Jam Factory

Having eaten, drunk and enjoyed many evenings at the Jam Factory, I thought it was about time I submitted a review. First of all the enthusiasm and love shown by the staff and owners has to be commended. Every time I've been it's been a warm welcome, a smile and great service throughout.

Usually I just opt for one of the delicious lunch specials and a coffee.

As to this talk of pretentious, and over priced. Overpriced compared to grabbing a generic sandwich from another establishment perhaps, but when you use well sourced local ingredients, cooked by trained chefs then you have to be prepared to pay a little more. It's quality not quantity here, and that suits me just fine. £7 for a delicious gratin last time I went. It was filling and came with a little salad too.

I really appreciate the ethos, atmosphere and ideals of the 'JF' and will keep coming back.

Drewb (Unverified), 05/02/12

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Over-priced and pretentious. It's good to have aspirations to produce great food but to realise it so poorly and charge so much left me feeling very disappointed. Small portions & our game pate starter was twinned with an over-powering dollop of star-anise chutney.

We were offered replacement desserts and wine when we complained, a gesture which we appreciated but declined. Had I not been dining with my partners' friends and wanted to avoid a scene I would have sent every dish back.

autolycus (Unverified), 28/12/11

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Have eaten here 3 times. It is a great venue and the staff have always been very pleasant and friendly; in particular, Philip was charming. Lots going on to add interest, can be a bit chilly in the evening though. On food would say excellent meat dishes but accompaniments need more attention.

Value is reasonable but possibly a bit pricey for what you get- depends on the dish. Breakfast needs more quality ingredients for the price - proper bacon not streaky, and quality sausages. There is a lot of competition for breakfasts and places in Jericho are better value. It wouldn't take much to improve so hope they will consider this - maybe lovely local produce as a point of difference.

Overall it is certainly worth a visit and brightens up this corner of West Oxford.

lovefood (Unverified), 29/10/11

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I have been meaning to post a review for the Jam Factory for some months now.

We held our wedding reception for a group of around 35 people at the Jam Factory back in August. The meal was excellent - the food was of the highest quality and extremely well prepared and presented. Many of our guests commented on how nice it was to be able to choose their own menus and a guest with special dietary requirements was very well catered for as well.

We organised most of the details from Australia prior to our arrival in Oxford and Natalie's help with the planning for decorations, menus and space layout was patient, professional and very friendly. With the expert help of Callum we put together an outstanding drinks list that some of our guests are still talking about months later.

I would highly recommend the Jam Factory for anyone wanting to throw a special party with excellent food and wine in creative surroundings - we will have very happy memories of the night for a long time to come.

Kat (Unverified), 26/10/11

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In response to the last comment posted. We appreciate all honest feedback as it's through listening to our guests that we become more consistent. On this occasion it was the first day of the new Autumn menu and the langoustines did indeed fall short of our high standards and were therefore removed from the menu. The steak and duck have been selling well and we have had good feedback from other customers since then and are proving to be best sellers.

As always we would like to thank Daily Info for providing this service for guests and businesses alike. If the last reviewer could to make themselves known to us we would happily invite them back to show them that negative experiences at The Jam Factory do not happen often.

Jam Factory (Unverified), 24/10/11

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Nastiest meal I've had in ages. Inedible langoustine starter - all shell and no meat. Indifferent steak and chips. Tough duck with bizarre tomato accompaniment, over-seasoned white pudding and over-garlicky mash. Shame as it's a nice setting and ambiance, but let down by poor quality food.

26/09/11

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I love this place. It's an inspiring, individual oasis of calm I have yet to find anywhere else in Oxford. I love the food and I think it is really good value as the quality and taste are fantastic and the portions are generous. I recently had the burger and fries there.

The burger was cooked to perfection and the home cut large fries were very moreish! The staff are really friendly and accomodating and Andrew has created a lovely space which constantly changes due to the art that is exhibited there. I love the fact that there is so much creativity going on there at various points of the week.

It is a lovely space to sit and have a coffee, or one of their many speciality teas and of course one of their delicious cakes! If you give it a go, you'll keep going back; like I do.

E (Unverified), 26/09/11

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We dined here recently and have very mixed feelings. While the food is good, sometimes very good, and the decor etc. interesting and individual, the place is let down (as others have noted) by the service. While I appreciate Andrew's assertion that he doesn't want "uniformed robots" on the staff, surely the "personalities" he employs should have some leanings towards providing good service?  Shift changes must be a particularly dicey time to eat as I get the impression that information (e.g. specials, what is not available) is simply not communicated. It also took 25 minutes for our table to be cleared, by which time the sight of our congealing leftovers had managed to put us off the idea of dessert. All in all, and at these prices, we felt that the place could do a lot better, simply by being a bit more polished in its approach to recruitment.

