Gourdans in Oxford

I very rarely write reviews but felt compelled to today. Last night my wife and I had one of the best steaks we have ever had (and we eat a lot of steak!) Not only this but amazing starters of fried courgettes with aioli and a sensational burrata with marinaded tomatoes. But you really should go the steak itself. We ordered it rare and it immaculately succulent and well seasoned. I would highly recommend…

We had the T-bone steak, delicious and tender! Great service, great wine! We will return when in Oxford.

We had the T-bone steak, delicious and tender! We managed to eat it all, 1.2kg :) Great service, great wine! We will return when in Oxford.

Knowledgeable friendly staff. FANTASTIC food. We had the rump cap steak which was absolutely divine!!

We ate here on Saturday evening. Staff were nice, restaurant was clean and the food was excellent although there were a couple of negatives. The place is very very small which means it has very little atmosphere. It's more the size of a small coffee shop, which doesn't lend itself well to a good quality steakhouse. The food is tasty but expensive and whilst I don't feel at all ripped off or like it wasn't worth the money but the surroundings do not match up with the food. We had a 1.2kg steak for £120. That is incredibly expensive but was also very very tasty. Perfectly cooked, excellent quality and really lovely sides. I know chips are basic, but they're very easy to get wrong and Gourdans has some of the best frites I have ever eaten! Also the steak came with a wonderfully dressed salad that was fresh and crisp and just perfect. I really truly hope that the owners business does well enough to grow and move to a more central, larger location and can really make the most of the fantastic staff and food that they have

A great steakhouse in Oxford. There are basically two, this is possibly the best but this is a close run thing.

Such a lovely atmosphere and amazing steaks! Would recommend to anyone looking for a quality steak in Oxford. Fries and salads were also delicious with a good selection of drinks.

The food is good but the service needs a lot of work.

Can’t recommend highly enough! Hidden gem. Wonderful service, beautiful interior and atmosphere, food is absolutely delicious. Picanha rump is wonderful. I work in a restaurant and everything was top notch. Thanks Tina and team.

We are regular visitors to Gourdans. The service is impeccable and the steak is the best. We've eaten at plenty of steak restaurants and we are fans of Fogo de Chao in particular but this place is the best. We're lucky it's in Oxford.

This place is fab. It’s informal and intimate. And the Tbone sharing steak was awesome. Every bit as good as Hawksmoor. The coal oven gives the steak a great flavour. The frites are terrific. The dressing on the salad is spot on. The rocket in the salad sets off the steak beautifully. A lovely barolo in a fine glass. All with a relaxed vibe. What’s not to like. Whoever gave this place a negative review must have missed the point. It’s not fancy. But it’s lovely.

Always excellent, nice simple menu, excellent steak, nice nibbles and good beer and wine.

Service is a little slow but the food makes up for all of it. Amazing food hands down.

10/10 - best steak in town, possibly best restaurant

Lovely lovely steak. Very friendly front of house. Great atmosphere. Felt oh so welcome. My steak was very good. No sauce just the steak. Yum yum. Cheesecake is home made too. Delicious! Came with a little pot of rhubarb sauce. I thought it would have a cheffy name like compote or something. It's a burst of rhubarb in your face amazing.

Hi Christina Jeffery, You appear to deem it perfectly appropriate to reference customers uninvolved in the previous review you have replied to by name (as a point of clarification, my name is not Carols). I can only assume this is an attempt to have the review taken down? Which it won’t. Nevertheless, I thought it prudent to return the sentiment. A restaurant owner publicly attacking customer's who complain, or leave a fair and honest negative review, is not a good approach. I had read your other negative reviews and your default response is of a tone and narrative clearly apportioning blame on the customer, claiming you are surprised and concerned they didn’t raise the complaint at the time etc, challenging everything anyone suggests as an improvement. But we did, and in the politest way possible, yet were met with an extremely confrontational response. Your recollection of the service provided is completely inaccurate, from time of order placement to food arriving was well over an hour, and that is not counting from when we had to reorder everything, as the initial server was unaware of the recommended sharing specials for large tables, which in fairness, you clarified shortly afterwards. It took over 25 minutes for a simple soda water and lime order to be fulfilled, despite our repeated reminders to the server. Not once we were offered more drinks, instead we had to constantly work for the attention of any server, which on top of taking 10-20 minutes each time, made the night ever more frustrating with the food taking so long. You completely forgot part of the order, which we gave up on altogether to limit any more hassle or delays. At no point were anyone on our table rude or impolite to your staff; to say that is a complete fabrication of the truth and unfair… We were all simply disappointed and exhausted by the subpar service and your unwillingness to acknowledge any of the shortcomings in service, instead choosing to confront and challenge customers, and it was not just our table, as we witnessed. Surely you can appreciate there is a common denominator here? You guys know how to do good food, this was never is dispute. However, this experience left everyone at our table disheartened at both the exceptionally bad service, but also your complete lack of understanding and disdain towards paying customers, it made the whole experience untenable. It’s a shame, because I used to genuinely rate Gourdan’s, and used to regularly ordered deliveries from your van, whilst promoted your business to friends and colleagues, but the restaurant experience on Saturday was a complete disaster, ruined by bad service, and your appalling and confrontational approach toward customers. I’d go as far to say this was the worst customer service I’ve ever experienced from a hospitality venue, it fell far below the expectations of a restaurant of any calibre. As a polite word of advice, instead of responding to customer reviews with fictitious verbatim, please consider said feedback as an opportunity to reflect and improve. If you are honest about your shortfalls in service, you may be able to rectify this, and you could have a thriving and sustainable business on your hands. Please feel free to call me if you wish to discuss this further, you have my number from the booking.

