Oxford Street: home to shoppers, tourists... and plenty of fantastic restaurants. No, really. Whether you work nearby, are partaking in a hard day's shopping or are meeting friends or a date, we've found some of the best places to eat and drink near Oxford Street and Oxford Circus. Of course, there are plenty of chain restaurants nearby, and while there's nothing wrong with that, we're focusing on more independent restaurants, cafes and bars in the area. For other food and drink options nearby, see our guide to where to eat and drink in Soho, just to the south.
Breakfast or brunch near Oxford Street
Power up before a heavy day of shopping at Riding House Cafe. The Fitzrovia restaurant offers an extensive breakfast menu, ranging from light bites such as brioche French toast and mini Danish pastries to the big guns — Full English (veggie version available) or a Burgerdict (poached egg, beef patty, special hollandaise, tomato, and crispy bacon, all in a delicious-sounding muffin).
For a healthier (and very pretty) start to the day, head to Drunch located on Bond Street. You can't miss it — it's the building dripping in flowers opposite Bonhams:
Think brunch rather than breakfast — it opens at 9am weekdays and 10am at weekends — with the focus on healthy food. Granola, acai bowls and yoghurt feature heavily on the menu, but for our money, the ricotta and berry pancake stack are the reason to visit. The fluffy pancakes are some of the best we've found in London, and the generous helping of berries allows you to fool yourself into thinking it's all healthy.
Coffee shops, cafes and snacks near Oxford Street
Oxford Street isn't short of cookie stalls and waffle shops to give your blood sugar a speedy kick after a long morning shopping, but there are plenty of other options too.
Famously floral Elan Cafe opened an Oxford Circus branch on Market Place in summer 2018. Be warned, it's not cheap (£4.50 for a brownie, another £4.50 for a cappuccino...) and they don't take bookings, so you have to queue at busy times — but if you're all about the Instagram, it's a little slice of heaven.
Attendant coffee shop in Fitzrovia is best know for its location, underground in a former public toilet — but don't let that put you off. The coffee's good quality, the food's all organic (we recommend the banana bread) and your only problem might be getting a seat.
For coffee done the Antipodean way, duck into the back streets behind Marble Arch and head to Daisy Green. The coffee served is a blend made specially for Daisy Green, and is backed up by a decent support team of Aussie breakfasts and brunches and pastries, each dish more colourful than the last.
Coffee connoisseurs will feel right at home at Curator's Coffee Gallery, close to Oxford Circus. Caffeine is an art form here with speciality coffees (and teas) available from the brew bar, and coffee beans and equipment can be bought to recreate the experience at home. Cakes, sandwiches and deli items are available too.
Stroll through St Christopher's Place up to Wigmore Street and you'll find Danish bakery Ole & Steen. Breads, pastries, tarts and pies can be taken away, but really, the delicate creations are all worthy of taking a seat and lingering over. Best get some to take home for later too though — just to be on the safe side.
Lunch near Oxford Street — ideal for a shopping break
Silvios on Duke Street is an Italian-inspired sandwich shop, serving panini, foccacia, bagels and pastries, along with salads and coffees — an office worker's haunt, but a decent one. It's one of four branches, the other three being within 200m of each other near Londonist Towers in Shoreditch (our standard lunch order, FYI, is sausage, cheese and bacon panini, custard muffin and a latte). You might be lucky enough to bag a table, otherwise, take it away.
Don't be put off by the portion sizes at Reynolds Cafe. The sandwiches, wraps and bagels come in smaller sizes than normal, designed for grazers. Rather than getting yourself a sandwich for lunch, get yourself a couple of small rolls... maybe a tiny bagel too... perhaps a mini muffin to finish it off. Basically, it's the sort of place where it's OK to eat three different lunches, and that's something we can definitely get on board with. There's a decent gluten-free menu too.
Delicatessen/brasserie/cafe is how The Epicurean describes itself, a glass building at one end of Brown Hart Gardens in Mayfair. It feels a bit off the beaten track, which is sometimes what you need when you've been mooching around the shops all morning. Prices are pretty reasonable for somewhere that feels so fancy, with sandwiches/toasties for a fiver, and scrambled eggs and poached salmon for under £10 (oh, and wine is available too, should you be having one of those days).
Hot salt beef sandwiches is what The Brass Rail — Selfridges' oldest restaurant — is known for, and you can pick your own meat, bread and sauce to get it just how you like it. Other options include beef hot dogs, chicken noodle soup and chicken schnitzel sandwich. Somewhere to head when you're not absolutely ravenous, but a supermarket sandwich just won't cut it.
Afternoon tea near Oxford Street
If you can face the crowds and chaos of Selfridges, make a beeline for art deco cafe Dolly's and order yourself a full afternoon tea. A range of sandwiches, soft crumbly scones and beautifully decorated cakes and pastries will be served up on the traditional tiered stand, the indulgence of it all letting you forget about the madness outside.
