Chutney's

Have just eaten at Chutney's, best Indian meal I have had in a long while, attentive service plus a good pint of Kingfisher. A very good meal with drinks for under £40 for two is good value. Will return to Chutney's for sure.

25/06/11

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It was my birthday last week and my friend wanted to invite me to a special meal. To start with we had a selection of mixed kebabs. The meat was tender and delicately flavoured. I particularly liked the lamb which was very lean and not fatty. Apart from Indian food I also love sea food, especially crustaceans. So I ordered Tandoori King Prawn Jalfrezy Balti which looked amazing and huge. They were almost the size of langoustines. They were cooked to perfection. We also had vegetables. My friend had Mirchi Massala: very spicy lamb with green chillies. I tried a bit and decided that this would be the dish for me next time we visited. It was spicy hot but without causing distress to the throat. I was so fired up by the end of the meal, not just because of the spices, but because I now know an Indian restaurant that is going to satisfy my taste for hot and spicy dishes. I can hardly wait for my next culinary outing in Chutneys.

The food was very tasty and service was very good. I recommend this restaurant to everyone.

Nazween (Unverified), 16/12/10

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A bit pricey but worth it. Friendly waiters and reasonable service. Recommended.

mikesmifff (Unverified), 21/06/10

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I would agree with the 'poor oxford' review. The prices to start with are pretty high - £1.90 for popadoms, and £2.70 for a plain naan is steep considering how basic and easy to prepare these dishes are. However, if the food was fresh, tasty and plentiful then the prices would be worth paying. Unfortunately it is not. The portions are small, and the food served in breakfast bowls as one reviewer commented. I can't understand why someone here complimented the dosa and its size.  Go to India and see what masala dosa should really be like - huge, overflowing any plate with a generous helping of sabji. Stay well clear. Oxford isn't great for Indian food, but this is by far the worst.

AR (Unverified), 19/05/10

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I have visited Chutney's on a number of occasions with my partner or friends and have always loved the place. The service is relaxed and very friendly, not pretentious or over the top. Food is excellent, great value for money and the wine choice is not bad either. All in all a wonderful place to visit and whoever had bad experiences (even though it is surprising!) should give here another chance, in restaurants sometimes things go wrong as in every other business and it does not mean that they are bad all the time and should be slagged off!

food guru :) (Unverified), 16/01/10

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About time I posted a review of Chutneys. Been there so many times, often with uni friends or family. The quality is consistent, so whenever we visit, we get the same good food. The portions are huge, in particular my favourite, the Dosa dish. The atmosphere is casual so one can visit anytime, have a good laugh and not feel pressured into dressing up.

Sam (Unverified), 19/09/09

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For a moment I wondered whether I had eaten in the wrong place, given the large number of glowing reviews featured and that this restaurant certainly doesn't deserve. I ate with a friend tonight and quite frankly the two dishes of lamb were inedible. The meat was so tough you couldn't even cut it. Closer inspection revealed some really poor pieces of sinewy meat. The sauce was indifferent and that was really all you could say about it. I think I had vastly better Indian meals from any supermarket than what was put in front of us tonight. The service was adequate, but nothing to write home about it either. As one of the more discerning reviewers said 'poor Oxford' if this is all there is in the very heart of this city in the Indian food department... I certainly will not go back in a hurry and would rather spend my money somewhere else.

josh (Unverified), 04/08/09

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As one whose indulgences in life mostly revolve around the culinary, I am always pleased to pay the somewhat-higher-than-average prices of the Chutney's menu. A 10% student discount is available, which can help justify the cost if eligible; were it not, I doubt this would much alter my opinion of the venue. The food offered is professionally displayed and explained in a varied menu, which is profferred to you by equally professional but perhaps slightly over-eager waiters. Papadums and preprepared dips/onions are admittedly difficult to get far wrong for an Indian, but for what it is worth, they are very enjoyable and the array of condiments generous.

The lamb rogan was superbly flavoursome, with the freshness of tomato that it should have and the richness of lamb and sauce that really make the dish. It was not spicy at all, which is a matter of individual taste between chefs, but it perhaps could have used a bit more of a kick. That said, there are plenty of perfectly hot selections available. The mushroom bhaji tasted very much of fresh mushrooms, and the flame-grilled lamb kebab contained good quality pieces of meat, very well cooked and with an enjoyable mint sauce. The basmati rice did not have offensive, carcinogenic colouring to it and tasted generally fragrant, toped with a few torn pieces of coriander. The naan bread was pleasantly soft and not at all stale. Perhaps the one complaint returns to the issue of price: the size of the servings is acceptable, but for the price they could afford to be slightly more generous.

