Edamamé — Restaurant in Oxford

Reply to the owner: I am puzzled by your reply, but after reading other negative reviews, I see that you do not accept the criticism very well. You encourage customers to put reviews in Google, no matter if they are good or bad, so I do not understand why you wanted me to start an in-person discussion with the manager while in the restaurant. I do not think I have “slated you online”, but just said facts, and saying that the salad had almost no seaweed is a constructive feedback, especially after taking your salads for 7 years! What would constructive feedback be for you? In your reply you do not say anything about the new gratuity added to the bill, as we did not have any improved service compared to what we had before the pandemic. I do not even recall anybody asking me if everything was right about the food, but I remember that we asked about the new gratuity added to the bill and the waitress gave us no option. Sorry, but we felt surprised when we paid the bill, we loved the restaurant because of the informal dining and now it is still keeping the informal dining but with “formal” bills that can only be justified to build up the amount to be paid.

Original review: We have been going to Edamame for 7 years, and it was always great. However, we returned a few days ago after the pandemic hiatus, and we are less than happy with the changes that have happened since the pandemic. The prices of some of the dishes have increased by 25% or more, although this is understandable due to the rise in food costs. What it is more difficult to understand is that some dishes have lowered the quality, instead of being removed from the menu. The salads are supposed to be made mainly of seaweed, but they have a minuscule amount, not like before. Moreover, for a restaurant that claims to be casual (no “formal dining”) and where you have to share a table with estrangers, having added a compulsory 10% gratuity to the bill is shameful (even for groups of 2 people!). I suppose that is the reason why it was not crowded like before. If you really want to be in the business, please do not lower the quality or cheat with forced tips, as people will notice and then it will be very difficult to regain the...

For all of Oxford’s history and beauty, the city is plagued with the disease that is the high street chain. In recent years it has become increasingly harder to find independent restaurants serving delicious food with passion. It’s places like Edamame that help keep tradition alive.

Hiding down an unassuming street, Edamame is one of those restaurants that you hope to find when getting lost in the backstreets of any city. If you’re lucky to avoid having to join a queue for this hole in the wall spot, you’ll find yourself walking into what feels less like a restaurant and more like you’ve been invited into someone’s front room. With only a handful of tables and seats, you’ll be rubbing elbows with strangers as you ponder over a menu full of authentic Japanese dishes.

The service is quick yet very friendly. There are no reservations available here, so seats come on a first come first serve basis. As such, the food comes quick to deal with the long queues that can appear. Although I have never felt rushed to leave, this isn’t the spot for a long drawn-out catch up, but more the time to dive into a tasty meal with friends or family.

The food itself is fantastic. Pictured with this review is the chicken katsu, salmon teri, rice, miso soup, kimchi and mixed pickles. Every dish was as delicious as the next. The meat was tender and juicy, and the sauces that accompanied were just as tasty. The pickles were some of the best I’ve had, crisp and with a perfect zingy hit. I have previously enjoyed the ramen and Kara-age chicken as well which were equally tasty. Each time I dine here I try something different, and each time it blows me away.

Our bill for two came to £50, service included, which in a city as expensive as Oxford is very reasonable, especially for food as enjoyable and served with as much care as this.

So whether you’re a local looking to try something new, or visiting for just the day, Edamame is most definitely worth your time, as it’s restaurants like this that keep great food...

After seeing some of their Yelp reviews, I decided to have lunch at this restaurant during a day trip to Oxford. I could not have made a better choice. My mom ordered the salmon teri. The quality of the salmon was exceptional, and the teriyaki sauce was far from standard--in fact, I think it's the best I've ever tasted. I also thought that the texture of the noodles in the chicken yakisoba I ordered was particularly good.

We enjoyed our lunch here so much that we decided to return for dinner. At dinner, the waitress recommended the bata horenso (baby spinach pan-fried in butter and Japanese seasoning), so we decided to give it a try. The sauce was incredibly fragrant and unusual--spinach has never tasted better! The tofu steak (in soy sauce, with radishes and leeks) was another highlight of the meal.

We're already looking forward to coming back and sampling more...