Cinnamon Kitchen describes itself as an award-winning modern Indian restaurant offering modern Indian cuisines. I agree with this statement because though it took long to reach my mouth the food was absolutely delicious. Using creative and innovative British cooking techniques, Cinnamon Kitchen offers a new take on Indian Cuisine.
With an already successful branch in the city of London, Cinnamon Kitchen has added the Westgate branch in Oxford. Located on the roof terrace of the new shopping centre offering all day fine dining of breakfast, lunch and dinner. The restaurant also offers light bites, brunch and cocktails for a relaxed dinning pleasure.
Dinner at Cinnamon Kitchen
Though booking is highly recommended, you’re welcome to just turn up but will depend on availability. We had booked two weeks in advance and were very excited to try the ‘modern Indian Cuisine’. Our reservation was for 8 pm but we arrived 5 minutes early. The restaurant was half full with two large groups, three waiting staff and one bar staff. Because of how efficient everything seemed upon our arrival, we did not foresee any issues.
The Service { 2/5}
From the moment we were shown to our table, which was closer to the bar but blocked by a pillar. It took 25 minutes to have our food and drinks order taken plus has to remind staff to put water on our table. We were not off to a good start, we were hungry and almost ready to complain. It seemed like preferential treatment was offered to larger groups than to pairs and we noticed it with other customers too. The service improved greatly when I started noting things down, asking questions and informed them of this review. To be honest the service was appalling to begin with and though improved it was still an impression made. It is not a service I expected from such a fine dining restaurant that seemed to want to please its customers than not.
The ambiance {4/5}
When we arrived the atmosphere was fairly relaxed and mostly calm with dipped lighting. Everyone seemed to be enjoying their company and the restaurant offering reasonably attentive staff. The decor throughout the restaurant was more romantic and very simple yet quite elegant. Each table was nicely set with cutlery for the main and for dessert as well as glasses and a candle was lit.
Price {2/5}
The total bill at the end was £75, we didn’t realise they charged for water too. The sea bass was £18 which I agree with but the tandoori prawn was £25 which I personally think was a little to high. Between 6 pm – 6.30 pm and at 9 pm, you can order from a set menu which is more affordable than individual items. The cocktail list was slightly limited but was also pricey, so was the cider which I ordered. Normally we I dine in oxford for £75 I would have great meal with drinks pouring out my ears. But here we had 1 drink each and water nothing else which was disappointing to say the least.
The Food {5/5} – the main
After our order was placed, a complimentary starter of vegetable deep-fried balls slightly dipped in mango chutney sauce. The balls tasted amazing with playful flavours complimented by the mango chutney sauce. It was an explosion of known Indian taste but with exciting flavours.
I have not had Indian food for the longest time so I ordered what I considered a safe option. Char-grilled sea bass in banana leaf parcel, lime pickle and sticky rice. The sticky rice was made with stir fried spinach, carrots, coconut and mustard seed. On the side was the most delicious green mango and coconut chutney sauce. This meal was amazing I am still dreaming about it even now.
The resident expert of food {aka my friend} requested a recommendation from the waiter of the best dish. He recommended Tandoori king prawns, Bengali turmeric curry, ghee rice and spinach poriyal. The meal was accompanied with a coconut sauce base making the flavours dance with every bite. She enjoyed her meal and couldn’t stop singing the praises of the accompanying sauce.
The dessert {5/5} and drinks {3/5}
No dinner date is complete without a good dessert, we checked out the dinner menu for salivating options. I chose the mango and cardamom kulfi mango salad {£7}, Indian ice cream served with mango bits. It was absolutely delicious dessert that just melted on your tongue effortlessly. The resident food expert ordered Lassi Panama cotta orange and mint {£6.50}. This was another delicious dessert which my friend managed to polish off ever so quickly.
When it came to the drinks we knew exactly what we wanted, we ordered Rekorderlig (£6) and Merlot (£4.75). As I was going to be driving after dinner, I opted for a simple cider watered down throughout the meal. The resident food expert chose the Merlot to calm her nerves from prior poor service. Because of how pricey the drinks were we opted to just have one each plus table water.
Final Thoughts
Cinnamon Kitchen in Westgate offers an open view kitchen to give diners a look into the food preparation. It has beautiful and calming decor even more impressive is the decor in the facilities area. The hall way to the rest room is lined with lit lanterns and dipped lighting.
There were three things I did not enjoy at Cinnamon Kitchen, the service, drinks menu and the prices. From being seated to ordering then getting the food, too much time had lapsed. Little things like bringing water to the table were missed until reminded. No forewarning nor option to order tap water instead of charging for table water. Service went overboard once bigger groups had left but too late to matter.
Looking at the price of the drinks and the meals, personally for Oxford I felt it was a bit steep. Not forgetting the portion size which in honesty did not match the price. But I feel the taste of the food made up for the up scale prices on the menu. The drinks were definitely steep compared to other restaurants in Oxford.
Other than that, the restaurant has amazing modern Indian foods which can be served mild or spicy. The quality is second to none which made the experience amazing and recommend it on that basis.
Ingrid Rizzolo says
Cinnamon Kitchen in Westgate seems to offer not only a nice decor with inviting ambiance but delicious food as well.
Blair Villanueva says
The ambiance looks cozy and i like it. Though the price is quite expensive, its okay as long as its delectable.
Brandi Crawford says
Yum this looks like one amazing dinner. I would love to visit.
Ellie | Scotch & Stilettos says
I find it terrible that they charged for water!! That just comes as standard everywhere else. Big turn off. The food and ambience does look great but not worth the price.
