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It is owned by the Westgate Oxford Alliance, a joint venture between Landsec and The Crown Estate.\n\nBe clear about what it is. The shops are the same national and international brands you would find in Leeds or Bristol, and of the ten restaurants and bars on the roof terrace, not one is an Oxford independent — they are Alchemist, The Breakfast Club, Dirty Bones, Mowgli, Nando's, Pho, Six by Nico, Sticks 'n' Sushi, Victors and The Beefy Boys. Maya's, a speciality coffee shop on Turn Again Lane that began as a horsebox cafe, is essentially the only Oxford independent in the building. If you want Oxford, the Covered Market and the old pubs are a five-minute walk away.\n\nWhat Westgate is genuinely good for is the thing central Oxford is worst at. Most of the city stops serving early and much of it is up a staircase. The roof terrace is free, open to anyone, and reached by public lift or escalator, with accessible toilets and a Changing Places facility on the same level. The restaurants keep going long after the centre's own 20:00 close — several to midnight, a couple to 01:00 at weekends. It seats a large group at short notice, it works in the rain, and it solves a wet Tuesday with children in a way the colleges cannot. The view from the terrace is a general prospect of the city rather than a dreaming-spires panorama; go for the air and the tables, not the skyline.\n\nCurzon has five screens on the roof terrace, with a daytime cafe-bar and a separate bar after dark. On the lower ground floor, Westgate Social is a street-food hall — Mexican, American barbecue, Taiwanese fried chicken, New York pizza by the slice.\n\nThe more interesting story is underneath. This is the site of the Oxford Greyfriars, the Franciscan friary founded in 1224, which Henry III allowed to breach the city wall in 1244 and which was pulled down at the Dissolution in 1538. Its gardens became the market gardens known as Paradise, built over in the 1820s as the terraced streets of St Ebbe's — a district of more than 900 properties cleared between the 1950s and the 1970s, an act one alderman later called the biggest mistake Oxford ever made. The excavation ahead of the current building, by Oxford Archaeology in 2015–16, uncovered the friary's cloister, kitchen and refectory, and won Best Archaeological Project at the 2016 British Archaeology Awards. A section of 13th-century Greyfriars cloister floor tiles is permanently displayed inside the centre. Roger Bacon was buried in the friary church; a plaque to him sits on the surviving stretch of city wall at Turn Again Lane, alongside the three houses Oxford Preservation Trust rescued in 1971 and still occupies.", "url": "https://above.guide/oxford/things-to-do/westgate-oxford", "mainEntityOfPage": { "@id": "https://above.guide/oxford/things-to-do/westgate-oxford/#webpage" }, "image": { "@id": "https://above.guide/oxford/things-to-do/westgate-oxford/#primary-image" }, "isPartOf": [ { "@id": "https://above.guide/oxford/#destination" } ], "isAccessibleForFree": true, "publicAccess": true, "sameAs": [ "https://www.westgateoxford.co.uk/" ], "touristType": [ "shopping", "restaurants", "rooftop", "cinema", "step-free", "family", "rainy-day", "late-opening", "archaeology" ], "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "streetAddress": "Queen Street, Oxford", "addressLocality": "Oxford", "addressRegion": "Oxfordshire", "addressCountry": "GB" }, "geo": { "@type": "GeoCoordinates", "latitude": 51.7494, "longitude": -1.262 }, "provider": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Westgate Oxford Alliance (Landsec / The Crown Estate)", "url": "https://www.westgateoxford.co.uk/" } }, { "@type": "FAQPage", "@id": "https://above.guide/oxford/things-to-do/westgate-oxford/#faq", "mainEntity": [ { "@type": "Question", "name": "Can anyone go up to the roof terrace, or do you need a restaurant booking?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Anyone can go up. It is free public space with its own toilets, Changing Places facility and drinking water refill point, reached by public lift or escalator without booking anything." