THREE Oxford restaurants are cracking open the bubbly after becoming new entrants in the 2012 Good Food Guide.

Shanghai 30s in St Aldate’s and The Magdalen Arms in Iffley Road have entered the Which? publication for the first time, while the Chiang Mai Kitchen in High Street is back in the guide’s pages after missing out last year.

Elsewhere in the county, Wild Thyme in Chipping Norton, and The Five Horseshoes in Maidensgrove have earned places in the 61-year-old restaurant guide.

Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons in Great Milton is named the sixth best place to eat in the country, while the Sir Charles Napier, in Chinnor, has won its place in the guide for the 31st year running.

Shanghai 30s manager George Lee said: “In today’s economic crisis, any kind of exposure in restaurant guides is a must, not just to thrive but survive.”

The restaurant, which counts Richard Dawkins and Loyd Grossman among its fans, was founded five years ago serving authentic Chinese cuisine.

Waitress Rose Xu said: “We all want to give the best possible service and the best possible food to all our customers, so every meal is special.”

Sally Daniel, co-owner of Wild Thyme, was delighted to be listed.

She said: “The Good Food Guide is held to be one of the better food guides within the industry, and the one we have certainly wanted to get in.”

The restaurant, a haunt of local celebrities and media insiders in the so-called “Chipping Norton Set”, was established in 2009 and prides itself on cooking fresh, local ingredients from scratch, forming strong relationships with Oxfordshire farmers.

For the Magdalen Arms, in Iffley Road, Oxford, the listing in the nation’s bestselling restaurant guide comes seven months after the former ‘spit and sawdust’ boozer was given a Bib Gourmand listing in the 2011 Michelin Guide.

Florence Fowler and Jericho-born Tony Abarno took over the pub in October 2009, transforming it into one of the best eateries in East Oxford.