Mirch Masala

Mirch Masala is my favourite restaurant in Oxford, and my first port of call at the start of term and a good send off at the end. I love a good Indian meal and have found that Mirch Masala is a cut above the rest. There are many tasty and different options to pick from (even though I'm a veggie) and I always have trouble deciding. The paneer shashlik is awesome. The service is very friendly, warm and welcoming - they're always happy to go the extra mile. The prices are pretty good, but I recommend the £8.95 all you can eat buffet on Sunday evenings - loads of choice, kept hot and refreshed regularly, and no compromise on quality like you sometimes get at all you can eat places. The Oxford mural is great, and I always take friends and relatives to this restaurant when they come to visit so that they can have a look. I heartily recommend Mirch Masala - and try the salty lassi; it's surprisingly yummy.

Alysa (Unverified), 23/01/12

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6 of us went to this restaurant last night for a birthday meal. The food was great – it was one of the best Indian meals we’ve had in Oxford in a long time. The staff were really friendly and welcoming. And they surprised us by bringing a birthday cake to the table at the end of the meal – which was a really nice gesture.
I would definitely recommend it and will be going back there soon!!

sparkkle (Unverified), 08/01/12

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Very Bad experience. Food average at best, service abysmal. Would definitely not recommend this place.

Stef (Unverified), 20/08/11

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Not great! Had takeaway of several dishes, few of which were good. The Fish Bhuna was too watery for my liking, and the saag aloo too oily, but the matter paneer was very tasty. Food was cheap and arrived quickly.

greenhaze (Unverified), 11/09/10

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It is probably the best Indian restaurant I have been to in Oxford (and I have been to a few). We went as a large group of students (around 40 of us) with a set meal, and the food they served us was delicious (sometimes you get the feeling with a set meal and a large group that you are just getting left overs- this was definitely not the case). The staff were friendly and very polite, even though we were occasionally a bit loud!

Must pass my compliments onto the chef as the food was just amazing! I would definitely recommend going if you can! It's great food, good value for money and a very relaxed atmosphere!

Nick Lloyd (DI User), 20/03/10

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Definitely the friendliest Indian restaurant in Oxford and the food keeps improving. I too am glad there is none of that fawning over-the-top attentiveness which so many Indian restaurants go for - this is just genuine relaxed and helpful. They seem to make much more effort on the Sunday buffet now too. I will keep coming back.

06/12/09

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If you are looking for a good curry in Cowley, especially if you are a large group, go to Mirch Masala. It is pleasant, BYOB, the staff are very friendly and you don't have to stick to a set menu.

Note from Editor - The management apologise, but the bring your own beer or wine option is no longer available.

G (Unverified), 05/12/08

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I disagree with the reviewer below who wanted the owners/managers of Mirch to do a hard sell on drinks. God forbid that it should ever turn into one of those places where your meal is constantly interrupted by mandatory and meaningless questions about your meal and attempts to make you feel you should buy more.
Stay as you are, please! You still do the best Indian food in Oxford!

asia (Unverified), 16/04/08

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Very impressed: we don't live that close, but our delivery arrived quickly even though I was told that it would take 30-45 minutes. It was with us in under 30. A good start! On ordering I was offered something free to eat, and we got a free bottle of house red. Always a winner too.

When our meal for three arrived all the dishes were very tasty, helpings were a good size and we also got free popadoms to boot. Sometimes curry is a little greasy or too creamy for my liking, but this was perfect.

We'd definitely use them again - great value for money, good food, quick delivery, what more could you want! Highly recommended.

sidesey (Unverified), 14/03/08

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I love Mirch Masala and it's possibly my favourite Indian/ Pakistani restaurant in Oxford at the moment. The food is lovely, the menu is simple, Buffet is great, the prices reasonable, and the staff are friendly and helpful. Definitely worth a visit.

happy eater (DI User), 11/03/08

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Went out to the Mirch Masala for the first time in 15 years last night. Has changed a lot from the basic cafe that it used to be, but the food is still excellent and the decor suitably unpretentious. Service was quick and friendly. I had the chicken jalfrezzi, which was 'hot hot' (the way it should be) and the chicken nice and tender. Husband had chicken madras, which was also nice, but perhaps a bit too much lemon juice for some. Friend's choice of lamb tikka tandorri was divine and came with lots of sizzling onions. Would definitely recommend the Mirch and will be returning again...

Monkey Queen (DI User), 15/06/07

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Many years ago I was one of Mirch Masalas first customers, along with my son. I continued to visit the Mirch Masala for many years and can honestly say that the food is the best I have ever tasted. I now live in France and this little restaurant in Cowley Road is one of the things I miss the most about England, the atmosphere and everything about the place. I really long sometimes for one of their chicken baltis and a kachori, ahh, bliss. Keep up the good work. Regards and my very best wishes

Jane (Unverified), 01/06/07

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The decor and ambience in Mirch Masala is both quirky and relaxed, which is good. The food is some of the better Indian food I've had in Oxford so far (which isn't saying much, as coming from Bath/Bristol, Oxford's been a bit of a let-down on the restaurant front).