Due to the price, it is perhaps a once-a-month visit for me, but I have never had a bad experience nor an unpleasant dish.

Locuteh (Unverified), 14/02/09

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Chutney's is one of my favourite Indian restaurants, with consistently good food and a nicely varied selection. The chutneys are plentiful, and unusual, with one particularly interesting one that might include tamarind but tastes a bit like minestrone soup...

Last night they provided a friend and me with excellent small crispy poppadums, followed by lamb korai and chicken patia. The korai (from the specials menu) went down well, and the patia was perfectly hot and a really good balance of coconut-sweet and sharp. I admire the way they resolutely refuse to bow to majority rule, and there is no Pilau Rice on the menu. It is there, just by another name.

The bill came to £32 for food and beer, and seemed well worth it. Staff were friendly and helpful. I'd probably avoid the place in 8th week, as it's a favourite with Rowing Clubs and other such organisations, but other than that I'd really recommend this as a reliable and distinctive place to eat. There's even a varied veggie selection.

Jen is a Reviewer (DI Staff), 15/10/08

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The food was all right, nothing special... the prices ridicolously high... £42 for one small starter and 2 mains... I will definitely not go back there anymore!

L. (DI User), 13/10/08

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After a not-very-good time at 4000 Miles from Delhi, we thought we'd try Chutney's. Booked for 8.45pm on a Friday, and it was thronged. Eventually waited for something like 30 minutes for our table for three, but had a drink at the bar and received a sympathetic service from the waiters who kept saying our table "would be ready soon".

The cafe-style service (no tablecloths, food served in white "breakfast cereal" bowls) was very laid-back. We enjoyed the food, which was more spicy than our local Indian, but none the worse for that.

But what made our evening was to note that our first round of drinks had been taken off the bill, in recognition of our long wait. The head waiter didn't make a deal of it, indeed he didn't even mention he'd done it, I noticed that the total didn't add up and worked out what had been done.

Really nice service, good food, very laid-back atmosphere.

We concluded that it was well worth making an effort to go, if you're in the centre of town.

IgorStrav (DI User), 17/05/08

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Visited recently for a meal with friends having not visited since the late 90's. Overall I thought the food was very good and up there with the best Indians in Oxford.

Chutney's has a distinct cafe feel about it which if anything makes it feel really relaxed and chatty, making it a great place to go with work colleagues or a group of friends. The tables are rather crammed in (especially downstairs) and the toilets were clearly an after-thought but these really don't matter as the food is the main star here.

We started with some poppadoms and dips as is the norm but even these were very good mainly due to there being a choice of 5 different condiments rather than the more normal 3 or 4. The yogurt sauce was especially good, though I thought the lime pickle was a little tepid and was smooth with no chunks of lime.

We skipped on starters other than a couple of good onion bhajis and I went straight for my now usual Indian menu choice of a Pathia, this time cooked with lamb. I love the chilli kick mixed with sweet and sour flavour this dish offers and this one was very good. It had a touch more chilli than other places but was all the better for it. I accompanied this with some better than average chapatis and a peshwari naan. My friends had a chicken special and an awesome mushroom curry from the extensive vegetarian selection. Beer as ever was Kingfisher on draught.

Prices were at a slight premium but this is the centre of Oxford after all. As previously said, Chutney's is better than the average Indian and deserves your patronage!

Joe B (Unverified), 06/04/08

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Well, I have only been once so far and I would honestly have to say that it compared VERY favourably with the Coventry Indian restaurants which have shaped my Indian culinary tastes. The madras was very, very hot but the breads were lovely and was refreshing to go to a restaurant where they have different things on the menu.

If you fancy a quality Indian without being surrounded by flocked wallpaper then I would highly recommend this place.

KD (DI User), 09/11/07

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Chutneys WAS good in the days when it was managed by Tina Begum. Sadly she is not there any more. The management has changed and the restaurant is now owned by someone else. It cannot be judged by previous standards.

j oxford (DI User), 03/11/07

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I moved to Oxford in 1997 and to be the honest the food was horrible at Chutney's at that time. Coming from India and having to taste that quality of food was a horrible experience for me. However, I left the UK in 2002 and on my return in 2006, I visited Chutney's again and this time I was pleasantly surprised at the taste...it had vastly improved. The service however, needs some improvement I believe!

