The Folly in Oxford

Food was cold and had to be recooked. No atmosphere as we were the only diners. Delivery mid meal meant the door was wide open so room temperature plummeted. Main course at £32 was definitely not worth the money.

What a fantastic restaurant! We were still talking about the food today. The serving staff were really friendly and patient. The food was incredible. The place was busy but there was plenty of space and it didn’t ever feel too loud or crowded. Hope to return!

Mash potatoes with belly pork had a strange taste to say the least. Carrot cake tasted nothing like carrot cake. Pudding portions despite being over priced were very small

Lovely afternoon tea. Food was fresh and the scones weee delicious. Service was excellent as well.

Lovely venue but VERY cold. I was so shocked that they added 12.5% service charge to the afternoon tea, which was already expensive. Such a shame.

Very good restaurant. We were here with 10+ group of friends. Everybody find something good. Food is testy. The staff if helping and friendly. Recommended!

Lovely place and lovely service . Great for allergies.

Very friendly staff. Great service and lovely food. But it was just so chilly in there. People were wearing their coats on the next table. Yes it was a cold day, but no excuse for not boosting up the heat.

Amazing venue and beautiful food! Service was outstanding, cannot wait to return! Thank you for your hospitality

Very good food and very good service

I've been here for afternoon tea and dinner. It's such a lovely restaurant on the river with a pleasant atmosphere. They have outdoor pods to dine in or the interior restaurant. Really nice food. Great place for a date if you are so inclined. Nice place to meet a friend for a coffee catch up.

Absolutely wonderful place, buzzing but plenty of space. Delicious food, charming staff. Not to be missed when in Oxford.

Lovely experience - not only was the Afternoon Tea great and very reasonably priced, the location is great and the host was really special. We will definitely come back again!

The afternoon tea was of the highest quality - warm scones plus a selection of sandwiches and some lovely mini desserts. Really clean, great view of the water and great value too. Will definitely return and would definitely recommend.

The Folly is one of the best restaurants in Oxford. We were surprised it was not more crowded, but that makes for a pleasant experience. The food is consistently both interesting and excellent, the staff are attentive and helpful, the location is convenient and the setting by the river is rather magical. Completely recommend.

Excellent food and attentive staff. Recommended! We shall return!

The Folly was a lovely, quaint and decadent dining experience. The service and food were exceptional, and the atmosphere was calm and relaxing. Thank you, The Folly!

Lovely setting, great food. Rather pricey and portions not over-generous but food imaginative and beautifully presented.

We absolutely love the folly. What a beautiful setting it is right next to the river. You are always given a warm friendly welcome from all the staff and the food is simply delicious. Thank you for another wonderful experience.

One of the nicest meals I've had in a long time. Beautifully presented, delicious food. Visited on a Sunday night and the restaurant was very quiet, which was a pity. The staff were very attentive and the service quick.

Lovely food in a great setting. Portion size was just right and the flavours were amazing.

We were on a corporate trip & had our dinner with our team of 25 people. Great food & great service. We had our dinner outdoor seating inside a dome.

Really lovely birthday dinner for my partner. The mains were 10/10- but my only disappointment was the duck starter, it looked beautiful but it lacked flavour and the duck was tepid and the flavour mix was bland/unusual. However, it may be that it wasn’t to my taste and my partners soup was very nice! Other than that, absolutely lovely and great staff and the best pork I’ve had in a long time ☺️ Thank you!

We hired the white dome for our daughter’s 21st birthday. It looked really pretty when we arrived. The service was very attentive all evening, the food was all really tasty and the wines good. It seated 25 of us and was really warm and cosy with the heaters. All in all we had a great evening!

We arrived early, but that was no problem. The friendly staff showed us to a table, answered a couple of questions and took our order promptly. Before the food arrived, a large party came and were shown to a table immediately behind ours. They were noisy, with loud voices and even louder laughter. We asked to be moved, and that was arranged with no fuss. The food was good, I was impressed by the quality and imagination behind the vegetarian dish I chose. The wine was very enjoyable. One of the staff acknowledged the noise issue as we left. We will go back, possibly in summer to enjoy the view over the Thames.

