Something of an Oxford institution (we remember the chocolate milkshakes the size of our heads when we were five). Browns serves predominantly English cuisine with the odd Mediterranean ingredient.
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5–11 Woodstock Road
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Until two weeks ago, I'd never been to Brown's, despite having lived in Oxford since 1997 and being aware of its fond spot in the minds of long-term North Oxford residents. I'd also caught the rumour that it wasn't living up to its historically high reputation so well lately. Thus, I went along with an open mind, and walked into a lush-looking, colonial-feeling, shiny venue with a live pianist and vocalist - lovely! The waiters were polite and efficient, the menu looked great (with a massive cocktail selection and fabulous-looking teas and breakfasts) and the wine was perfectly chilled and served beautifully - so apart from a slightly distracted greeter, all seemed perfect. Sadly, our starters arrived on smeary plates; my scallops were undercooked (an easy enough mistake) and served with an overly sweet chili sauce (admittedly, still just about edible) and limp salad - and my partner's crab and avocado stack contained the unmistakeable scent and flavour of fermented avocado (which didn't complement the - hopefully - fresh crab). Mentioning this to the waiter, we were assured that he would inform the chef - which wasn't exactly what we'd hoped for - and bizarrely, it was never mentioned again. Hoping that things would improve for the main course, we were pleasantly suprised, as whilst the plates didn't look any cleaner - and the potato dauphinoise had the unmistakeable fused surface of an item that had been resting under the heatlamps, and the salad was limp - the chips were good, the portions were large and the pieces of crayfish tail in my fishcakes were generous and served with an unusual and tasty wasabi mayonnaise. Rack of lamb was also hearty and well cooked. For dessert we had a pop at the roast nectarine and sadly, it wasn't very roast and it wasn't very anything else either. Apart from maybe too expensive. Espresso was delicious but then if you can't make that, you are in trouble. All in all, I hope it was an off night, because if Brown's are hoping to get away with this level of food service long term based on their historically good reputation, it won't last :( Roo Stuffer, 30/08/10 I had half an hour before a meeting yesterday morning and decided to pop into Brown’s for breakfast. I informed the GM that I was short of time and he assured me that there would be no problem with that as the kitchen was quiet at this time of day. I was seated immediately by the window and a waitress appeared within minutes to take my order. I went for the Smoked Haddock with Spinach and a poached Duck Egg and it arrived about 10-15 minutes after ordering. Everything was cooked perfectly, the Haddock was (thankfully) un-dyed, the Spinach the right side of crunchy and fresh rather than being soggy and damp and the Duck Egg was poached to perfection. Orange Juice and a black Coffee brought the bill to just over £10 and I left feeling extremely satisfied and pleased with the whole experience. The best breakfast I’ve had in Oxford for some time. Dr Mukti, 11/06/10 Food was reasonable except for the pear dessert which was full of stalks. THIRTY minutes between each course though!!!! I was starving by the time I got my lukewarm food. Staff nice enough but far too few of them and one poor girl seemed to have been left to service a table of 20 or so as well as other customers in our section, all by herself. The only reason we did not complain was because we didn't want her to get it in the neck, aside from all being too knackered at the end of a long day to go elsewhere, though we might have done had we realised that every course was going to take so long. So many people go on and on about Brown's, but I found it pretty mediocre and overhyped for what it was. WC not pretty or particularly clean either. Totally underwhelming. Disgusted of Oxford, 25/03/10 Went to Brown's for Christmas dinner with friends - following a fantastic meal last Xmas, what a disappointment! The food was ok (the Beef Wellington was the exception - fantastic!), but turkey dinners, veg and Xmas puds were all served luke warm. Complained about two dishes - the blue cheese and pear salad, which was measly, and the cheese board, which came with a hair. Without an apology or offer of an alternative dish, we were told the salad 'was just how it came' and the hair with the cheese 'could not be the chefs because he's bald'! Service was slow - despite a relatively quiet afternoon, our wine order sat on the bar for a good while, and no one came to take away our dessert plates or offer us tea and coffee. And the final straw - no Xmas crackers! When I mentioned this to the manger, he said it was company policy in case someone got a 'spark' in their eye! Overall, not a very pleasant or festive dinner. We did get a discount on our bill, but I won't be eating here again soon. PL, 21/12/09 Every time I've been here, no matter what the weather outside, the air conditioning has been on and I've been freezing! The last time I had to request to move out of the draft but it was still really cold and somewhat spoilt the meal. Very loud, crowded atmosphere too. The food is nice though - mostly English grub with not a vast choice, but good quality. TS, 05/11/09 My friend had a Times luncheon discount voucher so we decided to go to Browns last Tuesday. Whether it was the fact that we used vouchers or whether it was just an off day we were very disappointed! We both started with the roasted pepper, which arrived swimming in oil, only one slice of pepper and a few mini tomato halves. So very minute. Then the mains came, my pasta was uncooked in parts (some pasta was stuck together as it had probably not been stirred whilst cooking) and there was little discernible sign of the cream and cheese sauce... so I had to leave it. My friend had the vegetable tart which she also had