Mowgli Street Food Oxford — Restaurant in Oxford

My husband and I went here on a spur of the moment decision to go somewhere new for dinner. We didn't have a reservation, but they were able to accommodate a table for 2 on this occasion.

We were seated, and we immediately had a waiter come to take our drink order. For me, this was perfect. What I will say about the establishment is that the drinks are extortionate. A small glass bottle of Coke Zero was over £3! I could get two 2ltr bottles for the same price at the supermarket, and this bottle must only have even around 330ml. It was the same with the cider. I think the cider cost 5-6 for one.

However, as this was our first visit, we asked the waiter if they could advise us on what they would order, and they were more than happy to assist. They advised use to get the yoghurt chat bombs and also pointed out a few other items as well and advised us what parts of the menu worked together and what combinations to avoid (loved this!) The restaurant brings the food out as and when it is ready and so therefore there is no set starter and mains. I ordered the Mowgli House Keema and rice, and my husband ordered the Mowgli Sticky Chicken and Fenugreek Kissed Fried. Both of the dishes had a kick to them, my husband's more than mine. The volume of the food is very deceiving. They are definitely for those with a hearty appetite!

We did order a desert afterwards, despite being stupidly full. I ordered the Gulab Jamun, and my husband ordered The Mowgli Chocolate Brownie. Neither of these were to my very picky taste, but my husband loved them both. We spent around £65 for the 2 of us. We only ordered one drink each.

I would definitely recommend this place to others. I would have given it 5 stars, but the drop of 1 star is purely due to the price of the drinks. I will advise, if you're not a fan of spicy foods, then you may want to tread carefully with this menu. But I will be visiting again in the future, but I may just get a table water next time and skip out...

Was excited about this place, but often things you're excited about can disappoint.

The restaurant is in a lovely location and as you walk in you can't help but be impressed by the decor touches, such as the swing seats by the window and the fairy lights.

Menu looked interesting and quite diverse, we chose the Gunpowder chicken, tamarind fries, Ruby wrap, and the Goan fish curry with basmati rice.

I initially asked for a mango lassi but was told they didn't have any so I ordered the rose and cardamom one instead. So far no alarm bells.

Shortly after the order was put in we were informed that they did not have the Goan fish curry, ordered the prawn curry instead. Felt it was a bit odd that they didn't have the Fish curry as the restaurant had literally just opened, a little more annoyed...

Everything came out other than the prawn curry, including the rice. Is it just me or is it obvious that the rice should come out with the curry? The curry came out ten minutes after, meanwhile the rice had been left out to cool down. I mean this is such an obvious thing not to do. Now slightly more worried...

Then we tasted the food. Every item was either utterly bland or remarkably sweet. Had these guys ever tried Indian food?! In addition to this the portion sizes were tiny which was even more frustrating as the prices were so high. As we endured the food we were increasingly perplexed... How can so little attention be placed on the taste and quality of the food, clearly the owners were more interested in twinkly lights to lure potential customers in.

Only plus points, the swing seats, which were uncomfortable after a while and the rose lassi which was small... When the plus points are qualified you know you're in trouble.

This is Indian food for people who hate Indian food. I won't be coming back and will be advising others not to bother as well. What a massive...

Interior ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ They are famous for their edgy swing focused Indian inspired interiors and they whole place was just a relaxing retreat away from the chaos of Oxford City centre.

Service ⭐️ ⭐️ So it wasn't bad but it wasn't good either. They sat us down with menus but no nice comment like "enjoy your meal" and then water arrived without us asking (nice touch) but was just slapped down on the table and walked off. Food orders taken and explained it arrives in sections. The food did arrive as expected and as people passed they reached over to take empty starter plates, again very little interaction. Overall the service was perfectly functional but it just completely lacked human interaction.

Food ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️ There was nothing I wouldn't get again, it was all brilliant. We got: Yoghurt Chat bombs - these were amazing but very delicate. 9/10 Ruby Wrap - great eat, perfect starter or snack - 8/10 Kissed Fries - more like a side dish but very nice with the masala sauce - 8/10 Several Dahls & potato curry - all good but not punchy enough for me 7/10 House chicken curry - best curry ever! Creamy but not sickly - 10/10 Butter Chicken - classics are classics for a reason - 9/10 Prawn Curry - so many prawns but also a touch too many peas - 8.5/10 Rice and Roti - standard sides, do what they need to - 6/10

Price ⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you share food and order wisely it isn't ridiculous. I think we spent around £100 for 5 people. 12.5% service charge is an absolute joke when they are so transactional. I would prefer to give the £1 charity donation to the team and the 12.5% to charity!!

Overall ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(⭐️) 4.5 stars is a strong result. I had high hopes for this after seeing so many people go. I will definitely be back, I think next time I will try the fish curry and get more Roti and...