First look inside new Oxford city centre restaurant

The spacious premises over two floors on the corner of George Street and Gloucester Street needed a new business to give it a facelift.

Now, following £770,000 of renovation work from building owners the city council, Megan’s, a chain specialising in Eastern Mediterranean brunch, lunch, dinner, cocktails and parties, has redesigned the premises and opened to customers.

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The smart renovation has given George Street a boost and diners have been enjoying dishes in front of the big picture windows, which are kept open during the warmer weather.

Megan’s first opened its doors in 2002 as a small antiques shop on the King’s Road in London.

To keep peckish shoppers satisfied, Megan began selling home-made cakes, gluten-free brownies and half-baked cookie dough, a gooey sharing plate featuring Nutella, pistachios and ice cream.

There are now 20 Megan’s restaurants around the UK, with most of them in London and the South East.

There are a number of tables in the brightly lit bar inside the entrance but the main dining area is behind it in part of the restaurant that can not be viewed from the street.

The dining area at the back on street level features a number of comfortable booths which can accommodate diners, while there are other individual smaller tables throughout.

Waiter Ramyar with Megan’s by the Spires manager Mike Carne (Image: Andy Ffrench)

Mike Carne, a former manager at the Slow & Steady pub in Abingdon Road, is now the friendly face leading the team at Megan’s By the Spires (Oxford).

Our waiter Ramyar promptly takes our orders, and is happy to chat at intervals between courses.

On a brief tour of the restaurant, a second dining area is revealed, which could also double up as a space for private parties.

Inside Megan’s restaurant in Oxford (Image: Andy Ffrench)

We dined from the Megan’s weekend brunch venue, which features breads and dips, brunch plates, pancakes, shakshouka, kebabs, pita burgers and grills, and bowls.

There were lots of different cocktails to choose from but I was driving and selected a Virgin Megan’s – a non-alcoholic version of a Bloody Megan’s.

Ramyar, a waiter at Megan’s (Image: Andy Ffrench)

It tasted very much like a Bloody Mary without the vodka and fortified by a huge glass of spicy tomato juice, I set to work on the Megan’s Brunch Grill (£16.50) – a cooked breakfast – or brunch with a Mediterranean twist – oyster mushrooms presented as a kebab.

Bacon, sausage, two eggs, roast tomato and sourdough comes with butter beans but I’m not a fan so I asked to swap them out for a bowl of hashbrown rosties which were delicious.

My daughter chose bacon and maple pancakes (£15.90) without the caramelised banana and was delighted with the result.

My wife selected a vegetarian option – a mezze bowl (£13.90) featuring crispy falafel, harissa hummus, tabbouleh, roasted red peppers, kalamata olives and flatbread and enjoyed the tangy flavours.

Megan’s in Oxford (Image: Andy Ffrench)

Chicken or lamb could be added as extras to this dish if a meat version is preferred.

Baklava and ice cream seemed like the perfect combination for my dessert, although I was disappointed that the orange and almond cake was not available.

Baklava and ice cream with pistachios and rose petals (Image: Andy Ffrench)

Megan’s may be a chain restaurant but the staff are local and the Mediterranean menu is bringing a series of distinctive dishes to the heart of the city centre. It’s an excellent addition to the centre of George Street, where the revamp of the former Odeon is getting started a short distance away.

Inside Megan’s in Oxford (Image: Andy Ffrench)

We really enjoyed our visit to Megan’s – a perfect theatreland destination – and would love to return for a late night cocktail in the basement bar when I get the chance.