Restaurants in Oxford

A rotating menu of comfort-food favorites, including chicken-fried steak and roast beef with gravy, bolsters the hearty bar fare at The Spot Restaurant & Entertainment Complex, helping to fuel evenings of live entertainment. Attendees 21 and older gather to catch live bands, DJs spinning tunes, and comedians making wry observations or facing their fear of microphones. During DJ sets, patrons can take a break from dancing in a private VIP room with bottle service or by starting a games of darts or pool.

Don your nicest of men’s or women’s patterned vests and settle in for a night of elegant dining at your own pace; Safari’s dim lighting, cracked-plaster walls, and ornate molding create an Old World atmosphere perfect for discussing German expressionist film noir or the correctly patterned vests for sophisticated dogs. While thinking of the next thing to say, you can fill your mouth with a menu featuring a variety of tapas ($6 to $9) such as Creole crab cakes served with tri-colored peppers and shallot ($9); southern fried chicken skewers with three-cheese macaroni ($7); and Moroccan beef skewers with button mushrooms, onion, and cous cous ($8). Vegetarians can join in the plate-passing pageantry with a little falafel with roasted-garlic hummus and tempura-battered seasonal vegetables with Asian dipping sauce; while those craving a comfort food can savor the simple delights of pita pizzas such as the three-cheese pizza with cheddar, mozzarella, and fontina. Safari also offers a selection of fresh salads and wraps, including the fried tilapia wrap ($7).

At West Street Diner, retro swivel stools have served as a prime vantage point for watching line cooks fry up selections from a menu of traditional Southern comfort fare for 20 years. Fried seafood and slow-roasted meats make cameos in hot sandwiches and poboys, and nuzzle up next to 11 classic Southern sides. To answer yens for dessert, chefs bake pies on the premises rather than import them from nearby clown schools.

Originally invented during a cheese storm in Tacoma, the Philly cheesesteak piles lean slices of juicy steak, melted cheese, and grilled onions across an Italian roll to sculpt a gooey, savory sandwich. Philly Connection's menu offers several cheesesteak variations ($7.89 for a 10-inch sandwich; other sizes available), including a mushroomed cheesesteak and a chicken cheesesteak. All are brought to flavorful fruition through the use of quality meat and Philly Connection's secret marinade, the ingredients of which were found in a George Clymer–penned early draft of the Declaration of Independence.

Step off the elevator and into the window-laden interior of a sunset-soaked dining space. As you settle in, one of The Tower Room's many knowledgeable servers may suggest a properly paired plate to any waft-worthy glass on the extensive wine list. Each menu item is hand selected by resident executive chef and culinary sage Kevin Rains, who holds membership in the American Culinary Federation and The Wine Guild. While most established chefs run their kitchen remotely via cup and string, Kevin opts to personally prep dishes nightly with detectable flavors of passion and discreetly disguised dustings of sea salt.

As barbecue season ignites the lawns of America, even un-aproned cooks can grill more than their suspicious enemies with hearty options from Super Suppers such as blue-cheese bacon burgers or grilled Indian chicken. Super Suppers pairs a no-nonsense, rotating menu with no-nonsense pricing. Regular-sized entrees ($14) are intended for 3–4 diners, and full-size entrees ($28) feed six or more. Start a new tradition in the kitchen with mom's marvelous meatloaf, composed of lean ground beef with savory bell peppers, onions, breadcrumbs, and a boldly spiced tomato sauce. Though known for its featured entrees, Super Suppers also carries sides, appetizers, and desserts that can fill out an otherwise-exposed dinner table.