Edamamé

A cozy hidden gem in Oxford's back street. I dropped by during lunch and was welcome with a cozy atmosphere. The food is one of the best I have tried so far. Fresh. Well prepared and portioned. The price is reasonable to portion size. What else can you ask for a lunch break? Highly recommend. Caution: Be prepare to queue up on Friday and Saturday and on other days. 🤣

Edamamé in Oxford is a fantastic spot for home made Japanese food, but what truly sets it apart is the service. The staff are warm, attentive, and make you feel genuinely welcome. The food itself was good. The crispy salmon bites were perfectly cooked with a satisfying crunch, the pescatarian dish was well balanced. The katsu chicken was good, and the miso soup was rich and comforting. The cozy, casual atmosphere adds to the charm, making it a great place to enjoy a meal. If you’re looking for authentic Japanese food with great service. Be prepared to wait, though—Edamamé doesn’t take reservations, and there’s always a line outside.

One of the best Japanese places I’ve been to — the food is amazing. It’s a humble, family-run spot, and there’s usually a queue, so it’s best to arrive early. The opening hours can be a bit unpredictable, with some days partially or fully closed, but it’s well worth the effort.

For all of Oxford’s history and beauty, the city is plagued with the disease that is the high street chain. In recent years it has become increasingly harder to find independent restaurants serving delicious food with passion. It’s places like Edamame that help keep tradition alive. Hiding down an unassuming street, Edamame is one of those restaurants that you hope to find when getting lost in the backstreets of any city. If you’re lucky to avoid having to join a queue for this hole in the wall spot, you’ll find yourself walking into what feels less like a restaurant and more like you’ve been invited into someone’s front room. With only a handful of tables and seats, you’ll be rubbing elbows with strangers as you ponder over a menu full of authentic Japanese dishes. The service is quick yet very friendly. There are no reservations available here, so seats come on a first come first serve basis. As such, the food comes quick to deal with the long queues that can appear. Although I have never felt rushed to leave, this isn’t the spot for a long drawn-out catch up, but more the time to dive into a tasty meal with friends or family. The food itself is fantastic. Pictured with this review is the chicken katsu, salmon teri, rice, miso soup, kimchi and mixed pickles. Every dish was as delicious as the next. The meat was tender and juicy, and the sauces that accompanied were just as tasty. The pickles were some of the best I’ve had, crisp and with a perfect zingy hit. I have previously enjoyed the ramen and Kara-age chicken as well which were equally tasty. Each time I dine here I try something different, and each time it blows me away. Our bill for two came to £50, service included, which in a city as expensive as Oxford is very reasonable, especially for food as enjoyable and served with as much care as this. So whether you’re a local looking to try something new, or visiting for just the day, Edamame is most definitely worth your time, as it’s restaurants like this that keep great food culture alive.

We came on sushi night on a Thursday. The sushi was amazing! we had to share a table but we didn’t mind that. Be prepared to queue. Highly recommend!

I do not write reviews and this is my first time writing one. I love this place and I genuinely hope that this place doesn’t get too famous 😂 This place is already tooo popular 😭😭 I love how friendly the staff are and I LOVE the food. These are some recent pics I took:

Been here at least 20 times as a student and the food always hits, especially the salmon teri!! great options for vegetarian friends as well. expect to queue for 15-30min on a weekend night as they don’t take bookings and it’s extremely popular, for good reason

Amazing food and staff, great prices. I think the best sushi I've had in Oxford. Generally a queue but you are seated quickly and definitely worth the wait. Sushi night is Thursday night. Will be back soon to try the normal menu! Highly recommended

I have been living and studying in Oxford, England for the past ten months (I am originally from Los Angeles). Japanese cuisine is my favourite and I was really hoping to find a place where I could enjoy the same foods I love back home. I walked by the queue for Edamame several times while out and about and immediately knew it was something special. Eventually, I tried it. I had the Chicken Katsu Curry, since that is what everyone had been raving about, and I completely fell in love. The miso soup is the best I have ever had and everything about the dish was perfect. Ultimate umami. I can say the same for the ramen, the sushi (on Thursday evenings), and everything else that I have tried so far (currently, I can't get enough of the beef special on the dinner menu). I am convinced that some sort of magic happens while eating at Edamame because you feel immediately comfortable, at home, and happy. Whenever I miss home, this is where I come. It is food for the soul. I have been back at least once every week since then but it is usually more like two or three times a week. I would go for every meal if I could. I will most likely be there for lunch again today. When I eventually leave Oxford (something I try very hard not to think about) I will have to fly back every now and then if only to have a delicious home-cooked meal from the lovely people at Edamame. Thank you Peter, Mieko, Leo, and all your staff. My experience in this beautiful city would not be the same without you. xx Claire

