Grad students and where to find them, vol. 1
Green Templeton College + St Antony’s College edition
Some of our international graduate students from Green Templeton College and St Antony’s College recommend a couple of their favourite places to socialise and study around the city — just a few ideas for you to start exploring everything this city has to offer.
The Barefoot Bakery
@barefootoxford | 74A Walton Street
The entire city is so Instagrammable…Barefoot Café is so adorable (Lauren, MSc)
Lauren was really keen on this adorable independent bakery and café in the Jericho area of Oxford (recently rated the 11th ‘hippest’ area in the UK, we’ll have you know). Barefoot specialises in enormous fluffy cakes and has a laid back, pastel eternal-Sunday-afternoon vibe.
Oxford Wine Café (Jericho)
@OxfordWineCafe | 32 Little Clarendon Street
This is so Oxford, this feels so right! (Lauren, MSc)
It’s not unusual to see the odd person essentially running a small business from atop a barrel in the well-lit, rustic-chic interior of the Jericho branch of the Oxford Wine Café.
A beloved local spot for studying and reading, it does serious service to the ‘café’ aspect of its job description — starting with breakfast.
The Royal Oak
@royaloakoxford | 42–44 Woodstock Road
The Royal Oak is a great introduction (if you need one!) to the British institution of the local pub, situated just off the University’s brand new Radcliffe Observatory Quarter — right next to Green Templeton College, in fact.
It’s a great showcase for all the attributes of a quintessential pub: dark wood panelling, friendly dogs and local ales. The GTC students recommended their mulled wine for when the weather gets colder in Michaelmas Term.
White Rabbit
@WhiteRabbitOx | 21 Friars Entry
Technically another pub, but with stunning pizza and a demure hipster living-room décor rather than gammon and wood panelling (admittedly there’s still some wood panelling, just to remind you that it’s a still a pub, but there’s also a jaunty bicycle).
Bring a sweater and don’t eat breakfast.
Eagle and Child
The-Eagle-And-Child | 49 St Giles
Every turn, there’s always something historical at Oxford
You go in to the Eagle and Child and, it’s like, this is the place that C S Lewis used to hang out (Adi and Steph, MSc and MPhil)
Sometimes known locally as the ‘Bird and Baby’, this pub is famous as the former meeting place of Oxford writers’ group the ‘Inklings’, whose members included J R R Tolkien and C S Lewis.
A perfect place to find a dark niche and wonder what it would have been like to hear Tolkien read his first drafts to you between sips of a pint, then wonder if Tolkien even drank pints, then ultimately write your thesis about the role of alcohol in social experiences in The Lord of the Rings.
Ben’s Cookies
@BensCookies | Covered Market
Everyone’s so close in Oxford and you can say ‘meet me for a coffee in five minutes’ (Adi, MSc)
Oxford’s outpost of Ben’s Cookies has the advantage of being right in the historic centre of the city, in the famous Covered Market.
Once you’re in the market, just follow the wafting smell of vanilla and the rustle of giant-cookie-sized paper bags to the crowded booth in the back.
Varsity
@TVCoxford | 9 High Street
If you’re looking for something more cosmopolitan and less…pub-like in an evening venue you might enjoy this recommendation from one of our NYC grad students, famous for its brilliant views of the Oxford skyline.
Other venues our panel thought were worth a visit included the Duke of Cambridge and Angels in Jericho and, on the other side of town, quasi-vintage Be At One near Magdalen College.
Need a recommendation?
Let us know in the comments if you want a particular kind of recommendation and we’ll consult some of our lovely staff and students to get you the answers you need.
Alternatively, if you want to add something to the list, leave your recommendation in the comments along with details of the course you’re on or which college you’re at.
