Eat and drink · Upper and Lower Heyford
Kizzies Bistro, Lower Heyford
A café, bar and village shop at Heyford Wharf on the Oxford Canal in Lower Heyford, open daily from 9am to 5pm by its own page, with breakfast, lunch, local cakes and a large garden by the moorings.
Walker-friendly · Family-friendly
The stop for a towpath walk or a canal day out: breakfast or lunch in a garden beside the moorings at Heyford Wharf, with boats, trains and swans going past. It is first come, first served, and groups of more than eight should warn it ahead.
- Good: Open every day, 9am to 5pm
- Good: Large waterside garden with parasols, a pergola and seats inside
- Good: Licensed, with bottled ales, ciders and wines from the Oxford Wine Company
- Good: A small village shop: bread, milk, eggs, ice creams, gifts and homemade jams
- Worth knowing: No winter hours are given, and an older boatyard notice speaks of an Easter to September season: check first
- Worth knowing: No bookings; groups of more than eight should get in touch first
About
Kizzies is the café at Heyford Wharf, the boatyard on the Oxford Canal at Lower Heyford, one of the Heyfords. Oxfordshire Narrowboats, which hires boats from the wharf, runs it, and anyone may use it, hirer or not. It is a café, a licensed bar and a small village shop under one roof.
It serves breakfast from 9am to 11am and lunch from noon to 2pm, with tea, coffee and locally made cakes through the day, and bottled ales, ciders and wines chosen with the Oxford Wine Company. Most of the seats are outside, at tables with parasols in a large garden by the moorings, with a pergola and an indoor room for poor weather. The railway runs past the wharf too, so you watch boats and trains from the same table. It takes cards and cash.
The shop sells bread, milk and eggs, ice creams, gifts, and homemade chutneys, pickles and jams from Ma'amalady, the wharf's resident maker. There are no bookings: tables go first come, first served, and groups of more than eight, such as cycling or car clubs, are asked to get in touch first. Hirers collecting a boat get priority if they have booked. In summer the garden hosts touring theatre: Mikron Theatre played Wensleydale Whey there on Saturday 1 August 2026.
Opening hours and season
Closed, opens Mon 16, 09:00
| Mon | Opening | Food served |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 09:00 to 17:00 | 09:00 to 11:00, 12:00 to 14:00 |
| Tuesday | 09:00 to 17:00 | 09:00 to 11:00, 12:00 to 14:00 |
| Wednesday | 09:00 to 17:00 | 09:00 to 11:00, 12:00 to 14:00 |
| Thursday | 09:00 to 17:00 | 09:00 to 11:00, 12:00 to 14:00 |
| Friday | 09:00 to 17:00 | 09:00 to 11:00, 12:00 to 14:00 |
| Saturday | 09:00 to 17:00 | 09:00 to 11:00, 12:00 to 14:00 |
| Sunday | 09:00 to 17:00 | 09:00 to 11:00, 12:00 to 14:00 |
Food served: Breakfast from 9am to 11am and lunch from noon to 2pm. Tea, coffee and cakes all day.
Open daily 9am to 5pm, Kizzies says. No winter hours are given and an older boatyard notice describes an Easter to September season: check before a visit from October to Easter.
The details
- Food
- Café food
- Serving
- Breakfast · Lunch
- Booking a table
- Walk-ins only
- Features
- Café · Garden or terrace · By the water · Shop
Photos
The garden at Heyford Wharf 
A cream tea 
A table laid inside
Location
Places to stay nearby
-
Oxfordshire Narrowboats, Lower Heyford
Self-catering · Upper and Lower Heyford
Self-drive narrowboat holidays, short breaks and day boats from Heyford Wharf on the Oxford Canal at Lower Heyford, from mid March to the end of October, for 2 to 12 people, dogs included.
Dog-friendly · Family-friendly
Verified Nov 2026
-
The Holt Hotel, Steeple Aston
Hotel · Steeple Aston
An independent 87-room hotel in an old coaching inn at the Hopcrofts Holt crossroads on the A4260 near Steeple Aston, with a bar, restaurant, afternoon teas and a Sunday carvery, about 15 minutes' drive from Bicester Village.
Family-friendly · Wedding venues · EV charging
Verified Nov 2026
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The Killingworth Castle, Wootton
Restaurants
A serious dining pub with eight rooms at Wootton near Woodstock, with 3 AA Rosettes and a Michelin Guide recommendation for 2026, à la carte and tasting menus, and open from Wednesday to Sunday.
Dog-friendly · EV charging
Verified Nov 2026
Nearby walks, places and things to do
- Oxfordshire Narrowboats, Lower Heyford 0.0 km away
- The Chequers, Steeple Aston 1.7 km away
- The Holt Hotel, Steeple Aston 1.9 km away
- The Horse and Groom, Caulcott 2.3 km away
Sights nearby
-
RAF Upper Heyford Cold War sites, Heyford Park
Sight · Monument · Upper and Lower Heyford
The Cold War shelters, nuclear bomb store and command centre of RAF Upper Heyford, scheduled in 2006 and seen on guided tours from the airbase's heritage centre at Heyford Park, which opens free three days a week.
-
Rousham House and Garden
Sight · Historic building · Upper and Lower Heyford
A house of about 1635 above the Cherwell near the Heyfords, and round it William Kent's landscape garden of 1737 to 1741, still much as he left it. The garden opens every day; no children under 15, no dogs, no tea room.