Ashmolean Dining Room in Oxford

Finding this restaurant wasn't the easiest, I'd expect better signage especially considering it's located in a museum with not the easiest/clearest access. The service was poor and I found it tad rude. There was a mark on one of the plates so we asked to replace it, there was no apology or friendliness it was met with a stern face. When the replacement was given similarly, it was almost shoved onto us and with no words said. We were placed on a table and had pre-booked 4 afternoon teas, this reiterated by the waitress who greeted us. As the afternoon teas arrived the waited seemed annoyed that the table had been placed incorrectly and with napkins and cutlery next to the plate and the expression he gave was as if it was our fault and we did something wrong when that was how the table was laid and set. He was saying how there won't be enough room at the same time he was laying the afternoon tea another waitress simultaneous starting placing the drinks which was unhelpful to her colleague. The waiter then suddenly decided this table wasn't big enough and asked us to move. Again, the way it was said and the move was just chaotic and rude. No offer of help was given to move all the cutlery and drinks etc till after we moved them. I just found it very standoffish and unwelcoming and surprising that the staff didn't know what table was appropriate when it is their signature dish and they know better than anyone. I do not think I'd visit again or recommend it based on how I was treated. I'd expect a waitress to friendly say I apologise about a dirty plate and similarly I would expected to be seated appropriately but if not I'd expect it to be communicated in a friendly way such as I am sorry I think a bigger table will give you more room so you're not cramps let us set one up for you and then we'll let you know when it was ready.

I would strongly advise against booking afternoon tea at this restaurant. I paid £69 for a voucher for two people, but we were only served one afternoon tea after being told by the server that was all we needed — despite clearly paying for two. We also received just one glass of Prosecco and had to ask for the second. The entire experience felt disorganised and disappointing. To make things worse, we were approached as we were leaving and told we hadn’t paid. It was an incredibly awkward and uncomfortable situation trying to explain that I had already used a voucher. The server seemed confused and ended up charging me an extra £9.30 anyway, despite using my voucher code. In total, I paid for two afternoon teas and only received one — plus a glass of Prosecco that should have been included from the start. I emailed the restaurant afterwards to explain the situation and request at least a partial refund, but I never received any response. The servers themselves were friendly, but the experience overall was a complete letdown. I don’t recommend booking afternoon tea here — it’s not worth the money, and if something goes wrong, don’t expect any follow-up.

Ashmolean Rooftop Restaurant was on the list of top restaurants to try from Timeout. I enjoyed the cream tea. Something to keep in mind, the kitchen closes at 16:30 but the restaurant closes at 17:00

Beautiful surroundings, quite disappointed with the food, mediocre choices, probably wouldn’t return.

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.

Tuvimos un té encantador por la tarde con un servicio increíble de Estib. Los bollos estaban deliciosos y la terraza de la azotea es idílica. Absolutamente recomendable.

We enjoyed a very fabulous lunch here on our visit to Oxford. Staff good, especially the front of house gentleman. Food well presented and very good. Would recommend a visit but probably make a reservation as quite busy.

Most excellent food and comfortable seating. The afternoon tea had something for everyone. I highly recommend the ginger lemon tea as well. This was a beautiful end to our visit at the Ashmolean

Our family of four had afternoon high tea. Sandwiches were delicious but toasts were a bit dry. The scones were fresh and tasty. The sweets were a bit over sweet for us. The service and view from rooftop are definitely deserved a full score.

Only taking bookings? Would you not advertise this? Disabled in a wheelchair, came up and qued to be turned away even though half the restaurant was empty? Pretty poor from the manager who was obviously the manager and decided to just take bookings and not walk ins, maybe needs a word from above as losing the business money clearly as couple infront were also turned away. Pretty poor

Food good but not wonderful. Service was inattentive, made a number of requests for side orders which seemed to be forgotten. Location is wonderful, looking out onto city.

Matheus was our waiter and he was super lovely with us! :)

Had a lovely experience at the Ashmolean Rooftop restaurant, beautiful setting and wonderful service, thank you Matheus 🙏 😁

Ambiente interior agradable y bendecido con una bonita terraza amplia. Vinimos por bebidas y postre y el personal era muy atento y amable. Buen servicio en general y precios razonables.

