Al-Shami

Lovely food and great service. We had 7 mezes for 2 of us. 5 or 6 would've been enough. Bread came with them and we couldn't finish everything. The only thing that spoilt it for me was the 10% service added to the bill. Better to just raise the prices and pay the staff a little more!

Following a great visit last year we returned this. Unfortunately a disappointing experience this time round. We felt neither the food nor service as good as last time. Food was OK but not as tasty and the service certainly not as friendly. Would return next time we are in Oxford though to see if they are back up to the standard of our first visit. Very good value when at its best.

Some friends and I went here after an event nearby. The restaurant was very empty, aside from a large party in the next door room. Despite this, the atmosphere was perfectly pleasant, and the food was delicious, with very generous portions and excellent value.

Al Shami hosted our retirement dinner for 24 in the atmospheric back room. The restaurant was the perfect host: welcoming, friendly, and accommodating. The food - a selection of a wide variety of starter plates - was delicious and suited a mix of dietary needs. We can’t thank Al Shami enough for making the evening such a success.

Great food, great atmosphere, wonderful service and halal. 100% will go again

Very delicious food with a relaxed and family-friendly setting. Our server Manar was excellent and advised us on what he would order, and it didn’t disappoint. Highly recommend.

Nice and cosy middle Eastern restaurant in Oxford. Food is delicious, slightly overpriced (or size of the portions could have been better or vermicelli rice could have given as part of the main meal). Waiting time and the order processing time are in the acceptable region :) The restaurant is very neat and clean. I would recommend this place to anyone. Thanks.

Not worth the money,The Lamb was cremated the chicken had no taste we ordered a cold mezze with pitta no pitta we had to ask and it arrived cold in a plastic bag the Lebanese wine was £8 for a very small glass again not worth it starters and mains all arrived at once food was terrible very basic I could do better from Lidl. Won’t be returning anytime soon

Really great Lebanese food in a nice environment, seemed popular and authentic which was surprising in the middle of residential Oxford. Only downside was relatively small plates. Good and cheap wine though!

Al-Shami was a nice find in Oxford. Here are my thoughts: Ambiance: The restaurant was very quiet and halfway through our 2pm lunch we were the only people in the restaurant. Decor is a bit outdated but the restaurant is clean. Service: Our server was fine, not friendly in the least, but food came out relatively quickly. Food: Overall quite good. -- Complimentary mixed fresh vegetables were fantastic. A great alternative to bread. -- Foul Moudamas (spelling?) was excellent. -- Moujadarra (spelling?) was excellent -- Lebanese rice was great. -- Husband like the chicken, which I didn't try. -- Pita bread was just okay, would have been nice if it had been heated up. Al-Shami wasn't the best Lebanese food I've ever had but it was pretty great, especially for Oxford. If I was in the area again I'd return.

Al-Shami is a decent spot for Middle Eastern food in the town of Oxford. Now our friend has raved about this place since moving to Oxford for school, going to this spot about 1-2 times per week. She actually said that their falafels were better than Zaki Kabob in Berkeley which Ryan S. couldn't believe because to him ZK is "God of Kabobs." You get a complimentary platter of whole and chopped vegetables. Interesting presentation as it came with a whole green bell pepper, a whole tomato, radishes, and cut up carrots and pickled something or other. The falafels were good but not solid. The chicken kabob was moist on the inside, dry on the outside. Stand outs for the meal were the feta cheese and spinach spanikopita-like appetizers and baklava-like dessert. It is pricey at £50 which translates to $80. Yikes...

Lebanese food goes down so easily. This place is a total crowd pleaser. Besides great food, they have excellent service. Came here for a birthday dinner of 25+ people. We took up most of the restaurant, ate for over 3 hours,and were still treated like royalty. We had so many appetizers we thought it was the main meal. Most were vegetarian and they still were going the extra mile to make sure I had all the vegetarian options near me. More dishes total than I could count. Everyone was really satisfied and the family style made it all the more celebratory. Most memorable was the Lebanese pastries for dessert. We all did our best to make room for these to go with either strong coffee or fresh mint tea. It was a wonderful dinner and I can't wait to go back.

A fabulously good restaurant. One of my favorites in all of Oxford. I always eat here. First time I was there, I was so impressed that I told the owner that I have had Lebanese in DC, SF, NYC, Seattle, but his was the best I have had. If you like Lebanese or want to try it, this restaurant is for you.

Bring loads of mates, pop in, and say "just bring us food. So many vegetarians, etc. That's what they'll do, and charge you somewhere from £12-£15 per head for it. Have 8? No problem. 27? That's not a problem either. Warning: there are two courses. You'll think you're full, and they'll start bringing the mains. They've also got Lebanese wine, which is actually really reasonable, in both price and flavour. A little hard to find, but once you have... you're golden.

