The Alchemist Oxford in Oxford

It has been years since I have visit Oxford and it certainly has changed in that time. 3 of us enjoyed a mooch around the city and wanted something to eat before returning home. We hadn’t booked anywhere, which early evening on a Saturday wasn’t a great move. After a few rejections, we ended up in Westgate, my heart sank at the thought of eating in a shopping centre but as we went to the top and were greeted by stunning views of Oxford, it didn’t feel so bad. Whilst we hadn’t booked, the host did his very best to accommodate us and we were seated in a lovely booth, we promised not to over stay our welcome. The food was really good, fabulous fish and chips, the fish was enormous with a slightly spicy sauce served separately and the most delicious Asian salad with grilled chicken and bang bang sauce. Washed down by a delectable rhubarb gin and ginger ale, my new favourite tipple! The service was great from Harry. Great service, food, decor and ambience. Highly recommend.

I had a good time visiting The Alchemist in Oxford Westgate with a friend. The staff were warm and welcoming. Andy, the manager, was indeed a sweetheart. She came to our table to ensure we were being served and everything was okay. She took her time answering our questions and recommended some lovely drinks that she thought we should try. Andy, thank you so much for the beautiful experience.

A memorable and truly special experience!

We ate at the Alchemist Oxford recently with a group of six friends and really enjoyed it , it was our first time in an Alchemist . On entering it was how I expected , decor was good . We were shown to our table quickly and ordered drinks very soon after all of which were great 👍. Food orders were then taken and delivered to our table quickly . My burger with extra bacon and an extra burger patty was excellent 😋. Overall the evening was great and would return. One negative, the a few of the group remarked it was cold and the heating could have been turned on or up a bit ! Wouldn't stop me going back though

The location is great. Perched on top of the Westgate, the view from the Alchemist is amazing and the indoor and outdoor seating makes it an all weather winner. The cocktail menu is extensive, it’s easy to find something for everyone and there are mocktails too. It’s all really pretty and showy. It’s not perfect. I would have preferred a table service option if I’m honest. When you’re paying £20 plus per drink, it would be nice to see them at their most spectacular rather than the end result you get after your drinking partner pushes through the crowds to get them back to the table. The smoke or whatever was gone by then. Also, the design of the doors from the inside to the outside space is awkward and cramped, with seating in the way. There was a food menu, but we weren’t sure how or where to order food. Tables aren’t cleared regularly - sticky mess and glasses from previous occupants - and we had to queue up to get a drinks menu. But on the flip side, waiting at the bar means you get to see all the weird and wonderful drinks being made. And you forgive the shortcomings because it’s so fun. The decor is pretty, the toilets are nice. It’s a great spot for date night, meeting friends or kicking off an evening of clubbing. Staff were friendly. Atmosphere was warm and lively. It’s definitely somewhere you’d happily visit more than once. Thanks for a great evening, we’ll be back!

Portion sizes and service from the team does not match the prices.

Went here first time with Family,what a let down,food over priced and small portions,my daughters burger from children's menu was a joke

Perfect Best service Regards A.HARIRI

Stunning location with great views of Oxford. Drinks were amazing and the food arrived quickly. Our server Tino was faultless.

Great place for theatrical and delicious cocktails.

Great brunch deal with some lovely cocktails

Went in for some cocktails, was very busy but got served quickly on a Saturday night. Love the vibes and one of the best cocktails I’ve had

Customer service is terrible. I got inside the restaurant/bar, no waiter/waitress acknowledged me. I sat down and waited a good 30 minutes , still no one came to take my order. I got busy with some work and eventually left when I was done after an hour with not one single waiter approaching me yet they were all prancing around the place. And I’m realizing that there are a lot of reviews with the same notion of the terrible customer service yet the team doesn’t seem to be doing anything about it apart from replying under people’s reviews with a seemingly automated apology and an option to discuss further 🤦🏽‍♀️

We had a fabulous time at The Alchemist in Oxford on Sunday! The staff were all friendly and helpful and the cocktails and food were spot on. It was a busy Bank Holiday Sunday and the atmosphere was great! Thank you!

