Ashmolean Rooftop Restaurant

I would have given 4/5 stars if our nibbles had been delivered before the main course. As it was we went without. We were not charged for them. The main course was delicious.

The restaurant is beautifully located overlooking Oxford with a pleasant outside area. The service was attentive but not obtrusive. The menu was adequate.

Staff here are really friendly and attentive without being overbearing. The food is fresh and original as well as being well presented. There was a reasonable choice for vegetarians and vegans. We had a starter and a dessert as we only wanted a lught lunch and everything was lovely. It is an attractive, light space and even nice when you can sit out on the terrace.

A very special airy and spacious place to have a special lunch

Lovely place , but food very disappointing and ordinary

A beautiful and unusual location with access to the outstanding galleries and exhibitions.
A great place to catch up with Oxford friends who can easily walk/ride to the rendezvous, and then worry about the lifts and have to run up the stairs.

Despite booking a table in advance for 1.30pm no one was at the welcome station for several minutes to seat us. As 3 non-meat eating diners we were limited in our options, but all ordered the vegetable wellington. After the waiter had taken our orders and several minutes later, he came back to say there was one left (we had not received water for the table by this point either and had to remind him). Several minutes after ordering alternatives he returned again to say one of our dishes was also not available. We ordered second alternatives. Two of us had the risotto which was bland, undercooked and boring. The restaurant was extremely loud the entire time, the service was generally slow, and this was a hugely disappointing visit.

Always an interesting place to eat, great views, great service, excellent food. Not an extensive menu but a good and varied one.

Lovely restaurant with a fab atmosphere. Fantastic staff and delicious food.

Having read quite a few negative reviews of the restaurant I was hesitant to book lunch but my wife and I were visiting to see the Rembrandt exhibition so decided to chance it.

The staff were the best thing about the place other than the views. My vegetarian meal was poor fare and overpriced. My wife's mussels were better but hardly generous with the portions.

We won't be returning any time soon.

Management need to think who they're trying to attract. You either need to raise quality to justify prices or come up with something that aims lower and in any case offers best value.

Had drinks in the cafeteria earlier. The tea pot was filthy.

Five of us come once or twice a year, take in the exhibition, and follow up with lunch at the rooftop restaurant. Whilst the set menu was nice, we couldn’t quite get the connection between Rembrandt, sandwiches and burgers! However, haveing said that the food was very tasty, especially the coffee pannacotta, and the men enjoyed their sticky toffee puds. The service, as always was very good.

We thoroughly enjoyed our day out in Oxford and having lunch at the Ashmolean was the crowning of the day. All went like clock work. Staff really helpful and friendly. Thank you.

Would recommend for convenience only. Staff lovely..,food pretty dreary and uninspiring.

The venue and service is excellent but the choice on the menu limited, which is a shame.

We had an enjoyable brunch meal served in a spacious and comfortable room with easy access to the Exhibition. The staff were friendly and helpful and the quality of the food was very good.

Room was pleasant and our service was excellent. My husband's butternut squash (starter size) with chicken was generous and tasty and well seasoned with dill. My own artichoke, spinach and parmesan risotto though was woefully under seasoned. Our waiter obliged with more parmesan and some fresh lemon and those, along with moderate application of salt and pepper, improved the situation greatly, but up to that point the dish would have been described as bland at best.

I have been here 4 or 5 times and was very happy with the food. We had the vegetarian mushroom burger. It wasn't put together well, with scant ingredients and was poor value of money.

We went as a large group of 10 for Cream Tea which was awesome! Everyone had a fabulous time and the vibe is great. Will definitely go back.

Delicious food, great service, lovely setting. Chocolate orange dessert suitable for vegans was amazing!

It was extremely noisy on Saturday lunchtime - my friend and I struggled to hold a conversation, even after we moved from a central to a side table. I know this is not something that you can do anything about and is also something that I have not experienced at your restaurant to such a degree before.

Delicious food, if a touch expensive. Service friendly but a little slow (it was a busy Saturday lunchtime). I'll go again.

Did the job very well for my group of four visiting The young Rembrandt!

Delicious cheese shuffle - always one of my favourites. Then mackerel with roast potatoes - good tasty, well-presented and cooked fare. Excellent bottle of good value Marlborough Sauvignon.

The food was disappointing. Over crisped -
We sat far apart at table for two. They were all the same. So privacy difficult - noise from others and not wanting to shout.

Chicken was served up luke warm as were the potatoes. When we firstly complained the young assistant (female) spoke with the chef and his comment said nobody else complained. We then spoke to an assistant who had showed us to our seat and and he behaved more professionally took our meal away and returned it later with the correct temperature.