Avoid!The place is diabolical! Over an hour and 20 mins to get food. It’s one thing to run a van, and another to have a restaurant! The worst dining experience ever! To the owner - please learn some customer service and stop being so obnoxious! It is bad manners to mouth back at customers, and tonight there was a lot of that.

I had high hopes for this place but I was disappointed. The service was extremely slow, had to chase up our drinks order and flag someone down to take our food order. Was asked how long our order would be so we could determined whether to get a starter. We were told 30 mins but it was actually 1hr 20 mins. Missing items from our order and when we said one of our steaks was underdone we just received quite short, rude responses. Definitely won't return.

Wow what an amazing find. I usually don’t go out that often as it’s so hard to find a place that does genuinely good food. This place was amazing, fantastic steaks with outstanding service and excellent value for money. Will definitely be back

Absolutely fantastic steak, my partner and I shared a 680g picanha steak which was cooked (medium rare) to perfection. It was excellently seasoned and so flavourful, definitely high quality meat. One of the best steaks I have ever had! The frites were also delicious and well seasoned. The restaurant is tastefully decorated and has a lovely ambience. Highly recommended!

Amazing food and the desert was absolutely divine! I will be a frequent customer and already recommended it to all my friends. I went with a small group and everyone loved it.

The porterhouse was the best steak I have ever tasted. The chalkboard’s claim that few adornments are needed was well-placed, it was simply sensational. The fried courgette starter was fantastic too.

Overall had a nice experience here. I was disappointed the “frites” are not Belgian style as advertised on the menu but are more shoe string and thin. Nevertheless, the aioli I had for dipping was delicious as well as the side salad was super flavorful. The sirloin was well seasoned, the staff was friendly, and the atmosphere was nice.

The steak from the special menu is below average in terms of flavor and taste. It may be a fancy cut but the final dish is bland and the sauce did not help. What's worse is the unreasonably high price tag. You can definitely find tastier steaks elsewhere for half the final price, which is close to £50. This place charges like a fancy restaurant but offers no better food/service/atmosphere than any other cheaper ones.

Booked a table for a large group, staff were very helpful. Food was amazing, every stall perfectly cooked to how we each asked. I payed extra for potato dauphinois which was totally worth it.

Try them out. They are trying pretty hard. Food was well executed but the menu was a bit of a mess, certainly nothing Belgian and a hefty price tag on the meat.

Best steak ever!! Packed full of flavour and cooked to perfection. The burrata was delicious to start with to. Good quality and fair price. Staff very helpful and friendly. Highly recommend.

Great steak , the best we ever had !! The atmosphere ,the staff and food is amazing !!! Nice selection of wine and beers !

The food is just so lush and heavenly the service is just amazing. The deserved the best review and deserves a missional star. Ever since I went with my family we now go their weekly.

Foods okay but overpriced. Service is great and very friendly

A very welcoming restaurant with excellent customer service and really good food. If you need a relaxing and charming place for dinner this is worth a visit.

Would definitely recommend if you want a nice top steak and chips. Steak was cooked to perfection and was of top quality. The staff were extremely helpful and friendly. Would definitely come again.

Delicious steak and great choices of wine. Friendly staffs. A nice small steakhouse.

