Quod Brasserie & Bar

I love this place. Beautiful setting, great food, good prices, attentive staff.
I’ve been here a few times and enjoyed each visit. The food is lovely, reasonably priced and quick to arrive.
The restaurant itself is beautiful.

If you’re studying at Oxford… well, I guess you just HAVE to eat here :). I mean it got the attention of my friend and I, and «we didn’t even go here!»
So yeah, that’s how it’s going down. We were visiting my friend’s cousin here and she treated us to eat here as a graduation gift. Lovely atmosphere with not too many students, but more so students and their parents, and other adults.
I’m really here to rave about their pizza. I thought it was delicious, massive (as you see with my photo), and I love that we got a 3-​for-​1 deal. No complaints! But some leftover slices, for sure. Pricey from what I remember which is why I gave four stars, but a solid choice to treat yourself out.

Have been here twice– the first was for dinner, the second for afternoon tea.
The first dinner experience before a college ball was good– the food was slow but well prepared. However, there was a lack of consistency– both my friend and I ordered the steamed mussel dish, but the broths seemed completely different when they arrived at the table. Not a huge problem since both were delicious.
The second time, however, I ordered scones and they were completely forgotten about for an hour!
The ambiance is great, but the restaurant rides on the décor and ‘dazzle’ to compensate for poor service and mediocre food. Lots of yuppie types.

We recently stayed at The Old Bank and dined in The Quod for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The service is attentive, the atmosphere contemporary yet warm and the menu very «correct», as the French say. In addition, the food is well prepared and the breads are quite good. The offerings are classics with just enough new garnishes to make them seem less «grandma» and more fresh/​today. As a fan of spice, my only suggestion would be to encourage the chef to be willing to have a heavier hand on the spicing of the international options (the couscous and vegetable tagine for example). If you have the chance, ask to sit on the private patio out back. The code to the wifi is provided to each guest upon seating — thank you. We will certainly be back.

I recently stayed at the Old Bank Hotel and dined at its restaurant for both dinner and breakfast. Breakfast was OK, I had the buffet, but dinner was delicious. It had a more elegant atmosphere in the evening, and the cod and potatoes I ordered were cooked perfectly. Plus, how could you beat a view of Oxford University?

We stayed at the Old Bank and were fortuitous enough to have this restaurant located right next door.
The food, service and ambiance were great. While it appears like a very upscale restaurant they were fully welcoming of my wife and I and our 8 month old.
The pricing is a bit up there, but from what we saw this was one of the nicest restaurants in the area.
My one regret is not capitalizing on their tea service.

I had a great experience at the bar. I ducked in for an early dinner and ate exclusively appetizers (always the best part of anything, right?) I had some great gazpacho with crayfish, and some rabbit rillets (which could have had a tad more salt, but were tasty anyhow.)
A little more bread would have made it the perfect «snack at the bar» dinner.
I also had a terrific cocktail which was definitely not light on the liquor (or maybe that was the jetlag that knocked me on my butt?)

