The Oxford Retreat - Carta

Spiced Roots

➤ 64 Cowley Road, Oxford, United Kingdom, OX4 1JB

Carta • Steak • Vegan • Caribbean • Vegetarian

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"I've been going to Oxford for 3 years now and in that time to be frank struggled to find a decent go to restaurant. I can now say with delight i've found my destination. I present SPICED ROOTS a little caribbean culinary gem. The fresh perfectly cooked food is absolutely delicious and gives off that home cooked by mummy vibe and is beautifully presented. The chilli and garlic prawns had my eyes closed Mark Weins style (if you know you know) so juicy with an incredible depth of flavour, the Trini doubles not only were seasoned to perfection they left you wanting more and the Jerk chicken spring rolls were an absolute triumph. For mains we had the ackee and callaloo Jerk Tempah (vegetarian) and the Jerk chicken. Both came with rice peas, plaintain and salad. Not only were the portions huge the flavours of both dishes were just mind blowingly delicious. Then we embarked on dessert and had the beautiful spiced rum cake and a selection of 3 home made ice creams namely Coconut, Guinness and the old Caribbean favourite Rum and Raisin, all recommended by the owner. It's at this point I feel compelled to speak about the rum raisin ice cream. I've eaten this ice cream on numerous occasions at numerous locations in Jamaica over my many years and I tell you no word of a lie this was hands down the best rum and raisin ice cream I've ever tasted, it literally left us speechless. So to summarise, this place has great food, great music, great service and a wonderfully charming owner who's totally invested in serving great, incredibly tasty, authentic Caribbean food clearly prepared with love. What more could you ask for. Fair to say it was meant to be. Uncle Jay."

Polish Kitchen

➤ 96 Rose Hill, OX4 4HX, Oxford, United Kingdom

Carta • Polish • Chicken • European • Vegetarian

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"I really enjoy dining at this restaurant. My favorite dish is the pierogi Ruski (dumplings filled with potato and cheese) although they are not shown in the picture. I have never had a bad meal here. Just a heads up, some of the items in the photo were leftovers and were not provided by Polish Kitchen, such as Yorkshire puddings and sweet corn."

Antep Kitchen

➤ 228-230 Cowley Road, Oxford I-OX4 1UH, United Kingdom

Carta • Grill • Turkish • Barbecue • Mediterranean

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"The staff is incredibly kind and welcoming and they are happy to make suggestions or recommendations is you are unfamiliar with some of the dishes. Service is very quick and professional, and everyone at the restaurant is super hospitable. If you are into Turkish/Mediterranean cuisine, the food is absolutely phenomenal sizeable portions, delicious meat or meat free options, hearty food, and the presentation is impeccable very instagrammable meals! To top it all off, the prices are really good for the amount of food you are getting and for the quality of the ingredients Would especially recommend trying their house specials (specifically the lamb options! some of them are pictured below. All specials come with a side serving of rice and cous cous making for a very filling meal. Make sure to try their craft beer and the raki. They also have a range of Turkish desserts and authentic Turkish tea to finish off your dinner. The atmosphere in the restaurant is great for date night, dinner with friends or even a work dinner. All in all we had a wonderful evening there and will definitely be visiting again soon!"

Za'atar Bake

➤ 166 Cowley Road, OX4 1JJ, Oxford, United Kingdom

Carta • Pizza • Vegan • Vegetarian • Mediterranean

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"We booked a table after seeing the high tripadvisor ratings for this restaurant. When we arrived (7pm on a weekend evening) we were the only people in there! We enjoyed our meals, although they only made 3 of the 4 meals we had ordered and we had to ask about the final one. They didn't admit they had forgotten it and it turnoed up another 10 minutes later with no apology for the delay. 3 of the 4 meals were excellent. The 4th was very disappointing. Didn't feel that staff were particularly attentive given that we were the only ones there. Food was tasty, so would probably choose to eat from there again, but would go for the takeaway option instead."

Jin Jin Chinese 津津有味中餐厅

➤ 179 Cowley Road, OX4 1JJ, Oxford, United Kingdom

Carta • Asian • Asiatic • Chinese • Vegetarian

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"Three of us enjoyed a fabulous meal at Jin Jin (Friday 8th December), we had not visited before. We chose set menu B and were not disappointed. First thing we noticed was the genuinely warm welcome from the ladies serving. It was a cold evening and they made sure the heater was turned on and immediately brought a pot of hot jasmine tea. The food was absolutely fantastic, fresh, plentiful and hot. We were not rushed into leaving, even as they were getting busy. Many thanks to all at Jin Jin for a great meal in a lovely atmosphere . We look forward to returning."