GAIL's Bakery Summertown in Oxford

The service we received today was just simply rude. The chap at the counter was unable to deal with the similar task of taking an order for food and two coffees. Very unimpressed

The Crispy Sage and Squash is absolutely fantastic with an incredible taste—I highly recommend it! The service was impressively fast, and the atmosphere was welcoming. I’ll definitely visit again. What stood out the most was the Barista’s help in recommending the perfect hot drink, which made my experience even better.

Amazing little bakery, lots of food choices and welcoming staff. Definitely going back

Delicious eatables, both savoury and sweet. Thoroughly enjoyed sitting and having a meal here.

Still in shock days later. Yes the food is great, BUT £25 for three pastries & black coffees & £9.40 for two loaves of bread….now that is ridiculous. I also don’t like the fact that there are not many seats, but 50% of them were full of digital nomads sipping their coffee which had probably been bought hours ago, so we had to sit apart.

Perfect place ever! Friendly staff and cozy atmosphere. My favorite one is definitely ham&cheese croissant

Perfect place ever! Friendly staff and cozy atmosphere. My favorite one is definitely ham&cheese croissant

Great bakery with good products and fast service. We prefer the avocado on sourdough bread. Some guests were so loud when they were talking that it was disturbing - especially since they were sitting quite close to each other. But what can the café do about it? By the way, the prices are reasonable.

Great bakery with good products and fast service. We prefer the avocado on sourdough bread. Some guests were so loud when they were talking that it was disturbing - especially since they were sitting quite close to each other. But what can the café do about it? By the way, the prices are reasonable.

This place is a must-visit! The avocado toast was absolutely perfect. The staff were so friendly. Thanks for a great start to my day.

Great food, great coffee, friendly service

Rubbish, i order 2 cappuccino and 2 pain chocolate for my kids, they don’t accept cash and I need to leave the place with my kids,🤮

very tasty pastries and delicious coffee

This place has been going down for months but trying to see “croissants” that are just a flat lump of pastry is not acceptable …

Rather surly and impatient staff, my supposedly soft eggs were very over cooked, but it seemed to be my fault when I brought it to their notice. Staff don't seemed to be trained very well as when I asked a simple question about the contents of the bread and was given a print out from the till that would have taken me twenty minutes to read! Come on Gail's: You have all the right ingredients in your products but not in the training of your staff!

Overpriced coffee, good pastries. Nice staff and the pastries were very good. However, there is an atmosphere of over priced everything. Go next door or across the street to get the same cup of coffee.

Disappointing to learn nothing is baked on site. They imply it's a bakery and that everything is made in their kitchen out back, but it's all shipped in. Not very authentic

Beautiful avocado on toast and selection of pastries… been a few times now and a great experience each time.

Thank you Gales for being so friendly and generous in helping me celebrate my wedding anniversary! The cake was very much appreciated!😊😊

I bought a dark sourdough loaf today. Sadly, it's been kept in the oven for too long as it's too dark, painful/hard to eat, and looks a bit dry.

Smells so delicious of freshky baked cakes! Love the coffee. Great service. Friendly people.

Staff was super friendly and enjoyed my coffee while working!

One of my fav Gail’s locations everrr. Lovely staff are always so friendly and pay close attention to everything! Chicken Parmesan and honey cake are my favourite treats and they make a mean oat latte!!! Quite cramped up front but for good reason, everyone clocks to Gail’s

A cozy coffee place with very friendly staff. We loved the porridge.

Love it. They make delicious and fresh bread.

Visited on 14/10/23 - popped in to get some baked goods after a disappointing breakfast elsewhere, this place though did not disappoint! The Almond croissant I had was so GOOD that it was well worth the wait.

Conveniently located on high street, they have a good variety of cakes and sandwiches. Coffee tasted good (though I prefer a more nutty taste). Slightly pricey. They have outdoor garden seatings at the back but the day I visited was raining.

We have visited Gail’s a few times in the past few months. The garden is lovely and the coffee and cakes are tasty. However, the main point I would like to make is that the service is very good and that the members of staff are extremely helpful in terms of assisting the elderly. Melusine was particularly understanding and helpful and went above and beyond on the day we visited. I would highly recommend Gail’s.

Used them a couple of times via Deliveroo. Both times over an hour late and cold. The experience in the shop isn’t much better either! Avoid.

Whilst the coffee wasn't bad the environment was squashed up , very cold draughts from the open door , other customers pushed up close and the service not consistently good . I would not go again.

