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Hours
Sun
9:30 am - 10:00 pm
Mon
10:00 am - 10:00 pm
Wed
10:00 am - 10:00 pm
Thu
10:00 am - 10:00 pm
Fri
10:00 am - 10:00 pm
Sat
9:30 am - 10:00 pm
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Food and ambience
Local cuisine, European, New Zealand, Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options
Special Occasion Dining, Romantic, Groups, Bar Scene, Business meetings
Is this restaurant good for breakfast?
Details
About
“The kind of food that makes you want to wipe the plate with a chunk of crusty bread to savour every drop” We are located in the heart of Timaru. Our restaurant has three main areas. The bar, where you can have a glass of good wine or a craft beer on tap. The brasserie, a place where you're still part of the buzz, and the dining room, for those who what to focus on their company and the food. Its all about keeping it simple. We don’t want to mess to much with the quality ingredients we have sourced, so why should we? We have set up a bistro style menu with a European influence. Rustic bold flavours that marry perfectly together. "Nannas home cooking but done better. It’s the kind of food that you want to wipe the plate with a chunk of crusty bread to savour every drop." We are an allergy friendly restaurant. As we make almost all of our food onsite we know what is in it. Almost 70% of our menu can be served GLUTEN FREE. Talk to our staff about special allergy requirements.
PRICE RANGE
$12.00 – $36.00
CUISINES
European, New Zealand
Special Diets
Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options
Meals
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Brunch, After-hours, Drinks
FEATURES
Reservations, Private Dining, Seating, Street Parking, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service
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4.5
352 reviews
Excellent
242
Very good
91
Average
11
Poor
5
Terrible
3
Jamaican-Luck
New South Wales109 contributions
Dec 2022 • family
My first time here and it was very good. I ordered the schnitzel and asked if I could have mashed potato rather than the sides offered on the menu. The waitress asked if I might also like peas and gravy. Perfect!! Great service, great ambience and very good food. Service was fast despite being very busy. Also a wee bit of old-world charm and style. We could actually hear ourselves talk - at lunch time in a busy restaurant - remarkable!! I loved it and so did the 90 year I was with. Perfect location, perfect food.
Written 23 December 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
frostie001
Geraldine8 contributions
May 2022 • couples
Went to Oxford for dinner, which we booked a week ago. Nice table busy night. No duck wantons, ordered 2 entrees to share, only 1 put through by staff, waited for 2nd enter… both dishes nice. Main course I had steak which was ordered medium rare, steak was well done and burnt at edges, veggies overcooked and some burnt, staff forgot drinks that were ordered. For such a nice restaurant the waitress really let them down. I know it was busy but not flat out, we didn’t stay for desert or end of meal drink… so disappointed!!
Written 28 May 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bernadette E
Timaru27 contributions
Feb 2021 • none
The meal as usual was delicious but the music was so loud that I felt we were in a club. It’s a restaurant that prides itself on service and food. However tonight in the dining area we could not hear the waitress serving us. She got the music turned down twice. Other diners were also upset. The music was excessive. There was a large group drinking at the bar so that may have been the reason. The restaurant needs to decide if it is catering to this group or diners. We could have gone to the bar over the road. I was so disappointed as this was a special occasion and I would have chosen a quieter restaurant in Timaru that offers the same quality of dining.
.
Written 11 February 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sonya
Christchurch5 contributions
Apr 2022 • couples
Dont know where to start this was ment to be a lovely birthday meal for my husband. It was not that. A limited menue very pricey.duck was bad . Texture of cat food served with hoisin sauce straight out of the jar. Chicken main was black with a overly strong sauce not edible with olives and mash of prunes. Duck curry should have come with a warning and again not eaten. I will say the garlic bread and prawns where lovely. will not be returning.
Written 20 April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rick H
31 contributions
Apr 2021 • friends
Visiting Timaru catching up with friends we visited The Oxford for Sunday brunch. The food was great, service excellent and best of all the meals were the right size. Many eateries try to impress with large servings here the serving were spot on and they relied on flavour and cooking skills to impress. French toast a definite must.
Written 29 May 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mike P
Auckland302 contributions
Nov 2020 • family
We picked the Oxford based on the latest reviews and were not disappointed.
When you walk in you expect high prices as the decor and finish has that look about it We had a range of breakfast dishes. The granola was outstanding as were the eggs poached and scrambled. The coffee was quick to arrive and of high quality.
The service was excellent.