Comfortable Japanese restaurant right across the street from New College. It's very popular with the students! It's a small, cozy little place, with limited seating. This adds to the homey-ness, in my opinion, but it can be a little difficult grabbing a spot during peak hours! A tasty, traditional meal is waiting for you if you have the fortune of snagging a seat. It's a perfect place to settle in for some soup or curry. I personally enjoyed their miso and katsu on my visits. :)

This is a special little place that serves up fresh sushi/sashimi and other thoughtfully prepared food and drink. Our only complaint is the same one we have had with every small dinner venue we've been to in Oxford: they seem to want you to leave almost as soon as you've sat down and ordered. The staff was pretty much joyless except when serving up takeaway. They were chatty and smiling with those regulars that were just coming in, paying, and leaving. It was rush, rush, rush for anyone dining in (mind you there was no line of people waiting outside and there were still four-five free tables when we left). Our whole dinner was about 35 minutes. The slices of salmon and tuna on the sushi were about as thin as thin can be, thus the relatively inexpensive nigiri set price.

I haven't traveled internationally that often but I do eat international cuisines regularly throughout the United States. However, when i stumbled upon Edamame this past week during my time in Oxford I was blown away. I stumbled in for lunch and had the pork tonkatsui and it was delicious! The pork cutlet was tender & juicy with a crunchy breading that was not soggy in the slightest. Paired with mustard or the sweet and tangy dipping sauce I was in heaven. I haven't been to Japan yet but I'm sure this dish is on par w/ traditional and local Japanese food in Japan. Edamame is easily the best Japanese food I've had ever! I'm going to be sad when my time in Oxford is up because I will never experience this level of umami in the states without paying a fortune.

Very tiny restaurant, you have to share a table with strangers but that's totally fine with me. I've previously been before, so I'm quite aware of their standards. However, I've never had lunch here until today. I chose the pork shoyu ramen today. When it was first presented to me, I thought it looked nice, however the style ramen was too soft (a bit like instant ramen, not proper). the pork has got flavour marinated in and tasted very nice, however the meat is a little bit on the dry side. The noodle soup was very salty...so overall the noodle did not amaze me. As I recon the this dish is not the normal standard of edamame, I would still like to recommend this restaurant, maybe not too much of this particular dish.

This is my favorite restaurant in Oxford-- a really lovely and homey Japanese restaurant with delicious food. I loved the salmon teri with rice, which has a rich teriyaki sauce with lots of fruity notes. Overall, I recommend stopping by if you're in the area-- take into account, though, that the restaurant has some strange opening days (I only went twice during my full year abroad because half the time I tried to go it was closed).

This place is seriously overrated. It's average at best. Sure, it's the only sushi in Oxford (unless you consider Yo! Sushi a thing, and you really shouldn't), but it's only Thursday nights and not even that great. There is constantly a line out the door with more than 30 min waits. The rolls are so unimaginative. Which can be fine, if the staples they do are really well done. Well, let's just say Britain isn't known for their raw salmon. For a country surrounded by water, they have a really strange relationship to seafood (deep fried for life!). Their other options are so hit or miss. The tofu dish is literally a block of unflavored tofu. Why is that a thing on the menu? Chicken katsu is boring, but to be fair, that's my fault for picking it. The ginger salmon was actually quite delicious, but by itself it's not quite filling. It should come with a side of rice. Or they could fashion a bento box around it. I've moved away from Oxford, and let's just say I'm not missing it all that much!

Went here based on an outside chef's recommendation. Delicious food, prep, service, space, presentation. Simple and worth going. Enjoy.

The temaki set was average to be honest. It was good for a light dinner, otherwise I was not very impressed with the food quality. The thing is it was not worth the wait in the queue and the sushi was a bit overpriced for its easy preparation and sparing ingredients. The ambience was quite nice as it was a cozy little restaurant. The owners were lovely yet the service was a little bit slow and I did not feel very welcome.

The other day, I was struggling to remember where I'd had a delicious katsu don. And then I remembered. It was here! The food here, in short, is amazing. It's literally something to write home about. In fact, I'm pretty sure I did. I've been there for sushi nights on Thursday, sampled their Sushi rice specials on Friday, and eaten their home cooked creations on other days. Even their miso soup is amazing. Just beware of the queues. And, also remember that they only take cash during lunchtime.