Nice atmosphere and good service from Estib. Thanks.

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.

No es mi primera visita - este encantador restaurante ligero en la azotea es un favorito y una necesidad para los lugareños y visitantes por igual. La comida es fresca e inventiva, el mejor tipo de comida reconfortante y nuestro camarero Matheus era divertido, encantador y súper eficiente. Una gran manera de disfrutar de un sábado húmedo.

The food was great and the staff was precise and friendly, especially Matheus!

Excellent food in a good location. Handy for the theatre.

Great service - the british know how to do it. Soup was top, coffee a bit thin, but still 4 stars. Good atmosphere on the top :)

Would have been better if I could pay with cash and when offered water received it. Wasn't rushed but felt it wasn't the best, although nice. It consists of 1 mini roll, I mini tartlet, and 2 small sandwiches with loads of sweet.

A beautiful light setting overlooking the rooftops. Excellent service even though the restaurant was very busy. We took Brazilian friends for a quintessentially English afternoon tea and it was perfect.

This is an attractive venue and the staff were friendly and helpful. Unfortunately our lunch dishes arrived a little late and were both quite underwhelming. My beetroot ravioli was rather lacking in flavour and with a rather bland sauce and my friend’s beef pie and mash was fine but again not outstanding.  Still worth the visit for the view and ambience.

We were warmly welcomed and sat by the window- always a treat. Service was friendly and efficient, not intrusive. The food was delicious and we were able to linger over our wine with no sense of rush. We could talk easily and the restaurant had a lovely atmosphere.

My son and I had a nice lunch. We were served by a polite gentleman Charles. The service is incredibly superb!

Nos encantó este lugar. Nos dieron una cálida bienvenida, nos sentamos en una mesa con vistas a los techos Oxford y comimos un pequeño almuerzo de muy buenos entrantes y agua gaseosa. Servicio impecable y buena relación calidad-precio.

Food wasn't bad at at all, but portions were really small. Not worth the price... Ambiance was ok, not bad, but nothing special.. they also add 'discretionary' 10% service charge, so tip is in, regardless... All in all, £110 for lunch for three, including wine and tip/service charge, is a bit too much overkill..

Had an excellent high tea, very tasty, good amount, and the customer service was excellent! The place is lovely as well.

Hacía unos años que no visitaba, pero vino a almorzar. Ambos elegimos un sabroso plato de raviolis de remolacha. Dos bonitos puds a seguir. No es “grandiosa” comida, pero era muy sabroso y las vistas son buenas también, por supuesto.

It was very good! Impeccable service! We ordered an apple juice and an orange juice (what a surprise, they were fresh and tasted olala..) As a main course, it was delicious. The best food we have eaten in England so far. Respect of dietary restrictions, allergies and intolerances. I recommend. The setting is also magnificent. The servers were very friendly

Lovely afternoon tea at this stylish restaurant. It was great!

Excellent place in Oxford to stop for something to eat, we ordered the typical afternoon tea at a cost of £28.50 (we ordered one for two, with the addition of another coffee/tea, which in my opinion is excellent for taste everything without getting too full) the vegan version is simply amazing! Eating the typical scones in a vegetable version is really nice. The restaurant is inside the Ashmolean Museum, entry to the museum is free, to get there you have to go up to the top floor; there is both an external part (with a view of Oxford) and an internal one. The staff is very kind. You can also book in advance online (we went there directly and found a place). Absolutely recommended!

Beautiful space unhurried experience great service but afternoon tea food was lack lustre curly dry cucumber sandwich and flavourless blackberry fool and tiny teapots of tea

We were lucky to have a beautiful blue January day and the rooftop restaurant was perfect for afternoon tea. Excellent value and an interesting combination of delights to eat. Only shame was that they don’t serve lapsang souchong which I think would have been a perfect complement to the afternoon tea.