Obscenely expensive. £27 for one glass of wine and one cocktail. Plus the barman was doing several orders at once, so took a fairly long time to get our 2 drinks. Bank holiday Monday so very quiet, but only seemed to be one persons behind the bar which was strange. Will not be returning here.

Gonzalo smashed it tonight Hit and Rum 👌🏿

Amazing place with great fun cocktails

Best cocktails and services anywhere

Very nice and peculiar place, drinks have very nice effects and are super good, both alcoholic and non alcoholic. Food has proper servings and is very tasty. Good service at the table.

I had an absolutely magical time at The Alchemist in Oxford's Westgate Shopping Centre! From the moment I walked in, the warm, welcoming staff made me feel right at home. Their pleasant demeanor and impressive competence set the tone for an unforgettable experience. The drinks? Simply amazing—full of flavor and fun, each sip was a delightful adventure. I couldn’t help but smile the entire time! I’ll definitely be back to explore more of their creative concoctions. If you’re looking for a place where the drinks are as vibrant as the atmosphere, this is it!

First ever visit. Pre booked a table, arrived on time. Shown to the table, then just left there.......another table come in and they we seated got drinks delivered and not 1 person came to take our drinks order in over 20 minutes. There were 4 tables in total. Decided enough is enough, and we walked out to another venue. I hate to do this, but I have to review my experience and not what I have been told.

Located on a terrace above an open plan shopping centre, this was the perfect stop for a quick drink. Views of Oxford city were good

Just had the one cocktail and it tasted amazing

Super leuke experience en heerlijk eten! Een unieke ervaring om op deze manier te genieten van het serveren en drinken van cocktails. Super aardige bediening (dank je wel Mo!) die ons door de kaart heen hielp. De keuze op de kaart is ruim. Alles in het thema. Er is voor iedereen wat beschikbaar. Ook wisselende aanbieding zoals en pokebowl, verschillende soorten vlees, vis en vega. Dat geldt ook voor de cocktail-kaart: voor ieder wat wils, ook mocktails. Met leuke aankleding! De cocktails worden aan de tafel bereid en geserveerd. Zo heb je nog nooit een cocktail gekregen én gedronken! En ps: ze werken met droog ijs maar vertellen je wel waar je op moet letten natuurlijk om ongelukken te voorkomen 😜. Je kan binnen of buiten eten, er is schaduw mogelijk. Met uitzicht over Oxford (het zit op de bovenste verdieping van Westgate winkelcentrum ). Alhoewel er genoeg ruimte lijkt te zijn, kan je ook reserveren om zeker te zijn van een plek. Eten was verzorgd, leuke aankleding, grote bar (uiteraard). Netjes en schoon. Bij een bezoek aan Oxford mag een bezoek aan The Alchemist niet ontbreken!

Excellent service, nice atmosphere and lovely cocktails. Highly recommended!

Just went for drinks - celebrating an 18th birthday with my son and elderly mother. Fabulous to be able to sit outside and take in the view, and the drinks were great. Excellent service, from knowledgeable staff (do ask them if you have preferences or questions). Nice bathrooms too!

We just popped in to grab some food while traveling. The staff were friendly, took our prawn allergy seriously, and warned us against having fish and chips as the fish might be fried in the same fryer as the prawns. It was nice of them to warn us, but on the other hand, shouldn’t a person allergic to prawns be able to eat fish in a restaurant? That’s why only 5 stars for food.We ordered their smoked board, and it was a good choice. The meat was soft and juicy, and the veggies were fresh and crunchy. The view from their terrace is spectacular. We didn’t plan on visiting Oxford this time, so it was an extra bonus for us. The only problem for us was the music, which was a tad too loud to allow for conversations, more like in a bar and people had to shout to communicate. But we’re in our 60s; the younger crowd seemed happy chatting loudly.