A-maz-ing! wow. just wow. The Arayes were our favorite hands down followed by the Batata Harra and the Falafel. Also good were the hommos Ma'a Lahma, Sawda Dajaj Maqlia, Fatayer Sebanikh and the Warak'inab. Our least favorite was the Maqaniq and then a salad with cucumers which was just unimpressive compared to everything else and the started do-it-yourself salad platter. We were so full we simply could not try dessert.

This is a great restaurant to go if you like sharing lots of different dishes with the other people in your party. Order several starters and then share and enjoy. I've been with children, for romantic meals a deux and with groups of friends and always enjoyed the experience. I was especially impressed when we went during Ramadan. Being a waiter must be a hard job when you are fasting. Our waiter disappeared at sunset, presumably for a quick bite to eat and who can blame him?

Very good food that pairs well with their Lebanese wines. Amusingly strange couvert (unless you usually start your meals with a whole bell pepper, a whole radish, and a whole endive). The mezze dishes offer excellent value, especially because you can try lots of different dishes. Not all of the dishes are amazing, but we've yet to try anything here we didn't like. Beware: the credit card machine doesn't always work, and it's a bit of a hike to the ATM. Also, check out the elaborate ceiling in the back room.

Popped into Al Shami for a late Sunday afternoon lunch as we were in Jericho and, never having eaten Lebanese cuisine before, we were intrigued. The restaurant is off the main road through this part of Oxford, at the bottom of a residential street for a while we wondered if we were heading in the right direction but we found it easily enough. The restaurant is light and bright, with big windows and Middle Eastern style furnishings, and was comfortable and welcoming. The service was okay, efficient without being overly friendly. Having never eaten Lebanese before we could perhaps have done with some guidance on the menu but we decided to dive in and order four mezzes and two mains, plus some bread, between two of us and a couple of Lebanese beers. Before our order arrived we were presented with the most unusual salad I've ever seen Carrot sticks, some sort of pickled thing, olives, radishes, one whole spring onion, a quartered lettuce, a beef tomato (whole) and a green pepper (also whole) We picked at it but weren't entirely sure how to eat it! Then the mezze dishes arrived, closely followed by the mains, so we ate them all together. The mains meatballs in tomato sauce, and some sort of lamb dish, also in a (tastier) tomato sauce, served with rice and cracked wheat were okay but not especially inspiring but the mezzes a potato and garlic dish, roasted aubergine with tomato, meat pasty type things and some sort of dried, cured beef strips were excellent, very tasty and well presented too. The downside of this place is the atmosphere. When we arrived there was a large party there who were quite noisy, but as soon as they left the place descended into silence. Ok it was a Sunday afternoon and there was only us and one other person there but when a restaurant is so quiet you can hear the other diner crunching on their dinner . It would be much better with some authentic music in the background! So overall we enjoyed our meal and left feeling thoroughly stuffed, and I would definitely eat at Al Shami again but I think next time we'll pick six or eight mezze dishes and skip the mains and I'm tempted to take in my iPod and a portable speaker and set Spotify to play some Lebanese restaurant music!

Really lovely food and staff been going here for years and as ever, it was an outstanding experience. The kafta kash kash is delightful, the garlic chicken wings are amazing but the best is probably the fried whitebait. It's in the middle of Jericho just outside the city centre quieter and a definite student vibe.

Fantastic Food, delicious Lebanese wine, very entertaining and hospitable staff. Superb fresh salad and vegetables, scrumptious Lebanese dishes, that arrived swiftly and as ordered. New orders placed during the meal recieved almost immediately. A great night out though lighting a bit bright and atmosphere a bit lacking.. definitely a must for those looking for something a bit different.

This is the definition of a hidden gem. Somewhat far away from the city centre, but the food is worth the walk. Absolutely outstanding Lebanese food. The prices are reasonable, the menu is large, and the shawarma is fantastic. The starters are great, as well. A fun atmosphere - always busy and bustling. One of the best restaurants in Oxford.

Probably the best Lebanese restaruant in Oxford, the food here is usually excellent, though it can vary. Prices are reflective of both the quality of the food and the location of the restaraunt, on the high side. Having said that, with it's enticing decor, it is a lovely little restaraunt and definitely worth a visit if you wish to avoid the bustle of Cowley Road!

Food is traditionally very decent, but service isn't amazing. They can be wonderful but some waiters have a habit of disappearing to chat with their colleagues and forgetting about customers! Chicken livers are a personal favourite. If you're in the front room by the windows it's a great place to have dinner. But sometimes, especially if you're a group, they shunt you into the back room which has absolutely zero atmosphere and also means you get a bit ignored. It really is tasty food though.