We went for a Saturday night treat for myself and my partner. We were going to have the tasting menu, but everything sounded delicious so instead we had three starters, two mains and two desserts! Naughty, but so so tasty. The food was all fantastic. The staff were al brilliant. They are friendly, attentive, thoughtful and provided excellent service. We sat in one of the winter pods outside and they delivered us a button to press should we need any service help. We never needed to use the button. There were blankets if we got chilly, but the pods are so cost, we were fine. We were even able to use their mini speaker and play our own music to add to the atmosphere. It was just the most perfect night in Oxford I have experienced in years. I own a local tours company and will be telling all my guests to come here. Thank you to all The Folly team for a wonderful evening.

Nice location, spacious inside, only 1 lavatory I could find and the smallest piece of fish (as a mackerel starter) I have ever seen.

The service was ok, though when we asked for the bill it never came, we had to ask again and even then had to take it to the counter to finally pay. The fish was good but the Jacob’s ladder was chewy, small and the rib membrane was still on it which I didn’t know until it was in my mouth. The mains came before we had completed the starter also - v poor esp as we weren’t given an option to say no to the mains and had to move the starters to one side. The wine (valpollicella) was also ok but nothing special considering the price. We were even charged £3.95 for a bottle of still water for the table which I could only guess was from the tap. The reviews of this place were good and as I wanted a special evening for me and the wife, it seemed the perfect place, but sadly it was not the case considering the meal for 2 cost £146 all in. Won’t be promoting the place in the future but hope this feedback does improve the Folly.

Fantastic food & wine. Great ambience. Expensive, but well worth the money.

Amazing food, lovely ambience, attentive staff. Great place for a treat.

It was lovely and great value. They kindly fit us in earlier, which was very kind of them.

Went for anniversary dinner in the restaurant, I ordered a drink took ages to arrive so chased up order with waiter who just ignored us. Drink didnt come until 2 mins before food arrived no explanation as to why. Food was superb but service was terrible. I wouldn't recommend this place for couples as other places offer good food as well as great service for similar price. Maybe as a group the service was more attentive but as a couple you are ignored.

Overall disappointed, food is amazing however service was terrible, went as a couple and was ignored by the service staff , didn't even receive a drink until our food arrived, waiter ignored us would rather chat with the staff at the bar, it's a shame as the food was amazing, the staff seemed more concerned with groups than a couples in our experience, would recommend going elsewhere for the price.

We came here after a long travel day and boy was it great The drinks were amazing and the food divine I loved the classy but laid back atmosphere with the old school desks and chairs So cool I had a fish dish it was incredible and the service was great

Excellent food & service. Lovely atmosphere. We went as a group of 4 and we all had a lovely time.

We love the Folly. Warm and friendly atmosphere, great service and wonderful food. If you’re in Oxford, a visit to The Folly is a great option. We came back a second night on our most recent trip. Thank you!

The Folly was highly recommended by a friend in Oxford. We now can agree 100% with the high acclaim. The staff are absolutely wonderful hosts, the setting is warm and charming and we had our best meal yet in Oxford. Thank you!

Disappointing visit for the taster menu. Having said that, staff were faultless - friendly and attentive at all times. The food was, however, a let down. Mass produced bread for a the first course of an expensive 7 course menu was just inexcusable, an obvious fill in without costing more than a few pence. Although billed as homemade, it most certainly wasn't and tastier with more texture replacement could be found in Tesco. The rest of the courses were certainly tasty but suffered from too much budgeting, despite it being £75 per head (plus £9.37 service charge). Cutlery was, at times, poor quality and tarnished which detracted from what should be a special occasion.

Disappointing visit for the taster menu. Having said that, staff were faultless - friendly and attentive at all times. The food was, however, a let down. Mass produced bread for a the first course of an expensive 7 course menu was just inexcusable, an obvious fill in without costing more than a few pence. Although billed as homemade, it most certainly wasn't and tastier with more texture replacement could be found in Tesco. The rest of the courses were certainly tasty but suffered from too much budgeting, despite it being £75 per head (plus £9.37 service charge). Cutlery was, at times, poor quality and tarnished which detracted from what should be a special occasion.

Really good experience. The view is amazing, and people are really kind. Little bit disappointed about the beef burger because of the texture, but the taste was nice Cheese goat Panna cotta is nice and the risotto amazing Thank you:)

Thoroughly enjoyed ourselves at The Folly, the food was delicious and the service excellent. Would highly recommend.

Friendly service and great environment

Lovely experience for a birthday tea We were blessed with the weather but even if the sun hadn't shined inside was also lovely with a beautiful view. Lovely cakes and pastries, brilliant service from staff

Great atmosphere and tasty afternoon tea!