I come here every week with my course mates (our department is very close by, and this makes for a quick lunch place). Edamame serves up good home-cooked Japanese dishes like Katsu-Don and Ramen in little Oxford. It is a bit annoying that they have a long list of ordering rules and random opening hours though. I haven't tried the sushi here, but it looks a bit too expensive for my tastes and certainly lacks variety. Service staff: The man (who I believe is one of the owners?) is very nice and obliging. One of the waitresses is a bit stubborn and rude though. Other than that, the others on the wait staff have been alright.

A nice little bit of Japanese home cooking in the middle of Oxford. Big warning that this is not a Sushi place, they only do Sushi one night of the week, and it is not their specialty. Instead, this is where you go for good noodles, good Japanese style cutlets and omelets, and Japanese 'comfort food'. There are very limited opening hours. lunch menu : Wed - Sat 11.30 - 2.30pm (last orders) Sun 12.00 - 3.30pm (last orders) sushi night menu : Thurs only 5.00 - 8.30pm (last orders) evening menu : Fri & Sat only 5.00 - 8.30pm (last orders) Gets crowded, and you should expect to need to leave soon after finishing. You'll also need the cash to pay for your meal, as they do not take credit or debit cards or cheques.

Efficiency is the name of the game at Edemame. Located adjacent to row houses in central Oxford, it's not difficult to pass by this restaurant without a moments notice. Once inside, you begin to understand why efficiency is required. The entire place is a room no bigger than most large living rooms, which is understandable, as this place was likely a house at one point. If you're the lucky few that can get a table, you are asked to usually buddy-up. The menu is simple and straight forward. There are three different menus throughout the week. Sushi is only served Thursdays from 5-9pm!! Overall, if your a Japanese cuisine connoisseur, then this place will be the best you can find in Oxford. Itadakimasu!!

Considered to be the second best Japanese restaurant in the UK by many critics in cookery magazine, the menu doesn't disappoint: from a quick lunch broth with salmon or katsu curry, you can choose from a delicious 'a la carte' menu in the evening, with well researched dishes, and add a special sushi evening on Thursdays! The dishes are homemade, and you can see the delivery of fresh fish every day. A definite 'must' for anyone visiting Oxford!

I live down the street from this place and come here almost every day that it's open! Highlights: salmon teri, chicken katsu curry, various spinach dishes. The way they prepare salmon is exceptional--very flavorful miso-based sauce, baked until sizzling hot, but still tender within. I also recommend the calpis and hojicha. Lunch is a good deal: rice, miso soup and a cup of tea are included, and if you snag a seat right when it opens, service is so efficient that you can be in and out within twenty or twenty-five minutes.

The service was very quick. It's quite nice but the seating is atrocious. I faced the wall and felt very uncomfortable. They should probably wait to clean the place before the diner service. They were removing the specials notices from the wall whilst I was still eating. All in all... There are better places. Sorry guys.. You got it all wrong.

Coming from San Francisco, I'm a big fan of little, family run, hole-in-the-wall type places, and this one looked promising. Only, it really wasn't that great. The food is very average, nothing special. The ambience is cute--you sit at big tables with other people, depending on your party size, and it is a little hole-in-the-wall type of place. While not amazing, it is probably the best Japanese food you can find in Oxford, just don't expect your taste buds to be overwhelmed.

Favorite restaurant in Oxford. There's also often a horrible line later on -- best to go right when it opens but somehow I always manage to wait out in the cold for 20-40 minutes at a time because I show up late. But the salmon teriyaki is melt in your mouth delicious and oftentimes there are 7-8 pound salmon sashimi deals. Actually, there are lots of deals in that price range that rotate around - complex rolls to multiple sashimi plates. It's a very casual but clean, and delicate sort of place. Mostly large group tables and small stools to sit on. For nonalcoholic/sake drinks - hojicha, my favorite roasted green tea is just 0.50 and they also have capis/calpico for 2ish.

Amazing ramen soup. Still very crowded at any time you come, as the restaurant in quite literally the ground floor of the house the owners live in. However, it gives it a cozy feel, though you will most likely have to share your table with several strangers. Their website warns that if you're looking for an intimate lunch (with solely the company you come with) then it might not be the best fit for you. However, the glorious soy based broth, perfect noodles, and crispy chicken which makes up my regular order here (Chicken Shoyu Ramen) are worth it. A light on the stomach soup which is perfect for hangovers is filled with bamboo shoots and leeks. I can't get enough of it. I also love the tea they give you when you arrive. I tried the Chicken Miso Ramen which a bit heavier due to the miso broth and the chicken is mixed in rather than crispy and served on top. It is more heavy on the vegatables but does sit in a well seasoned broth. The other negative along with the space-crunch is the strange opening hours (not open Monday and Tuesday for lunch; Thursdays reserved for sushi) and the wait staff which get a little touchy about seating. Once the three of us were waiting to be seated and my friend had to take a call outside from his bank. The staff just blatantly refused to seat us until my friend returned from his call. Finally I made assurances that we would order for him right away but it wasn't pleasant and not a good start to lunch.