English eccentricity awaits on the fifth floor of House of Fraser. The Tea Terrace is a charming restaurant with focus very much on tea and cake (breakfast and lunch also available, but if you're here, you're here for the cake). We're particular fans of this afternoon tea because you can select your own sandwich fillings and scone choices from quite an impressive menu. For an extra special experience, have afternoon tea in a Cinderella carriage:
You can't book if you want a regular table, but you have to book in advance for that Cinderella carriage.
You've probably walked past Scoff & Banter many times without realising it was there. The tea room is tucked away in the Berkshire Hotel, right behind Disney Store, and options range from a basic high tea to a prosecco or champagne afternoon tea.
Dinner near Oxford Street — after a hard day's shopping
If it's a brief, no frills meal you're after, head up James Street to Slim Chickens. The American fried chicken restaurant opened its first UK outpost here in 2018 and will satiate your appetite for greasy comfort food. Try out a few of the dips too, to liven things up.
Don't be fooled by the name; The Mayfair Chippy isn't your average fryer. Yes, fish and chips is the focus, with beer battered cod and haddock taking centre stage on the menu (around £15... this is Mayfair), but how many other chippies do you know which serve up fried halloumi, sourdough bread, and even vegan 'fish' and chips?
Oysters, mussels and crab also feature, and if fish isn't your thing, British classics such as shepherd's pie and steak and chips are available. Takeaway is an option — if the weather's on your side, head round the corner to Brown Hart Gardens, an elevated public space with plenty of benches.
Burgers, shakes, fries, wings and waffles rule the menu at American diner Tinseltown. Slide on into one of those green booths and wait for the American dream to land on the table in front of you. There's a different offer every day, including Burger Monday and Wings Wednesday. It's open until midnight or 1am depending on the day, serving hot food until 11pm, and those milkshakes after that.
Gastropubs are fairly common in London these days, but The Adam and Eve feels a little unique. Perhaps it's the decor — a suave, sophisticated bar, and a colourful, cosy dining room without all the exposed wood that most gastropubs have as standard. Fish and chips is the speciality here, but other hearty British dishes are readily available. Think burgers, toasties, sausages and mash and steak and ale pie — and the weekend roasts are pretty damn good too.
Fancy restaurants near Oxford Street — for special occasions
Lobster spaghetti, wagyu rump and braised veal cheek are just some of the fancy dishes available at French restaurant Aubaine in Selfridges — and that's even before we get onto the decor. It regularly features on lists of the prettiest places to eat in London, gripped hard in wisteria hysteria, maintaining a lilac hue year round. It's open from breakfast onwards, but we recommend pushing the boat out and heading here for a special occasion dinner. Make sure you leave room for the Nutella profiteroles for dessert.
Posh. Glamourous. Trendy. All words we've used to describe Jason Atherton's Berners Tavern in the past. The dining room is a breathtaking splendour of chandeliers and grand, gilded opulence... and the menu's not too shabby either. Think chateaubriand steak, and champagne served by the glass from the trolley.
Bars, pubs and drinking near Oxford Street
It's often claimed that there's only one pub on Oxford Street, The Flying Horse, down at Tottenham Court Road station. That doesn't mean the rest of the street's a sober wasteland though — there are plenty of places where the booze flows freely.
One of London's smallest bars, Bradley's Spanish Bar is just round the corner from that solitary pub. Spanish and London-brewed beers are the order of the day. It's got one of the last standing vinyl jukeboxes in London, and things are pretty cosy so you're bound to make friends.
The 100 Club is best-known as a live music venue. If it's a full on night out you're after, this place often keeps the action going until the wee hours. Quiet drink? Not so much — although there is a decent craft beer line-up at the bar.
For a more sophisticated evening, head to The Churchill Bar & Terrace at the Hyatt Regency in Portman Square. Winston Churchill spent a lot of time here, and a statue of him sits on the small, street level terrace (the theme and decor of the terrace changes from season to season, but we've never seen it looking anything less than delightful). Inside, the library shelves — curated by Daunt Books — give the whole place a very grown-up feel. The menu's impressive, with several craft cocktails inspired by Churchill's life created specifically for the bar. Oh, and there's a cigar menu too. Bag yourself a table and settle in for the night.
'Tequila Gangster Paradise' is the theme of London Cocktail Club's Oxford Circus branch, which has happy hour all night Monday and a 4.30pm-7pm other nights. The menu might make traditionalists blush — peanut colada, anyone? — but for a lively night with drinks flowing, this is your place. The menu's extensive but no worries if you're overwhelmed by choice — just give the Magic 8 ball a shake and see what you end up with.
Made you hungry? Visit our guide to the best food and drink in London for other restaurants, bars and pubs across the capital that are worth visiting.
