford and we were looking for some fine English food. The Old Parsonage got real good reviews on Yelp, so we went in, hoping they would let us dine regardless of our "outdoor outfit". We apologized for our outfit and asked whether it was a problem. "Not at all!" However, they parked us at an unset table at the entrance and we got the feeling they preferred us rather out than in. The food was okay (we've had much better in other places), but we didn't feel welcome at all, just because we were wearing (clean!) hiking clothes. We will never go there again. read more

This was such a fun place! I came to Oxford on a trip from the US to tour the university, and I was hoping to get some high tea while I was in town. First thing I did was look up good tea, which is how I found this place. It did not disappoint! The building is gorgeous and the high tea was exactly how I hoped, delicious and filling! One is enough for two people, especially as an after lunch snack. The art inside was also gorgeous, and the fire was perfectly charming. I was originally nervous to come because the reservations for High Tea time (2-5) were all booked, however they easily seated me and my father right away. The parsonage tea was delicious, and the entire atmosphere was quaint and very nice. It is a nice restaurant however, so dress nicely but causal is fine. read more

Brought here my date who became now my partner! Not necessarily merit of the Parsonage (:D) but we both really enjoyed our evening out there. Lovely! read more