We went for afternoon tea and thoroughly enjoyed the experience but are not likely to return for tea. The ambiance and service we fine and they had noted our request. The scones were amazing - absolutely delicious and it was great that they offer refill on hot drinks. Not a fan of sandwiches but they were fresh and tasty. There was a selection of three cakes, which weren’t freshly made. OK, but the pastry was not crisp and one of them was dry and tasteless (strawberry). A bit disappointing. As they add 12.5% service charge, the total for four people comes to £103.28, which we found too much for what we got. If the cakes had been as good as the rest, we would have been happy and would probably return with our next visitors.

Absolutely amazing food, service, wine and location. Very chatty about what to do on our stay in Oxford. Deserve a Michelin star the food quality was brilliant. Wine pairings were brilliant.

Afternoon tea was disappointing and drinks very overpriced

Great food, great service, lovely venue; expensive but worth it for a major celebration.

Attentive service but feels overpriced. £22.95 for a burger Big portions View of river blocked by white canary which is disappointing The smell of cleaning spray staff were using around us to clean tables was overbearing

Lovely afternoon tea. Value for money, scones are devine.

Beautiful little gastro pub in scenic location just by the river. Came here for rainy September day, but can imagine it being even better on a beautiful summer day. Interior is very nice, creating a lovely atmosphere. Service is nice and friendly. Food was perhaps a little bit on the pricey side for what you get, but not completely unreasonable. Has a nice liver pâté starter and the pork belly for main. Both nice dishes. - Value for money? Somewhat - Worth a detour? No - Best for (occasion)? - Would I go back? Yes

Booked the Folly to try out the Tasting Menu.....booked table for 8.30pm and arrived 8.20pm but when we arrived the server asked and came back to tell us they stopped serving the Tasting Menu at 8pm? Very dissapointed as when we made the reservation there was no indication this was the case. Ordered a bottle of wine.....one of the glasses they brought over was dirty. Ordered starters....I had the goats cheese panna cotta with beetroot. Couldnt taste any goats cheese in this dish which I found surprising due to goats cheese having quite a distincive flavour/taste normally. For main I ordered lamb....was not asked how I would like this cooked by the server and it arrived overdone for me. Tasteless, no seasoning whatsoever on the lamb....the main question the server asks when they bring the food to the table is " would you like salt and pepper"? They then add a service charge to your bill which I found was ridiculous as this should be optional if the service is good! The tables were being cleaned as customers left the establishment by a very strong chemical smelling agent. This was very unpleasant whilst trying to eat your meal.....i would recommend something not so pungent for cleaning tables as noone want to smell chemicals whilst they are eating. For the money I found this to be of poor value and shall not be returning....

The Folly in Oxford offers riverside dining with scenic views. It serves modern british cuisine using local ingredients. Highlights include scallops and pork belly. The atmosphere is elegant yet relaxed. While the setting is picturesque, some find it overpriced and service can be inconsistent. It's a good choice for those prioritizing ambiance over value.

The Folly is a great venue to celebrate a special occasion. We visited for our 25th wedding anniversary and had a wonderful dinner. Staff were exceptionally friendly and courteous without being stuffy. We enjoyed all three course and would definitely recommend the experience to others. If I was to be picky the only minor criticism is that the staff could have been a bit more smartly dressed. But overall, GREAT - Thank you.

We went on the river cruise with afternoon tea, it was such a pleasant treat. The food was delicious. The trip on the river was beautiful, so relaxing and interesting, the chap driving the boat was so knowledgeable and had a lovely sense of humour. I would definitely recommend a visit

I visited The Folly for an afternoon tea, after exploring various other options in Oxford. While I find afternoon teas to be generally overpriced, this one appeared to be among the stronger alternatives (cost-value), and I was not disappointed. The tea was lovely, included veggie options, and we got to enjoy it right next to the river. I highly recommend it!

We had been before and enjoyed our food even if pricey. We returned with guests, but were disappointed with the food, and therefore definitely thought it was overpriced. The pork belly was overcooked and not well presented, and the cherry tart (£10) was almost without cherries! This is a nice venue, the service is pleasant, but the prices are far too high for the quality.

It was generally good but for the price I was expecting a bit better setup and atmosphere.

I went to have a nice Sunday dinner with my parents, and we ended up enjoying a wonderful evening. Two of us had the Catch of the Day with some vegetable extras, and one of us had the Lamb Pave. We all found the food to be excellent, starting from the creative recipes to the high standard of cooking and the little thoughtful touches. I would also like to commend how well The Folly handled two differents sets of food allergies. We also ended up having desserts (crème brulée, burnt apricot, cherry tart) which were just as good as the mains. Our general summary was "well-sized portions of excellent food, a great location with nice atmosphere and welcoming and professional service" - a definite recommendation!