Loved it. Worth booking, it was very busy, so service slightly slow, but it was 100% well worth the short wait. We will defo go back next time we're in Oxford.

My boyfriend treated me to a birthday dinner here, and everything was perfect. Staff is super accommodating, gave us freezing cold water when we arrived sweaty and hot as well as moved us under the AC. They’re one of the few restaurants I’ve discovered in this city to have grenadine, which automatically puts them on my happy list, plus their steak is absolutely perfect. Totally worth the price, beautifully cut and cooked, and completely melt in your mouth delicious. We asked for some vanilla gelato to go since we had birthday cake at home, but they gave us a surprise chocolate mousse with a candle. It wasn’t asked for and incredibly kind, and very low key. This place is perfect for a special dinner, or if you just want some perfect steak.

The waitresses were lovely and explained the different cuts. The chef came out and talked to us about the meat and ovens after we saw how they prepared and cooked the steaks through a window. Perfect flavour, great atmosphere.

If you like steak this is the place to go. Steaks cooked to your liking. Delicious sauce and sensational fries. Really good service. Recommended place to eat while in Oxford.

One of the best plates of food I've ever had. I ordered the special, consisting of Tournedos, and Daupinoise potato and green salad. Cooked to absolute (medium rare) perfection, and a well balanced combination of flavours. 🤌 Cannot wait to visit again. My compliments to everyone working there

The meat is the best I've found in Oxford, honestly. It is true, though, that if you go for the specials board, the bill will get steep very fast.

Good but very small steak restaurant located a bit outside of Oxford center. Bus stops on the doorstep. Very nice service ambience very dark you can hardly see the food. Steak good, mushroom side dish sour (vinegar).

Great food. Great staff. Great experience

Grande Sirloin was just perfect :)

Great good, friendly staff. Will return for the awesome steak 😁.

Lovely little restaurant, good quality food, great service, not many tables so it would be a good idea to book in advance.

Lovely food that tastes like it was made by someone who loves food!! Green salsa on my tuna was delicious and the tuna steak was a good size. Lovely wine. We also had a beautiful tomato and burrata starter. Highly recommend, although a little pricey. A treat perhaps.

Took my father here yesterday for a birthday steak meal and was not disappointed! The flavour of the steak was absolutely divine. I’ve eaten steak around the world and this is definitely one of the best! The sides were also very good! We had courgette frites, a basque tomato salad, dressed mushrooms and a pull of raqlette cheese. It was all very very yummy! This was as well as frites and a salad with the main meal. The quality of beef was very high - they use a sustainable and ethical supplier, so you are paying for the best. The staff we very friendly and knowledgeable. We had a lovely time and my dad really enjoyed the whole experience. They even gave him a free chocolate pot as it was his birthday which was so kind! We barely had room for dessert, so hopefully I can try one next time as we’ll definitely be returning.

Steak and frites - done to perfection. Loved it. Will be back!

I absolutely adore coming here. Been about 10 times over the last 2.5 years with various sized groups. Every time it has been perfection, the front of house staff are always lovely and the food is showstopping. I always try to bring friends & family who are visiting me in Oxford here.

We didn't have a booking and were short on time but the staff were amazing! They fitted us in and we got our food very quickly. The food was awesome! Will definitely go again when we have more time to soak up the atmosphere as well as the excellent food and wine.

Finally a great steak restaurant in Cowley🥳! Excellent food, excellent service and the place has a really good vibe to it. Definitely recommend, it's well worth it - our steak was cooked to perfection 👍

The best steak restaurant in Oxford. Bespoke cuts, extra specials and just damn good meats and extras. Must recommend a group steak and same fine beers and wines.

What an absolutely delightful little place! The friendly welcome and atmosphere made my daughter and I feel instantly at home. The quality of sirloin steak (done medium well) was just perfect I had mine with dauphinoise potato and the peppercorn sauce. Every bite of everything on my plate had its own individual taste and flavour, all from fresh ingredients bursting with colour. We enjoyed a shared starter of Racklett from the server's recommendation and it was just perfect. Every mouth full just burst with flavour from the cardamom to the bulbs of garlic and beyond with the Swiss cheese topping. The dish was made up of pickled vegetables, Jersey potatoes and a small pot of beef jus. There was also an extensive choice of wines to complement every dish and course too. I asked for an unchilled zero alcohol beer and it was no trouble at all. We had no room for dessert but the pic shows the choices. If I had one criticism it would be that they only serve skinny frites and no chunky chips. I can't wait to revisit this little gem of a restaurant.