A lovely cup of coffee, fab cheese straw and insanely good cinnamon bun. Dog friendly (thank goodness!), and the garden is a hidden treasure. Why they don't advertise it outside, or even inside is insane! A charming young man directed myself and my dog, and we enjoyed our brunch in peace. Ask for the garden! And they have heaters.

Tasty light lunch for online a chilled laid back cafe which also offered a good selection of take away treats. Staff were friendly and efficient and I was so grateful that they looked after my purse that I foolishly left behind.

Wir waren hier zweimal zum Frühstücken, weil unser Hotel nichts dergleichen anbot. Es war so köstlich. Ist ein kleines Café, man kann drinnen wie draußen sitzen. Das Personal ist aufmerksam und sehr freundlich.

Beautiful breakfast and lovely staff. A young man served us ( lovely curly hair ) and he was accommodating and friendly!

We have been going to Gails in Summertown since it opened and its deteriorated a lot. It does not take much searching to see that 'Gail' no longer owns her bakeries but sold out in 2021 to a private equity company who will not care a jot about anything except money and this branch is super busy; must be raking it in with high prices . Staff look tired and overworked and service is quite poor because of obvious reasons - the clientele are always so demanding in this branch - it is middle England after all. What is really really upsetting is that this branch is not clean - the tables are often full of dirty plates and at check-out today I could not believe the filth on the card reader - it needs cleaning with wipes frequently, someone needs to be on the floor all the time sweeping and cleaning. this is a place of food after all - the cleaning situation needs to improve and should be tip top in a bakery anyway ; the seating is totally inadequate for such a busy branch and in my opinion Gails aka equity company needs to re-tihnk this branch and get it back to its former glory . However the staff are very lacklustre and this is probably because they are overworked

Love everything about Gails - but best of all the unfailingly friendly and professional staff - everyone really - but Jane really stands out. Thank you to all the staff for keeping things going and being a source of cheer and warmth before during and coming out of COVID...(hopefully).

Lovely coffee, with a wide variety of muffins and pastries. The cinnamon swirls are particularly good, with a small number of inside seating.

Great food and coffee. Polite and friendly staff. Only gripe is chicken burger was a little small for the price. And still not taking cash. Could do with a little more filling otherwise this is a great coffee shop. And they do fresh bread to take away. So give them a go.

My favorite bakery! The bread and desserts are wonderful!

Incompetent staff, slow service! (Except for tthe middle-aged lady who is super nice). The Little Clarendon’s Gail’s is much better, but here it take ages for your order to get ready. Extremely overpriced - but I admit they have really good coffee and sweets.

great staff, cute décor - small interior but great place for finding baked goods. amazing place.

Lacking vegan options, sweet and savoury

Pastry was superb.. loving the garden area as it clean and quite. Excellent for have a chat with friends and family

Awful service. Extreme delays in serving. When you follow up your order, the response is not nice. The quality is mediocre. It doesn’t meet the prices at all! WAY overpriced

Awful service. Extreme delays in serving. When you follow up your order, the response is not nice. The quality is mediocre. It doesn’t meet the prices at all! WAY overpriced.

On my first visit, I bought a selection of cakes which I took home for a family afternoon tea. The cakes were so dry, they were hard to swallow and didn't actually taste of anything. Second visit bought some scones to eat in. Both were dry and tasteless, we were wondering how long they had been sat for, they certainly didn't taste fresh. The decor is a bit scruffy looking too, the walls and floors on the way out the garden looked as if it could do with a clean and the same for the tables outside. Some tables had been left with trays and the staff didn't seem that friendly or enthusiastic. Disappointing as the cakes always look so tempting but very much doubt we will be visiting again.

It’s very expensive and food is average. It’s a shame they wouldn’t take my cash as it’s also legal tender!!!

The cappuccino here was not nice at all - more like a sweet latte. Horrific. The table we sat at was really dirty. Not worth visiting. Staff seemed stressed and rushed our order. Overpriced and not worth the hype. We will not return.

One of the best oat milk cappuccino ever

Delicious! Although Service can be abit slow.

Amazing Hot chocolate and does the best sourdough bread

The best coffe shop and bakery in Town. Just moved in Summertown and the staff here its professional, food and coffee simply great every time, plus they open very early, amazing for those who wake up before 7am! Worth it a visit!!!!