The tasting menu was very well presented and with good combinations of flavours - the chef really know what they’re doing. The arancini starter, trout main and cheesecake dessert stood out as my favourite three dishes, they were incredible. I was impressed with the attention to dietary requirements on the tasting menu that seemed to accommodate GF, vegetarian and DF very well. It was also good value for money. The atmosphere was very pleasant and the staff was for the most part friendly and welcoming, aside for one male waiter who was neutral. I would definitely go back, maybe to try the afternoon tea cruise.

An ok restaurant but Michelin star prices for gastropub fare food and atmosphere. Almost double the price for food and service you could get just as good in a half-decent gastropub.

Wonderful afternoon tea in Oxford 😙😍

Highly recommend!!! Great food. Beautifully presented and of great quality. 5 of us went and every plate was clean after each course. Staff were all really friendly and very accommodating. Lovely little place. A real gem.

We only visit Oxford occasionally, but always try and eat at the Folly at least once per trip, and are never disappointed... Can very much recommend...!!

Staff and service were excellent. Food was also nice.

Lovely afternoon tea, delicious, sandwiches, cakes and scones. All presented beautifully. Service was quite slow and had to ask a few times for top ups of drinks as well as having to ask for milk and sugar after teas were brought out. Setting is amazing, we were lucky with the weather so sat outside and it was so peaceful and picturesque would recommend!!

Booked “afternoon tea by the river”. Was seated inside despite booking a few days in advance. Disappointing, especially on a sunny day. Afternoon tea was below average, sandwiches were slightly stale, scones were not cooked through. Way too doughy on the inside and completely broke apart even when trying to gently spread some cream over. A great location let down by bad food. Much better options for afternoon tea in Oxford.

Perfect for an anniversary dinner.

Very nice experience at the Folly. Lovely food. Lovely staff. Will definitely go back.

We had an excellent lunch at The Folly. The food met our expectations and was very good, especially the dessert. The service was excellent, and Isabel made us feel welcome and valued. The location by the river created a great view during our meal. I'm sure we will be back soon.

Our first 💍 anniversary dinner. Had the tasting menu paired with the wine menu. From start to finish all the staff were attentive and helpful, knowledgeable and friendly. Credit to all working that day. I appreciate your standards you've set in place All 5 stars. Will definitely be returning when we visit Oxford again

The food is ok, nothing out of the world. Short menu with elaborate dishes, no "light" option. The service stands out because they are very attentive and pleasant. We went and we were the only table. The prices were higher than what we had seen online.

Food was very average I’m afraid we were really looking forward to eating at the Folly for the first time. We sat outside which was pretty on the river but the building itself was very tatty and in need of some painting. Sorry wouldn’t recommend unfortunately.

My wife and I had an amazing afternoon tea at The Folly. We sat on the patio with a beautiful water front view of the River Thames. All of the food was the delicious, especially the scones.

Our first 💍 anniversary dinner. Had the tasting menu paired with the wine menu. From start to finish all the staff were attentive and helpful, knowledgeable and friendly. All 5 stars. Will definitely be returning

Great food and service, really chatty and took time to explain all the dishes. The only downside of sitting outside was people smoking towards the end of our dinner

Fabulous night out for a 50th birthday meal. We booked for a Friday night due to the restaurant being fully booked on the Saturday for various parties. The belly pork and sea bream were good choices and we enjoyed the chocolate desserts. Thank you for making a memorable first visit to Oxford. We had also booked and went back the next day for the evening cocktail cruise which departed from The Folly. Definitely recommend to others!

Lovely afternoon tea out on the pontoon by the river. Nice place to be, great friendly service. Good value tea, especially given the location. Nice sandwiches, really good scones, and nice cakes.

Very chilled venue, we sat outside on the riverfront. Desserts were brilliantly presented-the blood orange cremeux very fresh. Cocktails were amazing- mango margaritas should only be ordered if you can hack the spice! :) Blueberry mojito was brilliant. The sirloins were cooked perfectly! Along with friendly attentive service :) thanks to Front and Back of house! **** Few suggestions for improvement that would really elevate The staff having a uniform- the lady who seated us in the green dress/jump suit and black trainers was a vibe! The waiters/skipper need to lose the white socks/old white trainers, perhaps wear a matching coloured green shirt, chinos. Black shoes/trainers. Sirloin Jus- needs to be slightly more reduced, other than that, the dish was brill! Outside- just needs small touch ups- the gate being painted as quite rusted. Tarp and rails being cleaned, Swap the chairs or tables to match, not as cohesive as indoors.

