Oriental Condor

This is a consistently excellent Chinese restaurant. The service is polite and efficient and the food is always freshly and perfectly cooked. The only thing that I can't understand is how it is always really quiet when I go there - try it out and you'll want to return. Can't recommend the OC highly enough.

Taste of the Highway (Unverified), 16/06/12

I eat there often 4 or 5 evenings a week before getting the train home after a busy day's work in the city centre. Nice bunch of people working there. The food has nearly always been great (and quick) and on the rare occasion when it hasn't been, they've always bent over backwards to put things right. You can't say fairer than that.

Alex F (Unverified), 22/11/08

I cannot condemn the quality of food at this establishment. I've been there for post-employment meals with a colleague at least 5 times this year. It is the only place in town which serves Congee on a day other than Sunday.

Everything we've had so far on the menu were awesome! Unfortunately, the portion size is just below acceptable given the price of the dishes. On one occasion, when we asked for tap water, they charged 20p each for the privilege.
Shame on them.

Comrade Lesnik (Unverified), 14/07/08

My favourite Chinese in Oxford now and it makes me wonder why I've persisted with inferior rivals elsewhere for so long. OK, so you're probably not going to come here for that special celebration or for a hot date as the decor is basic with no-frills cafe-style furnishings, but for quality of food and super-cheap prices it can't be beaten.

People reading this may think; "well, a noodle bar is a noodle bar and there's plenty of others kicking around Oxford and its suburbs", but The Oriental Condor goes a step further by offering a truly bewildering array of menu items with daily specials on a board and an extensive vegetarian selection. Even the noodle soups can be practically built from scratch to meet your tastes as there is a choice of different noodles and meat/fish/tofu to pick and mix from. I usually like my broth quite spicy and although they didn't make one that properly fitted the bill, they happily provided me with a chilli accompaniment for me to mix in. I've always found the ingredients to be of good quality and the meat is better than a number of other independently run Chineses in Oxford. I can't quite bring myself to try the mango sorbet in the shape of a fish though for dessert!

The service is very efficient from a small team of broken English speaking Chinese waitresses. If you haven't been, make the effort and take the walk from the city centre, you won't be disappointed.

Joe B (Unverified), 08/06/08

In short, one of the most authentic Chinese restaurants I've been to in a while (I'm from South East Asia so I'd like to think I know what good Chinese food tastes like!). A particular highlight is the roast duck which was very good. The staff was friendly and courteous and the service was speedy and attentive. The prices were very reasonable as well. I've been wanting to discover a good Chinese restaurant in Oxford and I think I may have found it. Highly recommended.

oxford_student (Unverified), 03/05/08

Simply put, the best Chinese restaurant in Oxford. The interior decor is somewhat old-fashioned but once the food arrives, nothing matters. Go! Go! Go!

Paul (Unverified), 04/01/08

This is the best Chinese restaurant Oxford has to offer. (Sure, Liaison's good too, but the food is much more expensive there!)  If you're looking for more than decent and quick Chinese food, Condor is much better and probably cheaper than any of the other so-called "pan-Asian / Chinese restaurants" in town. The service is great and super-quick too. I'm Asian and I know what I'm talking about!

Hello I'm a Japanese person (DI User), 30/10/07

I go there so so so much, I am 11, and I love it.

meee (Unverified), 11/01/07

One of Oxford's original Oriental fast food joints steams ahead, dishing up tasty snacks conveniently close to the railway station. Marinating meats (lemon chicken, honey-roasted pork) in the shop-front kitchen window draw in the hungry traveller with mock duck in Oriental Condor sauce (£4.95) for vegetarians. The sauces served up with each dish are the main attraction; the curry (with chicken or fish) is smooth, dark and strong. Authentically cooked to order, aromatic steamed vegetables are fast, crunchy and fresh. The specials board provides an interesting talking point, a recent dish is Mongolian Lamb with aubergine.