I've been seriously craving real Japanese food and when I found out about Edamame I got so excited. We went on a Friday night around 7 and it only took us about ten minutes to get seated. I got the salmon teri and a bowl of rice. In reality it was more of a misoyaki instead of a teriyaki but that was exactly what I had been wanting for the past month. The rice was perfectly cooked and shiny and sticky and so delicious. I couldn't really have asked for more. I think the food here was better than most Japanese places I've been to in the San Francisco area. It could also be that I haven't had properly made Japanese food in weeks. However, It pretty much exceeded all my expectations and left my friends and I the most satisfied we'd been since getting here. I will definitely be back to try their sushi night!

Edamame lives up to the hype and the quirky Oxford feel that people crave. The interior is similar to that of someones badly decorated front room, and there's hardly any seating available, they don't accept debit cards and have crazy opening times. Having said these negative points, the food is top notch and the staff are friendly, attentive and ready to help navigate the menu. Defiantly worth a visit if your in the area and want good quality Japanese food at good prices. Vegetarians happily catered for :)

This place is awesome OMG! I really love Japanese good cuz it's not way too oily. This place realllly blow my mind! I had the beef from that day's special. It's juicy and tasty! A little bit sweet but not too much ! I am a Asian girl and I don't tend to have much in my meal. The dish is perfect for me! I had breakfast around 10 and didn't have lunch. After I finished my dinner, I don't feel too full or what, which made me so pleasant~ Definitely try them out! BTW, today I went there again, but a lot of people were waiting. So plan your meal ahead of time~ enjoy delicious food ~

For those of you stuck on the perception of Japanese cuisine as sushi and rice, this restaurant will open your mind to the doors of reality. Never once has the menu been less than appealing. Offering a plethora of dishes that astound in their variety as much as they do in their tasting, this restaurant is nestled down an oft traveled, rarely visited street in the centre of Oxford. With a variety of different tasting experiences, including a city-famous sushi night, the intimate, basic dining room contains a brilliant culinary experience for student prices.

We came here on a weekend trip to Oxford after reading the positive reviews on Qype. Fans of traditional Japanese food will appreciate the range of dishes, a far cry from plain old California sushi rolls (it turns out the restaurant only does sushi one night a week). Two of us shared the octopus balls, stir-fried burdock root, fermented soybeans (don't forget to stir in the the sauces they give you) and a portion of rice. We drank green tea and tried calpis (a thin watery yoghurt drink, the total bill was about £14. We thoroughly enjoyed the meal, but felt some of the dishes were overpriced for the quantity of food given, mainly the octopus balls.

When I first arrived in Oxford, you would have a hard time convincing me that there was ANY good food here, let alone good SUSHI. Of course, I'm still not convinced of either, but the place that's come closest is this darling oriental eatery on Holywall street: Edamame. I went in with Jennifer, on a Thursday night of course, since that's the day they serve sushi. We started with a miso soup, which didn't taste authentic. Then we tried their beer, which they served us in these adorable little glasses, which were chilled and frosty. It was called Sapporo, but it taste just like Fosters or Carlsberg or other English beers.

This is a lovely Japanese restaurant. It is a little small but it has great food and fast service. I would definitely recommend.

this place is delicious . . .not like for-oxford delicious, like actual delicious. one of the best bowls of ramen i've had outside of japan, rivaling the best ramen in new york (ippudo, momofuku etc.) the chicken kirage and salmon teri are awesome too. i can't believe that places like noodle bar and wagamama can even survive with a place like edamame in town. the schedule is totally bizarre: it's closed out-of-term, and sushi is only served on thursday nights (though friday lunches often have a sashimi special). dinner here can end up being pretty pricey, but i would eat lunch here every day if i could have afforded it / still lived in oxford.

