The voting is closed! And the finalists who have made it through to the OXINABOX FOOD AWARDS 2025 can finally be revealed!
The food awards are being held on Monday May 12 at The Ashmolean, sponsored by The Feathers, Goldstar Recruitment, brandpay and Jolly Foods, alongside Oxford Fine Dining, Grape Minds, Tap Social and Dishoom Permit Room.
The finalists were chosen from over 200 nominees in the ten categories and nearly 30,000 of you voted. So to celebrate our fifth OXINABOX FOOD AWARDS, we have gone all out to give Oxfordshire’s hospitality industry a much needed boost, a massive pat on the back and the recognition and attention it deserves after another difficult year.
The voting was incredibly close, despite extending the voting, so some categories have more than four finalists.
The awards ceremony will also raise money for Oxford’s Helen & Douglas House which helps terminally ill children live life to the full.
The finalists from each of the ten categories will attend the glittering black tie awards ceremony which kicks off with a champagne and canape reception, and follows with an after party to remember at Oxford’s Dishoom Permit Room.
Here are your finalists in alphabetical order:
Best Newcomer 2025
Alberto’s, Chipping Norton
Dishoom Permit Room, Oxford
Kibou, Oxford
OXTWO, Summertown
Slow & Steady, Oxford
The Store, Oxford
2) Best Gastropub 2025
Back Lane Tavern, Woodstock
Feathered Nest, Nether Westcote
Golden Ball, Lower Assendon
Lamb, Crawley
White Hart, Fyfield
Best Chef 2025
Chloe Horner, Chloe’s, Charlbury
Johnny Parke, Back Lane Woodstock and OXTWO Summertown
Mike North, Nut Tree, Murcott
Nat Berney, Lamb, Little Milton
Samuel Squires, Old Crown, Faringdon
3) Best Pub/Bar 2025
Old Bookbinders, Jericho
Oxford Blue, East Oxford
Plough, West Hanney
Tap Social Taproom, Botley
Three Horseshoes, Witney
White Rabbit, Oxford
5) Best Restaurant 2025
Arbequina, Oxford
Chloe’s, Charlbury
Dishoom Permit Room, Oxford
Feathers, Woodstock
Old Crown Coaching Inn, Faringdon
Quod, Oxford
6) Best Cafe 2025
Green Routes Cafe, East Oxford
Il Corno, Oxford’s Covered Market
Proof Social Bakehouse, Kennington
Tree Artisan Cafe, Oxford
7) Best Veggie/Vegan 2025
Chloe’s, Charlbury
Gardeners Arms, Jericho
Green Routes Cafe, East Oxford
Oxford Blue, East Oxford
8) Best International 2025
Cinnamon Stick, Middle Barton
Dishoom Permit Room, Oxford
Las Chicas, Faringdon
Mizu Japanese Izakaya, Bicester
Spiced Roots, Cowley Road
9) Oxfordshire Hospitality Woman Of The Year 2025
Aimee Collins, Five Little Pigs
Kay Chandler, White Hart, Fyfield
Lula Kinnard, Lula’s Ethiopian
Oxford Fine Dining
Sandra Ruge, Waste2Taste
Tess Taylor, Tap Social
10) Best Food Hero 2025
Damascus Rose, OFS, Oxford
Tap Social, Oxfordshire
Waste2Taste, Cowley
Yellow Submarine, Witney, Woodstock, Oxford
The OVERALL winners will be announced at the OXINABOX FOOD AWARDS on May 12 at The Ashmolean, so watch this space!
We would like to thank all our sponsors for making this happen!