MP (Unverified), 15/10/07

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If Chutneys were desperately difficult to get a table at, I would recommend you listen to the unfathomable whinges of some of those whose reviews appear below, and leave some room for me. But it isn't - the restaurant is seldom more than pleasantly full and if you have to wait for a table it's never for very long.

The fact is, however, that the people at Chutneys deserve your custom. They are incessantly friendly, helpful and discreet, and they serve some of the best curry dishes you could ever wish to taste. I have taken many, many people there and never once received anything but ecstatic feedback. A Chutneys curry is one of the best things about Oxford. It was introduced to me on a visit before I moved here, and was a (small) reason why I decided to do so. I wish to pass the word on.

You'll want to order poppadums, for they come with a selection of lovely chutneys, and you'll need a fair bit of time to go through the menu even if you're a vegetarian. (None of that 'chicken tikka masala without the chicken' for you.) Having been through most of the menu now I think the pathia is my favourite, but it's usually a panic decision between three or four dishes, depending on my mood.

So, I just wanted to stand up for the place, and the people who work there. I guess it's in the nature of these 'democratic' review type-things that the moaners and know-nothings have most to say. Just wanted to redress the balance a little.

MC (Unverified), 07/06/07

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Poor Oxford, apparently the only curry house in Oxford town centre and it is truly awful. I had to send my main course back as it was inedible, the replacement course was just as bad. Clearly the food is bought in pre-cooked meat, microwave in the sauce and served in breakfast bowls! Avoid 1/10

PW (Unverified), 07/06/07

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I have been working in oxford for the last fortnight (on an IT job) and was recommended Chutneys by a colleague. I have visited Chutneys a few times now and it is one of the best curry houses i have ever been to. The waiters are down to earth and sociable in my opinion. The manager is a cool cat and is very helpful. e.g one of my colleagues doesn't eat coriander and his lamb pathia was topped with coriander as were all our dishes and when we notified the manager he had the lamb pathia remade. cool or what? The food is brilliant and the place on a whole is very chilled out.

Georgie technician (Unverified), 03/05/07

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I'm not normally one to write restaurant reviews for internet sites, but my experience at Chutney's was so horrendous that I see it as my duty to do so!

We had heard a lot about how delicious the food at Chutney's was and were very much looking forward to our visit. The food was actually pretty mediocre, particularly as we were given only two minutes to make our choice. When we asked for more time, the waiter hovered over us impatiently, and was utterly unhelpful in answering our questions. He regarded us with patronising condescension and made for a really uncomfortable atmosphere. The same could be said of the other waiters - every time we tried to get someone's attention, they would turn away from us! (Not a reflection on us: I assure you that we are immaculately-groomed and polite diners!) The staff were incredibly rude, discourteous and unhelpful - I really could not recommend any restaurant in Oxford less.

The bill wasn't enormous but for the quality of food and service, I would say it was pretty rubbish all round.

SannyOxford (Unverified), 17/02/07

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Good, quick service, very friendly staff. Very nice food, not too overpriced.

The staff tried their very best to ensure we enjoyed our meal.

It is a rather small restaurant but there is a very relaxed atmosphere. You do not feel too cramped. They have a wide range of wines which are also quite cheap compared to most restaurants.

We would definitely recommend Chutneys to our friends,

Very pleased indeed.

the pumpkins (Unverified), 13/01/07

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Costly, arrogant staff and entirely mediocre food. Go to anywhere in Cowley Road instead, this isnt the upmarket treat you think it is.

erica (DI User), 10/12/06

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No complaints for me, very relaxed atmosphere unlike most indian restaurants. I go regularly with my mates once a week.

Prices for a restaurant located in the city centre are reasonable.

Simon (Unverified), 11/11/06

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The review below sounds like it has been written by their management. That is all.

AJ (Unverified), 09/11/06

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Wow, what a meal! I along with a group of friends went on a Wednesday night to Chutneys. Upon our arrival we were greeted with great hospitality by the management and staff. We were told the ownership had changed hands and a new management were in place but the majority of staff had remained the same.