I know I'm going against the tide of popular vote, but sometimes you have to swim upstream. My experience so far has been quite good in service terms. And someone I know who has lived in Japan, has said the food is very much like the little shops you'll find there. However, in terms of sushi, those vaunted sushi nights with queues down the street, I do protest. I in fact protest the abuse of the fish because they actually have good quality fish. It's fresh, it has nice marbling and good color. But the chef doesn't know how to properly slice sushi. That's fine and dandy for some people, I suppose, but it kills me to waste good sushi with poor cuts. I suppose that the scoring is a bit low considering that this is only a part of the restaurant's repertoire, but frankly, very little of the menu appeals to me. I would give it 3.5 stars as I think it's better than A-OK, but I refuse to round up and say that I'm a fan of their food. I went their for my first time on a Thursday looking for a sushi fix regardless of the fact that I'd be spending nearly £20 for little ole me to eat, and frankly, I was dismayed by the food that arrived. I've subsequently been there 2 other times with friends and always left unsatisfied. Full, but restless. And I know it isn't just me that feels this way (at least about their sushi). Best just to head to London if I'm really craving some raw fish or have a Japanese friend slice up something I've brought from the covered market rather than queue up for something that doesn't quite do it for me. I'll just go drool over my avatar.

There is always a line here for lunch, of course, but this cozy little nook is a wonderful place to get a quick meal. Check out their specials since they're always changing (the sushi is pretty good), and they have the Japanese comfort food staples like katsu don and ramen. Everything is good but I wish the portion sizes were a little bigger. I haven't been here for dinner but make sure you know the hours before you come here, they're not open all ay every day.

This small hidden place is definitely my favourite restaurant in Oxford. Authentic Japanese food is served in a very nice and calm ambience. You should try the teriyaki salmon, it is one of the best I ever had! All the other dishes are delicious as well.

Edamame is my favourite lunch spot in Oxford. It's very central (but remember to get cash before visiting as they don't take cards). There is a a la carte menu of delicious ramens and various tasty combinations of rice and noodles; there are always excellent specials. Sushi is not available for lunch. You pay as you order so it's hard to overspend and you should easily walk away with change for a tenner. You sit on communal tables and there are no reservations - just look for the small queue of people snaking out into Holywell street. Service is fast but you're not rushed out.

Amazing Japanese food, wonderful enclosed atmosphere. No booking, when I last went and it was only open on selected evenings for Sushi dinners. Great for an early dinners before you head further into town. Well worth a visit if you are in Oxford!

I don't know much about Japanese food (I only RECENTLY discovered Wagamama's...) but I do know that this is good, good food and very reasonable prices. For under a tenner I got a generous noodle dish with a side helping of sticky rice and a huge bowl of delicious miso soup- just like mama used to make it, I imagine. It's cosy, the service is good and I can't wait to go back and try some more dishes, if I could only work out when they're open.....

Great Japanese food but a bit stressful to arrive at the right time and wait and share a table. But it's definitely worth it.

First I should say I have not eaten here for over a year, but it has always been good when I have. My previous employer mostly sold its products to large Japanese companies. After trying the various options in Oxford our Japanese sales manager always came here. He thought it was the best and most authentic in town. I now work for a large Japanese Electronics company in Milton Keynes and we get various people from the parent company over on long term assignment. I was talking to one of them recently and mentioned Edamame to him. He told me he knew of it and used to take a long detour to eat there when returning to Milton Keynes from visiting Sony UK. Apparently when the time came to return to Japan they pass on the details of Edamame and a few other select restaurants to the people who replace them. Can't be bad if you have Japanese driving 30 miles out of their way to eat there. As other reviewers have said check the opening times before you go as they are quite limited.

This great little Japanese restaurant has a deceptively inconspicuous exterior and doesn't look particularly special inside, but the food and service really does the job. The dishes have suspiciously entertaining Japanese names, but the staff and food seems genuinely Japanese. Space is rather limited but it's always pretty full, showing its popularity. There are some slightly offputting notices asking customers not to stay too long, as Japanese restaurants are 'more like watering holes' than places to spend an evening chatting, but we weren't hurried at all and found it very relaxing. The usual custom is to order several small dishes to share, along with a bowl of rice, meaning you can risk things that sounds rather strange, without potentially sacrificing your whole meal. All the food we tried was lovely and there was a board of specials to choose from. They provided chopsticks, which always warms me to a restaurant, and the service was very efficient - they have a little notepad stuck above each table where they write what you've ordered. Perhaps not the best idea for the customer, as you end up keeping an eye on how much you've spent, but it means no huge waits for the bill at the end. Definitely worth a try and the food is delicious.

This little restaurant is a jewel in the otherwise rather dull culinary landscape of Oxford. The (small) selection of meals varies over the week, so if you want something specific like Sushi, make sure you show up on the right day. The restaurant is always busy and there's typically a queue (on weekdays as well as on the weekend -- a plus for British people, who love to queue). The service is good, but optimised to accommodate many guests in a short time (necessary due to the popularity of the place): You pay when you order (not a disadvantage, considering how long one sometimes has to wait for the bill in other restaurants), and you'll sit at a table with other customers. The food is very good, and the portions are reasonably large. Certainly worth the money.