Having said that, I can heartily endorse the chefs - superb food, BUT, really really LOUSY service. These guys are helping redefine the word "inattentive".

At the end of my meal, (when I'd finally gotten the attention of a member of staff), I pointed out that we'd only bought one round of drinks, and that if they'd been more attentive, they could easily have sold us a second and third round of drinks, plus dessert, and maybe even coffee. Instead, they forgot the initial drinks order, until I reminded them, and never came back to us, to see if we needed further drinks.

We estimated, based on two of us eating there, they'd missed out on about £20 of additional sales they could have made to us. Multiply that by the 60 or so people in the restaurant at the time, and you've got a fair chunk of change, that their incompetence had caused them to miss out on.

I *might* go back, if only to give them one more chance to prove this review wrong. The food was excellent, and they seemed like nice people. The atmostphere was relaxed too...it's just a pity the service followed that theme.

Max OX1 (Unverified), 12/12/06

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This is by far the best food on the Cowley Road. The ambience strikes you as odd when you first arrive, but this is more than made up for by the authentic cuisine. It is inexpensive, and while there are a few blunders occasionally we go very regularly and have never had a bad meal (flat coke + lemonade - but brilliant food). I recommend their Balti dishes, the naan breads etc, and the prawn puri starter.

Helen (DI User), 13/03/06

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May 2003: Please note that Mirch Masala no longer offer a buffet.

Habitués of the Cowley Road with an interest in reasonably-priced exotic cuisine will have noticed the recent metamorphosis of the Mirch Masala at numbers 137-139. Closed for some time, the restaurant recently reopened with a distinct party-venue feel to it, and this is obviously having the desired effect. When my dining partner and I asked for a table, we were greeted with the incredulous response "Only two?!", and as we ate, two groups arrived to take up their pre-booked tables amongst the flowing pot-plants (one being a party of young Asian professionals celebrating a birthday). The background music kept the atmosphere lively, with everything from classical to indian pop, and this vivacity seemed reflected in other touches about the place (such as the small model people posing like the Blues Brothers on the roof of the ornate beach-style bar).

Service was prompt and extraordinarily amiable. We were informed immediately of the existence of the £7.95 all-you-can-eat buffet, which occurs 6 days a week (Mirch is closed Mondays) between 6.30 and 11pm. This was indeed the reason we were there. No sooner had our drinks orders been taken than they had appeared magically before us, and we were being urged to make a foray over toward the food counters.

A glorious array of stuff was on display, and if you are the sort of person who goes to indian restaurants with friends to share all the dishes, this will of course be your dream come true (as it was mine). In the separate compartments of the steel canteen-style main course trolley could be found vegetable korma, chicken korma, vegetable, lamb and chicken baltis, chicken madras, chana and tarka dhals (yellow split peas and lentils respectively), Bombay aloo (spicy dry potatoes), aubergine, okra, muttar paneer (peas and fried milk curd), sag aloo (spinach) and possibly more. On the end of the trolley were stacks of warm poppadums, piles of meat and vegetarian samosas, onion bhajis and an enormous plate of small round fluffy patty-type things and a huge container of sweet halva (worth saving for later - details to follow). In another vaguely refrigerated trolley could be found all the typical sundries, including an evil lime pickle (which my dining friend described as "quite limey" as I attempted to quench the fire in my mouth with beer), runny mango chutney, raita (cucumber, yoghurt and onion dip), traditional Indian restaurant salad (chopped up onion, cucumber, tomato), pickled vegetables (gherkins, carrots, beans) - and a couple of dessert fruits (lychees and guavas).

Rather overcome by this abundance of foodstuffs, I visited almost every container to collect a small portion and pile it greedily onto my plate. Chastised by the kindly manager for eating the wrong way round (I suppose I could have had starters followed by mains…!), I made my way slowly through the first plate, pacing myself. The chana dhal was a little salty according to my co-diner, but I like salty lentils; the spinach was deliciously sloppy, the muttar paneer splendidly chewy, the fluffy patties soft and tasty, the mango chutney sweet and mangoey, etc, etc. The peshwari naan deserves a special mention. Freshly cooked to order (as are all the naans), it was pink, light, crispy and delicious, a revelation compared to the featureless carbohydrate curry-mops one often receives in less salubrious establishments.

A rather tinny pint of Kingfisher later and I was back to the food counter, shovelling halva (not the Greek-style, super-sweet sesame-seed fibreglass, but the asian version: a deliciously squidgy cake of almond and sultanas) onto the edge of my plate (for which I was jovially chastised by the restaurant's proprietor - I could have had a pudding plate, you know). Feeling finally stuffed with savouries, we had a short digestive break before embarking upon the finale. Of course, no proper and fully investigative review is complete without experimenting with desserts (!), and so two ice creams were called for (extra to the buffet price, but worth it). I had pistachio and almond kulfi in a delightful little lidded cauldron; laden with condensed milk, it was the perfect end to a spicy meal. Sorbets and other kulfis are also available. Resisting coffee and finally calling for the bill, we were told that we could not possibly leave, as it was not 11 o'clock yet!
If only we'd had the time to stay.

Takeaway is starting soon, and I can't wait.

Su Jordan (DI Staff), 09/11/02

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