Billy (Unverified), 03/11/10

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I went to the Jam Factory for the first time last week and was thouroughly impressed. A relaxed, understated interior was paired with art on all the walls. The atmosphere and service were welcoming and the extremely good quality food and drink would not be out of place in some of the finest restaurants I have dined in. Thank you Jam Factory - I'm looking forward to an excuse to return.

J.Matherson (Unverified), 26/09/10

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Mixed is the best one can say. The place has potential and is not overcrowded but the outside is scruffy (could be great) and is used for smokers.

The inside has one great defect which is the roof appears to leak and soak the sofas - reducing the seating by about 30%. It might still qualify as good were it not for the absence of any champagne at all, and it's full-on central town wine-bar prices, which are not justified for its current location. Could do better and should.

stephen p (Unverified), 04/09/10

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The Jam Factory is a small independent venue operated with honesty, attention to our customers needs and a lot of pride in what we deliver.

It is frustrating that some people don't like what we do, however we would like to thank every one for the feed-back left on Daily Info because we genuinely listen to it.

Our mission is simple. To offer a great food, drink and art as accessibly as possible. We do not get it right 100% of the time but what we can promise is we serve 100% fresh food and drink sourced as locally as possible, delivered well and priced affordably.

We are not a highly polished chain restaurant with branded cups and neon lights... so if you're expecting mass produced microwaved frozen food, served by uniformed robots, this is not for you. We are about personalities... yours and ours, whether your server is 15 or 50 they have been chosen because they are individuals, they care about you the customer and they are proud of what we serve.

Thank you to our fans, critics, regulars for the custom and the feed-back and Daily Info for hosting such a useful resource for businesses and customers alike.

Andrew (Unverified), 23/03/10

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Terrible! Overpriced and a shame really! Young staff with minimal experience reflected in our whole dining experience! Local ads punt it but I was very disappointed! Felt embarrased as I had taken some friends that arrived off the train from London! I dont think I will return unless its the only option I have left.............

Sadie (Unverified), 21/02/10

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A relaxed and great quality place, this really is in a league of its own. The Jam Factory is a magical place which seems to get better every time I go. Foodie heaven, board games, local beers, unpretentious staff. Thank you Jam Factory

01/02/10

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Great food and fantastic value.

I'd heard good things about this place from mates but have only just got around to checking it out. We came here for an early dinner and took advantage of the end of happy hour which ran until 7, and for a change seemed to include a wide variety of the drinks.

There was a nice relaxed atmosphere and the staff that served us were all friendly and helpful. For the meal I started with moules mariniere- fresh mussels in a tasty sauce, the missus had the homemade tomato and basil soup.

For mains we had the confit of duck, a generous portion accompanied with sautee potatoes and the very tasty lamb burger with proper home made chips.

Unfortunately we didn't have time to try out desserts but from those we saw being served at other tables and the standard of the starter and mains it wont be long before we go back to try them out.

The Frank Cooper memorabilia; different styles of original artwork on display and chilled out atmosphere also make an interesting and cheaper change from all the chain restaurants in Oxford to enjoy your meal.

Pete (Unverified), 20/01/10

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I love the Jam Factory and am a regular. In a way I hope that they don't get too big for their boots because that would ruin it. The rough-round-the-edges description is apt for this arts/crafts workshop. The food comes second to the art and atmosphere.

I'm fond of Andrew but not some his waiting staff. I'd like to see more/better cakes but my thighs are thankful for that deficiency. Good coffee. Good beers on tap. Welcoming and casual with no pretentiousness. It would definitely benefit from some really good quality waiting staff but when you're not in a hurry and just want a comfy place to sit it doesn't matter does it?

kcoldie (DI User), 17/01/10

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What a shame! My wife and I usually have a breakfast out somewhere in Oxford every other week. With such a wide variety of places to choose from and whilst we eat their a couple of times a month for an evening meal, we hadn't been to our "local" Jam Factory for breakfast for about 4 months. But yesterday we thought "why not?" Well I can tell you why not; the price! The food was its usual excellent quality, but the price has sky rocketed. Their "Factory" breakfast is an excellent "full English" but from what was a very good price of £12 for two factorys, two fruit juices and two coffees, the cost yesterday for two factorys and two coffees was £21.10! Had we also had two fruit juices then the price would have been double the previous price!

C'mon guys what are you doing! Food costs have gone up, we all know that, but double the price? As a famous ex-Wimbledon champion would say "you cannot be serious!"

The Jam Factory, whilst producing consistently good quality, is now vying for the number 1 spot as "the most expensive breakfast in Oxford", excluding some, but not all, of the hotels.

