The Olive Branch Café & Restaurant — Restaurant in Oxford

I visited one Saturday evening, and the whole experience was very strange. I had booked a table in advance, and this was confirmed with the restaurant - but when I arrived, I was told that the entire menu was off-limits, apart from the tagine and the cold starters. Why would a restaurant confirm a reservation when most of the menu cannot be produced?

My dining partner and I of course ordered tagines, but two different varieties. My dining partner ordered the meatball tagine, and I ordered the lamb tagine. When they arrived, they smelled amazing, but the order was wrong - they were both lamb tagines, rather than one lamb and one meatball. My dining partner doesn't eat lamb. Both were served with a very small portion of rice, and a salad of radish, cucumber, lettuce, and balsamic vinegar.

Unfortunately, the lamb was quite bland, despite the positive smells emanating from the tagine pot. The rice and salad were flavourful, however.

The entire time we were there, it felt as though we shouldn't have been. Service wasn't slow but it wasn't exactly fast either; the staff were languid. The lamb tagines were almost £20 each (£19.50), but were not worth such an expense.

Overall, it was a very strange, uncomfortable,...

We were excited to try this place, as we enjoy Turkish/Lebanese cuisine and wanted a halal option in Oxford. Unfortunately, the experience was disappointing today. We had to clear our own table as it hadn’t been cleared from previous diners, and the server was dismissive when we asked for help. Other tables had also been left uncleared and diners coming in were unsure as to wait to be seated or just find a table. The food delivery blocked the entrance and bathroom, and some frozen items seemed to be thawing instead of properly stored. Food was acceptable but overpriced, and lacking in accompaniments like bread and sauces. I had to ask for chilli and garlic sauces several times before they were brought out. Another diner was asking for her money back because of how long she had been waiting for food. The bathroom also needed attention. Given positive reviews, we may have caught them on an off day, but we won’t...

We called for breakfast to fuel up before a long walk along the Thames Path. Be aware that this is a pork free zone but don't let that put you off because the substitutes were as good, if not better. The turkey bacon tasted like bacon and the lamb sausages were slightly spicy and totally delicious. We had two 'Royal' breakfasts, which is the closest to a full English and one eggs benedict florentine. All were perfectly cooked and the aggs all had runny yolks.

The café is conveniently situated by the railway station so if you want to fuel up before heading out along the train line to walk back it's ideal.

The service was faultless.

There are great vegetarian and vegan breakfasts as well.

It was a little more expensive than you would pay in a supermarket café but the ingredients and cooking were far superior so gives excellent value for money.

We would definitely eat...