David E says
The food does look delicious. And the decor does look like a lot of fun. I cannot believe that they charged for the water though. Seems so crazy.
FussFreeJen says
It is always nice to read a honest review of somewhere. Shame you had some negatives though. The place looks lovely, and the food looks delicious. Charging for water is a no no for me, it is very rude.
Shannon Graham says
That place really creates a nice atmosphere. The food looks really great.
Nayna Kanabar says
The restaurant sounds wonderful as does all the food. A lovely presentation of food is also important and the dishes look delectable.
Claire Lee says
Omgosh thank you for introducing me to this kitchen! I need to visit there, the food looks super delicious!
Louise Smith says
This looks like such a beautiful restaurant. I don’t mind paying higher prices for good quality food and drink, so the £75 bill wouldn’t phase me 🙂
Louise x
Anosa says
I don’t think I would have minded much for the price because we typically spend that anyway but for the portion sizes and the service, its arguable.
Life Unexpected says
It looks like a beautiful restaurant, with a great atmosphere. A shame about the service but the food looks great. You’d pay that much for food anywhere in Cornwall where I’m from. A bill of £75 is unheard of so I actually thought you were quite lucky. You’d at least pay £90-100 for a good two course meal and drinks down here. But it does look delicious.x
Anosa says
Oh wow, we are definitely lucky then. Thanks for the warning need to be ready when I come down to Cornwall. 🙂 The food here was definitely incredible
Sam says
The food looked delishes! Too bad the service was so poor.
Ola Broom says
This meal looks amazing! But man is that ever expensive. Paying a lot for a mean and having substandard service it totally not cool.
Kiwi says
Great honest review on the restaurant. Wow I am sorry to hear the service was subpar…
KGR says
It’s a shame the service was poor. I hate having to wait and it seems like they weren’t too great which is a shame as the food like you say was amazing. Must have been a bit disappointing x
Chiara Lisbeth de Lisi says
I love indian food and this one looks delicious! While the restaurant itself sounds relaxing and pretty, I’m really sorry the service was not good, it’s an important thing to consider!
blckberry13 says
Sounds like a mixed bag for sure. I’m glad the food was good, but bad service sometimes outweighs the tasty food. Thanks for the review, no I know to avoid them.
Aine says
Shame some of the elements weren’t up to scratch considering the price, but at least the food was delicious so not a complete disaster!
Hannah Marie says
WOW! The Vegetable Deep Fried Balls with Mango Chutney look out of this world! I would probably have to order more than one plate since you only get two! Shoot, I may just have to make a meal out of them!
Jhilmil Bhansali says
Vegetable deep fried balls in mango cutney , awesome, I can just smell the aroma it must be oozing out! Being an India, I love Indian food so much, great to know of Cinnamon Kitchen.
Ruth I. says
The Cinnamon Kitchen looks like such a lovely place to dine! I would love to go here on a date sometime!
Denay DeGuzman says
What great ambiance! I love Indian food. It would be so wonderful if there was a Cinnamon Kitchen near me. I’d love to dine there.
Kittys Lifesyle says
looks like a perfect place for a date night with hubby… those dishes look delicious 😀
Rose Mont says
I haven’t tried Indian food. Your pictures make it look good and inviting to try though. Dessert of course is universal and if nothing else I should start there because dessert is always good.
Blair Villanueva says
Oh Miranda, this is a gorgeous and romantic place! You discovered another awesome place to chill and dine.
Do they also serve wine?
Claudia Krusch says
I love the decor the Cinnamon Kitchen has. I do not know if I like the price point though. Good customer service is so important. I do not think places should be charging for a glass of water.
Sarah@WhimsicalMumblings says
Charging for water?? That’s ridiculous! The food looks really good, it’s a shame not everything was up to scratch!
Jen Sky Walker says
I’d have a hard time judging whether or not I’d want to go back. The ambiance is lovely and the food is good, but for the cost and service, there are other options I think that would suit me better. Maybe for the occasional date night or something when there is extra time to wait for service and another location to go for drinks either before or afterwards. Kinda defeats the purpose of going out though…
Nicki McLaren says
For the price, I would have expected 5/5 on everything. It really throws me off when the food is 5/5 but the service is 2/5 – thats just not right and restaurants should get it together.
Stephanie Merry says
I’ve wanted to try this restaurant for so long. Didn’t realise quite how expensive it would be though x
Karyn Locke says
Ok, you had me a Cinnamon. Turns out that the restaurant is so much more!
Joanna @ Everyday Made Fresh says
Cinnamon Kitchen looks beautiful! The food sounds and looks quite tasty. I’d totally love it!
Amber says
All this food looks fabulous. I would enjoy eating here, that’s for sure. It’s gorgeous!
Patricia-Ann Que says
wow the ambiance of this place is so beautiful! just makes the dining experience more enjoyable!
Tasheena N. Womack says
I love the atmosphere of this restaurant. Everything looks so welcoming and inviting. The food looks amazing as well. Would love to dine here the next time I visit the UK.
Evelyn Lo Foreman says
Love it when the food is good, and disappointed when the services doesn’t match. This info is fabulous – and hope you post others. Its good to find honest reviews – it keeps the restaurants aiming higher. Thank you!
Dada KS says
What a shame for the service and the high price but at the end you had a delicious meal so I guess with a full belly they were forgotten for a moment!😂🙏
Lynne Harper says
A great honest review. Shame about the service, prices and paying for water. The food and restaurant look incredible x