PizzaExpress

You're on Banbury Road in Summertown, that stretch where independents sit comfortably alongside the chains, and PizzaExpress does what it does without pretension. The formula works: proper pizzas from the wood-fired oven, a wine list that won't embarrass you, and staff who actually seem to know what they're doing. It's the kind of place you take your mates for a casual Friday night, or bundle the kids in on a weekend when you can't be bothered cooking. Nothing revolutionary, but the execution is solid and the vibe strikes that rare balance between unpretentious and genuinely pleasant.