Xian

Very poor. The food is deeply unimaginative and rather ungenerous in terms of meat and all round quality. If you dare call there during daytime you'll have to suffer the chat of North Oxford housewives  whilst their children run the length of the restaurant area, whilst the staff and mothers simply look on. Low rent, should be just a take away and needs to stop being a 'pretend restaurant'.

Jeff C (Unverified), 04/09/11

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I have been going to Xian for years. The food has been ok but nothing exceptional. However in the last year or so something must have changed as the food is really not good in my opinion. Not sure why. The owner and staff seem perfectly pleasant and efficient. Perhaps the chef has changed or they're using cheaper quality products. I won't be going back for a while until they get their act together.

J (Unverified), 29/08/11

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Xian was my husband's favourite Chinese restaurant - and he spoke and read mandarin and spent quite a while in China. In those days Xian did delicacies of Szechuan cooking like spicy ants in chocolate. It has sobered up since then. I would recommend Xian to anyone, neophyte or connoisseur of chinese food.

The family running it are attentive: on one occasion early this century when they discovered that we were celebrating my mother's 88th birthday, they honoured her by serving an unordered birthday cake, to her intense pleasure and delight.

I have eaten there about four times a year over many years and have never been disappointed. I have never tried their wine, thinking that tsingdao (beer) or chinese tea is the ideal accompaniment to the food at Xian. They also do excellent take-outs, even for relatively large numbers, and have never dished up other numbers than those ordered.

greenpepper (Unverified), 26/03/09

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This is not only the best Chinese restaurant in Oxford it is the best restaurant in Oxford. My partner and I have been going for nearly 10 years and it never lets us down. The food is fresh. The wine is always good. The service is the best in town. The atmosphere fantastic. Go and enjoy...the seafood and vegetable dishes are particular favourites.

beck (Unverified), 16/03/09

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All things considered, Xian is a better than average Chinese restaurant, and certainly contends to be the best in Oxford. However it isn't the gourmet utopia that some reviewers would have you believe!

As has been previously stated, the service in the restaurant is excellent. I've visited Xian on three occasions over the last 5 years and never been disappointed in that regard. The food however, is another matter. Albeit compared to other local Chinese restaurants, Xian serves up superior quality fayre, I can't help but feel that the chef has a very conservative approach to his food which is hiding his talent. All the usual suspects are present, such as beef in black bean sauce (yawn), sweet and sour chicken (yawn), salt and chili king prawns (zzzzzzzzzz) etc. The list goes on. On the flipside, there is a better seafood selection than one might expect, with the inclusion of scallops, sea bass, squid and crab to be applauded.

On my last visit, I'd say we were let down by about half of the dishes we ordered, particularly the pak choy and chicken from the specials menu (I think it was in a spicy honey sauce).

The wine is overpriced plonk. The cocktails expensive and disappointing. My only suggestion is to drink beer.

And in case you are tempted, don't order the salt and chili frog's legs from the specials board! They were blander than a soggy bag of chips.

GK (DI User), 05/10/07

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ive lived in oxford most of my life, roughly 25 years and the chinese food at Xian is one of the best in Oxford. The size of the restaurant is decent with a nice conservatory at the back. The staff are always polite and helpful. Service is great. I love the prawn crackers with chilli dips as soon as you sit at your table. You can also ask for deep fried garlic, which is delicious added to any of the dishes or simply with the prawn crackers.

The starters are excellent,especially the salt and garlic prawns and the chicken wings. The steamed scallops in the shell are also very good.

As for main meals, the seabass, the chicken in black bean sauce, the sizzling beef and mixed vegetables are all very good dishes. Noodles and other vegetarian dishes are also good. The crispy duck with pancakes, for all the duck fans, is the best I've ever had in England. A firm favourite resturant of mine, as I take all my friends and visiting guests to Xian.

Amy (Unverified), 19/09/07

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I’d heard great things about Xian: that the food was excellent and the service beyond compare, so I was pleased to finally get around to making the long trek to Summertown. The restaurant promises well at first glance, with a mock-oriental frontispiece that sets it apart from its surroundings without being overdone. Inside, the atmosphere is tranquil and the staff polished and welcoming, though we felt that the décor left a little to be desired under the slightly bright lighting (I wouldn’t normally care, but I’d heard this praised elsewhere). The other diners seemed, well, very much on the respectable side – it’s not a place to take a college rugby team. The only smokers in the smoking section, we decided to give it a miss as it didn't seem polite.

The service was, as promised, truly attentive; at one point we were brought our individual drinks by individual waiters – lucky there were only two of us – and in general the staff were prompt but not pushy, quiet, friendly and discreet. Curiously though, when we arrived we were given a basket of prawn crackers hastily snatched from another empty table – surprising given the attention to detail in other respects. We cheerfully over-ordered; a set menu which was supposed to be for two people, but which included starters, crispy duck, 3 main dishes and rice. The mixed starter (seaweed, chicken satay, spring rolls, spare ribs and chicken wings) was fantastic – light, delicious and not too overwhelmingly generous, and the duck properly crispy with fresh and appealing accompaniments. To be fair, after all this we perhaps weren’t in quite the state to do justice to the main course, but we did find it a little disappointing. The chicken in black bean sauce was very good, but we found the stir fried seafood and the battered vegetables on the bland side.

All this, with restrained drinking (not wanting to monopolize all the waiters) and two coffees came in at just over £60, and this for an altogether pleasant if not perfect meal. I think that the slight downsides we experienced are unlikely to be permanent problems – this is a restaurant where they have the right idea and which clearly has a loyal and discerning following.

Susie Cogan (DI Staff), 30/04/07

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Quite simply the best Chinese dining in Oxford. Nothing else can touch this for freshness and quality. Its authentic dishes are a real treat and the staff offer impeccable service.

PJ (DI User), 30/03/07

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Having lived in Oxford all my life this is the only place I go for a Chinese meal. The restaurant is set out nicely, you're not packed in there on top of eachother and the decor is stylish and not over the top. The staff are all very helpful and the food is gorgeous. They do take aways as well if you don't feel like going out for the night!

Lolly (Unverified), 12/03/07

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Myself, my sister and a friend went along to Xian on a Friday night to quietly celebrate my sister's birthday. A member of staff greeted us by name, immediately on arrival, and then bought us to our table located in the conservatory area at the back of the restaurant. The lovely décor was very clean and authentic, and set an intimate, but very relaxed mood. I would bring friends, family or go on a date here!

The staff members were very friendly, and always available for when you need another bottle of wine! My only complaint was that the wine menu was out of date. We noticed half-way through an open bottle, that the wine we had ordered was not the same as the one in our ice-bucket, which was partly due to the fact that we were in deep conversation when the wine was bought to our table, but I think it a reasonable expectation for that to have been pointed out before pouring?

Complimentary prawn crackers with dipping sauces were set on our table to nibble away at whilst looking over the menu. The menu had lots of choice for us meat-eating people! However, the vegetarian dishes are limited to noodles and not much more.

We took ages to order, and the staff members were very patient with us. When we finally did order, we choose a selection of dishes to share, a satay chicken dish, a mushroom noodle dish, and a king prawn Szechuan dish, along with rice. The portions were large, which is great! But, if like me, you are a bit more concerned with calories, fat etc, use the chop sticks (makes it take ages, so you realise your full sooner). There is a good Starter menu, and the usual selection of ice cream on the desert menu if you have room!

We were a long time in the restaurant, and felt relaxed and unrushed. The cost of our food along with plenty of wine came to around £20 per person.

I would recommend a visit!

Kim (Unverified), 03/09/04

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