I feel people always come here for the cocktails but I much prefer the food. I’ve eaten here many times and every time the food has been spot on! The staff have always been pleasant and the atmosphere is nice and busy I like the cocktails, however I feel they are so overpriced and you just pay for the show rather than the taste! It would be so easy to spend £100+ Just on a few cocktails! The cocktails in the photo cost me £30 and one of them was non-alcoholic!! The view of oxford is lovely from here too, which is a nice added bonus! At the weekends they have a DJ playing songs so the atmosphere completely changes which is nice and becomes just a bar! It can however get pretty crowded and the wait for a drink can be a while!

Great place for cocktails, not cheap but great fun!! And tasty cocktails

Beautiful place and had good experience

This is experience was crazy! Yes it’s pricey but u get what u pay for and it’s quality.The food was delicious and perfectly cooked to be honest. Staff are fantastic. Shout out to lily for doing the most for our table to say the least, definitely went above and beyond so great job to her! And Rita aswell as we were quite chatty so they did well to keep up. Will definitely be coming back.

The restaurant interior and the terace looks nice, staff was very polite and kind, but thats only plus what I can unfortunatelly say. Restaurant was pretty empty(maybe 3 tables in and 6 out), we ordered two starters and two meals, they didn't bring me my starter. We refused to have starter with the main, they appologized, so we really hoped everything will be great after. We waited really long for the main - after forgotten starter I really thought we will be first on the list, but they brought food to every other guest what we saw. Then we got the main - burger was okey, little dry, but okey. But the rumpsteak was disaster, little piece(barely 150g raw weight) of completely flat meat (lets say 1 cm high), which my partner ordered medium rare and got well done(logically, that flat meat you will hardly do any other way) with flavor of burned grill, for 22 pounds just for steak(side paid extra). We would love to try some drink and desert, but we left quickly, as we have been really unsatisfied. Such a shame. Definitely not coming back for food - maybe will come back for a drink at some point on a terace, as the drinks really looked good, but it was a huge disappointment.

The restaurant interior and the terace looks nice, staff was very polite and kind, but thats only plus what I can unfortunatelly say. Restaurant was pretty empty(maybe 3 tables in and 6 out), we ordered two starters and two meals, they didn't bring me my starter. We refused to have starter with the main, they appologized, so we really hoped everything will be great after. We waited really long for the main - after forgotten starter I really thought we will be first on the list, but they brought food to every other guest what we saw. Then we got the main - burger was okey, little dry, but okey. But the rumpsteak was disaster, little piece(barely 150g raw weight) of completely flat meat (lets say 1 cm high), which my partner ordered medium rare and got well done(logically, that flat meat you will hardly do any other way) with flavor of burned grill, for 22 pounds just for steak(side paid extra). We would love to try some drink and desert, but we left quickly, as we have been really unsatisfied. Such a shame. Definitely not coming back for food - maybe will come back for a drink at some point on a terace, as the drinks really looked good, but it was a huge disappointment.

By far the friendliest bar staff in Oxford, great food and drinks, perfect venue.

We stopped off for a cocktail on our way to another venue. The drinks were fabulous.

i hated it so much!! Disgusting food 😍😄

A planned family meal left us feeling cheated. Two of us ordered the rump steak only to be severed 6 tiny slivers on a plate with nothing else. For £20 a head this is utterly outrageous. The atmosphere is great but go for a drink. Don't ever eat there.

The vibes are unmatched and the drinks are insanely tasty and creative. The food never disappoints and neither do the lovely people serving it.

Ordered the rice bowls. Rice was gluggy, portions were small, meat was cold, not enough sauce. Very disappointing

While the atmosphere was nice enough, service could have been better. Drinks were not bought to our table and their "affects" didn't withstand the weather outside, causing bubbles to pop and smoke to disappear. Also a little pricy with one drink coming to around £10 to £12 on average. Overall a good place for special occasions but not an everyday hang.

