This little restaurant was fairly close to our apartments, so we came here for breakfast one Sunday while early on in our stay in Oxford. It's nicely decorated and fairly spacious. My friends and I had little trouble getting a spot, thankfully, because we were starving and still learning the city. They do have a small art gallery in-venue, which is fun to look at though was prohibitively expensive for a couple of students, lol. The menu is accessible but pretty small, and I wasn't too taken with what I ordered. The prices seemed pretty high, too, especially when one didn't really like the food. Service was also pretty slow and a little churlish. Overall, this place stands out as one of my least favorite dining experiences of my stay, but YMMV. read more

This is my new favourite spot to grab lunch & work on my laptop, definitely. Best discovery in Oxford for a long while! High ceilings, unique artwork on display, fun decor, friendly baristas, free WiFi, good coffee, etc etc etc Far enough away from the city centre that this place is quiet & relaxing, yet close enough that it's only a short walk. I'll be going back, for sure. read more

The Jam Factory - Gorgeous cafe. - British Near Me - Oxford, OXF

The Jam Factory is great. They have good food for a decent price, especially if you go for lunch. Also, their hot chocolate is the best around. The atmosphere is very comfortable and laid back- the type of place where you can hang out an hour or two without any judgment. If you have a dog, the outdoor seating area is pet friendly and comfortable. read more

I'm adding to my previous review on Jam. My boyfriend and I have come to make this joint our weekly stop for beer, fries, and games. Yes, games (Everyone needs a little R&R during exams...). Jam is the coziest little pub in Oxford---it seems to be a gathering place for people with a variety of hobbies. We've seen people hosting informal Scrabble tournaments and even knitting groups. Our own game of choice these days happens to be monopoly (brings back childhood memories...)... yes, they have several kinds of board games available for your pleasure! I have also been very pleased with the service---the staff is very friendly, and the barman is eager to give recommendations on beers. Just the other day, he pushed Sierra Nevada, which apparently has become his new favourite beer---I must admit that flattered the Californian in me...brings back more memories. Hah, probably the only bar in Oxford that serves Sierra Nevada! In short, everyone who comes upon this review should check this place out! Forget those standard English pubs that serve bitter, watery English ales! Come to Jam for some real beers! read more

History: used to be the factory for Cooper's marmalade Today: - art gallery for local artists - workshops and classes for everyone - art auctions The good bits: - free wifi - restaurant and cafe - disabled access - bar Classes: - eg: life drawing and photography - see website for dates and times Currently: - Wednesdays: 6-7:30 and 8-9:30 (tutored, then not tutored): life drawing for all, £5, materials provided. read more

Strangely boring. The name sounds great - expectations of tastefully and stylishly restored building, when it's actually just another boring room. It's not a chain, but it may as well be, as it showed less originality than many a Blanc Brasserie. If it had served food as good as a Blanc Brasserie, there may be an upside to its individuality, but that wasn't the case. The sirloin caps were the only highlight of a very OK meal. The waiters were attentive, occasionally. They were more enthusiastic about the food than the food deserved, but spent most of the night not making eye contact when service was wanted. Hard to recommend this place over any other - certainly there are chain restaurants n Oxford that have better food, atmosphere and waiters. read more

Decent food, nothing special, but not a ton of good breakfast choices in the area, so it was good. Service was oddly slow and reactive given the lack of a crowd. read more

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Lovely building, but service and food are a bit hit-or-miss. I've had some lovely meals there, including a friend's birthday party for 30 people, but sometimes the service can be poor and the food pretty mediocre. It's a shame because it has great potential, but I no longer go out of my way to go there. read more

I went here for breakfast once and it was a very odd experience. The staff seemed shocked to see customers and there really weren't a lot of menu choices. The food was decent though, but it was certainly over priced. read more

