GrandCru

GrandCru sits at the quiet end of North Parade Avenue where the terrace meets the residential side streets. The frontage is small — a slate-grey shopfront with the name in plain serif lettering — but the room steps back further than it looks, opening into a glazed conservatory with a tiled floor and a courtyard beyond. It is the more formal of the eating options on the strip without tipping over into stiffness.

The North Parade frontage with current menus posted in the window. Photo: OxfordLocal.

The kitchen runs a short, frequently-changed menu of small plates pitched to share, with a sushi counter providing made-to-order maki and nigiri alongside the wider European list. Seasonality drives the offer — spring asparagus and broad beans, autumn game, winter root vegetables — and the wine list is the engine the rest of the room is built around.

What to order

The by-the-glass list runs eight whites, six reds, a rosé and three sparkling, priced between £7 and £10.50. That is the cheapest way to taste-test before committing to a bottle, and the staff are happy to talk through what is open. The food list is best ordered as several plates across the table — the seasonal fish, the cheese and charcuterie boards, and the sushi rolls all reward sharing. A short dessert list of two or three options closes the meal.

Good to know

Closed Mondays; lunch only opens on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The room has around twenty covers and books up fast on a Friday and Saturday evening — reservations through the website. Bottle takeaway from the small wine shop at the front is an easier option if the room is full.

Frontage observed on 2026-05-09; hours, by-the-glass pricing and concept from grandcruoxford.com.