Pleased we choose this one this morning and we will come back when in timaru again.
Written 13 November 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stuart Anderson
Brisbane Region65 contributions
Dec 2022 • couples
We went to the Oxford for a special dinner and it was just that.
To start there was a Chablis on the wine list for a small amount more than a NZ Chardonnay, .. a great start.
The menu is not extensive, but what we ordered were reflective of a great kitchen.
I would recommend.
Written 21 December 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DMPDesign
26 contributions
Apr 2023 • couples
A beautiful meal for weekday evening dining. Ordered the salt & pepper squid for an entree to share. The Beef Cheek was superb, the Chicken Saltimbocca to match, as mains. The size of the meals were filling, unfortunately leaving no room for their tempting desserts. Absolutely pleasant service, with friendly and helpful staff. Would happily return again. Thank you
Written 18 May 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
un happy
1 contribution
Nov 2020 • none
Service was great, I had the Chicken with Risotto, The Chicken was plan, boring and the Risotto was so salty I had two bites of it, My Husband also tasted it, so it wasn't just my taste. This rates up there as the worst restaurant meal I have ever had. They did offer to redo it, but I knew it would be a real pain for them, as it was Gluten free, and they do take that really seriously which is really good. maybe they should taste things before they send them out, as this was obviously an accident, I could still taste the salt hours later.
Written 27 November 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tony
1 contribution
Jul 2020 • none
I dined here Monday night with two other people. The ambience is immediately relaxing. Our waitress greeted us the moment we walked in the door and was attentive from that moment onwards. One thing that struck me was that our three meals were all brought out together, at exactly the same time, which seems to be a lost art ; however, not at The Oxford. The food was fantastic. We couldn't stop commenting on it. One of our number was a fussy vegetarian who gets tired of the half-arsed vegetarian options at other places. Her dish was something any of us could have ordered and been very happy and satisfied. I've never written a review for a restaurant before but this one deserved it!
Written 14 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
emptyhead
262 contributions
Feb 2020 • couples
A bad start by my forgetting my reservation time and turning up 30 minutes late was redeemed by the restaurant holding our table.
Our waitress Melissa was great, good humoured, efficient and happy to organise with the chef a minor variation of the duck rigatoni for me. We shared the duck wontons to start and they were light and crispy with a lovely duck filling. The duck rigatoni was very good with the meat falling off the bone, plus a very tasty sauce and perfectly done pasta. She had the pork sirloin which was substantial and tender and the accompanying "bits" complemented it beautifully. I finished with the caramel ice cream sundae which finished off the meal nicely.
Highly recommended.
Written 13 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sarah A
9 contributions
Jan 2023 • family
We were 1.5hrs into a 6.5hr car trip. Had hoped to make it to Oamaru for dinner but our 7.5mth old had decided the car was not for her and had been screaming for at least 40mins. I was driving so my husband was given the responsibility of finding a place for tea - he's not renowned for his restaurant-choosing abilities!! So I'm driving, Miss 7.5mths is screaming and husband is trying to read out reviews of restaurants! Pure luck we ended up at The Oxford but thank god we did. Duck wontons, lamb neck, saltimbocca chicken & 2 Oxford sundaes - all of the food was fantastic! Husband extremely skeptical of lamb neck but declared it better than lamb shanks or beef cheeks. Staff very accommodating considering we didn't have a reservation. Best restaurant meal we have had in a while. Already looking for excuses to be in Timaru around dinner time so we can go back.
Written 6 January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Claudia D
Timaru161 contributions
Mar 2020 • friends
As Timaru is a tad quiet on Sundays, our overseas visitors were very pleasantly surprised when we took them to the Oxford for dinner. Food is amazing, service great and the restaurant has a great atmosphere. The haloumi salad was nicely spiced, the asparagus main as well and the Creme brulee was on the plate, not is a small dish, and soooo yummy. Highly recommended!
Written 29 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Michael P
Wellington7 contributions
Mar 2022 • couples
We had an evening meal here and were both really happy with the food we chose - correctly cooked and nicely presented. The front of house staff were first class too. We’d definitely return there.
Written 20 March 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kerry, Waimate. NZ
50 contributions
Jan 2020 • none
Three adults dined there for lunch. The Salmon and Sole meals were lovely, along with the Makikihi Fries, cooked to perfection. We had a window seat looking out onto the main street, which was interesting. The atmosphere was very pleasant with music playing in the background. Yet again, I thoroughly recommend The Oxford.
Written 19 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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