Very good food. Highly recommend.

I have mixed feelings about the Alchemist. It is more style over substance. The drinks always look great, but for me they lack substance and flavour. There are better and cheaper places in Oxford to get a decent cocktail.

Reuben was absolutely incredible. He took time out of his break to seat us and had excellent suggestions of drinks. We were a party of 9 who received outstanding service from him. Thank you Reuben, you've made our evening!!!

Lovely setting nice and relaxed atmosphere

Their cocktails are all too sweet. Not anything especial!

George Hill was amazing. We came for my sisters hen party and he provided such a great service

Tasty food and fabulous cocktails! The staff was very friendly too.

Great theater of the cocktails and they put just as much effort into the virgin ones.

Really Enjoyable Atmosphere with friendly service and great food.

Exciting cocktails and delicious food (you rarely get delicious food in Oxford), the servers are nice! 🥰

Excellent place with lovely food, great service, atmosphere was great, friendly staff, with good views over the Colleges of Oxford.

Great atmosphere! Good for a quick night out The cocktail was delicious and I ordered a non-alcoholic one and it was better than I expected. I recommend it.

The drinks are so exciting!! And the food is really nice

Nice atmosphere, good service, really nice deserts.

Fun. Food and drink with a theatrical flair.

Nibbles and starters are great!

Attended as a group of 12 for the alchemist brunch. Service was good albeit a little slow at times. Food tasty but portions very small. Cocktails amazing and magical. Thanks for having us!

Very nice place to have a drink.

Food was great but the theatrical cocktail making was brilliant

Mac donald will be better food to eat ! No worthy to visit .

Lovely place for cocktails on a night out

Very busy but something different. I'm impressed with the bar staff and their extensive knowledge of all the cocktails they have to make.

Absolutely a fantastic place to kick back on a Friday after work. The entire theme was amazing. The best part about it were the science themed drinks. We had the pear pressure and it was delicious. A nice fruity yet deceptive drink. You may not be able to stop. We had three each and almost kept going. The mix of science and flavour was absolutely brilliant. I won't go into detail about it so as to not spoil the first hand experience for new patrons but trust me it's wonderful. Adding to the overall appeal was the music. My brother was hoping to beat of the music all night and I can't say I wasn't either but don't tell him that. It's our little secret. The only downside was the food actually. It's not bad but it's not the best fish and chips I've had either. Too much breading and the sauces were not to my liking. I'm sure most Brits like mushy peas and sour mayo salad but my Trinidadian palette wasn't having it.

Poor service, 3 members of staff stood talking at a table, took ages stood at the bar for someone to take our order. Asked a female member of staff if we could order, she said yes, and then walked off and didn't come back? Drinks themselves were anticlimactic, none of the showmanship you'd expect for the price

I've been here 3 times over the last two years, each time seeking cocktails. The first two times I was unimpressed - they were more about presentation than taste - but the third time I went the flavour matched the amazing presentation, so I would be willing to continue to patronise this establishment and give them more chances since they seem to be working on improvement. The prices aren't particularly low for the area so they really need to make sure the quality is good to justify it.

You need to fit in, 6 pac and ferrari and you get spoken to.

We had a fantastic time! All the staff were so helpful, even when our train was cancelled, and had to change times, they were so understanding and accommodating. They were friendly and fun in they're service too! The food was lovely, we went for brunch and had the breakfast wrap.... Yum! And the cocktails were so tasty, and were visually stunning!

absolute vibe, george was holding the fort down behind the bar like a legend, and the cocktails were coming out rapid and awesome as always 🤟

Always great to stop off and have a bit to eat and a few cocktails whilst shopping

Came here twice first time on valentine's Day and this weekend both times the staff has been brilliant walm and welcoming food brilliant even tho on my second visit the steak sandwich is no great, Cocktails are on the pricey side but worth it , will return On 1st visit was maded well aware of the service charge that was well respected and well worth paying

Very nice concept of bar. Since I was graduated as chemist as well, I highly liked this bar, they have various type of cocktails which were served in a chemical laboratory apparatus. All of them were stunning, my friends ordered different types so we could see what they could amaze us and it was hilarious! Highly recommended place.

