Campus Buttery

I’ll start with the best points about the buttery, the cakes and the price are average. However I’m sorry to say the coffee left something to be desired and the service from the staff ranged from uninterested to borderline rude. When there are so many wonderful places to stop in Oxford I wouldn’t advise this one.

So-​so breakfast and pastries. Nice view sitting near the store front near the University. Very friendly staff.

Very nice little place, grab a seat by the window downstairs and watch the Oxford world go by, pot of tea and chunky slice of moist carrot cake to round it off.
On sunny summer days, outside seating for an even more intimate engagement with the local populace — mind you, saying that, hardly local, in fact probably 20:1 not local at all — but all still enjoying the beautiful heady Gormenghast City ambience.
The Buttery, definitely a recommended stop off on your explorations.

Meh. But a nice view from the window.

A nice take away located in the heart of Oxford. Broad Street is a must for anyone visiting Oxford, there are some great shops as well as sight seeing so The Buttery is an ideal spot to stop for lunch. They sell freshly made sanwiches as well as other items. I think they do have seating upstairs, but they’ve got seating outside. It’s the perfect place to eat and take in the wonderful views of Broad Street, there’s not much traffic as it’s a no through road. Average prices for Oxford, you will probably find cheaper but I think the location makes up for it.

According to the guidebooks, The Buttery in Oxford is a popular haunt of students. We went during vacations so we didn’t see many students but there were lots of tourists and the outdoor seating area was packed. It’s a nice place to while away an afternoon especially when the weather is good. Those expecting Ye Olde England, be warned though. The staff are all East Eurpoean and have limited English. The menu is standard English fare though the cream tea was rather good. They also have a nice range of teas and the portion sizes are ample. The service is the only iffy aspect since there seem to be too few staff for the clientele. Table service is slow and you can forget about being brought the bill. We went inside to try and pay and it still took over 15 minutes before we were attended to. If we had just walked off without paying, I doubt anyon would have noticed. Still, it worth visiting for the outside seating area on the cobbled streets of Oxford.

I liked the look of this place from the outside and all of the sandwiches sounded lovely, but I was very disappointed with it. I waited in the (short) queue for 10 minutes before I was even acknowledged. I watched the staff serve the people in front of me — there was one woman who asked for a certain filling on a baguette, but it had only been made up on a pitta — instead of quickly making her one, like many of the other shops in Oxford would have, they whinged about it until she accepted the pitta. I then asked for my sandwich and the person making it looked very miserable about my request — he then took another 10 minutes to make my sandwich. I paid for it in the meantime and then waited — when the sandwich came, they tried to charge me again! I was after a take out, but while I was waiting I saw a lady come downstairs from the seating area and tell the man at the counter that she was leaving as she had been waiting for 15 minutes with no service at all — there wasn’t even an apology for her.
Overall, a very bad experience — a real shame, as the sandwich wasn’t half bad!

Based on the traditional butteries of Oxford colleges, this lovely little café serves locals and tourists alike with some scrumptious cakes, snacks and drinks. The prices are relatively high, but considering this is the middle of Oxford, you won’t find much cheaper. The drinks are okay — nothing particularly special, but really you come here for the snacks. Watch out for the queues at elevenses time and lunch time, but don’t be put off — it’s worth the queue! They’re usually very well stocked and friendly, if a little rushed. Not recommended if you’re on a diet, but otherwise it’s a great little place to soak up some of the Oxford atmosphere whilst indulging in gooey cakey goodness. Mmm…