Branca

Branca has been a Jericho favourite for nearly two decades, a modern bar, café and restaurant just ten minutes’ walk from Oxford’s city centre. Sunlight pours into the airy dining room, which opens onto a leafy terrace garden, while private dining rooms add a discreet note for celebrations and gatherings. From 8am daily, it hums with the easy confidence of a neighbourhood spot that knows its craft.

The kitchen leans into Italy, southern Europe and beyond, favouring simple, seasonal cooking with bold, assured flavours. Starters might glide from borlotti beans with Swiss chard, basil and pine nut pesto to sourdough bruschetta crowned with king prawn, spring onion and aioli. Pasta is generous and comforting: rigatoni with fennel sausage ragu finished with crispy herb and parmesan crumbs, or linguine threaded with king prawn, crab, rocket, chilli and lemon.

Grill and oven bring further warmth, from Moroccan lamb kebabs with garlic flatbread and hummus to a grilled fillet of sea bass with crushed new potatoes, samphire and a shrimp and saffron cream sauce. Stone-baked pizzas, from classic margherita to pepperoni with fontina and chilli, sit happily alongside sesame brioche burgers, fat chips or skinny fries. For a finish, think lemon tart with crème fraiche or the Chocolate Nemesis with pistachio ice cream, best met with a Mojito or a Negroni. Vegetarians and vegans are well looked after, with allergen menus available. Drop by for breakfast, linger for lunch, or make an evening of it—Jericho never tasted so good.