Great atmosphere, food was incredible and the service was spot on. Good wine list to accompany the food.

Without a doubt the best steak in oxford and so reasonably priced for steak as well. 10/10 and would highly recommend.

We ordered a share size of steak frites. The steak is delightful which is juicy and well-cooked. We also tried to mix-and-match the cheese, charcuterie, hand-made pickles from the deli board.

Favourite restaurant in oxford 🥩

My wife had a steak with sinew running the whole length which she didn't know when the waitress did a check back. When we had finished our meal we pointed it out to the manager because most of it was still on the plate. When she brought the bill she placed it on the table quite hard and didn't say a word. She had taken my wife's meal off the bill but unfortunately the way she behaved undid all of that goodwill . Such a shame because it is a good restaurant and the steaks are normally very good but we don't feel inclined to return.

We had a fantastic meal, the staff were extremely accommodating when we asked to add a person last minute. The food and service were excellent and I would recommend to any steak lover!

We loved the food so much, we booked for 2 consecutive nights - and had zero regrets. We first discovered Gourdans via their food truck at an event last year. We just knew we had to go back to their bricks and mortar restaurant, and they did not disappoint. Super lovely front of house with lots of knowledge if you have questions about the various cuts. The steaks were mouth wateringly delicious, and we will definitely be back

I have tongive this place 5 star because of the quality of the portor house steak from the specials board. it was cooked to perfection the salad, fries, and shallot to accompaniment were also delicious The service was great The price was fair because of the quality of the dish My only tiny nit pick is that I was disappointed to be charged for extra chimcurry after spending 100£ on a steak The size of the sauce was never going to be enough 😅

Really lovely drinks and dinner. Wonderful atmosphere.

Great little steakhouse serving well presented and really tasty steak! Had a friend visit from the US and needed to find a top notch steakhouse for dinner. Gourdans did not disappoint. The T Bone sharer was delicious! Friendly service and a great wine selection. Will definitely visit again.

Just walked 2km cause it’s says you’re open on Sunday. Update your hours.

Table of 14 of us we were guided on how much and what type of meats to get/pre order. We ended up with 3 CDB and 3 T-bones amazingly cooked and amazing choice of breed Hereford/Friesian.

Good but quite expensive and long....

Great quality, lovely service, knowledgeable staff, cozy atmosphere 👌

Properly brilliant. London restaurants can learn a lot from these people. Outstanding, beautifully cooked steaks with endless extras. Great frites and spectacular cheese and deli boards. Hands-down best restaurant in Oxford and Gordon R can learn from Gourdan and his Oxford team…

Top steak (have had many streaks over the years, all over the world, and this is up there with the best). Class wine. Really good attention to detail by well-informed, corteous staff and the owner Matt, was very welcoming and friendly. Highly recommended.

Went for my daughter’s 25th on Sunday. Felt welcomed from the minute we walked in. Amazing staff…fantastic service and truly food that is truly ‘beyond’ any restaurant! I can’t thank you and praise you all enough! We’ll be back! ❤️❤️❤️

Fantastic place love it thank you

Amazing evening and brilliant service. Everyone was very welcoming and lovely. We had a delicious Cotswold Garden cocktail while waiting for our perfectly cooked CAP steak. The suggestion of meat portion for 2 was ideal and each dish comes with a mix of sides that leaves you full but not overly full. The price of the special cut meat was clear and easily to identify, so no surprise when our bill came! Great place and lovely atmosphere. Absolutely recommend :)

Such good food and very reasonably priced. Would definitely come back when I'm next in the area!

Small steak restaurant in St Clements. We ordered the fillet steak special plate priced at £30 each. They stock halal steaks which are matured on Willowbrook Farm and do not have to be pre-ordered (we booked a table on the day). Fries were nice. Fair price for quality and quantity of steaks, would recommend. Service was good. Peppercorn sauce could be improved. Thanks so much for being inclusive to our dietary requirements and providing entertainment for our 2 year old!

Hi, we are touring England and are from Australia where good beef is plentiful. The steaks at Gourdans were excellent. The salads, vegetables and chips were first class. Well done. Our best meal in Britain.

Really good steak! From very affordable to very expensive, they have steak (and non steak options) to fit every budget. Either way you will get great tasting food and friendly service, highly recommended! 👍😋🥩

Hidden Gem. Best steak in oxford. Gees, the Chester, the Magdalen arms have nothing on them. Best pound for pound value in oxford. If you aren’t happy call me for a refund. The beef jus takes 3 days to make. Nuff said.