There is no doubt that the pastries are top notch and taste really amazing at Gail's. However, I find the customer service appalling! It happened twice with me and my friends. The first time we asked them about a specific item if we can buy it/reserve in advance, we did understand that there are rules but it's the manner of how they explained it to us, she sounded condescending over the phone. So we thought okay maybe we just need to visit the shop and take chances. Today we went there and and we managed to buy the pastries we love as a take away. While we were waiting for our other friend who by the way was still by the till paying for her items, me and my other friend quickly sat down and had a little sip of coffee and had a quick bite of the pastry (P.S I am also pregnant so needed fuel at that time). The guy who works there saw us and loudly told us off in front of the rest of customers that if we bought it as "take away" then we should go outside. It was so embarrassing as the rest of the customers were looking at us. My point is they should have came over to us and told us directly rather shouting for the whole of Oxford to hear. We left in embarrassment. We would appreciate it if they could be more sensitive to their paying customers and don't treat us like dirt. Just saying!

One of my favourite bakeries of all time!!! Great staff, great variety of products and lovely sitting area with heatings from the top. I love the outside seating and it is so lovely with a lot of nature! I loved the ham and cheese croissant and sausage roll is absolutely incredible! So many great desert options as well and love that not always you will get the same pastries. Hot chocolate was lovely and having sitting in drinks in their lovely cups was lovely. I would love to see some point card systems or some student discounts or some lunch set to make some of the items affordable. Having some filter coffee options will be lovely as well. There were couple of various savoury items last time I have visited but today there was only a cheese scone and sausage roll. Having some more savoury items in the morning and some more vegan lunch items could be nice.

Rude staff and awful service. Overrated bakery with rude staff that clearly don’t want to be there and can’t be bothered to work.

I had a cookie. And it was good. It was very tasteful and a great way to end the afternoon. I do recommend for a nice snack!!!

Always polite, but today I have to say that the little Asian lady was not so polite, when I asked her for a recipe. I love the quality of Gail, s bakery, but the people who works there, are not the same like 5,5 years ago.

From the amazingly warm welcome to the vibrant coffee and the scrumptious cinnamon bun it is impossible to find fault. This is the Mary Poppins of artisan coffee shop & bakery - Perfect in every way!!!!

Good selection of baked goods, nice coffee and friendly staff. As a bonus - there's a cute little garden at the back with heating lamps, perfect for sitting outside in autumn/winter.

On Sat morning I grabbed a cheese twist to go as there was a long queue and few seats. When I got home, I saw that the pastry looked very dark but got no choice at that point other than to eat it or bin it. I ate 2/3 and binned the last one; it was like chewing on saw dust. If you charge for a small pastry as much as a whole cake in a supermarket than you have to serve quality products. If a bake is not up to a standard, DON'T serve it. I will not be going back because there is a lack of quality control and I don't want to waste my money again.

قريب من اكسفورد و له فرع ثاني اكله طيب وقعدته حلوه وخدمته سريعة المكان اشبه ببيكري معجنات 🥐 وبيض وقهوة...

Really great food and vegan friendly

We spent a great deal of time at Gail's in Summertown, sampling many delicious pastries and sandwiches. You must try the following: Chicken Parmesan Sandwich Salmon in a bun Smoked salmon bagel Reverse chocolate cookie! Apple cake with crumble on top It can go on...

Some of the best coffee and baked goods in Oxford.

Lovely little courtyard garden but limited menu due to lack of chef and quite expensive compared to Taylors. Not really any children's options.

Wow. Just wow. To start I had a ham and cheese croissant which sounds simple... but it's probably the best pastry I've ever eaten. The cheese was creamy and not overwhelming, the ham was moist yet not soggy, and the pastry itself was soft on...

Dogs no longer allowed in courtyard garden. Living in Summertown, we regularly walk to Gail’s with our small dog to enjoy brunch. Today when we arrived we were told that dogs are not allowed inside (which I was already aware). I stated that we were...

A good selection of baked items. Loved the polenta cake and cinnnamon muffin. We tried the caprese filled roll which was also excellent - good if you want something filling and savoury. Good choice of cold and hot drinks.We enjoyed everything we ordered. Definitely recommend.

