Recommended place to stay:

Porterhouse Grill & Rooms

Oxford, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom (UK)

Official star rating:

Last updated: 03 December, 2023

From the unmissable matt black frontage to the navy-walled bedrooms, dotted with vintage photographs of the city, this is an archetypal boutique hotel – hip and stylish, with a pleasing sense of good old-fashioned indulgence.

As the name suggests, dinners definitely lean towards the carnivorous end of things; hearty steaks, dry-aged in-house for up to 42 days, make up most of the menu, but there are fish and veggie options.

This isn’t the place to choose if you want leafy gardens or firelit lounges, but foodies, and those looking for a no-nonsense, super-comfortable stay, will love it.

Ideal for a car-free break, the Porterhouse is just a couple of minutes’ walk from the station, with all of Oxford’s main sights easily reachable on foot.

Surrounding area

Set on a quiet residential street, surrounded by Victorian terraced homes, this isn’t the place to stay if you want views of Oxford’s historic architecture from every window. Instead, it’s a quiet backwater that’s peopled by locals rather than tourists, in spite of being an easy ten-minute walk from all the main sights.