Oli's Thai

Apparently it's difficult to book and we were lucky to get seats at the bar when we dropped in. Gorgeously tasty food beautifully presented in small, relaxed and comfortable venue. Would recommend unreservedly to anyone who enjoys the fragrances and flavours of Thai food.

Not local and been meaning to go. Was worth the effort. Lovely staff giving great advice as I know nothing about Thai cooking. Decent portions, made to order. Loved the subtle flavours in the curry. Will return.

Wow, amazing - out-of-this-world tasty food, excellent and friendly service and pretty special lattes! Can’t recommend enough, good thing we don’t live in this part of town, otherwise I’d probably be there every day they have food on. Favourites today were the aubergine curry and the stir-fried pork, although everything that comes out of this kitchen is truly magical! And so were the coffees - seriously good stuff, don’t think I have had such a great latte in ages. Thank you to everyone at Elle’s looking after us today! We had a special bday celebration today and everyone at Elle’s today was so very accommodating and kind to our group. One of us was coeliac and it was great that many of the options were gluten-free for them. Now, when can we go back next?

I'd like to say this place is dreadful and tell everyone to stay away, but only so that we can book to come back soon. In reality, this is one of those places that stay with you. A week after eating here and every day there's been a moment where I catch myself daydreaming about the meal we had. The meal, the atmosphere, the service. 10/10. Incidentally the £ range I selected included drinks.

I was initially excited to dine here as I had repeatedly failed to get a table in the past. This probably added to my disappointment. Both the salad and main had a very strong taste. The salad was extremely sour and the main very salty and spicy - almost felt like I was losing my sense of taste as I was eating! I had only finished half of the main when I had finished the rice. On the bright side, the atmosphere was nice and the staff were friendly. It's not fair to judge the restaurant based on only two dishes, but I can't see myself returning any time soon.

Only a matter of time before Oli's Thai get their first star... Not only the best restaurant in Oxford, but the best Thai food I've tried. Simply delicious. The menu is concise, taking full advantage of seasonal produce. Oli's Thai has beautifully balanced dishes served in a relaxed, non-pretentious and cosy environment. A family run place with friendly staff, and owners passionate about delivering outstanding Thai cuisine. The menu has ample choice for vegans too. The take out menu means we can continue to enjoy this treasure during lock-down. Cannot recommend highly enough.

We found this place when we googled for a place to eat in Oxford, we are Thai and we were excited to see many websites highly reccomended this Oli's Thai. We were so lucky to get the spots without booking. The food was good, the service was excellent. Eventhough the food does not taste exactly like the food in Thailand but it's still very good.

very very very tasty duck ! will come again. Spent 16.50 for what you see in the pic.

My brother-in-law, Oli, lives just down the street, and the number of times that I've passed this place while closed and been told that it was really hard to get in to, despite being "his" restaurant is somewhat sad. We were thrilled to get the call while visiting that they were open for lunch and we could get in! It was well-known by the current and former residents that this place is all that. As in, two of our party dropped everything and immediately called a car, despite an impressive list of wedding-related errands. It was all we'd hoped and more. The five of us enjoyed the papaya salad to share, and then each got either the duck confit panang or the pork belly stir fry. Believe the hype. The sauces were layered with so many flavors. The ingredients were juicy and perfectly cooked - tender meat, crisp veggies. Every bite was just as good as the next. The space is small, but not crowded (probably why it can be so hard to get seats), the menu is limited (but has everything you could want), and the service is attentive. Go if you ever get the chance! 2019 Reviews #23

Had the Duck Confit Curry and it was just amazing. Imagine eating really good, crispy on the outside soft on the inside Duck Confit, but with a well cooked curry sauce around it. Very good, and very popular; make sure to phone in so you don't wait too long. The restaurant has the oddest reservation policy, however. Can only be made by phone 10 AM to 12 PM daily, which is highly inconvenient for most people.