Everyone was lovely.. the menu is fine, the view of the roof tops is very nice too

The Ashmolean rooftop restaurant is a great place to have a nice meal in a light and airy environment, with the option to be seated outside when the weather is suitable. The menu is limited to 5 or 6 options for each course but is a good range to suit most people and it is well presented. The serving staff are polite and attentive, the atmosphere is calm all round a pleasant experience.

Gorgeous atmosphere and superb service It wasn’t busy and we were served quickly Recommend the seabass and also the ravioli

Thank you for today's lunchtime service on a foggy day in January. I enjoyed my meal and my adult daughters did too. Thank you for the complementary prosecco for my birthday. Very relaxed dining and great service

Afternoon tea on rooftop of museum? Why not! Great food, great service, great place!

Superb service and food. This is an oasis for anyone seeking a wonderful experience with a very personal touch.

Fabulous - the food, views, service and space.

Fabulous lunch in a beautiful- and quiet - restaurant overlooking the slate roofs of Oxford’s stunning buildings. The service was excellent and my ale beef pie with a glass of red wine was just the thing on a cold and rainy day before the train back to Glasgow. And the museum is beautiful- the space and the collection.

Lovely lunch. Slightly unexciting soup. Nice atmosphere and warm on a freezing day

Meh They stopped serving the main menu 2 minutes before I sat. So I could not get the bowl of soup I wanted. Waitstaff was oh so polite, and screwed it up anyway.

The food (sea bass, gnochi, posset) was excellent. Service was good but a bit slow, the restaurant being very busy. There was a problem with the low winter sun shining into the restaurant... why no blinds?

Gosh it was so hot in the restaurant with the low sun shining onto our table and into our eyes. Maybe some blinds would help make winter sunny days more bearable. Our food was good although the roast potatoes weren’t great and disappointingly you had run out of children’s pasta.

Delicious food served with a smile by helpful head waiter. Plenty to eat. Service good.

Mikael the waiter was super nice with us and welcoming. The food and the view was just perfect, will definitely return next time we visit Oxford.

This is a pleasant and convivial place to meet for lunch or high tea, and combines well with a visit to an excellent museum. The staff are very friendly and helpful and the menu options are good. It made for a very enjoyable day out.

Really tasty meals, reasonably priced. Good gluten free and vegan options. Book in advance for gluten free afternoon tea. Vegan afternoon tea always on the menu. Helpful and engaging service.

The service is friendly but doesn't connect to the kitchen. Very slow and a lot lost in translation. Good idea good. Nice view if you get a window seat.

Experience was disappointing as the menu offered differed in important dietary respects from that posted on the restaurant website the previous day when the booking was made. We had to leave and eat elsewhere. The atmosphere/ambience seemed good and the staff were friendly.

An amazing Roast Turkey lunch. Friendly and helpful service from Matheus. Lovely!

Un increíble almuerzo de pavo asado. Servicio amable y servicial de Matheus. El chef fue capaz de hacer una versión más pequeña de asado para mi hija que era perfecto. Una experiencia encantadora!

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

Service was very slow and the afternoon tea was way over priced. We’ve had better tea and cakes at M&S for less than half of what this cost. Very disappointing

We had the afternoon tea menu (veg option). The portion is not big but enough to fill the stomach. The taste was of low par. I would expect much more well-cooked/prepared food from a place of their caliber and price. The atmosphere is quite good overall.

Really enjoyed the festive afternoon tea. The scones are amazing, the festive cranberry flavour was delicious!

Excellent afternoon tea, attentive service! Thoroughly recommend.

We had Matheus as our waiter for afternoon tea. So attentive and kind!

On a sunny day, the rooftop is an absolute must! Enjoyed a lovely afternoon tea with exceptional service from Matheus—truly well looked after!

Afternoon Tea was a delight (they accommodated my pescatarian diet), and Mateus is a very attentive server!

I like to eat here as it has a lovely outlook (even on a dismal December Day), the staff are always attentive and efficient, and the food is always excellent. It's really reliable!

Pleasant and rapid service. Mushroom tart and venison both good.

