Oxford: Turl Street Kitchen

I know I have mentioned Turl Street Kitchen in many of my posts because it is one of my favourite spots in Oxford. So, I suppose I should tell a little more about it. I visited this spot every morning (and yes, sometimes in the afternoon as well), for a cappuccino and at least an hour of writing and reading (sometimes more). It is a place that is cosy, rustic, and friendly. It has the perfect creaky wooden floors, students reading and writing papers, visitors stopping in for coffee before adventures, vintage frames and pieces on the wall for sale, tasty baked goods, and the best cappuccino (in my opinion).

These are just some of my favourite scenes and memories of a delightfully relaxing time each day. I order a cappuccino and sit in the front room (unless it is packed, and then I go upstairs to enjoy my coffee on the sofas, which feels like a living room) which overlooks the corner of Turl Street and Ship Street. It has become my ritual that my day requires. When the coffee is made, they call it out at the bar, so I step up the fours stairs to the bar to collect my cappuccino, and return to the wooden table I was sitting at. Then, I dive into a good book I had purchased the day before. From there I set out on my day's adventures.

All the profits from the Turl Street Kitchen go to the student hub. Each morning the local produce is brought to their doors and the chefs create that day's lunch and dinner menus from whatever fresh produce is brought to them that morning. Everything I have eaten there has been wonderfully fresh and delicious. It's a great concept and this place is always busy with students, residents, and visitors alike. There always seem to be reservations booked for lunch and dinner, and I almost didn't get to eat dinner there one night because of that. Gladly, though, I was able to eat there by sitting at a large table that was reserved later that night, but allowed me enough time to enjoy the fresh bread, cauliflower soup, and salad with fresh greens and house made honey mustard dressing.

After several days of coming here each morning, the girls got to know me, and my drink of choice. It was always nice to come in and say hello to the two baristas that usually took my order and made my coffee. After a awhile they didn't even ask me what I wanted, they just called out my order as I came up. They were always friendly and had smiles to offer. And I was always happy to be at Turl Street Kitchen.