Alternative Tuck Shop

The nearest food outlet to my department and one of the best. Queues can be long but they move quickly. Friendly staff too. Well worth investigating.

This is my go-​to lunch stop in Oxford. I basically reroute all my walks to incorporate a stop here. Their bagels are excellent, the pastries are delicious, and they serve customers remarkably quickly even when the place gets packed around lunch time. Do yourself a favor and add a jam donut to whatever you order. Well worth 60p.

Great price, very good sandwiches, very good value for money. Recommended even if there is a long queue.

I don’t even live in Oxford, but I stop in here every time I’m in town. I’m obsessed with their chicken tikka panini with mango chutney. It’s only 3,20£ and really hits the spot for late-​afternoon cravings. I usually spill some on myself while I eat it walking down the street. Sometimes I get strange looks from scholarly types as I wipe sauce off my scarf. But I don’t even care a little bit because good food = happiness, and this is good food.

The staff is friendly and works a a impressive rate. Sandwiches are the best in Oxford! Try the grilled veggie panini– the combination of textures and flavours is amazing.
I had a lot of trouble adjusting to UK food while studying abroad, but this place made it a lot easier.

The staff is friendly and quick, the sandwiches are delicious, and the cookies and pastries are great too. Perfect for a snack on the run!

World-​class sandwich shop. Ciabatta is excellent and the sandwiches are great. Baked goods (i.e. pastries) are alright. Chips (i.e. crisps) are also very good. My second favorite lunch in Oxford (after the Vault & Garden cafeteria).

Used to come here regularly to grab a quick sandwhich for lunch. The bread options are amazing (all the ciabatta options are tasty) and usually quite filling. The staff is always friendly as well. Note to the muslims, most of the chicken options are halal.

Alternative Tuck Shop is an amazing establishment! I was traveling through Oxford and happened to find this hole in the wall kind of place. The employees are very friendly and work very fast. The food is extremely tasty (couscous, falafel wrap) and it is very affordable!
My only complaint is that there isn’t an Alternative Tuck Shop closer to my home :)

Sent me into a spiral of «what if» philosophizing and fantasy. What if in America, the land I soon returned to after a pleasant but comparatively brief time in Oxford, we became equally enlightened on the subject of panini? What if we also had the proper excellent long ciabatta, and felt bold enough to fill it with chicken and mango tikka masala, or perhaps pesto and cranberry and turkey, or other delightful but extremely solidly considered combinations? What if we kept it simple, direct, straightforward, but remained confident in the way we made and desired our panini? Well, there would be an Alternative Tuck Shop, at least one, somewhere here then, I’d wager. I guess we’ll have to give that some time. In the mean while, you’ll just have to visit Old Blighty to get all that.

This is one of the best establishments in Oxford. Fantastic ciabatta, extremely friendly staff, and delicious sandwiches. Definitely get the chicken cheddar avocado sandwich, or the sausage. Good hummus, as well. The pastries are hit-​or-​miss (the tiffin is amazing), but they also sell Kettle Chips, sodas, juice, and chocolate bars.
They also offer coffee and tea, which is usually quite good. Very inexpensive place, overall. Quick service (except for paninis), and gets very busy around lunchtime. They usually run out of ciabatta during/​after lunch, so you will be stuck with baguettes or paninis, but both of those are still great (albeit not quite on the same level as the ciabatta).
One of those places you could easily go to every single day for a sandwich and not get bored or be disappointed.

Delicious hummus and falafel wrap! I want to go back tomorrow, it was so good!

Great, cheap coffee! And really friendly and fast service. As for their sandwiches, I wish that they’d be more health/​nutrition conscious and have more whole-​grain bread. Not particularly great for those avoiding huge white bread.

#528 I can’t comment too much on the quality of the Alternative Tuck Shop as we didn’t end up buying anything here. But, I just wanted to drop a line about the fact that they don’t have scones! That’s right, towards the end of our adventure in City Centre, I was desperate for a scone and decided to give the ATS a try. But, alas, after battling our way through their enthusiastic crowd, we ended up empty-​handed. Just an FYI.

This shop is located just around the corner from my department/​faculty building, so I love it for the sheer convenience. When I can’t write anymore fluff in my academic papers or process anymore academic ~high-​level~ writing, I take a quick break here for some coffee or a panini (I usually go for the chicken, roasted veg, and sundried tomatoes panini. But I have a feeling everything else is a-​ok too!) Oh, and they are super fast with getting through a long line, so don’t despair if you see one snaking down Holywell!

My friend comes here often for a quick bite for lunch and I can see why. There was a long line coming out the door but the employees are so quick, efficient, and friendly in taking your order without pencil and paper and assembling your sandwich that they keep the line moving.
My husband and I ordered the tuna panini with sweet corn and the turkey and brie panini. Both were exceptionally tasty and filling. At 3 pounds or $ 5, it was a steal. Also, their sweets are equally delicious.

I’m totally impressed by this place’s food and efficiency. When I came for lunch, the line was out the door and wrapped around the inside of the restaurant, but the guys behind the counter still managed to have me in and out in 5 minutes flat! The Alternative Tuck Shop has a great selection of delicious sandwiches and pastries, and was the least expensive place I ate at while in the UK. I had a tuna panini and tried the turkey and brie panini but everything on the menu sounded awesome.
The Alternative Tuck Shop seems to be an Oxford favorite and for good reason: great food, great prices and an amazing staff make this place a great choice for students or anyone who wants a good sandwich.

The ATS is an Oxford institution. Legendarily friendly service, delicious big sandwiches, pretty decent prices, and you can customise things more or less however you want. My favourite is the chicken satay on olive ciabbata. The only warning is that it’s not always open out of term-​time. You can’t blame them, as they’re right in college-​ville and aren’t on the beaten track when the students disappear. Plus they must make a mint from such amazing sandwiches.
I’d second the suggestions about going just before or after normal lunchtime to beat the queues, but queueing out the door for the ATS is almost part of the experience, and they really know how to bust through a horde of customers in rapid time.

First breakfast in Oxford was just some takeaway from this lovely shop. It saved us! Yummy, things, friendly staff, what more could you want?
I wanted to try all there things but only went twice during our stay. Just got bagels and pastries some mornings but enjoyed the chai I got there. I also tried what they called a pecan pie. Not really a pie, more like a shortbread with the normal pecan pie filling and nuts on top. Pretty good. But the secret for making good pecan pie type things is to scorch the top just a bit. Looks bad but tastes 100X better. I suggest they give this a try the next batch they make up.
Fresh breads and sandwiches are available as well. Closed on Sunday but their other opening times are very convient for a breakfast on the way in or a quick lunch.

On my first day in the UK, I only managed to find a slew of Caffe Nero locations that disappointed me greatly. Though they do not exist in the states, I was admonished for going to a chain instead of the local shoppe right around the corner from my friend’s flat.
We went for breakfast the day before yesterday, each of us having a smoked salmon bagel and coffee. The bagels were not too dense and had just the right amount of every ingredient with just a hint of lemon and black pepper to finish the flavors.
Yet the coffee was quite spectacular. The espresso in my nonfat cappuccino wasn’t over-​roasted but had the perfect subtle flavors (slightly earthy, slightly acidic). The line moved quickly as everyone seemed to be a regular and all the workers moved quickly to get through the line (though it looked much longer by lunch time a couple hours later).
My bagel and coffee came out to a little over 4 quid. It’s reasonably priced for a student (and at least the exchange rate isn’t as bad as it used to be…) Lovely neighborhood shop that I may have to try again at lunch before I leave Oxford.