Review: Knead Bakery’s Brunch Menu

An invite to review Knead Bakery Oxford’s new brunch menu meant 2026 was off to a strong start.

I’ve been obsessed with their pastries since they arrived in town earlier in 2025, often unable to walk past without treating myself to a pain au chocolat (award-winning, may I add), or an iced chocolate in the summer. So to hear they were bringing the brunch menu to Oxford was great news. I decided to make a day of it and took my mum for her birthday.

The menu has a good range of options without being too long or overwhelming.

A balance of savoury and sweet, light and heavy, and reasonably priced. I will definitely be returning to try the breakfast burrito and the wild mushrooms on toast, but this time we shared the cinnamon french toast, and the smashed avo.

Cinnamon French Toast

Made with their bakery cinnamon roll (also an excellent choice) topped with apple compote, blackberry and a hazelnut crumble. Crunchy edges, soft centre, big pow of cinamon, and paired with a mascarpone dollop that behaved like ice cream, which you could scoop up with the curved pieces of the roll. Delicious. An indulgent choice that didn’t actually feel heavy or sickly at all.

Smashed Avo + Chorizo

Chunky bread, chunky chorizo, well-seasoned avo, two neat poached eggs. Fresh, zesty, and a great savoury option. Clearly using good ingredients in both these dishes – we left full but not groggy or bloated, which is not always guaranteed at brunch.

To accompany these dishes, my mum went for a cappuccino and I was torn between a hot choc and a chai latte, to then be told they had a seasonal special which is a mix of both. The dream for an indecisive gal like me. Annoyingly I left it too long to enjoy it piping hot, but the flavour idea really works.

Knead staff continue to be as warm as the pastry counter; I’ve been coming since day one and they still make you feel like a regular popping in for a chat, not just a plate.

Don’t miss: You can nab 20% off the brunch menu Mon – Thurs until the end of Jan. And if you didn’t already know, if you buy a Knead coffee cup, it gets you 50% off hot drinks forever. What a deal?

Overall a great addition to the Oxford brunch scene, and writing this now is making me realise I need to go back for that french toast asap.