Dirty-Bones, described as an American restaurant and cocktail bar started in 2013 after a stint in New York. Sharing high fives and good vibes over some American comfort foods whilst downing beers and cocktails. With already three successful restaurants in London; Carnaby, Shoreditch, Soho and now an Oxford branch.
Prior to visiting the newly opened Oxford branch, I had never heard of Dirty-Bones so was very intrigued. I think I was most intrigued by the name and cocktail menu more than anything else. We set a date for our weekly girls night out and were both excited to meet up for this dinner. Mostly because we know we only have one more month before weekly dinners disappear. As sad as it is, we are definitely making the most of our weekly catch-up sessions which is always fun.
Dinner at Dirty-Bones Restaurant Oxford
Like most restaurants in Westgate shopping centre, it is advisable to book a table and same goes for Dirty-Bones. My friend is good at finding these restaurants and always makes a reservation for us. I often don’t chose where we eat because she has an extensive knowledge on food so she does the searching. Dirty-Bones booking system is pretty easy, neat and online all automatically managed.
The Service {3/5}
We had a reservation for 20.00, we arrived a couple of minutes early and were seated within 5 minutes of arrival. Not even 10 minutes our waitress whose name we didn’t catch arrived to take our order. We obviously needed another moment to check the menu for what we had wanted. It took another 10-15 minutes before she came back to us, I was pretty hungry and angry to be honest. Upon her return we placed our order, ready to enjoy the meal we’d been looking forward to.
The Ambiance {4/5}
When you enter the restaurant it doesn’t look like much is happening until you enter it fully. Though we found the chairs unusually high for a place to enjoy food it was great. Many large groups had come out for dinner and the place was buzzing. The music was definitely spot on, the waiters were moving to a rhythm, it was mesmerizing. It was definitely a calm, cool and collected atmosphere, all so zen but exciting at the same time.
The Food {2/5}
Firstly, our waitress came back a couple of minutes later to inform us they didn’t have our choice of food. She explained due to the Christmas period they had run out of items, understandable for sure. But then to make matters worse, they did not have the one cider on the menu in stock either. By this time I was just fed up with the service and hoping the food would be at least good for me to enjoy.
Our first choice for the main was Crab and Lobster roll which they did not have so I opted for tacos. I chose GRILLED FISH TACOS; Grilled stone bass with white cabbage slaw, pickled pink onions, coriander and chipotle aioli. They are served on soft corn tortillas and priced at £9 which is reasonable in Oxford. What is not reasonable was the taste of the corn tortillas as they were more cardboard than soft. The filling of tacos was absolutely on point but the tortillas were a let down for sure.
Side dish from hell
When it comes to trying new places I can sometimes be suspicious so I always order a side dish. This is normally because if I don’t like the mains I can snack on the side dish. Against my better judgement {aka my instinct} I chose the brussel sprouts with bacon and sweat & sour cranberry sauce. My instinct said I should choose lamb fries but I ignored it and chose the brussel sprouts instead. This was a disaster, they came looking all burnt and smelt like seaweed than sprouts and didn’t taste right at all. Definitely was disappointed in this dish, I wasted money on this when fries would have been better.
For drinks I had initially chosen a cider {Cider Boys} but they had none in stock so I opted for a milkshake. Now let me tell you about this milkshake, it was the best I have had in a long time. Probably the only good thing I ate/drunk whilst having dinner at Dirty-Bones Oxford. Butter Baby was the name and it was made from; Creamy butterscotch, vanilla ice cream and milk.
The Price {4/5}
We definitely thought the pricing was reasonable though that’s because we didn’t have starters or desserts with our meal. Our bill came just over £40 for two which included; 1 cocktail, 2 meals and 1 milkshake. Our usual spend on a night-out is above £65 and that includes; 2 drinks, 2 mains, 2 desserts and often starters.
Final Thoughts
Whilst I can not fault the service much, the ambiance or the price, the food was totally disappointing. After visiting Dirty-Bones I read up on some really good reviews of the London branches which were mostly positive. On reflection we noticed almost everyone there had ordered ribs or burgers and that went down well. I think if I ever visit the Oxford branch again, I too will be ordering ribs or a burger.