If you like waiting an age for a gimmicky drink (and Love Island) you'll probably think this is the coolest place ever.

Exquisite place..great food locale and friendly service.

Lovely atmospere would recommend

My recent visit to this establishment left me deeply disappointed and frustrated with the level of service and unprofessional behavior displayed by the staff, particularly the manager. Upon arrival, we were not given menus and had to wait for a considerable amount of time before we had to ask for them ourselves. This initial lack of attention to detail set the tone for the rest of our experience. When it finally came time to place our order, it took an incredibly long 20 minutes for a staff member to take our order. This delay left us feeling neglected and undervalued as customers. However, the most distressing incident occurred when our drinks were served. The manager, who was serving them, rudely pushed in front of the lovely gentleman taking our order, showing a complete disregard for proper etiquette. To make matters worse, she handed us the drinks without any instructions, resulting in a spill that soaked two customers' knees. Shockingly, she did not apologize or offer any assistance in cleaning up the mess, instead walking off as if it were not her responsibility. The quality of the food was also subpar, especially when compared to similar establishments in London. It lacked the creativity and finesse that one would expect from a dining experience. To add insult to injury, when it came time to settle the bill, the manager attempted to charge us for the drink that was spilled. Her approach was aggressive, argumentative, and clearly looking for conflict. This level of unprofessionalism is simply unacceptable. When we raised our concerns with the general manager, we were met with an excuse that the manager may be experiencing personal problems. While understanding personal challenges is important, it does not excuse or justify such behavior, especially in a customer-facing role. This incident has left us with no desire to return to this establishment in the future. In conclusion, the service and behavior exhibited by the manager and staff at this establishment were far below acceptable standards. The lack of attention to detail, poor quality of food, and unprofessionalism displayed throughout our visit were disheartening. I strongly advise others to reconsider visiting this establishment until they address these issues and improve their overall customer experience.

Celebrated a friends birthday here with lunch and cocktails. Food came promptly. Can recommend the Steak sandwich and mixed starter. The pancakes and calamari were delicious too! Well staffed, good food and good atmosphere. Nicely refurbished with clean toilets. Cocktails are fun as well as tasty. Even the tea had dry ice 😁

We did the cocktail masterclass as part of our work Christmas party and it was excellent. The cocktails didn’t taste amazing but were very fun to make and very aesthetically pleasing.

Came here before the theatre so we were impressed with the speedy service of the food, sadly not all as hot as it could be but very nice all the same. Cocktails are also great but then they always are here Service was OK, great at first but when someone went off shift it did slow down a bit but all in all another good experience.

Christmas Dinner for a works party was really poor. The drinks, as usual, were amazing, and their normal menus is always bang on. I will always drop in for a drink when I'm nearby.

Slow, rude & dangerous service. Advised of allergies, got plates mixed up as did not take seriously. Incredibly slow service. Asked to remove service charge, rude response. Paid cash, no change. Very disappointed and upsetting how my daughter and friends were treated.

Hash brown balls are insane - definitely recommend with any breakfast!!! So so good. The pancakes with bacon and syrup were tasty but honestly the hash brown balls were another level

This place is truly wonderful. The customer service is consistently top-notch, and you rarely have to wait in line. The staff treats everyone really well, and the food is of excellent quality. I particularly noticed the absence of the 'gin bug' cocktail on their menu – it's a must-try!

had a fantastic evening, will definitely book again

Stoped for some snacks and a break from shopping. The bar was busy but service was quick. Went for 3 of the nibbles, they were all fab but the mayo either the crispy mushrooms was just amazing. Great place with a buzzing atmosphere.

