Freshers: in the first few weeks you’ll be tasting the delights of your college’s hall menu. Soon you’ll find yourself lusting after an artisan sandwich or just somewhere to get you away from your essay for an hour or so. Follow our sandwich-centric advice and you can’t go far wrong.
Covered Market:
The perfect central location to stop at on the way to or from lectures. Packed with shops and stalls that’ll happily lighten your wallet, it’s a challenge to separate the good from the bad.
Alpha Bar – choose between meat and veggie hot main courses, or a large selection of Make Your Own salads. Two salads, a spread and a ‘main’ (goats cheese, halloumi, chicken etc) will set you back between 3 and 4 pounds. It is definitely worth getting a loyalty card; if you think ten visits is unlikely (you’d be wrong there) you can always share it with a friend.
Fasta Pasta – mix and match sauces and toppings cooked to order that have a loose Italian theme. Fresh food served quickly, with a good selection of cured meats, cheeses and pestos.
Sit Down:
The Vaults – canteen service means you won’t have to waste time waiting when you’ve taken a break from the Rad. Cam. You can even sit outside on the patio and guiltily watch the library during Trinity!
Café Loco – always busy, close to the Aldates’ colleges and those studying music, and on the way to the river, it’s a good place to curl up for an hour or so.
Queen’s Lane Coffee House – perfect if you have a break between lectures at Exam Schools. The Café has a tempting brunch menu and also doubles up as a deli; the Turkish owner always has a selection of fresh backlava on offer.
The Nosebag – tucked away above a Thai restaurant on St Michael’s Street (opposite the Union), the Nosebag is homely, rustic and looks a bit like a ski chalet. Apart from a killer cream tea, you can also indulge in huge plates of salad and big bowls of soup for lunch.
Sandwiches to go:
Olives – There’s no seating area, the queue’s usually out the door and the ‘Baguette of the Day’ will put you back at least four pounds. But with some of the most exciting sandwich combinations and arguably the best antipasti selection in the city centre, sometimes you just can’t help yourself.
Taylor’s – With delis around Oxford (and two on the High Street) you’re never far away from a Taylor’s baguette. They’ll ply you with the best breakfast baps and their white chocolate cookies are to die for.
Mortons- with four shops in the city centre you’re also never far away from a Mortons’ baguette! They have a pretty good meal deal offer and cute seating areas upstairs in the Broad Street and New Inn Hall Street shops; frequent visits will leave you wondering why the Soup of the Day always seems to be mushroom.*
Heroes – there is a seating area but it’s only big enough for about four people. It’s also more expensive to eat in so it’s best to get your food to takeaway. They do a 10% discount for students and also have nice homemade cakes and biscuits.*
Alternative Tuck Shop – don’t be put off by the long queue at lunch time, with ‘alternative’ in the name it’s perhaps no surprise that lots of students flock there. Build your own sandwich right down to choosing from three different types of freshly baked ciabatta (try the sundried tomato).
*The Turl and Broad Street colleges usually have a fierce alliegance to one of these two shops. Where you go for lunch is as important as your choice of kebab van.