Truly amazing steak. Hidden gem. You have to try this place.

We found the jewel in the local area and the food was the state of the art. Of course very friendly owner and employees. Will visit again soon.

Despite booking online, they didn't have a table ready for us when we turned up and then we had to wait for tables to be reshuffled to accommodate us. Got seated at the back of the restaurant and mostly ignored - empty plates and glasses left on the table for 20 minutes, asked for dessert menus which never turned up, and eventually just gave up and asked for the bill. Good food but service isn't great.

Great family run business! We go there all the time and owners are extremely friendly! The food is excellent! Great for families or couples and for both upscale or casual events. Best steak in Oxford, highly recommend!!!

Took wife here for late lunch date. Perfect. Small cosy but sophisticated. I have especially created a WhatsApp group of all my oxford friends to tell them to come, before it gets booked out. if you like French or upmarket steak, come here. Just to prove I am not a bot, I'm Headington quarry's sole stfc supporter. Only feedback: frontage is small and slick amongst lesser venues and so the dumb unlucky are walking past. Canopy? Stylish lighting? May distinguish it....

Google says it’s wheelchair accessible but it’s not!! There’s no ramp in the entrance and the place is too small for a wheelchair.

Easily the best steak I have ever had, and I have had a lot of steak in many countries! Staff were friendly and the food came quickly. The restaurant is done out nicely and the van is lovely! If I could eat steak every week, i definitely would come here! See you soon, Gourdans!

Charming small restaurant, rustic but in all the nice ways. Had a Venison steak with sides, was cooked just right, wine was decent as well

Student here, best steak dinner I’ve had in Oxford. Highly recommend

Amazing Sirloin steak, great friendly service. Cosy little place. Hidden gem, highly recommend!

What a find! Starters were super tasty, really enjoyed the scallops and burrata. We ordered a T-bone steak and we were not disappointed - cooked to perfection. 100% recommendable! Not to mention the owner who we spoke with who was very lovely and welcoming. Thanks for a fab lunch! (Open one in harpenden)

Really recommended: food was excellent, staff were friendly and there's a great atmosphere to the restaurant!

Lovely staff and the best food in town!Yum......

Fourth visit today for spot-on set lunch. Delicious three courses with wine and coffee, all great value. Ordered from A La Carte previously, a super selection of French classics and excellent cuts of steak, cooked properly. Friendly owners, nice surroundings...and great wines too. All in all, delighted this is just down the hill from us. And delighted they have survived the pandemic. KBO please...

We came to Oxford from London on Saturday and we visited Gourdans Steak Frites. The interior is innovative and beautiful, especially the bar! The food and sides were delicious, well presented and the wait time is not long at all. There is a great selection to choose from. The staff and owners Tina and Matt are really friendly, attentive and welcoming. The restaurant is very clean and the atmosphere is lovely. Gourdans is definitely a restaurant I highly recommend and will be visiting again. Thank you for having us!

Can’t recommend highly enough! The owner and staff were very attentive and helpful, the steaks were delicious (and reasonably priced for their size + quality), and all the sides (especially the frites) perfectly cooked and presented. Thank you so much for making a birthday celebration very special!

Me and my partner came here and it really made our evening special. The venison steak was astounding, also made me a vodka martini which was perfect. The staff we very helpful and friendly. Also great value foroney, good sized portions. Honestly can't recommend this place enough, will 100% come here every time im in Oxford.

This is among the best steak I’ve ever had. I’m from NYC and am typically underwhelmed by anything other than Peter Luger or Wolfgang’s. Since arriving in the UK, I’ve tried some of the most celebrated steak houses around, but this is FAR SUPERIOR. (My girlfriend said the fries/chips were also some of the best she’s ever had.) The staff were also wonderful.

Me and my boyfriend ate here, and I have to say - AMAZING. I don't eat meat myself, so the tuna steak on the menu is a great plus, and the capers butter that comes with is mouthwatering. We chatted a lot with the owner at the end as well, super sweet and attentive lady! 10/10

What a find, great food and service, at a great price, highly recommend 😃 😊

Great service and great food - steak tartare, modules-frites, grand sirloin and a strawberry based sweet, washed down with a Portuguese wine that was delightfully explained to us - we will be back!

Terrible restaurant terrible management was offered a terrible hourly rate of £7.50

Excellent value for money and excellent quality. Would highly recommend.

Great steak, staff very friendly and helpful.