The Vaults and Garden

Ohhhh man were we happy to find this place or WHAT. My husband and I were visiting Oxford and it greeted us with typical UK weather– bloody cold and dreary. I was getting hungry and crabby after visiting multiple gardens and walking, when we happened upon a cool looking door with a sign for a café. We walked in and it seemed like a sweet old little café smack dab in the middle of Oxford. It was very busy but we managed to find a place to sit.
The chickpea tagine was divine and warmed us up right away. The carrot and butternut squash soup was also nice.
It clearly gets very busy during lunchtime, so make sure to be aware of that. I loved the feel to it though, even though we were almost elbow to elbow with random people. A true gem!!!

I like when a place describes itself perfectly.
It’s the Vaults of the University Church and also the Garden.
And both are lovely.
It’s a nice little café where you go cafeteria style with a trey and grab what you want. I got a nice creamy chicken dish that didn’t blow me away but was tasty and reasonably priced and a nice meal out in their garden.
It is a little hard to find. Find the church, walk around the side, there it is. Especially if you see a lot of people sitting in the garden, then you are in the right place.
And if you see them sitting in the Vaults, then you’re really in the right place.

It’s a very cute place. It gets very busy during summer or whenever the sun is out. Sitting outside is better than being inside as you can get a wonderful view of the Radcliffe Camera. The cakes, teas and coffees are all lovely.

Stopped by for a quick lunch this afternoon. I had s great chicken Cesar salad w/​baked potatoes. Overall u I really enjoyed the meal, plus it is conveniently located right in the heart of Oxford’s Campus.
They have a fairly limited menus, but what they serve is really good. Their coffee was on point. Definitely check it out for lunch while visiting Oxford

I found this absolutely wonderful place while roaming the the beauty of Oxford last December. You can feel the energy in this restaurant. The food is simple peasant food prepared expertly. Scones, croissants, pastries, carrot cake, beef stew and good hot coffee. Some of the freshest wholesome food I had while in England. The terrace looked lovely though is was very cold that day. I look forward to returning again soon.

One of my favorite spots in Oxford — I come here every other day! Their Welsh rarebits (sourdough bread topped with sharp melted cheese and baked veggies) are to die for — pairing a rarebit with a cup of pumpkin soup is my favorite lunch combo in Oxford. They also have the best, most chocolatey mochas in Oxford. Best time of day to come is in the late afternoon for a scone and a spot of tea. They have the most delicious jam I’ve had in Oxford — I LOVE the raspberry jam, and the strawberry jam with big chunks of fruit is a decent alternative. Like other people have said, it does get crowded at lunchtime. I like that they have a no-​laptops rule from 12−2PM; it helps add to the communal vibe and prevents people from taking up time and space during the busiest time of day. That being said, the wifi is free and fast! The scones can be a bit dry; I recommend asking the servers to heat them up so the clotted cream melts into them. The historical vibe is also great — monks used to meet here to discuss goings-​on at the university back in the 1300s or something. The location is also so convenient, right in the heart of Oxford at Radcliffe Square. If you’re just in Oxford for a day trip, make this the place you go for an afternoon pick-​me-​up!

If I lived in Oxford, I would be a regular and I would have cream tea every day because it’s my favorite English thing.
This place is cozy and busy and their wifi is great! It seems to get pretty crowded in the middle of the day, and in fact they apparently don’t allow laptops between 12 and 2pm.
One thing I don’t understand — why is it categorized as an American restaurant? What American restaurant serves cream tea?

Nestled in University Church, the Vaults and Garden is a touch overpriced, but you’re paying for tea time in the heart of Oxford and within shouting distance of the Bodleian Library and the rotund glories of the Radcliffe Camera.
We had their coconut and apricot cake, along with a cream tea set for two. Unfortunately, they ran out of clotted cream for the scones, and a slick of butter is poor substitute.
A barista minion was sent to Tesco, but returned empty-​handed. There must be a clotted cream shortage up north they’re not telling us about. Everything came out to be about £8 or 9 for the two of us.
The inside seating has gorgeous vaulted ceilings, but its the outside seating along the church graveyard that won us over.

It’s a nice spot for a casual tea with excellent views of some colleges and the radcliffe camera, so the setting can’t be beat. It’s basically right off the high street, so it’s also convenient. Nice tea selection. The baked goods are decent, although the coconut cake was a bit dry. The scone was good, but there seemed to be a catastrophic clotted cream shortage, and they were out all afternoon, and sneaking in hitter instead. They have soup and rarebit, but it’s not a place for much of a full meal. They carry a couple of kinds of beer, but it’s no pub.

Great atmosphere, flawless location, maybe a bit of a downer on the food for a foreign tongue.

Tucked away under St. Mary the Virgin is this great little café, with excellent food and long communal tables. Simple but great, highly recommended (and the room has been around since the 1300’s. Not bad, eh?). Smaller parties are better though, it’s a tight squeeze.