It was relatively busy for a Wednesday night but they had a table available for 8 ppl. We sat down and ordered our starters and main course. The menu has an extensive range of dishes to choose from, catering for all. They had a nice selection of beers and wines available which was good given our different tastes in liquor. The service was fantastic and in no time we had our drinks brought to the table which were then followed about 10 mins later by the starters (again the starter list is big).

Shortly after finishing the starters the main courses arrived and they were finger licking good. The vegetarians throughly enyoyed their meal, another friend had a dosa claiming it to be the best ever. At the end there was no trace of the Chicken Tikka masala which I had. Some may have thought that my plate came straight out of the dishwasher it was so clean by the time I finished with it.

Overall, fantastic food and very friendly service. Definitely going back soon

Paul 'curry monster' (Unverified), 08/11/06

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I used to love Chutney's during my student days. Came back last week and found it to be awful. We were the only people in the restaurant (at 6.30pm), which didn't stop the waiters being unattentive and rude.
Food was some of the worst Indian I've had for a while. Never again.

Dave (DI User), 21/10/06

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Awful. The service is so bad that you forget even the quality of the food, which was average at best. Chutneys, years ago under its previous management, was one of the best Indians in Oxford: but now is an awful production-line affair with waiters so keen to hurry you on that you wonder why they don't just ram the bill in your face before you've even sat down.

We had the obligatory poppadoms to start with and these were whisked away, without our being asked whether we had finished. A companion's chicken korma came in a sauce that in colour was reminiscent of carrot and in texture of baby food. The mains were served in tiny dishes, which reinforced an already strong conviction that Chutneys was mean on portions, on presentation, on politesse.

We were so deeply impressed that we left them a tip of ten pence to let them know how wowed we'd been by their deft service. I only wish I'd stayed long enough to see the expression on their faces.

Lucky Jim (Unverified), 18/10/06

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I'm not sure why people are commenting on the prices as it's the food that counts.

All my visits to chutneys were good.

chris reeves (Unverified), 06/07/06

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The food in Chutney's is very poor and very overpriced. The meat dishes are extremely disappointing, with more fillers (potatoes, peppers etc) than meat. The rice especially is crazily expensive, and the portion is very small. The waiters were rude, asking to clear our plates many times even though the cutlery was not put together and there was still food on the plate. The bill came before we even asked for it. Definitely the worst experience at an Oxford restaurant ever and I came out vowing never to go to Chutneys again. I fail to understand why people still go back when the food it serves is so ridiculously overpriced, and not exactly very nice either.

YY - Anonymous reviewer (Unverified), 08/06/06

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I can honestly say that my meal at Chutney's this weekend was the best I have had in a long while! The service was friendly and attentive and the food was wonderful!

I had the Lamb Dhansak and it was so delicious I kept eating until I was full! We had some side dishes as well that were equally as lovely.

I went with two old University friends, whom I was visiting, and we were all equally pleased with the Chutney's experience. The main courses all came at the same time and to the same high standard. The staff were very obliging and at our request let us move tables, advised our queries on the menu and even let us order a hybrid based on two dishes on the menu.

For a great evening out with excellant friends go to Chutney's! You will be able to chat away and drink wine and not be rushed.

Ladybird Raci (Unverified), 07/03/06

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I quite agree with the last comment. I had the same treatment.

Foodie (Unverified), 23/02/06

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Easily the worst curry house in Oxford, and probably the worst I’ve been to anywhere in the UK for several years. I cannot diss this place enough. To summarise: overpriced, paltry servings, unfeasibly bland food, customers crammed together in discomfort and treated very badly. Over the course of our visit we surmised that the management hold the customers in contempt, and all else stems from this. None of our (quite large) party enjoyed their meal; one was ill afterwards (and he a good Indian boy with a proud mother…).

Dishes were uniformly tasteless – for example another friend ordered a korai “hot”, and yet was unable to taste the dish or feel any heat. When one of our party complained and sent a dish back essentially uneaten he was told that he must have eaten most of it as there was hardly any chicken in the dish… which rather takes the mickey as it had arrived like that, and cold to boot.

When he complained to the manager he was surrounded by the waiting staff in an intimidating manner and was initially refused a refund on the uneaten dish – I haven’t seen treatment like this in years, and for a good reason: it’s Dark Ages stuff! Places like this do not deserve your custom; go to any of the Cowley Road joints or Tiffin if you like to enjoy your food or do not enjoy this kind of treatment. One purely for the tourists…

AJ (Unverified), 27/01/06

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