Oli's Thai is such a find!! I was in Oxford for a few days and was told about Oli's by an Oxford resident friend of mine. he said (quite rightly) I would be very lucky to get a booking..and I was! they were booked up for months, I was told by the lady who answered the phone that if my friend arrived that day half an hour before opening (11:30) that we might get a bar seat..that they keep a few seats at the bar for walk ins.. and as there were just two of us this is what we did..this restaurant although small was sooo good (Lunch is between 12-2, and dinner 4-9. They are closed Sunday-Monday. It is a small restaurant but it is intimate and relaxed.. Oli's Thai I have to say was fantastic.. we had the most amazing service too, a lovely young woman served us and gave us suggestions, so helpful.. she had only just joined Oli's and was so lovely... we ordered a selection of everything and I really have to say I enjoyed every single dish. Started with prawn crackers and a home-made peanut dip, Papaya salad (spicy but oh so yummy), For the mains, we had the roasted duck curry, and battered sea bass, wonderful combination the duck meat was cooked so perfectly crispy outside with juicy inside, and my friend had the sea base which was the best he had ever had!! This is a restaurant where I wondered if my 5 stars on OTHER recommendations were too highly marked .. this deserves more than all the others. The food was very, very good, and incredibly good value. real love and talent in the cooking!!

I'm wondering if this place has changed its chef. I came here for the first time and the food quality wasn't as good as I had anticipated from reading reviews. I ordered aubergine curry and my friend had beef massaman. They were both way too salty. We complained about it and were given coconut milk which was too sweet. My aubergine's skin was weirdly hard. Rice wasn't fragant either and I was expecting Jasmine Thai rice. I was also dissapointed because Pad Thai wasn't on the menu. The atmosphere and interior design were cozy and modern. Yet I wasn't feeling very comfortable sitting so close to the kitchen. Anyway, it was a tiny space and we didn't book a table because it was fully booked until New Year!!! I wasn't very fond of the way a staff said it to me via the phone either. It sounded like she did not want any more customers. Let's move on to a positive point. The staff served us at the bar was very nice, polite and friendly. It was probably the best part of our experience of one of the highest rated restaurants in Oxford.

While visiting Oxford on a Saturday, we decided to try Oli's after reading all the positive reviews. Unfortunately, they were fully booked for dinner. But, there was availability at noon for two. Perfect! The corn fritters were a bit oily. I tried aubergine curry for the first time and really enjoyed it. The duck panang was delicious. While both curries were salty, our food was still flavorful and enjoyable. For diners arriving without reservations, there were a few seats available at the counter. Very friendly and helpful staff.

I'm reluctant to review Oli's because it's popular and hard to get into already as it is, but I'd be doing a disservice to the Oxford community to not promote it. Wish I could give it more than 5 stars! Most of the place is for reservations, but they have 6 spots saved for walk-ins. Three of us came for lunch without a reservation, so we arrived half an hour before opening to guarantee a spot -- it was well worth it. To start, we shared the chickpea salad and the sweet corn fritters. For the mains, we had the roasted duck curry, battered sea bass, and eggplant curry with jasmine rice to share. Everything was phenomenal, and I'm sure you could get anything on the menu and be very happy. The sweet corn fritters were so good. The batter was very light and the flavor of the sweet corn was an aphrodisiac, especially when you topped it with the sauce. Not heavy at all, but overwhelming. The sweetness of the corn came through perfectly and wasn't masked by the sauces at all. The chickpea salad, on the other hand, blew us all away. I normally am not a fan of chickpeas, but I could eat those all day. They were roasted perfectly so that there was a crisp, crunchy exterior to each pea, and they were salted and spiced to perfection. Very aromatic and definitely whetted our appetite for the main course. I licked the plate for that duck curry (just kidding, but I wish I did!) and the duck leg meat was cooked so perfectly that the meat just fell off the bone. We got another bowl of jasmine rice (which, on its own, was aromatic and scrumptious) just to sop up all the leftover veggies and sauces in the bowl. Same for the eggplant curry -- it had an even stronger lemongrassy flavor, and this meat lover could be a perfectly content vegetarian with Oli's eggplant curry. We got the sea bass on the recommendation of a regular we met while we camped outside waiting for doors to open, and we're glad we did. If it's on the menu, do it, even if you're not a regular seafood fan. We were skeptical because most batters and sauces overwhelm the delicate flavor of white fish, but Oli knows how to do it right! Wish we discovered Oli's earlier so we could have frequented it more in our time at Oxford -- one of the few good places to eat in the city!