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Is the view from the roof terrace worth going up for?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "It is a general view over Oxford rather than a classic spires panorama. For that, climb the tower of St Mary the Virgin, Carfax Tower or the Sheldonian cupola. Go up at Westgate for the open air, the tables and the step-free access." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Where can I eat late in central Oxford?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Westgate's roof terrace is the most reliable option. Several restaurants serve until midnight and one or two until 01:00 on Friday and Saturday, long after the centre itself closes at 20:00." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Is there anything historic to see at Westgate?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Yes. A section of 13th-century floor tiles from the Greyfriars cloister is on permanent display inside the centre, recovered during the 2015–16 excavation. Outside, on Turn Again Lane, a surviving stretch of the medieval city wall carries a plaque to Roger Bacon, who was buried in the friary church." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Should I drive to Westgate?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "The centre advises Park & Ride. The underground car park is card payment only with a 2-metre height limit, and a temporary £5 daily congestion charge has applied to the city centre since 29 October 2025. Oxford station is about half a mile away." } } ] } ] } ], "editorialMarkdown": "[View next **The Bridge of Sighs**]()\n\nFood & drink / Oxford\n\n## Westgate Oxford\n\nOxford's main shopping centre, and the city's most reliable late option for eating with a group — a rooftop terrace of ten restaurants and bars, a five-screen Curzon, and a street-food hall, all step-free and open well past the time the rest of the centre shuts.\n\n[Plan this experience]()\n\n[Explore the story]()\n\nCost **Free to visit**\n\nTime to allow **1–3 hours**\n\nPace **Easy**\n\nPlace **Queen Street, Oxford**\n\nBest time **Year round**\n\n01 / Why it matters\n\n### More than a stop on a list.\n\nThe one place in central Oxford that will seat a group late, in the dry, with a lift to the door — and the only one with a 13th-century friary displayed under the food court.\n\nWestgate opened on 24 October 2017, replacing a 1972 centre by the Oxford City Architect's Office that had been demolished the previous year. It is owned by the Westgate Oxford Alliance, a joint venture between Landsec and The Crown Estate. Be clear about what it is. The shops are the same national and international brands you would find in Leeds or Bristol, and of the ten restaurants and bars on the roof terrace, not one is an Oxford independent — they are Alchemist, The Breakfast Club, Dirty Bones, Mowgli, Nando's, Pho, Six by Nico, Sticks 'n' Sushi, Victors and The Beefy Boys. Maya's, a speciality coffee shop on Turn Again Lane that began as a horsebox cafe, is essentially the only Oxford independent in the building. If you want Oxford, the Covered Market and the old pubs are a five-minute walk away. What Westgate is genuinely good for is the thing central Oxford is worst at. Most of the city stops serving early and much of it is up a staircase. The roof terrace is free, open to anyone, and reached by public lift or escalator, with accessible toilets and a Changing Places facility on the same level. The restaurants keep going long after the centre's own 20:00 close — several to midnight, a couple to 01:00 at weekends. It seats a large group at short notice, it works in the rain, and it solves a wet Tuesday with children in a way the colleges cannot. The view from the terrace is a general prospect of the city rather than a dreaming-spires panorama; go for the air and the tables, not the skyline. Curzon has five screens on the roof terrace, with a daytime cafe-bar and a separate bar after dark. On the lower ground floor, Westgate Social is a street-food hall — Mexican, American barbecue, Taiwanese fried chicken, New York pizza by the slice. The more interesting story is underneath. This