An impress-​your-​parents sort of venue, Quod is well-​placed along the central street of dreaming spires. Frankly, this is what gives it the audacity to charge what it does. Fine dining it is not– with a limited breakfast menu, average lunch selection, and merely satisfactory dinner menu. I have been to Quod almost a dozen times, each instance of frequenting the establishment being beyond my control of selection and each resulting in an overall rating of 3 stars.
Quod is attached to the Old Bank hotel, an upscale and very central locale for those coming to Oxford to visit their matriculated students, attend a meeting, or visit their alma mater. Needless to say, it attracts an affluent crowd consequently moulding the restaurant into a classy, and modern interior. Prim and glassy from the outside, the inside is expansive and contemporary. I never met a table or area there that I didn’t like whether I was in a classic face-​to-​face central area or in the long table in the back or in the deep red-​painted private room. However, I am always left staring at the bill wondering how in the world it corresponded to anything I ate. The breakfast is nice and the upside is that your wallet will not be weighing your trousers down on the way out… The downside is that you will be charged almost £8 pounds for your omelette if you want any toppings with the 12.5% gratuity. If you want the Continental laid out buffet then you are looking at £15 but you will have access to croissants, juice, and fruit. Full English? £15. You get the point. I am a fan of the Eggs Florentine though…
I was sorely disappointed that our al-​a-​carte menu options were cut in half when I brought a group of *10* people in for my birthday. Yea, without any notice. Thank you.
Lunch is quite expensive and changes every month for the set menu but when I went there the only reasonably priced item (no, I won’t pay £13 for a pear and walnut salad entrée) was the hamburger which was good for the money. The chicken dish sounded nice as well.
Dinner here varies. I was not a fan of the dumpling soup which was a let down due to awkward seasoning and hard (cold in the middle) dumplings. Way to ruin a soulful dish. The steak I approve of and is usually very nice with something quite addictive about their fries. The duck confit gave me the faith to come again. But desserts were less than pleasing, though maybe it’s because I didn’t opt for the Spotted Dick, custard? Someone else is going to have to let me know if that’s any good…
If your guests are easily impressed with scenery and a well known brand name of Oxford visitors, take them here. If they have slightly higher gastronomic standards– go towards Jericho.
PS: Terrible French 75 here. Not a fan of their cocktails.

We stayed at the Old Bank Hotel and were too tired after arriving to go beyond the hotel restaurant, Quod, for dinner. I’m glad we tried it. I had the special of the day, grilled whole bream, which I had not had before. It was outstanding, cooked perfectly, one of the best fish dishes I’ve had. The following night, we did something We rarely if ever do– we had dinner at Quod again. This time I had seafood pasta, which was very good, if not as memorable as the bream. Quod also makes a great cup of coffee.

I ordered the roast chicken with saffron risotto as not much else on the menu intrigued me. It was quite good and I’m glad to have gotten it. Service could have been better, I didn’t see my server from the time I order until she cleared my plate, so I couldn’t order another drink.

The food is good, but not great, and it is very expensive. I’ve dined here twice, and both times there were disappointments at our table. A steak special one evening was extremely chewy and flavorless, despite being billed as «the most flavorful» cut of meat. One member of my party ordered a grouse special, and was extremely disappointed — the bird was fairly dry, extremely gamey, and was not flavorful.
On the other hand, the insalata caprese is large, and excellent. The steak tartare with raw egg on top was also fantastic. The atmosphere is very upscale, trendy, and classy. Quod definitely aspires to be a «fine dining» restaurant, but the quality of the food isn’t consistent enough to be up to par with the very high prices.

#570 After eyeing Quod for the past three months, I finally had a reason to try it out — May Day. To be honest, we were actually aiming for Mission Burrito for some breakfast, but apparently they decided to cancel their extended hours at the last minute. So, we ended up here for some champagne and a light breakfast instead. Now, we didn’t go light on purpose; it just seems that Quod serves only appropriately-​sized servings. Consequently, we had to suck it up and avoid ordering a third entrée to share. Ha.
Anyways, the interior décor is quite nice, definitely a step (or two) up from your usual pub offerings in the area. It was nice to feel like a grown-​up, as well as escape the insanity of the uni kids out in the streets. It’s much larger than it looks from the outside since it extends much further back than is expected. We were seated towards the back on a lumpy booth. Well, no, I was seated on the lumpy booth, while I enviously watched as Adam B. sank into his sturdy wooden chair. Oh well, I’ll just play myself the world’s tiniest violin.
Ordering didn’t take too long as they had an incredibly limited menu for May Day breakfast — The English, Eggs Florentine, Smoked Salmon with Scrambled Eggs, and the Breakfast Box. I went with the Smoked Salmon & Scrambled Eggs (£8.95), while the boyfriend went with The English (£11.00). We also ordered a glass of champagne each (£8.50) The food didn’t take too long to whip up, so we had our champagne and entrees within 15 minutes’ time.
I was underwhelmed as our dishes were exactly as described in the menu, with absolutely no flourish or special ingredients to warrant such high costs. My smoked salmon was savory, although lighter in taste than what I’ve had in the past, but it was drenched in watery scrambled eggs. I suppose the chef might have splashed too much milk into the pot because they were not impressive. I was also surprised at the fact that my «English muffin» was actually just half an English muffin. It came across as skimpy, considering how small the entire entrée was to begin with. The boyfriend was more impressed with his dish, but I don’t see how anybody could mess up an English breakfast. He also thought the sausage was the best he’s ever had. So, compliments for that, I guess. As for our champagne, it was your standard Prosecco, so nothing to write home about.
We finished rather quickly and didn’t feel like lingering, so we asked for our bill right away. They charge a standard 10% service fee, which I felt was unearned for such an early morning. All in all, I considered myself full and happy when I left, so that was a good sign. But, I wouldn’t come back, what with all of the other amazing and more affordable options just down the street.