I enjoyed the seasonal afternoon tea (Christmas). Also it was delicious, and the restaurant staff let me feel comfortable. I am looking forward to coming there from Japan next spring again.

A wonderful meal and a brilliant setting, the food is really good and the service is good, if you can sit outside in the summer it is an added bonus. Good for a lunch with friends and family.

I had thought of afternoon tea as being a big and lengthy meal, but it wasn't. We had a tasty selection a wonderfully prepared fresh traditional tasty portions that satisfied us both. A great way to start or finish an outing to the Oxford Playhouse theatre, just across the road.

Lovely, restful spot to enjoy delicious food and catch up with family and friends. Nice relaxed ambience and great views.

Nice variety in the menu. Pretty view. Noise level can get a bit loud. Pleasant service. Tasty quiche special, good turkey, nice hot mulled wine. They offer afternoon tea which looked nice: regular and vegan versions.

It was probably one of the saddest meals of my life. We ravelled from London with my Venetian friend who was looking forward to try some traditional British 'festive season' food, which I wasn't into. I ordered a mushroom tart, which for £9 was rather small in size and barely heated, with a few sad looking watery rocket leaves on the side. Her turkey with pigs and blankets and under-roasted veg was poorly cooked, lacking any taste and very dry. She asked for some gravy but by the time it arrived, the meal was already lukewarm (the gravy didn't help btw). We also ordered a carafe of French wine from Langedock, which tasted like some liquid you might wash your bicycle with so it doesn't rust. We were later told that we were in fact served the 'replacement wine' from Spain because they ran out of the French one but failed to tell us. The whole things was a mess, wont be coming back ever again.

The restaurant itself was light and airy and the food was was very enjoyable. We only wanted a light lunch and both selections were delicious. However when we arrived at the restaurant we didn't receive a warm welcome. We were happy to wait to be seated but a smile and acknowledgement of our presence would have made us feel more welcome. Once seated several of the staff ignored us and seemed to be intent on avoiding any eye contact. However the waiter wh took our order and brought our food was more friendly and did smile. It was quite a contrast to a pub I visited last week where the staff could not have been warmer and more helpful. It is a pity the Ashmolean can't do the same as it would then be a really special experience.

The food, as always, was excellent. A good selection of dishes, and the ones we had were delicious. The staff were friendly, and were trying hard, but the service was a bit haphazard. I ordered mulled wine, and got a chocolate cocktail. Since we only had a limited time, we didn't send it back, and it was delicious, but not what I'd ordered. The waiter also managed to spill it as he put it on the table. We'd ordered olives and bread to eat as we waited for our main courses, and fater a bit of a wait, the waiter then came to check we really did want them before the main course, which seemed a little odd to me. Our coffees at the end of the meal somehow got forgotten, and we had to ask for them again. I was only given a fork for my dessert, so found it difficult to eat the wonderful berry compote which accompanied my cheesecake. We paid one waiter, then as we were leaving, another waiter came to ask us for payment. Having said that, the staff were very busy, and unfailingly polite, there just seemed to be a bit of a breakdown in communication.

A lovely lunch with friends, with great waiting team

You are better than the Ivy or Quod for taste and value

Wonderful, especially the service. Complements the museum well

We had the afternoon tea which was lovely . The staff were fantastic and couldn’t do enough to help. Exceptional service and food. We will be returning.

Great afternoon tea and lovely atmosphere. Very good value for money. The service was very attentive as well, thank you Matheus @italia_theu!

A lovely setting, and the food was excellent. Service initially a little slow but picked up once we ordered. Duck and orange terrine starter was delicious, with a superb mix of sweet and savoury flavours, and the vegetarian ravioli main course was outstanding - colourfully presented and tasty. Recommended!

Thanks to the team and big Thanks to Matheus ! The food was good, and the place beautiful ! Loved it very much and would recommand it for a friend

My main course was pork fillet which I am quite certain had been cooked some time earlier then re-heated in a microwave. Pork was tough.

I’m just sending the private note below, I have nothing to say publicly.

