Sitting right on top of the world’s oldest museum, the Rooftop Restaurant at the Ashmolean Museum commands a fantastic position.
On the way to the rooftop restaurant, it’s hard not to get distracted with the extensive collections at the Ashmolean Museum so I’d definitely factor in some extra time to explore before or after your visit. They often have special exhibitions running with the restaurant using this as inspiration for a number of menu items.
Child free for the day, I visited for a special lunch date with my husband. Even on a grey day, the restaurant was flooded with light. Floor to ceiling glass windows run the length of the restaurant so you can enjoy the views from the inside or venture out onto the rooftop terrace on a sunny day.
We chose the rooftop terrace at to dine and our first challenge was what to pick from the menu as it all looked so good. In the end we decided to choose something different and then share each course.
Expectations for the lunch were set high as soon as we delved into our starters. The flash fried squid was wonderfully tender with the sweet pop of pomegranate seeds complementing the chilli and garlic dressing on the rocket salad. We also had a sharing platter of taramasaltata, roasted red pepper houmous and soft pitta bread and yes it tasted as good as it looks!
We chose two very different main courses and both were a real treat. The spinach gnocchi tasted of summer with wilted spinach and a lemon & parsley pesto and then just the right amount of cashews and toasted pumpkin seeds to set the dish off.
In contrast, the handmade tortellini was marvelously indulgent. Filled with wild farmed black truffle and ricotta, the butternut squash puree to complement worked perfectly. The roasted butternut squash cubes were slightly al dente which I would never have thought to do and highly recommend. The dish was so well thought through with flavours, texture and presentation.
Let’s talk dessert as I wouldn’t usually have three courses at lunch but the starters and main were so good that we couldn’t resist. The elderflower panna cotta was truly delicious. The summery, sweet flavours of elderflower and fresh strawberries were accessorised with balsamic and pepper and the brown butter crumb was delish.
My husband cannot resist a chocolate tort and after this one said it was probably the best he’d ever had. Set on a nutty base with luxurious dark chocolate and creamy cold ice cream.
Every element of our lunch experience was perfectly thought through, created and executed. Service was excellent both friendly and efficient.
The Ashmolean Museum rooftop restaurant is famed for it’s afternoon teas so after being thoroughly treated to lunch, I think I’m going to have to book myself in to sample this. A very good excuse to go back.
