GrandCru

GrandCru sits at the quiet end of North Parade Avenue where the terrace meets the residential side streets. The frontage is small — a slate-grey shopfront with the name in plain serif lettering — but the room steps back further than it looks, opening into a glazed conservatory with a tiled floor and a courtyard beyond. It is the more formal of the eating options on the strip without tipping over into stiffness.

The kitchen runs a short, frequently-changed menu of small plates pitched to share, with a sushi counter providing made-to-order maki and nigiri alongside the wider European list. Seasonality drives the offer — spring asparagus and broad beans, autumn game, winter root vegetables — and the wine list is the engine the rest of the room is built around.

What to order

The by-the-glass list runs eight whites, six reds, a rosé and three sparkling, priced between £7 and £10.50. That is the cheapest way to taste-test before committing to a bottle, and the staff are happy to talk through what is open. The food list is best ordered as several plates across the table — the seasonal fish, the cheese and charcuterie boards, and the sushi rolls all reward sharing. A short dessert list of two or three options closes the meal.

Good to know

Closed Mondays; lunch only opens on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The room has around twenty covers and books up fast on a Friday and Saturday evening — reservations through the website. Bottle takeaway from the small wine shop at the front is an easier option if the room is full.

Frontage observed on 2026-05-09; hours, by-the-glass pricing and concept from grandcruoxford.com.