Will we have breakfast there again? Not until they become more realistic. Shame really.

louis (Unverified), 04/07/09

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This place is great to sit alone and have a laid back cup of coffee during the day (free wireless & interesting decor!) but I wouldn't take a date/group of friends here for an evening meal. The food is just okay, not an extensive menu but usually cooked to a decent standard. What really lets the place down is the service.

I have been a number of times, always in small groups of three or four, never at a busy time. The waiting staff were invariably ambivalent, there are usually a number of items on the already limited menu which aren't available, this is not pointed out though until ten minutes after you've ordered them. On one occasion all three of us ordered the same soup to start, the chef had obviously run out by the third helping but rather than letting us know, my friend was served what appeared to be a watered down and salted version of what the rest of us were eating. The prices are also a little expensive, probably because you are paying also for the ambience of the place - which, to be fair, is relaxed and unique.

Unless service is improved I will not be returning, it's a shame though because it has great potential!

Henko (Unverified), 29/04/09

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It is really good to have a place where as well as eat or drink, you can read (papers provided), play games (board games provided) or stroll around the gallery. For all those reasons this is a good place. The food itself is great - seasonal, fresh and well sourced. I would say that while the manager/owner/patron strikes just the right tone, the same can't be said for the waitresses (which may explain some of the comments below). I went on a weekday evening recently and also during the day and on both occasions I was served by a slightly inefficient and aloof waitress (not a good combination). Maybe they just saw me as a frumpy woman - dont know - also don't know whether they are part-time artists or just not very good but they made all the usual mistakes - lack of focus on new arrivals, hauteur when you asked for things like ketchup, failure to bring those things, interrupting you when your food was halfway to your mouth to ask if the food is ok (doncha hate that?) and real moment of enthusiasm at the tipping point (I didn't). Guys - sort the staff!

Apart from that it's a great local place for westoxforders to have.

asia (Unverified), 12/02/09

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Excellent. These guys have something that is so very rare in Oxford - really good service.

harryhobs (Unverified), 18/09/08

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My favourite restaurant in Oxford - the food is always delicious, there is a good choice of wine and I love the light airy dining area. This has got to be the best kept secret in Oxford! I popped in for lunch the other day to find there is a fantastic new £5 two course lunch menu. I wish I worked in Oxford, then I could come here for my lunch everyday. Lastly, the chocolate brownies are well worth a try...a chocolate lover's heaven!

Claire (Unverified), 22/04/08

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This was my very first visit to the Jam Factory. The restaurant presents itself as a place with plenty of character, which filled me with correspondingly high expectations. I started with a glass of their best Rioja. At £4.75, it was definitely not worth it. Reminding myself that one can't expect much wine-wise in most places anyway I moved on to dinner with an open mind.

In fact, the food was really good and well presented. Our party had a nice mix of starters (pate,
roast beef, salmon, chorizo), quite a diverse choice of mains (I had a nice lamb burger, others were positively impressed by their steaks), and a mixed set of desserts (the crème brulée was absolutely fabulous).

All for £20 per person excluding drinks, which was fine, though they could benefit from addressing the rather lengthy pauses between the courses (the restaurant wasn't exactly packed either).

Marc (DI User), 05/04/08

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I'm very very sorry to say that I agree with comments that the service in the Jam Factory has deteriorated. This has always been one of my favourite places to eat in Oxford, the food was always reliable and delicious and the service always very friendly and laid back, but attentive. So I'm really disappointed that on the restaurant side of things the guys seem to have taken their eye off the ball.  Gone was the friendly welcome - cold, aloof and unfriendly are the words that spring to mind. I have been ignored several times while waiting to order at the bar, annoying at the best of times, but more so when attentions are focussed on another member of the waiting staff - highly unprofessional. When my order was finally taken it seemed a real big effort and no smile to thank me for my custom... or perhaps I'm asking a little too much? I'm sorry to say that after experiencing the cold, unwelcoming service on a few occasions it really put me off. If I fancy a coffee these days I don't just pop in like I used to and I don't arrange to meet friends there anymore. I went in for lunch a little while ago and discovered that the formerly fantastic lunch menu has now been replaced with a £5 set menu offering a reduced choice of baguettes plus soup. I really don't want soup with my baguette thanks! Why can't I just have a baguette? I really think they've shot themselves in the foot with this. I also have to say that the soup, for the first time ever, was very disappointing - leek and potato was gritty. Yuk! I know the original chef left, and maybe that has made a difference, but I will think twice before going in again for food now and that's a real shame because I quite often used to go in for a drink and end up having a 3 course meal. Sorry guys, I really hate giving you a bad review, but sometimes complacency creeps in and maybe if you read this it'll give you a kick up the backside. And actually, while I'm getting it all off my chest, 'best coffee in Oxford' I really don't think so! Go and have a baguette and coffee at elsewhere one lunchtime and check out your competition.