is the site of the Oxford Greyfriars, the Franciscan friary founded in 1224, which Henry III allowed to breach the city wall in 1244 and which was pulled down at the Dissolution in 1538. Its gardens became the market gardens known as Paradise, built over in the 1820s as the terraced streets of St Ebbe's — a district of more than 900 properties cleared between the 1950s and the 1970s, an act one alderman later called the biggest mistake Oxford ever made. The excavation ahead of the current building, by Oxford Archaeology in 2015–16, uncovered the friary's cloister, kitchen and refectory, and won Best Archaeological Project at the 2016 British Archaeology Awards. A section of 13th-century Greyfriars cloister floor tiles is permanently displayed inside the centre. Roger Bacon was buried in the friary church; a plaque to him sits on the surviving stretch of city wall at Turn Again Lane, alongside the three houses Oxford Preservation Trust rescued in 1971 and still occupies.\n\n![Westgate Oxford, Oxford]()\n\nFood & drink **Westgate Oxford** Oxford\n\n02 / The essentials\n\n### What makes it remarkable.\n\n1. 01\n\n Opened 24 October 2017, replacing the 1972 Westgate Centre designed by the Oxford City Architect's Office under city architect Douglas Murray and demolished in 2016.\n2. 02\n\n The Level 2 roof terrace is free and open to the public, with step-free lift access, accessible toilets and a Changing Places facility.\n3. 03\n\n Ten restaurants and bars on the roof terrace, all of them multi-site chains rather than Oxford independents.\n4. 04\n\n Curzon operates five screens on the roof terrace.\n5. 05\n\n Built over the Oxford Greyfriars, a Franciscan friary founded in 1224 and demolished at the Dissolution in 1538.\n6. 06\n\n Oxford Archaeology's 2015–16 excavation of the site won Best Archaeological Project at the 2016 British Archaeology Awards.\n7. 07\n\n A section of 13th-century Greyfriars cloister floor tiles is permanently displayed inside the centre.\n8. 08\n\n The site was the terraced district of St Ebbe's until more than 900 properties were cleared between the 1950s and 1970s.\n\n03 / The place\n\n### The building in context.\n\nA story written in stone since **2015**.\n\nBuilt\n\n2015–2017; opened 24 October 2017\n\nArchitect\n\nJohn Lewis store by Glenn Howells Architects; south facade by Panter Hudspith; Old Greyfriars Street block by Allies and Morrison; library and Castle Street frontage by Dixon Jones\n\nStyle\n\nContemporary retail-led mixed use\n\n04 / Before you go\n\n### Plan it well.\nEnjoy it properly.\n\nPractical detail, separated from the story so you can scan what matters when you are ready to visit.\n\n01\n\n#### Tickets & entry\n\nFree to enter; roof terrace free and open to the public\n\n02\n\n#### Opening hours\n\nCentre: Monday to Friday 10:00–20:00, Saturday 09:00–20:00, Sunday 11:00–17:00. Roof terrace restaurants and bars trade later, several until midnight and one or two until 01:00 on Friday and Saturday. Curzon 10:30–21:30 daily, varying with screening times. The roof terrace itself is free and publicly accessible; the centre does not publish separate terrace hours. Verified 26 July 2026 — recheck every six months.\n\nContinue exploring / Oxford\n\n### What will you\n*do next?*\n\nCompare the practical essentials first, then open the experiences that earn a place in your plans.\n\n01 Culture & history\n\n [01 Culture & history **Bate Collection of Musical Instruments** Explore experience]() [02 Culture & history **Bodleian Library guided tour** Explore experience]() [03 Culture & history **Christ Church** Explore experience]() [04 Culture & history **Christ Church Cathedral** Explore experience]() [05 Culture & history **History of Science Museum** Explore experience]() [06 Culture & history **Oxford Castle** Explore experience]() [07 Culture & history **Oxford University Museum of Natural History** Explore experience]() [08 Culture & history **Pitt Rivers Museum** Explore experience]() [09 Culture & history **Sheldonian Theatre** Explore experience]() [10 Culture & history **Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities** Explore experience]() [11 Culture & history **The Ashmolean Museum** Explore experience]() [12 Culture & history **The Radcliffe Camera** Explore experience]() [13 Culture & history **The Weston Library** Explore experience]() [14 Culture & history **University Church of St Mary the Virgin** Explore experience]()\n\n02 Food & drink\n\n [15 Food & drink **Head of the River** Explore experience]() [16 Food & drink **Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons** Explore experience]() [17 Food & drink **Oxford Covered Market** Explore experience]() [18 Food & drink **The Bear Inn** Explore experience]() [19 Food & drink **The Chequers** Explore experience]() [20 Food & drink **The Eagle and Child** Explore experience]() [21 Food & drink **The King’s Arms** Explore experience]() [22 Food & drink **The Lamb & Flag** Explore experience]() [23 Food & drink **The Perch** Explore experience]() [24 Food & drink **The Trout Inn** Explore experience]() [25 Food & drink **The Turf Tavern** Explore experience]() [26 Food & drink **The White Horse** Explore experience]()\n\n03 Walks & views\n\n [27 Walks & views **The Bridge of Sighs** Explore experience]()\n\n04 Parks & meadows\n\n [28 Parks & meadows **Christ Church Meadow** Explore experience]() [29 Parks & meadows **Oxford Botanic Garden** Explore experience]() [30 Parks & meadows **Port Meadow** Explore experience]() [31 Parks & meadows **University Parks** Explore experience]()\n\n05 On the water\n\n [32 On the water **Punt the Cherwell** Explore experience]() [33 On the water **Salter's Steamers** Explore experience]()\n\n06 Go deeper\n\n[43 Colleges All the colleges **Every Oxford college** Open the college guide]()[Food & drink / a story **The nine oldest pubs** Walk the timeline]()[Plan / Itinerary builder **Build your Oxford day** Start planning]()\n\n05 / Where it is\n\n### Find it\nand what’s nearby.\n\nExplore around Westgate Oxford\n\n The map will load when you reach it.\n\n05 / Good to know\n\n### Questions,\nanswered.\n\n01 Can anyone go up to the roof terrace, or do you need a restaurant booking?\n\nAnyone can go up. It is free public space with its own toilets, Changing Places facility and drinking water refill point, reached by public lift or escalator without booking anything.\n\n02 Is the view from the roof terrace worth going up for?\n\nIt is a general view over Oxford rather than a classic spires panorama. For that, climb the tower of St Mary the Virgin, Carfax Tower or the Sheldonian cupola. Go up at Westgate for the open air, the tables and the step-free access.\n\n03 Where can I eat late in central Oxford?\n\nWestgate's roof terrace is the most reliable option. Several restaurants serve until midnight and one or two until 01:00 on Friday and Saturday, long after the centre itself closes at 20:00.\n\n04 Is there anything historic to see at Westgate?\n\nYes. A section of 13th-century floor tiles from the Greyfriars cloister is on permanent display inside the centre, recovered during the 2015–16 excavation. Outside, on Turn Again Lane, a surviving stretch of the medieval city wall carries a plaque to Roger Bacon, who was buried in the friary church.\n\n05 Should I drive to Westgate?\n\nThe centre advises Park & Ride. The underground car park is card payment only with a 2-metre height limit, and a temporary £5 daily congestion charge has applied to the city centre since 29 October 2025. Oxford station is about half a mile away.\n\nBefore you visit\n\n### Check hours, tickets and access.\n\nCheck opening hours, admission prices and access with the venue before setting off.\n\nUpdated\n\nDate unavailable\n\nBy\n\n[Above Guide Editorial Team]()\n\nUseful links\n\n- [Official site westgateoxford.co.uk ↗]()\n- [Supporting source accessable.co.uk ↗]()\n- [Supporting source bbc.com ↗]()\n- [Supporting source oxfordarchaeology.com ↗]()\n\n[Report a correction]()\n\nContinue exploring\n\n### Make Oxford\nyour own.\n\n[Visit the official site]()[← All things to do]()\n\nOpening hours, prices and access change. Confirm details on the official site before visiting.\n\nFiled under shopping / restaurants / rooftop / cinema / step free / family / rainy day / late opening / archaeology" }