We have been to the restaurant before, but alas food is not wonderful - we will not be returning ..

Not as good as promoted but convenient and okay. The view is not as impressive as expected.

The standard of service at the Ashmolean rooftop restaurant was excellent. Everything was delivered to the table in a timely but relaxed way. The menu, the starter, the main-course, and the coffee all just arrived when they were needed without much effort on our part. The food was plain but nicely cooked - although the bread might have benefited from being warmed. The drinks list was comprehensive and we were delighted to find a good Pinot Grigio served by the glass. The coffee was served hot - a rarity these days - and it was an excellent blend. No problem in getting hot milk either! We will definitely return.

All good; but really the noise level is too high. Some element of sound absorption should be added. I presume this would have to be on the ceiling?

We hadn`t visited the Rooftop Restaurant for several years as we live 40 miles or so away. We were disappointed with the choice which was pretty unexciting and the value. £18 for a piece of braised steak, gravy (not bad) and mashed potatoes and no vegetables was very overpriced. The panacotta with a few crumbs of amaretto biscuit was again very disappointing. The noise level is quite high as there are no soft furnishings to deaden the sound. On the plus side the service was very polite and courteous, particularly as our friends were late having come from London and got caught in traffic.
Its a lovely venue and could be so much better we all felt.

Excellent service but the quality of the food was rather mixed.

We thoroughly enjoyed our lunch time. We felt welcome and valued customers.

The Rooftop restuarant at the Ashmolean is really quite a special location… whatever the weather outside, you get stunning views across the rooftops and with the sky constantly changing it provides a glorious backdrop to any time spent here.

The development of the Ashmolean, from what it was into what is now is remarkable. For anyone old enough to remember the past, this transformation has created a museum to linger in, discover old and new things. With the changing exhibitions offering plenty of reasons to keep coming back, again and again.

We have often stopped off for a glass of wine or late afternoon coffee and really enjoyed the atmosphere and, this trip, decided to dine. The service was a joy with all the team friendly and genuinely engaging. It is always nice to share some idle chat and not feel any shared conversations are forced… no pressure to order or feel like time was limited, though as it was a pre-theatre visit, it actually was.

Well prepared and flavoursome dishes to enjoy and a very nice bottle of wine too! Shall come back again…

I would recommend the Ashmolean Rooftop Restaurant on the basis of the few fantastic meal I had there with friends and family, over the years !
HOWEVER, on Friday, for a pre-theatre dinner, it was a rather sad place - not helped by the low grey sky - and just three tables occupied. Also, the staff did not seem engaged at all and there were so many of them.
What about some clever marketing for what could be a sensational location ... no, the Westgate rooftop is, in no way, competition.
The Ashmolean Rooftop Restaurant could become the more exclusive, though fuss free, place to dine.

Lovely setting but rather noisy - tables quite close together. Service ok but the staff seemed too busy and the more senior waitress was fairly brusque.

Food unexciting (we had salads) and we needed extra dressing. We were given a couple of drops at the bottom of a little jug. We asked for some plain bread but only an expensive option with olive oil was on offer which we didn't want.

Will certainly return to the basement cafe which is much better value and feels more friendly and relaxed.

A potentially great venue, but it seemed no care was taken over the presentation of the food.
Waiter didn’t ask if we wanted drinks.
Waiter was also reprimanded about something by a more senior member of staff in front of all customers, which was very unprofessional.
Lack of care overall. Which was a shame as my aunt was visiting and only comes down from Scotland once a year, and we hoped it would be a better experience.

Uninspiring menu. No wines by the glass advertised. Mackerel starter had little mackerel and too much beetroot (which did not seem to be candied, as advertised). Portobello mushroom was undercooked and had its stalk on. Rembrandt sandwich was overcooked and dried up. Poor value and disappointing.

Excellent food and service in a great setting, only shame was the weather which meant we couldn't enjoy the views properly

Great night out, lovely staff and customer service. Thanks!

Excellent on every level

We ate on a quiet Saturday night, but it was still a lovely experience. We were very impressed

The meal including service, food quality and outlook over Oxford was excellent.
However I dropped a star in this review because the booking element was a total failure! I booked on line via Open Table and received a confirmation, however when I arrived with my guests, the waiter could find no record of my reservation in his system! I showed him my paper copy, but still no good. Fortunately there was a free table and we had an excellent dining experience. Also at 12. 30pm (half an hour after we had sat down) my email received a request from Open Table asking if we had enjoyed our meal!