Great little spot for lunch or a quick pastry and coffee. Friendly staff, super tasty and healthy options. A real gem which we wandered into by accident and glad we did

Very busy, didn't feel covid safe. The coffee is ok and the pastries delicious

Lovely, chilled place, very friendly service, and a space to sit outside at the front and people watch, as well as a garden in the back. As it's in Summertown, it is a bit pricey, but the drink and pastries were good quality. This was my first visit to Gail's and it certainly won't be my last. Recommend

Delicious pastries 🥮 and little nibbles or sandwiches 🥪 including a lovely garden area to enjoy the sun 🌞

Delicious varieties of bakery products

The staff is very friendly and lovely, I drive 25 minutes out my way just to get my fresh cinnamon bun and plain scone and a latte!!!! everyday, Best way to start a day. Please pay a visit then you know how good they are. Strongly recommend. Love it ❤️❤️❤️💯💯💯

Amazing place to eat, and the staff is very polite and friendly.

Best Almond croissants in Summertown. Every time I walk inside this bakery, I feel spoilt for choices. Hope this place keeps thriving and keep on baking little delights seasonal or otherwise.

Went there Saturday 22 May 2021. Very impressive amount of pastries and other baked goods. But very disappointed that there was only 1 tiny cake that was vegan. How about offering vegan croissants, and other vegan bakes. It's not that difficult to make them vegan.

Gail’s needs to improve the hygiene, plates cups forks all very dirty , unwashed coffee stains , especially gross considering COVID. Wash properly please

Loved it. Nice littler back garden and also front seats. Had a cinnamon roll which was delicious. First time out again since September:-)

My Mum called the shop looking to order some afternoon tea for my housemates and I, to celebrate sitting an important exam. She spoke to Sophia who was extremely accommodating, and although this shop did not offer afternoon tea she made up an afternoon tea...

Just topped my favourite place for almond croissants and mocha with an extra shot. Truly fabous display of fresh bakery products.. Yum yum yum

A great Gail's. Staff are friendly and efficient. Excellent covid safety by everyone.

Such an amazing find :) I had no idea there was such a quality bakery and coffee shop like Gail’s there! Fantastic quality and value.

Brilliant service, very friendly, highly recommend.

Expensive breakfast , probably most I’ve paid in a long time to sit on the pavement but it’s very good quality

Visiting Oxford for work, stopped off where i parked the car, in Summertown to the North of the city centre to grab a takeaway café latte from Gail's Bakery, as it was the only place open. Sadly, no Gluten Free options - though the breads...

Really mixed feelings. Food is good, cakes are very good. Service is abysmal! Went today with my elderly mother and 4 year old daughter and were ordered (literally ordered!) to move away so they could serve other customers as my daughter was taking too long to choose her lunch (all of 20 seconds). I then could not go back to see what the options were at the counter as the staff bypassed us to carried on serving the rest of the non-socially distanced queue leaving us unable to see anything in the counter. Eventually served after standing there long enough and then being given a brief description of what was in the counter. All of this was in a manner that even my 4 year old said seemed rude! Tip to owners... No matter how long the queue is, your focus should ALWAYS be on the customer you are serving.. like how the French do it.

Best coffee in summertown and cakes are delicious too.

Absolutely amazing team at the summertown branch - I go there a lot and it's always been a great experience. The staff are so kind to me and I feel like a valued customer everytime I go. The coffee is always perfectly made, cakes and...

Such a yummy selection of amazing bakery items, super friendly staff and choice of seating inside, front and garden. Don't miss this in Summertown

Lovely freshly baked goods. Quite moreish cookies.

Prior to Covid my husband and I visited Gail's approximately twice a week for breakfast . It was a very different experience today and we will be reluctant to return. Firstly the menu had changed quite a lot. No scrambled eggs or bacon for example....

Food is really quite nice. But it is insanely expensive. If your aren’t top 1% earner, you probably have to get your breakfast or bread elsewhere.

We rented a flat in Summertown, and I looked forward to breakfast at Gail’s during our visit. Wonderful range of baked goods and excellent coffee.

Unbeknown to me, the opening time changed from 7.00 to 8.00am. I had such an unpleasant welcome when I arrived at 7.45 that I went down the road to the French bakery and was reminded again how excellent they are. I have switched!

Excellent coffee and pastries, definitely worth a visit but watch out as it's pretty expensive because of the artisan vibe.

5 starts for the products, but 1 star for prices, will see if it survives for a long time.

Lovely early doors before it gets crowded

Really nice place to get tasty, wholesome food and sit the window to people watch, or read a book on the shared tables. There's also a garden round the back which is nice in the summer!

Summer town, Oxford branch - breakfast with mates - scrummy! All sufficiently replete on a variety of breakfast options. It's a bakery so don't expect a fry up! Excellent coffee - vegan options available but a little limited. Lots of cakes, pastries, rolls and sourdough bread to take away. Pretty busy on the Sunday we visited. Outside seating available.