Food average and overpriced– you pay for the location and venue in my opinion. The menu is small, so you expect that the food will be great, but in my view it’s not worth the few pounds extra you’ll pay compared to a restaurant with less aspirations to greatness.

It was a rainy day in Oxford, and we needed to get out of the cold and damp. It wasn’t quite the homey pub we were looking for, but the food was great. This place serves an excellent Sunday roast. The lamb is better than the beef — so soft and soaked in delicious juice. The kale was excellently cooked, and the veg was flavourful and tender. They get all of their beef from a few miles away, and the quality shows.
We split the chocolate pot for dessert, which was tasty.
Gluten-​free notes: The roast (minus the yorkshire pudding) is naturally gluten-​free as are many of their desserts.

We are Oxford residents and often drop into this pleasant bar for a drink or a snack. The ambiance is great but this is an Oxford institution that has seen better days.
On the last two occasions when we have eaten here the food has been hugely disappointing — they seem to be paring down quality and quantity — I was served a Salad Nicoise as a main course without any tuna (which is usually the main ingredient) and the soup came without bread — in the recent past they served lovely sourdough with olive oil.
Complaints are not answered and they really don’t seem to care if their customers are not happy — in future we shall be sticking to a glass of wine and a nibble whilst enjoying the newspapers.

Considering that its difficult to find much outside of pub-​style venues in Oxford (it is afterall, a college town) Quod is more than a cut above. The wine list was nice as were the presentation and entrees.
I was with a friend who is Italian so she, of course, ordered the garlic cheese bread app, which was suprisingly good for a restaurant that specializes in more traditional British fare.

This suits for a posh Sunday roast. It won’t be as homey as a pub’s Sunday roast, but the quality is excellent, the portion is larger than expected and the plating is lovely.
The chef’s suggestions (i.e. specials) are to be taken seriously. The day we dined, the special roast was beef with yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes and steamed veg. The price of the chef’s suggestions is slightly lower than its counterparts on the standard menu by perhaps a pound.
Three of us ordered the roast, and I got the roast lamb and everyone thoroughly enjoyed their food.
The chef’s suggestion for pudding was panacotta with fresh raspberries and mint. Shared with friends, it was gone quickly.
The atmosphere is open and airy, with dark wood tables and big windows. It’s very photogenic.

I have to say I was kind of disappointed by my experience here. I was expecting it to really blow me away. Don’t get me wrong, the food is good, but there’s nothing imaginative about it and certainly nothing special enough for the pretty high prices. The fishcake I had was bland and uninteresting, but the crab starter was ok. I think there are many better options to be found in Oxford.

I was served by the rudest Russian waitress I have ever had the misfortune to come across at this restaurant, I’ve never been made to feel more unwelcome in a place. I will never go back nor would recommend it to anyone.
Very boring, suprerior and stuck up. Poor value for money.

I never really gave this restaurant much thought until trying to organise a 90^th birthday party (not mine).
This restaurant has an excellent atmosphere, and something for everyone from the menu. Age range of party was 13 to 90, and everyone thought their menu choice was fantastic. Italian-​sh, but also Sunday Roasts etc.
Seating a bit cramped, prices fair. Waitress AWESOME :-)
Tip: Students; take your visiting parents hereas long as they are paying. They will be impressed.
At certain times you can park in the small Old Bank Hotel car park if you are eating here.