The Old Tom Oxford Review: The Best Thai in Central Oxford?

If you're wandering central Oxford wondering where to eat, let me save you the decision fatigue: go to The Old Tom. We went in with high hopes and left already planning our next visit.

Where is The Old Tom?

The Old Tom is tucked right into central Oxford, close enough to everything that you could easily fold it into a day of shopping, sightseeing, or just wandering the city centre. It's set inside a proper pub, so alongside a genuinely excellent Thai menu you get a great selection of beers too. We had a Birra Moretti alongside our meal and it worked perfectly. There's also a lovely outside area, ideal for warmer evenings or a lazy Sunday lunch.

What we ate

Thai Platter (starter)

Prawn toast, veg spring rolls, butterfly tempura in panko, and fried veg gyoza, served with sweet chilli sauce and a homemade sweet soy. This was perfection. Crisp, never oily, and every single element tasted fresh. The prawns in the toast were huge and juicy. Fried dumplings can so often tip into heavy and dry territory, but these were spot on. That homemade sweet soy sauce deserves a special mention — if The Old Tom ever bottled it and sold it, we would be first in the queue.

Papaya salad (starter)

Genuinely the best papaya salad we've had. So many versions go overboard on the heat, but this struck the perfect balance between chilli, zesty lime, and sweetness. Super refreshing, and it worked brilliantly both as its own dish and as a palate cleanser alongside everything else on the table.

Glass noodle salad (main)

Made with minced pork and prawns, the prawns were fresh and juicy and the sauce had that perfect zesty, soy, sweet balance. Light without being underwhelming — a dish you could happily eat on its own or share as part of a bigger spread.

Crab meat fried rice (main)

A genuine highlight, and something we hadn't tried before. Packed with so much crab meat, it was, quite simply, perfection. If you're someone who loves rice, this is the dish for you. One of the best things we ate all night.

Crispy pork on rice (main)

Perfectly crispy pork, paired with an amazing sweet soy sauce. The rice was cooked just right and the side salad added a nice freshness to cut through the richness. Another dish we'd order again without hesitation.

The drinks

The Thai milk tea was a great all-rounder — refreshing and easy to drink alongside the food. The Thai lemon iced tea, though, is the one to get: light, zesty, and honestly the perfect pairing for everything on the table. Highly recommend. And with The Old Tom being a pub at heart, there's a proper beer selection too — we went for a Birra Moretti, which hit the spot.

The service

The staff were so knowledgeable and genuinely nice throughout. It's clear the team knows the menu inside out, and the service was, honestly, close to perfect from start to finish.

Is The Old Tom worth it?

Without question. Between the food, the setting, and the service, this might just be the best Thai food in central Oxford — and being so close to the city centre and all its amenities makes it an easy choice whether you're local or visiting.

The verdict

Every single dish we tried was excellent, which made picking a favourite genuinely difficult — the crab meat fried rice and that homemade sweet soy sauce are both strong contenders. Add in the outside area, the pub's great beer selection, and faultless service, and you've got a restaurant that delivers on every level.

Would we go back? We haven't stopped thinking about it since we left.

We were invited to The Old Tom, but as always, our views are entirely our own.