My husband and I are truly in love w/ this little gem. We've just moved to Oxford for 2-3 years for his job and this was the first cafe we tried. We've been back a handful of times in our first week here. Everyone has been kind and patient w/ us and our questions if we ask, arriving fresh from Seattle. As one other person from the states noted, they may not always make eye contact and therefore service can be not so intuitive as maybe we're used to in the states. This is common throughout England and possibly Europe I'm gathering. The idea isn't to rush your customers as we often feel like in the states. You just have to ask for the bill or step up to the bar. Don't be such an entitled American maybe and you'll get what you're needing. (From what we're understanding, they don't live on their tips either. I think people tip occasionally, it's a nice thing to do, but it's not expected or terribly common so I doubt you'll hurt anyone's feelings if you feel you're punishing them by stiffing them on a tip for their 'lack' of service from your perspective.) The coffee is some of the best we've had in Oxford so far and there's quite the range from good to poor around town. Being spoiled by our wide variety of really good local roasts in Seattle, we were a bit nervous if we'd find any that was tolerable and we have at The Jam Factory for sure. I'd say I loved brunch more than our afternoon lunch we had, but it was still a lot of food for the price. We love the fact it's also an art gallery, they have classes here and even host a Wed night Scrabble group. And they get extra points for their clever sandwich board signs. ;) read more

The Jam Factory - British Near Me - Oxford, OXF

I love this place for a few reasons. Their coffee is great, their pastry selection is on point (very important to me), their breakfast was delicious, there is a lot of seating, they have bike parking on their patio, and their wifi is free and fast. They also have a bookshelf with some interesting selections and the art on the wall is rad. I personally had great experiences with the service the 3 times I went and would definitely come back to this spot to work or meet a friend! read more

Came here for a romantic soiree with the fella, have never tried it out before and have always wanted to. Booked a table in advance online - easy as pie. Our booking was for 8.30 on a Friday, but when we arrived it really was not busy at all. Now this doesn't necessarily mean that it isn't a good place to come and eat, there are HUGE road works going on in Frideswide Square by the station in Oxford, making it quite difficult to a) see the restaurant and b) access it. However, I was expecting a bit more of an atmosphere, it's a great space and cool old building but it was lacking the Friday night buzz you want from an evening meal out. The waiting staff were terrific tho, top marks! Super friendly and didn't even need to write our orders down - really made you smile speaking to them. We enjoyed a bottle of house white which was a new one for their menu, and it was good. The menu was really enticing, and I feel perhaps a little too nice sounding for what actually arrived. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed my meal, but it sounded more exciting than it was. I also felt the presentation could have been a little better, for our mains, they came on these curved upwards oval plates, which made cutting food quite difficult because the plates kept tipping and sending our food everywhere! I can't fault the food, it wasn't incredible-gottatelleveryonehowgooditwas-food but it was tasty nonetheless. I had the caprese salad to start (but to be fair you can't really get mozzarella and tomato wrong), and he got the pork pie slice. We both opted for burgers, veggie for me, beef for him. Tasty but not spectacular, and came with an absolutely ginourmous portion of chips! I can however, highly praise them for their condiment selection, they had everything even brown sauce! - Surprisingly hard to come by in restaurants I have found! I like this place, it was a shame the atmosphere wasn't a bit more exciting, as it could have made an average meal a good meal. We still had a lovely evening, but I probably won't rush back here if I'm honest. read more

The food at Jam Factory is really good, and the beer is even better, but the prices really make me cringe. The vibe is great, but I just can't justify all of the upside for the high prices. read more

The happening scene in Oxford for contemporary art. Oxford Modern has great video installations and an up market pedigree but the Jam Factory Gallery wins hands down for pretension free, quality exhibitions from lesser known and unknown talents throughout the UK. Always well reviewed and always an exhibit on of interest. Those in the know go to the Jam Gallery. read more

Awful service. Just went in for a take away Victoria sponge cake. And for 2.50 pounds, their slice cannot be any smaller. For that price, the size is simply unacceptable. I've been to Jam Factory a few times, every time the service is just awful. read more