Great food, great atmosphere. The scones for afternoon tea are amazing! Served right from the oven, with homemade clotted cream and jam

An adorable, quaint café in the heart of Oxford city centre.
It’s a little hard to find, due to it being located inside the university church (!), so look out for a narrow pedestrian road slightly in front of said (behemoth) church, and notice a little painted bicycle and chalkboard sign indicating The Vaults and Garden’s presence. Then essentially lead yourself behind the church, into a really cute little courtyard (the ‘garden’ bit of Vaults and Garden, also indicated by a sign), and through an inconspicuous door into the restaurant itself.
Here is a numbered list of things about The Vaults and Gardens, both good and the ‘could be improved’:
1. The space is tiny, and gets incredibly packed around lunchtime. In the summer, this is less of a problem, because you can easily take your food outside and picnic in the beautiful, grassy patches surrounding the church. However, in the winter, you have to be quite territorial about reserving a coveted table place when you find one.
2. The food is very fresh, and made with quality ingredients. Everything is organic and sourced locally, so you know you’re putting only the best stuff down your trap!
3. In accordance, they have several specials of the day, and have a separate meatie board and veggie board displaying all of the options. When I went, the veggie options were a Sri Lankan coconut curry with butternut squash, and a goats cheese gratin atop a bed of lentils, beetroot, and mushrooms (I went with the latter, nom!). You also get to choose your carb, and there was a selection of seeded brown rice, quinoa, and roasted potatoes (they ran out of the quinoa by the time I got there, so I had the brown rice, which was delicious). The rest of the options are salads and vegetable sides, which all looked very fresh and well-​prepared.
4. Since the food isn’t made to order, per se, and is cooked in large batches and portioned out that way, it can be a hit or miss experience. For example, I must have gone toward the end of the batch, as the pan of gratins from which I chose my food had been sitting out for 30 – 45 minutes, and was consequently quite cold when I ate it. Though all of the food was sitting under a heatlamp, it still didn’t stand up to the test of time (and a cold winter). This was literally the only thing that I found wrong with my plate, though.
5. There’s a little area with all sorts of condiments and sauces that you can put on your food. I’m a sucker for these sorts of things, so I picked and chose amongst all of the hot sauces, mustards, and cheese and had a field day.
6. They do loose-​leaf tea here, and have a variety of little cakes and pastries for light bites on the side!
7. Everything is so affordable! A ‘main’ with two ‘sides’ was a mere £6.95 at lunchtime. So much food, as well.
I would definitely come back here again, when in Oxford! Hopefully, next time, I will get to take my food outside and enjoy it in the sun.

I really like this place, beautiful stone work, good tea and a tasty selection of hot dishes plus salad. The scones were tender, served with proper jam (not flavourless red goo) and a generous amount of proper cream. The staff on the serving counter are friendly. It can get busy at weekends, which can make getting your tray through the tightly packed seating a bit precarious.

I came here for breakfast and wasn’t sure if they were actually serving or if they gave me some random toast. Lovely huge portion, with a little pat (too little) of butter and some yummy tart jam. Had some hot chocolate made with soya milk and sat for ages reading my book. Great vibe but slightly draughty in style. Can’t complain too much but if there’s a little thing to say, it would be to make it a bit cosier with perhaps more comfy seating and much more brekky choice :)

A place that will remind you of the joys of home cooked food. A haven for lunch should you be roaming through Oxford’s rad cam. It also does proper Veggie cooking and all the food has a healthy feel — plenty of salad, veg to go around. Last I was here I had the lamb stew and it was rich, sweet, seasoned. I had some potaoes that were crispy and some salad and bread. It is not a bottom-​league cheap place, but then the quality food reflects that. You get what you pay for and feel the quality of it here.

Home cooked, rustic style food in a gorgeous location!
In my view, the prices are a bit high for the food style (a plate of food that’s slopped on, posh school-​dinner style, not served to you at your table), at around 8 – 10 pounds. However if you want something earthy and Guardianesque (think slow cooked lamb and spring greens or a lentil and goats cheese combo) then it’ll make a lovely lunch in the sun, under the Radcliffe Camera. The cakes are bloody good too.

I’m giving this place only 4 stars instead of 5 because the food selection was less than mediocre — there practically was none! It MAY have been just a really busy, sunny day and they didn’t stock enough for the weekend, but whatever the case, my lunch ended up being cream tea…
…WHICH was amazing. Hence this place still gets 4 stars. And laying outside on the grass looking up at this gorge clock tower and medieval architecture… couldn’t have been nicer for a Sunday afternoon in Oxford.

Wander round the back of St Mary’s church, Oxford and find the Vaults and Garden Café. This excellent café occupies the building of Oxford University’s old congregation house, which was built in 1320.
Agree with the previous reviews, great little hidyhole, with its rows of bench tables and communal seating.
Nudge your way into a space and feel the warmth of proximity and cosy hubbub of chatter, to keep the chilly weather at bay. Feel like a student for an hour, pretend you’re sitting in Trinity College Dining Room and enjoy the reasonable quality food, served canteen style from the counter.
Choice of 3 or 4 main dishes with accompanying drinks, teas and coffees and cakes etc.
You can also sit outside weather permitting and enjoy an impressive view of Radcliffe Camera or a couple of gravestones if you drop your napkin.
Service was a disappointment though, slightly curt and surly, which detracted from this otherwise excellent spot — but ignore them, enjoy the food and convivial atmosphere at reasonable prices.
Recommended.

Interesting reviews — people seem to really love the place but not necessarily the food and I have to say I completely agree!
On the ‘Walking Tour’ of Oxford we went on we had this place pointed out as ‘once the most important room in Oxford’ as important meetings took place in there.
So after the tour we thought we’d give it a go as it’s all organic and free trade etc. We opted for coffee’s and scones — the coffee’s where fine but the scones! Arghhh! They had obviously been made with wholemeal flour or some such and they where awful — so sorry Vaults and Garden people but organic and healthy they may be but treating such yummy delicacy’s in such a way is well near on criminal in my book. Maybe it would have been better to have gone for more of a mealy option
I loved the building, the staff where lovely too, the coffee aint bad but what ever you do stay away from the scones!