A wonderful time to rest, reflect and eat after a stunning visit to the museum. We had a wonderful visit to the Ashmolean, finding more and more rooms that we hadn't found before, and then had a lovely meal in the restaurant to talk and reflect on the time we had spent. The service was well paced, and the food was well prepared with portions of the right size. It really confirmed yet again that it is a good way to round up a visit.

Lovely service and a beautiful restaurant - would go again

Efficient and pleasant service. Tasty food. Good choice. Sat inside.

Good food in a light and airy top-floor / rooftop space above the museum, with panoramic views.

Excellent food. Service was a bit variable; e.g. taking orders a little slow, but food arrived in good time. Shame the IPA listed on the 'Specials' card was actually not available. Only downside; it was a good job it wasn't too cold outside. Customers kept going outside to take photos from the external seating area, meaning the door was wide open most of the time. If you prefer to sit inside and don't want to catch cold, make sure you are not in the possible/probable draught! This seems to be a basic design flaw in the layout of the restaurant. Overall, a lovely lunch.

Don’t take reservations for 4pm if you close at 5pm, especially when you specify on reservation that we have the table for 1h30. They came to see us 4 times in total between 4:10pm and 4:45pm asking to pay the bill, telling us multiple times they close at 5pm etc. We were rushed out the minute we stepped in, terrible service for a £30 tea. Savoury food was good, scones were nice with real cream served, same for the vegan option, but the sweets did not taste fresh, we didn’t finish them.

We went for the afternoon tea: savoury very good, Vegan option good as well. However, sweets did not taste fresh. Don’t come at 4pm as you will be rushed out before your scones pass your throat.

We had a lovely afternoon tea and the manager was very friendly and upbeat which made us feel valued as customers. The food was delicious and we enjoyed the ambiance and left feeling happy and relaxed

Good food in an excellent setting - staff very friendly.

Decided to treat ourselves to lunchtime at the Ashmolean to complete our special time in Oxford. What a letdown! Had the ravioli from the limited main course menu, which was dry, tasteless and all together a big letdown / underwhelming.

Front of house staff glum looking as if tired and bored. We had to ask for specials and to place order. Food arrived tepid and ravioli well undercooked. Asked for service to be removed from bill which prompted waiter to launch into a moan up about it not being fair he lost money when kitchen and done poorly. I couldnt be bothered to point out his bad behaviour. I wont be returning to restaurant anytime soon which is a shame as Ashmolean Museum is great!

My sister and I brought our elderly mother here and everything was excellent. Matheus went above and beyond to look after us. Very much appreciated and recommended in an era where a focus on customer service seems to have been forgotten by so many establishments.

Lovely staff, beautiful setting but after a starter and a main I was left hungry.. the portion size for the gnocchi main was not adequate…

We had a table booked for 6 people today. We were greeted well and looked after with attention. However, after our food was served, the staff lost their interest. We were left to sit at the dirty table for a long time, until we had to ask someone several times to clear the table. It was not easy to get their attention at all. When the staff came up to clean the table, he was so rude and loud with the dishes so that we felt uncomfortable sitting at the table with all the noise of dishes and cutlery banging. Then we had to have our afternoon set without tea, which we had to wait for a long time until someone finally decided to come to our table. One should also note that at that time the restaurant was barely full, only a few tables. All in all, the experience was poor and it is sad that such a nice place has become so bad with extremely poor service.

Very good food that is far better than usual museum fare.

Afternoon tea was lovely and fresh tasting. Great selection of savoury sandwiches. For being quite busy the service was fair and good.

Lovely lunch time experience - good food, excellent service

We booked lunch for 5, to celebrate our Book Group anniversary. We were treated exceptionally well by the front of house and waiting staff. We ate a range of mains and desserts. All were very tasty and helped make our visit a memorable one. I had the herb crusted pork fillet, which I enjoyed, but it was overcooked and my friends could see I was struggling to cut it up. My suggestion would be to use a good pork chop instead. Had my pork been more tender, I'd happily have rated the restaurant 5 stars.

Food looked absolutely wonderful and tasted just as good - a lovely place to take someone for a treat!