Oxford Oaks Distillery — Restaurant in Oxford

Restaurant Review: A Night of Flavor, Music, and… Mixed Vibes

If you’re looking for an elevated dining experience in a small-town setting, this spot delivers in many ways—but not without a few noticeable hiccups.

Let’s start with the food, which was absolutely stellar. Every dish we ordered was rich with flavor, thoughtfully plated, and clearly the work of a skilled kitchen. From the perfectly cooked entrées to the decadent desserts, it was a meal to remember. We genuinely wanted to offer our compliments to the chef, but oddly, he refused to come out and say hello—even though the restaurant was slow at the time. In a town like this, that kind of aloofness felt unnecessary and a little disappointing.

What truly elevated the evening was the ambience. The space itself is warm and intimate, but the real magic came from the live jazz singer, whose voice filled the room with soul and sophistication. Her performance transformed dinner into an experience.

Service-wise, we encountered both ends of the spectrum. Rasha, our server, was exceptional—attentive, kind, and clearly passionate about making guests feel welcome. In contrast, another staff member—a short waitress with a “Karen” haircut—brought the mood down more than once. With constant finger-pointing at coworkers, zero smiles, and an air of superiority, she stood out in all the wrong ways. It’s one thing to have a bad night, but this felt more like a consistent attitude.

On a brighter note, the bartenders were fantastic—quick with service, friendly, and fun to chat with while waiting for our table.

All in all, this restaurant has a lot going for it: phenomenal food, unforgettable live music, and a few shining stars on staff. With a little more attention to hospitality and teamwork across the board, it could easily...

I have to say that before going to dinner at Oxford Oaks distillery I might have been a little apprehensive because I knew that the food in this establishment was not inexpensive. We arrived and were seated right away without reservations. The wait staff was very courteous and attentive. They gave us recommendations and specials. We both ordered the grouper bites as an appetizer and the USDA 45 day dry, aged prime ribeye 10 ounces with potato gnocchi and asparagus. I have to say the ribeye was or appeared to be much larger than 10 ounces, which tickle me to death. The ribeye was cooked to perfection. We both ordered, medium rare, very very juicy, wonderful flavor, grilled over charcoal asparagus was tender, perfectly cooked. Also grilled in the potato gnocchi, was tender and starchy, and in a fantastically rich sauce. I forgot to mention the grouper bites. These were squares of white flaky fish deep-fried with a golden crust with a southwestern remoulade sauce. Fantastic I must say they were fantastic. The service was great. The food was fantastic. The atmosphere was pretty good as well for an oxford food establishment, this place has the crown so far the steak was reminiscent of a steak he would get at Ruth's Chris steak House. We had some drinks and other sweet tea and water and stuff like that total bill for the both of us including the drinks $156. Fantastic experience will go back again again I have attached pictures of my meal and the appetizer below fantastic presentation, love this...

Review your final check carefully! They add a 4% charge for using a credit card. They say that this 4% additional charge can be avoided by paying cash, which makes sense. However, we opted to pay cash and the 4% charge still appeared. It was tricky because under each item of food on the check was an additional line providing a 4% discount for that item of food, but upon careful examination of the check it was obvious that the credit card surcharge was higher than the total of the individual line item deductions for paying cash. I really hate to bother the waiter about something like this after a meal because it makes me feel bad, but this just isn't right. The waiter responded that their system won't allow them to discount any alcoholic beverages. This means that customers have to pay the 4% credit card surcharge on drinks even when paying cash. They certainly don't disclose this when they tell you that you can avoid the 4% credit card charge by paying cash. Also, other bars, distilleries, and restaurants don't seem to have this problem because they simply don't add a 4% credit card charge for customers paying with cash to begin with. In the end, they agreed to remove the 4% credit card surcharge for the drinks we paid cash for, but it was a real pain to go through all of this at the end of a meal. If you go to Oxford Oaks Distillery, please review your final check carefully!!!

Also, to be completely fair, the food and drink are good. Thus, the three stars...