Disappointed of West Oxford (Unverified), 09/03/08

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We went to the Jam Factory for our Christmas party and had exactly the opposite experience. The room was cold, the service was colder, and (some of) the food was colder still. Despite having ordered our meals over a month in advance, our dishes arrived at staggered intervals, and only 5 slices of bread were provided for more than 20 people.

We were told that our problems stemmed from our late-afternoon reservation, meaning the kitchen was closed. The website offers all-day dining. And why take an advance booking for a time when the kitchen is shut?

The food that arrived at the right temperature was nice enough, but nothing special. Portions could only be described as stingy for the amount we paid.

Overall it was a bad experience, with nothing to recommend it.

Kate (Unverified), 04/02/08

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We went to the Jam Factory for our work Christmas party and I can't recommend it highly enough! The food was delicious and beautifully presented, and the waiting staff were really helpful and friendly. They provided excellent service with everyone receiving their food without delay, despite the size of the group. The atmosphere in the Jam Factory is great; it is relaxed and a little bit different without being pretentious, and the prices are lower than many other Oxford venues where the food and service aren't nearly as good. Tom and Andrew were incredibly helpful during the process of organising our function. We were 47 staff and partners with all the various dietary requirements that come with a group of that size - all of which were either easily catered for by the extensive menu, or accommodated without any fuss by special request - Thank you! A great venue - highly recommended!

Pam (Unverified), 06/01/08

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Disappointing.. Visited just lately for lunch and yes, the service was a little shocking, the food ok and the art great.. Maybe they should focus on the gallery side of things more than the food they serve! Will return to try again..

Joseph Pellegrini (Unverified), 02/10/07

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At last! A non-pretentious, laid back, independent restaurant in Oxford. My partner and I went out to The Jam Factory last Saturday night and loved every second of it - a real experience. Although from the outside we weren't expecting much, the stylish, yet non-polished interior was a breath of fresh air. How did we not find it sooner! The staff, albeit laid back, were attentive and friendly. We ate entirely from the specials board and were bowled over. The Parma ham is the best I've ever eaten and the presentation was, well original (it was served on an artist's palette - very clever). This brought our attention to the other side of the restaurant, which is an art gallery. The quick meal out with a bottle of plonk, turned into a whole night of fun, entertainment and amazing food. I mean amazing. I have NEVER eaten food like that in Oxford, and we eat out every weekend. The bill was a mere £45 – for starters, main courses, desserts and a bottle of wine. I re-read the bill. And indeed, it was only £45. I think the restaurant only opened this year and I know little about who runs or owns it, I just hope the atmosphere and qualities we found stay as it gets even busier (and it will, I can bet). I highly recommend The Jam Factory to anyone. I still can’t quite understand why it was so special - the staff were so laid back they were practically horizontal, and the rough-around-the-edges interior would normally turn me off. But it just works.

jenny (Unverified), 02/05/07

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I don't know what that bad review was about - the place is great, and the lifedrawing class just adds to the experience there. Try it out! I have just recently moved to Oxford, and I couldn't have found the staff friendlier or the atmosphere better.

m.j. (Unverified), 21/04/07

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Was on this website looking for a place to take some friends visiting from far and happening to go down there and found it closed for a private function. Not a good first impression, very annoying that it wasn't advertised on their website. I then went back again on my own had a coffee which was 'alright' followed by what tasted like a microwaveable pizza. They tried to charm me over with their service, but wasn't impressed.

22/03/07

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Definitely an excellent choice of restaurant, The welcome was big, the atmosphere was charming, relaxing and fun. I highly recommend The Jam Factory. The girls and I (eight of us) had a wonderful few hours there. Our meals were generous and totally delicious. Excellent value for money. First class presentation and choice of food. The staff were very friendly, and provided a truly great service! 10 out of 10 Jam Factory. Thank you!

Jo Stephenson (Unverified), 14/03/07

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The Jam Factory is without a doubt one of Oxford’s true gems. The food is fantastic (especially the puddings) - decent side portions whilst not compromising on quality. The Sunday roasts and fish dishes are as good, if not better than what you would find at the Anchor and Loch Fyne.

The service is friendly and yet professional, helping to create a relaxing and unpretentious atmosphere.

What more can I say other than there are not many places in Oxford where you can draw a naked man/woman, see a top rate exhibition, enjoy a delicious meal and then conclude the evening with a game of Risk!

12/03/07

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Lovely laid back cafe. I wish i'd discovered it before. A comfy Sofa, great coffee and food. and the current exhibition of illustration is definitely worth a look, fairytales will never be the same again!

Bean (Unverified), 28/08/06

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