Would I recommend the place as a restaurant to check out in Westgate, honestly not sure. I can not base my opinion completely on one meal but what I have seen so far has not been pleasant.
Jessica Taylor says
Wow! Everything looks so amazing! So upset that it didn’t taste as good as it looked!
Ana De Jesus says
Oh my goodness I am so sorry to hear that the food was disappointing and that they didn’t even have a cider on the menu that is so crazy! Fingers crossed you get to go to a better restaurant next time x
Christiana Acha says
So sorry about the side dish.. I’d hate to waste any money at all too… Loved reading the honest reviews.
Kittys Lifesyle says
I have never heard about this place but it looks great for a date night… Despite even I would have been disappointed 😔
Angela Ricardo Bethea says
I appreciate your honest feedback and I hope you will have a better experience on your next visit. Great shot of that place, I agree that the ambiance is lovely.
Stephanie says
Good to hear a honest review as these things do happen with restaurants. I’ve never heard of this company before so good to hear about them
Guest says
That food looks delicious. I like the atmosphere shown in these pics too. Looks like a great place to dine.
Map and Family says
Sorry to hear you were disappointed as it looks great!
Chiara Lisbeth de Lisi says
Sorry this restaurant was disappointing! Food and ambient are the first points speaking about these activities, it’s so annoying when they don’t follow our expectations!
Jenny says
Sorry to hear that the food wasn’t great! At least the price and the ambiance semi made up for it. I’ve gone to restaurants with amazing food but bad ambiance and it ruined my entire experience. Thanks for the helpful review.
Lois Alter Mark says
It’s so disappointing when a restaurant doesn’t live up to your expectations. The food actually looks amazing – I’m sorry to hear it wasn’t very good.
Anosa says
Thanks, it was disappointing for sure
Irena - OnePointofView.net says
Although the place looks nice, it’s a shame that you were disapointed with the food. Every time I’m not satisfied with the restaurant I go to, I feel the need to go back to the place I liked, just to give them credit for their great work:-)
Anosa says
Oh I know the feeling for sure
Kara says
I have not heard of dirty bones before and despite it seeming to have an odd name, the food looks amazing
Katy Stevens says
This sounds LUSH! I would have been disappointed that there was no Crab and Lobster roll too! Sounds like it was a bit disappointing to be honest!
Anosa says
It was for sure disappointing
Luciana Malanga says
I went to dirty bones for my Christmas party. My food went down a treat as it was ribs and lamb fries, most of my colleagues ordered safe. Until later on in the night when I was still hungry, 1:30 hour after we’d eaten I asked for crab and the waitress came back with squash even though I’d pointed at the item I wanted. The squash tasted foul! I should’ve just ordered more lamb fries.
Also count yourself as lucky you didn’t order dessert, my colleagues did and found the dessert foul, I think it was the pumpkin and something….
As a group I think it’s pretty fun, you barely noticed that the waitor/ waitresses aren’t as attentive and can just put any food aside if you don’t like it.
I would like to revisit but I’m just not too sure what I can have there as I’ve already had ribs…..
Anosa says
If i ever go back its ribs and lamb fries for me for sure
Patricia-Ann Que says
thank you for your honest review and for me being in the hospitality industry, i always give a place the second chance, everyone has there bad day once in awhile 🙂
Amanda Miss Panda says
The name of the restaurant is unusual for a restaurant. It is important to know what to order or the speciality of a restaurant. Your review definitely helps a lot for a first timer going there.
Amber says
Ha, I just love that you labeled it “Side dish from hell.” Thank you for being honest though, I’d rather know the truth! I love to eat, so I’m always bummed if things don’t come out delicious. I’m sorry you weren’t impressed with this place. I hate when that happens! But at least now you know!
-Joan Cajic says
Interesting name for a restaurant, at first I think I would second guess myself going to eat there but from the looks of it and your review, this place does look really nice to dine in.