to leave as it was oversalted and again swimming with oil. We were both disappointed as we had eaten there many times before, but to be fair not for a while. The service was OK and we were well looked after, but the restaurant had not put on its air conditioning and when we left we were both very hot, and a little hungry. radleas, 28/04/09 We visited the Oxford Browns Restaurant last night, to celebrate our first month of married life! It was the most disappointing meal we have had in years. The staff were adequately friendly and helpful and the decor was fine, but that is about all that was good about the evening. We ordered a scallops starter to share (usually our favourite), but it was oily and overcooked, and they just seemed 'plonked' on the plate with some very tired looking spinach and peppers thrown in the middle. They were certainly nothing special and badly cooked. I ordered the rack of lamb and my husband had the slow braised pork. My lamb was inedible (despite the fact that I was starving). It was tasteless, and chewy, and very fatty. There was no flavouring or sauce with the meat. Just a rack of lamb fat basically. The individual shepherd's pie was a strange idea of an accompaniment. It was also boring and the mash was stale-tasting. It seems better suited for a school lunch! What the menu described as winter greens, was cold, undercooked and tasteless. I was unable to eat the meal and went home hungry (I made a cheese sandwich when I got home)! My husband (who will generally eat anything) managed to finish his pork, but struggled to enjoy it. The pork was tough and the flavours were bland. The black pudding was overcooked. He wasn't impressed as braised pork is usually very tender and tasty. We are not sure how a simple meal can be so disastrously cooked. It was a terrible experience, and we will certainly not be returning, nor recommending this restaurant. AD, 06/11/08 I dropped in for lunch recently with a friend and found Browns still to be the reliably good restaurant it always has been. I have been coming here since I was a kid for birthdays and the like and the general atmos and seeming popularity never change. Admittedly, on a week day at lunch-time you find yourself sharing the restaurant with foreign tourists (I guess Browns features heavily in all the guide books), students with their parents and slightly older, very well dressed women who shop for a living, but at least the atmos remains buzzy. On my recent visit we were seated in a slightly dim corner close to one of the front windows. We chose to start with a shared dish of baked camembert with grapes and bread. You can't really go wrong with this dish and as ever it was lovely. One small thing I will say though is that Cafe Rouge round the corner do an identical dish (for a couple of quid less) with no grapes but with infinitely better bread. The bread that came with it at Browns was too crumbly and really needed to have been warmed to make it firmer. Maybe the 2 companies would like to get together to swap ideas on this fascinating subject? For main I had the Steak, Guinness and Mushroom Pie. Like a lot of places it was a bit of a cheat as it was really a stew (still quite a good one) with a puff pastry lid in a dish. To me a pie should have sides and a bottom made of pastry - not clay! It was very good though and the accompanying chips I had were excellent. I had a bottle of Innis and Gun beer to drink (you've got to take it when you can get it) and a lemon/lime soda which wasn't as good as I had hoped for. Neither of us had pud. The prices are not that cheap but the food, as ever was of a very good standard and the general atmos very convivial meaning you don't mind paying a small premium once in a while. Joe B, 22/03/08 I am 16 and I have been coming to Browns for many years of my life. It is my favourite restaurant and I have never had any problems. You can go to Browns with family, friends and on dates and it's still great! The service is always good and you're never left waiting around to ask for another drink. The portion sizes are just right and the desserts are delicious, espeically the hot fudge brownie. They play tasteful music in there and the lighting sets the mood. Browns has a superb atmosphere. I recommend. food critic number 1, 07/09/07 Really tasty food for carnivores: melting and delicious slow-cooked duck confit with cherries; crisp, tender lamb cutlets; roast beef with all the trimmings and so on. The presentation is careful without being pretentious and the flavours are strong and well-balanced. The vegetarian options are pretty limited though. In fact, the menu, possibly because of its Englishness, is far from experimental. What it does, however, it does very well. A good place to take people who say they like good plain cooking, who usually mean they like posh classics without too many jarring notes. It's a bit of a parrot-house: diners perch at tiny tables in close proximity and you have to shout loudly to be heard. Unfortunately so does everybody else. If you get there early enough, try to nab one of the tables in the nifty little alcoves, of which there are a surprising number. The service is attentive and friendly, even when the staff are a bit rushed. A main course and coffee for two, with some fine elderflower pressés, came to a total of £33.65 - which isn't bad for the quality of the meal. Miranda Rose and Su Jordan, 17/07/07 I had a very enjoyable evening at Browns last night. I was slightly sceptical but surprisingly impressed! The food was at a really good standard in my opinion. My friends and I were all impressed with the variety of the menu and the service we received. The fish platter is certainly a dish that I recommend, full of flavour and variety. The wine we had with our main meal was a good price and very unique. I will certainly be returning to Browns again. Alastair, 16/05/07 I like Browns but find the menu a little limited. But the major problem for parents is the fact that for such a large sized restaurant there are about 2 high chairs available for use. Twice we've had to leave the restauant and