Honestly just left this restaurant and I am so upset. We tried calling multiple times and couldn't get through the line to make a reservation. We where up visiting Oxford from London for the day and we read such raving reviews of this place on trip advisor so we where very excited to try this place. We arrived and where told people make reservations 2 months ahead! Its not an award winning michelin star place! It has about 4-5 tables and holds very little people. They do not to take away either. We where kindly offered a table in 50 min so we went to the pub to wait. When we ordered we where sitting there another 45 minutes for our mains. The Duck Panang Curry was wonderful and the pork belly was good but we ordered a Pad Thai dish which was the worst Pad Thai I have ever had. My friend and I both tried one bite and honestly wasn't anything worth eating. It was slimy and tasted very salty like way to much soy sauce which I have never had a Pad Thai taste like soy sauce. We decided to take some food home and said we did not want the pad thai as we did not enjoy it at all and couldn't eat it. We never normally complain about food even when it was just ok but we where paying good money for something we didn't even eat. The owner said "have you had Pad Thai before?" well of course we have!! who hasn't had Pad Thai?!! I have been eating thai food all over the world for many years not to mention I spent a month in thailand. We received a bill which was £48 and the Pad Thai was still on the bill!!! We asked if they could remove it as we didn't eat it nor did we like it. The owner had the balls to say well maybe its not to your taste and thats what Pad Thai is you must not like Pad Thai and you must not know what Pad Thai taste likes!! I said I have eaten it in every thai place I have been! He said well you ate half of it!!! I said no we had one bite clearly!! you even asked us if we wanted to take it home and we said no as we didn't like it!! He said you should have said earlier in the meal then! He stood there trying to argue with us like we where some cheap people! At that point I was thinking forget it dude if you are going to be rude to customers and have zero customers service or manners its not worth my time arguing with you over £7! Plus reviews speak volumes! I guess he will have to learn the hard way to not upset customers! Pad Thai is one of the cheapest dishes to make and any good Thai place should make it amazing! Unfortunately he messed with the wrong girl as I couldn't wait to write a review about this place. Customers do not forget how they are treated and for a customer to have the balls to complain about a dish then its clear they where less then pleased and number one rule is never argue with a customer. Needless to say I was shocked and didn't leave a tip... they can take the tip out of the Pad Thai we didn't eat!

Ok, I was very tempted to give this place 4 stars. The dining experience was certainly 5 stars, but I wanted to knock a star for their self-important booking policy (only call between 10:30am-12:30pm Wed-Fri, or something like that. They say on the answering machine, don't quote me on that precisely). I don't mind waiting for a booking (was only able to get a 5:30 grandma o' clock dinner booking for two people a mere 2, nearly 3 months ahead of time), but also making it very difficult to book by only being able to book via phone and only during incredibly precise times seems a bit up themselves. My dining experience rectified these presumptions, however. Actually, everything apart from the booking process was very down to earth. The staff were absolutely lovely, the space is intimate and relaxed... the food very, very good, and incredibly good value. I'd say in some ways, they have a similar 'thing' to Franco Manca in London (and no, not pizza). Value for quality. Is it the absolute best Thai food I've ever had? No. Is it REALLY good Thai food, ESPECIALLY for the fairly comparable to 'takeaway Thai food' prices? Definitely. They could charge a hell of a lot more for the quality of their food, yet they clearly choose to not. I appreciate that. We had: prawn crackers, Papaya salad (legitimately spicy), corn fritters (definitely a winner), duck panang (fairly standard panang sauce, but really tasty), and the pork belly (really crispy crackling... I don't always love pork belly, but this was tasty and meaty rather than fatty). In short, try to not get too frustrated with their asinine booking policy, as it will ruin an otherwise lovely night out.