Came on a Thursday evening for a drink. Hardly anyone in the bar. Had 2 people in front of us but still took about 15 minutes for the one server to get around to us. Drinks were Ok but the service was awful! Atmosphere was pretty drab.

I went out on a date and the music at the venue was extremely loud, which made it difficult for me to enjoy myself. The place was supposed to be more like a pub, not a club, where you can have a good time and relax. Unfortunately, the loud music made it a less-than-ideal night out.

Great cocktails you can watch being created by expert staff

The cocktails here were amazing and well made. However I don’t think I have ever collectively seen a group of staff as miserable as those on shift last night. I did wonder if they had had a massive argument before the shift started as I didn’t see a smile pass anyone’s lips to customers or each other for the half an hour we were at the bar. Shame as

What a place!!!. The cocktails were absolutely mind blowing and none alcoholic options are available. And one great thing under eighteens are welcome up to 8pm.Don't forget your phone/camera for great photos. Only one criticism, it's expensive, but worth it for a special treat and stunning views over Oxford city from the outside seating area's,the staff are brilliant,thumbs up from me.👍🍹🧃🥂🥃.

Popped in when in Oxford, what a great place to eat and drink. It was very busy and we managed to get a table (for an hour in between bookings) and we were really well looked after. Clearly the specialist drinks menu is their USP, we were not disappointed, the drinks were served with care and the drama was great when we added the "ingredients" at the table. The food was excellent, of fine quality and served with as much care. A little pricey, however we knew what we were paying up front so it wasn't an issue. Check the bill as the optional "service charge" is already included in the total.

Excellent lava lamp cocktail and duck and pancakes! Music a bit loud for chatting but good atmosphere.

The Alchemist is located on top of the shopping centre with indoor and outdoor seating. Blankets are provided for added comfort.  There are lovely views of Oxford. The bar has a nice selection of cocktails. It is a wonderful spot for socialising and taking in the scenery. 🍹

Bottomless rip off pay £40 for only 3 drinks and rude staff who claim to have watched cctv for when we sat down, poor management maybe they should be watching their staff making sure they are proactively tending to customer instead of trying to get away with least drinks possible, expensive and tacky experience. Complained but no use and no refund

Visited 14/10/23 with my wife - Blonde bar lady needs a shout out for the amount of complex cocktails she managed to serve in a short time, shame there wasn't more staff on though so took a while to get served. Drinks were decent & good atmosphere

Very disappointed, used to love the alchemist when it opened in Oxford. Today we visited, and it cost a fortune for food which was not great at all. Would have preferred a pret sandwich. £50 for 2 drinks and 2 mains! Excluding service! Won't be back, try Mowgli street food much better.

Can’t comment on the main courses because we’ve always had a buffet of Nibbles and Starters but the food has always been excellent with a fast and friendly service.

Went with a big group and were catered for three courses. The starters vegetarian gyoza was ok and the katsu curry had some rice thay were under cooked which was not nice. The next level brownie on the other hand was incredible!! Although each courses took quite a lot of time overall the service speed was adequate. The issue was the fact that music kept getting louder and they kept reducing the light. The entrance area felt more like a bar and our area although seemed to be built for dinner guests, there was not enough partition. Would love to come back for drinks but not really for food.

I admit, having read a few of the previous reviews I was in two minds about booking here, but, it turned out to be a five star service. It was a great meal and a great service on a Saturday night.

Nice place friendly they didn't make any more the cocktail I wanted. I wouldn't recommend the place for children.I didn't order anything to eat.

Food absolutely terrible. Fries so full with oil they were inedible. My mum had the duck salad and it was about 10 pieces of duck fat on some leaves! I should have refused to pay. Honestly, shut the kitchen and stick to drinks.