The starter menu offers tempting options to road test a new main. BBQ spare ribs (£4.20) are succulent and tangy, soup with noodles comes in many flavours and vegetarian fried spring roll is a good staple. However after a few visits to this restaurant patrons generally arrive at their own favourite dish. Crispy fried thin noodles with seafood cooked in a rich sauce (£6) are a personal recommendation. A comprehensive 'Chinese Chippy' menu is available should you be giving dinner to a less adventurous friend. Healthy desserts such as a mango and coconut puree are on offer, however a one way ticket to sugar heaven is guaranteed with a portion of banana or pineapple frittered or toffee'd (£2.75). The light, airy and functional conservatory-styled dining area gets busy after 8pm. Chopsticks are optional but as the wall fresco shows, this is a restaurant that remains close to its cultural roots. The effort is no doubt appreciated.

Lita Doolan (DI Reviewer), 27/09/06

This has to be my favourite in Oxford. The understated, cafeteria-style interior is misleading, as the cuisine exceeds the standard of many more plushly decorated establishments.

Although the food is unfailingly excellent and reasonably priced, this restaurant has not really caught on, possibly due to its location slightly out of the centre near the train station. Probably the friendliest waiters in Oxford - once I got there at closing time and they unlocked the doors for me!

Rachel (Unverified), 13/08/06

Just ate there again last night - veggie friends like coming here because it has the best range of veggie options - which in chinese cooking is pretty high anyway. Food was good.

markyhearts (Unverified), 27/06/06

10 reasons to visit the Oriental Condor:

1) Friendly and courteous staff

2) The steaming theatre of the open kitchen

3) The best value authentic Chinese canteen food in Oxford

4) Handy stop-off opposite the train station

5) My Malaysian friends from Copenhagen insists on coming here every time they visit

6) The roast duck and crispy belly pork are one of Oxford's tastiest meat experiences

7) Consistency - I must've eaten here twice a month for four years and it keeps on delivering the goods

8) The food is lighter and less greasy than in most Chinese restaurants, and not weighed down with MSG

9) The noodle soup

10) It's five mins walk from the distinctly average "noodle bar", and miles better...

Nick Godwin (Unverified), 21/04/06

To be recommended: a truly well done restaurant for students.

This Saturday, Jan 14 2006, three of us went to this restaurant: two Asian girls, one from Taiwan, one from South-Korea and myself (German chap).

All of us liked the place very much. Nice decoration (as the other review mentions) and excellent service. The food is very tasty. If you order an extra portion of rice, you might not be able to finish the dish (I could not). Very good value for money.

So come and enjoy the people and the food.

Cheers,

Hausmacher (Unverified), 19/01/06

Hoorah! The Condor has risen from the ashes. After being closed since early this year (2002) I can now confirm that the restaurant is most definitely back in business. New manager, same owner (apparently), same enormous range of delicious and authentic chinese dishes cooked with amazing speed and flair by the friendly staff. Collecting my celebratory re-opening takeaway, I waited for less than 10 minutes after having placed my order, drinking a bottle of delicious heated sake (kept warm in its own pot of hot water), observing the large party of oriental students finishing their meal in the restaurant behind me, studying the beautiful mural of a chinese marketplace on the wall and listening to chinese pop music. When I got my meal home, the sweet and sour pork with crispy noodles that I ordered unfortunately turned out to be noodle-less, but the single portion of egg fried rice was enough for at least two, so who's complaining. Initially disturbed by the visual similarity of my vegetarian mock duck to real duck, when I eventually decided to tuck in regardless I was relieved to find this was the real (fake) thing; the mock meats previously offered by the retaurant previously were occasionally bland and samey, but this was much more convincing (even down to the plucked-skin patina of the curd - freaky!!), and gorgeous.

Mock duck, sake (too much to drink in under 10 minutes!), sweet-and-sour pork dish and egg-fried rice came to a total of £15.50 - I'm not sure if this was absolutely correct, but whilst the takeaway menu is still in preparation, food ordered for takeout will just be charged at a lesser rate than eat-in - a little bit steep, but doubtless bumped up from eminently reasonable by inclusion of the sake. Anyhow, I'm not complaining, as I cannot be too enthusiastic about the cuisine at this excellent place, and shall be returning as a regular visitor. Check it out, or miss one of the best gastronomic experiences Oxford has to offer - chinese or otherwise.

Su Jordan (DI Staff), 04/12/02