In a word, al-Shami is GREAT! I ate dinner here while visiting a friend in Oxford and was totally impressed by the breadth of the menu, friendly staff and great food. I had the lamb shawarma and tried several appetizers and more than enjoyed them all. The price for three dinners was a reasonable £50. Of all the restaurants I went to in the UK, al-Shami was among the best and is definitely worth a visit.

Yum! As someone who grew up in a community with a large Middle-Eastern (especially Lebanese) population, I have exacting standards for Middle-Eastern food. Even having lived in 3 major U.S. cities since growing up (Houston, New York, and Chicago), I had yet to find a Middle-Eastern place that made me really want to go back, since I figured I should just wait until I visited my parents to avoid my inevitable disappointment. Al-Shami's chefs deserve every compliment; the food was excellent. Rather than just ordering entrées, my husband and I ordered several appetizers and did sort of a family-style meal instead - this was perfect, as we got to sample many different tastes. And, it's out of the way, so not constantly packed with students and tourists - we arrived at 5 and had a nice quiet dinner before the dinnertime rush. The service was excellent, too. We'll definitely be back!

I went here with a group of graduate freshers from Christ Church.. Our party nearly filled the back room! It was a bit expensive for the amount of food and it took them a long time to serve us (even though we'd called ahead). On comparison, the Temple House in Cowley should be highly considered when thinking Lebanese in Oxford ;)

Why eat pasta and pizza when you can eat delicious Lebanese food in elegant surroundings for a similar cost. We ate a delicious mezze lunch with a glass of equally delicious Lebanese Rose and were astounded at how good it was and how little it cost! We will certainly go back with our assorted non meat or fish eating offspring as the vegetarian choice is great - full marks Al Sharmi! PS We parked a few streets away for two hours.

This is absolutely amazing Lebanese food, definitely the best I've had! Great veggie options as well.

Absolutely amazing Lebanese food! They start you off with a dish of fresh mixed vegetables. Then it is tapas-style Lebanese dishes. Some of our favorites included the Hommos, Fattoush, Sanbousek Bil-Lahme, and Kibbeh Maqlia! The portion are quite large compared to some tapas and about two tapas per person is all that we needed. Dessert was also great! There were a variety of lebanese sweets they presented on a tray that we could choose from. Overall an amazing value for the price and a place I will definitely go back to!

Good food but variable service, I've booked twice for large-ish groups and whilst the first time was fine the second time they gave our tables away to another group and left us waiting for over an hour! Set in a residential area it's easy to wonder whether you've got the right street the first time you go. Handy for having a drink in Little Clarendon St before or after a meal.

I've eaten here lots of times, starting from when it first opened, over 20 years ago, to quite recently. I've had somethings that I've enjoyed more than others but I've never had anything other than a good meal in an enjoyable environment. The salad, brought as an accompaniment, is inspired, and they are always happy to bring extra chillies when we fight over them. One of my favourite Oxford restaurants.

We've been in Oxford for about 2 months and have already eaten here 3 or 4 times. Its delicious! The veggie options are delicious, as are the meat options. I especially like the stuffed grape leaves and the chicken with garlic sauce. Make sure to save room for dessert - the baklava is also very yummy! My only negative is that the service can be a bit slow. Nonetheless, this is an excellent restaurant choice in Jericho!

Fabulous food. We loved it here. Great atmosphere and friendly staff. parking is a nightmare by the way. Hot and cold Mezze, Fish, vegetarian dishes, grills (kebabs). The Lebanese sweets are delicious. Reasonably priced.

The Al-Shami restaurant serves absolutely delicious Lebanese food which is very reasonably priced. It is unfortunate that parking is almost impossible anywhere around Walton Street.

This is one of the worst places I have ever been to. The service was horrible, more about that in a second, and the food was, well, just edible, but really nothing special (partially burnt) and I have eaten far better Falafel and Tabouleh from take-away stalls. My main dish was simply grilled pepper, potatoes and onions (small portion) without much seasoning, only some sprinkles of yoghurt sauce on top. But regarding the service, it could hardly have been worse we went there in a small group, some of which ordered many dishes together, while I ordered two vegetarian dishes. The side dish arrived after ten minutes, but the main dish wasn't there after an hour, so I asked for it. The waiter replied that they've run out of it, and that I should choose something else. I said that it would have been nice had he told me a bit earlier (most people had finished eating already, but apparently none of the waiters noticed or cared I still hadn't gotten my food), to which he replied We have other tables as well and went away. The first, more expensive dish appeared on the bill, so I went to have that changed. The waiter's reply was It's the same price anyway, but I get you a new bill, with the lower price, though, as if he expected me not to notice. And when he didn't have change, he simply went away without giving me the two pounds I would have been entitled to. Incredibly bad service, if you can still call it like that at all.