The staff was both friendly and impeccable; I never had to wait for anything! I had the afternoon tea service, which was delicious. But, best of all, the location was lovely and relaxing, the perfect end spot after a long day of traveling. I hope to come back and take one of their Thames River boat cruise!

Great location Riverside. We were outdoors on the landing stage as weather was beautiful.

Took a river cruise with picnic, great afternoon out.

The afternoon tea was great. The service is quick and friendly. The atmosphere is very pleasant. There is also a vegan afternoon tea version.

We booked afternoon tea at The Folly for a large family group. We chose Oxford as a central meeting point and therefore had all travelled quite a distance, some of us for over 2.5 hours. We chose The Folly because of its appealing riverside location and the smart, upmarket feel of the website. Unfortunately, the reality is rather more shabby than the marketing suggests. The staff were professional rather than friendly, and the outlook of the restaurant is lovely. The selection of drinks was good and the supplements for extras were reasonable. However, the food was mostly disappointing - the sandwiches were small and very meanly filled with uninspired fillings, the scones were dry and crumbly and the cakes were meagre and almost inedible. To add to this, the toilets are not labelled so we had to guess which was the correct door, and they were not very clean and very smelly. Overall, I will not be returning to The Folly, despite its beautiful location.

We went on the boat trip. Then for a meal at The Folley restaurant, great food friendly staff . The second time we visited here would highly recommend

Honestly, I genuinely hate leaving bad reviews, in fact I’ve never left one. But you need to know, this was the worse afternoon tea I’ve ever had. Basics: the bread was obviously, very stale. If you can’t get white bread right, yeah that sums up the food. The staff were pleasant enough, the venue OK but a bit run down. I think this venue is relying on the tourist knowing no better, but as someone who has afternoon teas regularly, this was the worse I’ve ever had.

Had a lovely afternoon tea here by the river side, service was great really friendly staff, scone was toasty and tasty

Booked a special meal for my husband’s birthday. I was very excited to eat at the Folly for the first time as many friends recommended the place. Not sure what went wrong with my meal, perhaps because I ordered a dairy free option. My “slow cooked” pork was dry and not melting in the mouth as I’d expect it to be. Almost no sauce at all. I can’t believe they charge £32 for some meat (to be fair it was huge!) with steamed vegetables. For dessert I had a blood orange cremeux which lacked blood orange flavour and had too much gelatine. It is nice that they cater for dairy free people but the food wasn’t exciting. My husband’s food (Guinea fowl) seemed much better. I’d call it a hit-and-miss and personally wouldn’t come back again. For me the best thing about the place was its location and pretty ambience.

more of a casual fine dining vibe, nice location. don't understand the extra service charge, considering the food was already so expensive for mid ingredients

Can't comment on the food as we only had a drink however the service was great as was the atmosphere.

Walked here for an early meal at 4 15pm, as it looked a nice resto/pub on the web. They’re not serving food - even thought it’s Saturday afternoon, and mid tourist season. Weird. We went across the street.

Wonderful evening, excellent service from Hugo, delicious food and beautiful setting!

We had a lovely lunch at The Folly, we sat outside as it was a beautiful summers day. The ambience and setting is beautiful and for those reasons we had a lovely lunch. The food was okay but very over priced for the quality of the meal. Service was excellent and we did have a lovely time just left slightly dissapointed by the food for the price it costed.

Excellent food and service. The Bream was cooked beautifully. Nice atmosphere next to the river. Fairly expensive so for us it’s a once a year special treat.

Cafe at the tourist boat dock. We were served great coffee at a good price all the way on board. Mile....

Wonderful celebratory meal on the terrace by the river in the sunshine. Beautiful setting, delicious food and drinks and great service. Really good for dietary requirements (the gluten free dishes were excellent). Would highly recommend!

Riverside dining with a beautiful sunset!

Wonderful celebratory meal on the terrace by the river. Beautiful setting, delicious food and drinks and great service!

Excellent place for High Tea, right on the river so great ambiance. Service very good and reasonable price compared to other places. Highly recommend for High Tea

The Folly is a special restaurant. Great location. Delicious food. Amazing ambience.