Uptown Bar & Restaurant — Restaurant in Oxford

Let me say up front - I am very glad to see people investing in small town America, and this is such a place.

There's many things to love here. The atmosphere and decor are lovely. The staff is very nice and helpful. The menu treads a line between bringing new ideas to an otherwise stagnated restaurant scene in Granville and Vance counties, and making some familiar, reliable dishes if you just want some comfort food. So, thank you for that.

Overall, it's pretty good - not great. On our first visit, my meal was pretty disappointing, but my wife enjoyed hers so much, I thought we'll give them another chance.

The first meal - I had the wings and the steak salad, she had the Mac and cheese and the Ahi tuna appetizer. The salad was not good - the steak was tough and devoid of flavor. I ordered it medium rare, but clearly someone had cut it up, threw it into an overcrowded pan and steamed it beef-stroganoff style. Ugh. And it was served over limp greens and shredded yellow-and-white cheese from a bag. At least try using Gorgonzola. I ordered it because the dressing sounded interesting - and it was good! Just, not with chewy beef and Colby Jack.

The wings had a great flavor - I asked them to mix the BBQ and Buffalo sauces together. Yum. Perfectly cooked. However, for a buck a piece, I'd like them to be bigger. Still, the best in the two towns.

The Ahi tuna was quite good - exactly as expected and we'll be ordering that again. Can't get that outside of Durham, until now. Good job.

Mac and cheese - amazingly, some places manage to screw it up, but not here. Creamy, pasta not overcooked and mushy like everywhere else, nice cheesy flavor. Order it, you won't be disappointed.

This time I had the burger - I saw one coming out of the kitchen as I was chewing my salad, and made a mental note to get it next time. So, I did. Really solid, good burger. Definitely worth ordering if you like burgers. The pretzel roll is a nice touch. Generous size patty. Also, the fries are great - I ate those first while waiting for my bacon (more on that in a second).

She had the tomato basil soup - that was fantastic. Thick, creamy, pleasantly spicy while not distracting from the ripe tomato flavor. Outstanding.

She also had the shrimp and grits. She reports it was more the Cajun style - brown roux instead of the creamy type we normally see - but it was very well done and the shrimp was cooked to perfection. And they were a nice size.

Our first trip, it took me asking two people and ten minutes to get a small cup of dressing for my naked salad. This trip, they forgot the bacon for the burger. Mistakes happen, and I think it's just a matter of the kitchen hitting its stride (and the wait staff learning to check the orders before bringing them to the table!), but they've got a little way to go. On the bright side, everyone is very friendly. Even the owners walk around and say hello to people.

The first time, I said I'd come back to get a better idea of what this place is about. The second time, we said we'd come back because we liked it.

Overall, B+. Some wrinkles to iron out, some menu items (or kitchen procedures) to reconsider, but overall, you won't do better unless you're taking an hour's drive down I-85. We'll...

Celebrating my husband, Torrey Brothers, 48th birthday on the Eve of his big day, was nothing short of fantastic! Thank you so much to Uptown Bar & Restaurant in Oxford, for making special accommodations for our private gathering! The food was outstanding and perfectly executed! HAPPY BIRTHDAY HUNNYBUNCHES!! 😘😍😘🥰🤩❤️

Torrey feasted on and enjoyed the Prime ribeye w/shrimp (collard greens & Mac-n-cheese).

Avier and I had devoured our tender and perfectly seasoned lamb chops! Avi had hers w/loaded mashed potato/zucchini/Squash & spinach dip w/pita for her appetizer. I had a loaded baked potato w/collard greens and Crab Cake w/a fried green tomato for my appetizer.

Chandler had some of the most delicious, lip smacking ribs (w/fries), while Coleman had the massive rodeo burger w/fries & Alston had the Buffalo wings w/fries.

Everything was awesome from the music, our friends & family, the amazing customer service, the cleanliness of the restaurant, the excellent wait staff, to the food and dessert!! What really made the moments there even more special, was when they played Steve Wonders Happy Birthday song as they brought out the most amazing and delicious house made cheesecake! We all excitedly sang along to it to the man of the hour as we wished him a happy birthday!

What a beautiful time we had indeed! We enjoyed every moment!!! Gerald and Neka was excellent company and truly made the night even more fun! I love you guys! I appreciate them celebrating with us, especially with such a short notice!!

I give Uptown Bar and Restaurant earned a whopping 5 Red Hearts & and a Starry Eyed Emoji! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🤩!!!! It’s a MUST for you to go and experience Uptown Bar and Restaurant yourself. They offer live music on Fridays & Saturdays! I highly recommend one gives this minority owned Bistro, located in Oxford, your undivided attention…because they are very much deserving of it!! Owners/Partners are Sherita Powell, Maurice & Mary Goode. Excellent Night!

Uptown Bar and Restaurant is located at 101 College St,...

My husband and I came here for a Friday date night and loved it! The food was excellent, full of flavor. I asked for a drink recommendation and Maurice made me an Uptown Mary-absolutely delicious and proceeds go to an excellent cause in honor of the great woman it is named after! We started w the boom boom shrimp which had some heat to them but were too tasty to stop eating. I had the rodeo burger w fries and hubs got the 8oz ribeye special w side salad and loaded mash potatoes. Amazing dinner, the steak was seasoned and cooked to perfection. Ranch alone was worth ordering a salad for. We will definitely be coming back!

EDIT TO ADD: Came back May 2024 on a Friday with some girlfriends to celebrate a birthday! The BBQ glaze salmon should be against the law! I am a mac and cheese snob (dont like chik fila, cracker barrel, texas roadhouse, hardly NONE) and this mac and cheese was the bomb! Squash n zucchini was delicious as well. Everybody left full and satisfied AND the live talent sang my friend Happy Birthday ❤️ It was a great night,...