REALLY good Thai food. Now, there are some conditions you should be aware of: 1. It is small and books up way in advance, drop in is unlikely to be successful. 2. Chairs are hard and tables small. It's more like a Thai street venue than what you might be expecting in a restaurant. But you're here for the food, not the comfort, right? If you're a foodie, and you're hankering for really good (and quite spicy) Thai food, this is THE place to go in Oxford. Your taste buds will forgive your butt cheeks for the experience (or should that be the other way around?). ;-)

Wow. It is exceedingly rare that somewhere lives up to all the AMAZING reviews, and that I am actually impressed. This is number one place to eat in Oxford for a reason, I cannot sing its praises enough! (Even some top national newspapers have given it the highest ratings). Oli's Thai has been on my restaurant bucket list for well over 2 years, and being from Oxford originally, I cannot believe I have never been here, I love Thai food! The restaurant is down Magdalen Road, and a bus stops right near - ideal. Its conveniently placed right next to Oxfork (a great pun, and a great brunch spot). It is a sweet little restaurant with about 5 covers, it is very small. My friend and I had waited 3 months for our table, so we were beyond excited. We were greeted by the lovely waiter, who had a constant smile on his face. We started off with some prawn crackers and peanut mush (I am sorry I can't remember the name but it was DELIGHTFUL). We obviously devoured it, so our waiter brought us some extra. I'm a vegetarian, and I was worried that in such a small place there wouldn't be much option for me, I was wrong. We shared some sweetcorn fritters which were deep-fried and delicious. This was followed by a classic Pad Thai, and an Aubergine and Bean Curry. The service was perfectly spread out, and it was all served it lovely terracotta dishes. I don't think any word can some up just how delicious the meal was, but it was seriously some of the best Thai food I have ever eaten in my life (and I've been to Thailand). There are lots of meat and fish options too and all looked equally delicious (I took a peek at other punters tables). The whole experience just feels authentic, and the food isn't greasy at all, not to sound cliche´ but this food was made by someone who loves cooking, and loves their country (owned and ran by a Thai family). My friend and I were genuinely shocked at how delicious this food was, we were on a genuine food high for the rest of the day. I have already booked up to go again at the end of the year, and probably if I'm in Oxford, for my birthday! I don't know if it's clear from my review but I BLOOMIN LOVE YOU OLI'S THAI. (Sadly I was having such a great time eating and catching up with my bestie, that I forgot to take any photos, but I think you can gauge it was delicious!). *A WORD OF WARNING* - it is extremely hard to book a table, you can only call between 10-12am to get through, and they take bookings up to 5 months in advance, so weekend spots are best booked WELL in advance. Unless you are a group of two, it is very hard to just walk in and get a table (but definitely worth a try if you happen to be in Oxford without a booking, because it is so fab). This is probably the only bad thing you could comment on it, it is so hard to get a table, BUT also just shows how great this place is and it is so worth the wait, and you kind of get over-joyous when you finally manage to book a table. Lunch is between 12-2, and dinner 4-9 (but they take table bookings up to 8.30 and will stay open till after you are finished). They are also closed Sunday-Monday. If you are from Oxford, you must make a visit here, it won't disappoint. If you are visiting Oxford try and book it too, it should be on your to-do list along with all the usual haunts. Make sure you book in advance if you can as it's booked out most days! Go, go, go!

This is a great class restaurant, and worth all the ado. I can't believe I have to add it to yelp. Great, smart food, lovely service, small nice place. It's a Momofuku kind of cooking: they take Thai as their point of departure and then do crazy, delicious things to it. No cocktails. The wine is good, not great, the selection limited. Prices very affordable. Minus: the chairs are stools. Boo.

Stumbled onto this restaurant by chance with my partner. Surprised by the bad review. Food was excellent. Decor is modern. Food had unique tastes that I had never tasted before. Ordered an eggplant sauce. Nice aromas, very fresh. Servers were young and quite friendly. Overall, very positive experience.

Some of the best Thai food I've had! Get the duck! So good! Friendly service and good food. Book in advance for a table.

For Oxford, this is about the most flavourful food you can get. I have dined here three times and it's always a treat. Yes, it is worth booking three months advance.