find an alternative place to eat because a high chair was not available for us. I think this is a really poor show for such a large and popular restaurant. Sharene., 01/03/07 I am surprised to see a couple of slightly negative reviews. Browns is one of my favourite restaurants in Oxford the service is always great, the food in always cooked perfectly and served with care and I just love the atmosphere. Perfect for a romantic dinner, a business lunch, or a meal out with friends. The wine list is well selected and the menu is varied, so much so that I can never decide what to have but it hardly matters what you choose - everything tastes wonderful. If I could afford it I'd eat there much much more often! Personal recommendation - it might sound silly, but try the Browns Burger. I may have just been lucky, or really hungry(!) who knows, but it was incredible. Jill, 31/12/06 Having previously walked out of Browns before even getting to order our food (our waiter had successfully avoided us for nearly 20 minutes and the dish I wanted which I had seen on their online menu was not on their normal menu) I decided to brave it with a friend earlier this week. The Royal Oak was packed and it was the closest alternative - I went with low expectations. Again, we were left to loiter by the door for about 10 minutes and were on the verge of leaving, when someone spotted us and showed us to our table. I have to say, this is Christmas week and all good restaurants are stretched at this time so I was far more forgiving than I would ordinarily have been. We both had a glass of mulled wine to warm up on arrival. This was delicious and far too drinkable for its own good! Rather than the wishy washy rubbish found in some pubs this was a fruity, spicy delight which resulted in us sampling another glass almost straight away. For starters, we opted for the same dish. Soup of the day, which on this day was tomato and roast pepper. This arrived fairly quickly with 4 slices of white ciabatta bread. The soup was of average standard - it reminded me of a tin of plum tomatoes blended with some red pepper to be honest, but it wasn't bad and was fairly priced. I thought the bread was awful, dry and floury but my friend had no complaint with it and ate most of his. We both had a glass of house white to accompany our main courses and for a house wine, it was very good. For my main, I chose grilled trout from the Specials board which came on a bed of mashed potato. The fish was delicious and I would have thoroughly enjoyed it had they not decided to sprinkle it liberally with flaked nuts (peanut I think but I didn't try them). This was not in the description and ruined things for me - scraping the nuts off resulted in me scraping the seasoning off too which marred the overall taste of the fish somewhat. The mashed potato was horrible, sweet and lumpy and I left all of it bar the one tentative taste I had. My friend choose the whole lemon sole with burnt lemon butter and new potatoes. He said the fish was nice but from where I was sitting it looked like it was swimming in the alleged "burnt" butter. We declined dessert and coffee and the total bill came to £53. Not bad but the food quality could have been much better. DrMukti, 22/12/06 What went wrong here? I went here based on good experiences in various branches dotted about London and was sorely disappointed. It was far too hot inside and the staff kept messing about with the lighting so that one minute we were eating in the bright lights of last orders and the next, we were stabbing at our food in the dark. This lasted for 10 minutes. Ridiculous. I had a basic pasta dish which was no better than what I could have managed at home but maybe that was down to poor choice as my friend fared better. Service was sub-optimal to say the least. Perhaps it was where we were sat but we couldn't help feeling that our waiter was literally boring his eyes into heads as we ate which made for a generally overall uncomfortable experience. Immensely disappointed. WL, 14/12/06 Browns was the only place we could find to eat in Oxford at ten o clock at night after a theatre performance. This immediately worked in its favour, for the only alternative, at the other extreme, had been the kebab van. Hence, going from the ridiculous to the sublime, I began with the grilled king prawns marinated in garlic, chilli, coriander and olive oil. These were sublime, although obscenely peppery, leaving me requiring a finger bowl and several napkins. He started with a caesar salad, which, as caesar salads go, he said, was good. We had also ordered garlic bread, and were looking forward to its arrival with some anticipation, when an inordinately large bread basket appeared with two inordinately small, floppy and altogether rather pathetic-looking slices of garlic bread crouched in the middle. The look of disappointment in our starving faces was obvious and, we hoped, encouraged some sense of guilt in the waitress. To follow I had goats cheese salad with rocket pesto, which admittedly could hardly fail to please a hardened goats cheese lover such as myself. The rocket salad accompanying the dish went well with the cheese, but the bread was a little stale, and I could have done with more pesto. He had roast rack of lamb, described as herb-crusted in the menu. Served with green beans, he pronounced it delicious but diminutive. He could have done, he said, with another three. The chips accompanying the dish were chunky and very tasty, and soon demolished. Dessert filled the final gap as both of us indulged in the hot fudge brownie and ice-cream. The calories are truly worth this gorgeous concoction of nutty brownie, rich chocolate sauce and creamy ice-cream. Meanwhile the atmosphere had dwindled to a pleasing late-night langour and despite the hour, we did not feel we had to rush to our meal. For £45.95 with two glasses of wine the price was high but not too high. The evening was enjoyable, the food satisfying, and the service prompt. Just give us more garlic bread.... Jane Labous, 04/11/00
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