Al-Andalus Tapas in Oxford

Our first visit but we will definitely return. A really friendly venue and staff with excellent food. Highly recommend visiting if you enjoy Spanish cuisine.

I recently visited Al-Andalus again, and every time I go, the experience gets even better! A huge thank you to the friendliest and most welcoming staff, who always greet you with a smile. The food is simply amazing! Everything is so delicious that it's hard to pick just one dish – every bite and drink is incredible. The atmosphere at Al-Andalus is a joy in itself. The decor, the vibe, and even the lighting make you feel like you're in sunny Spain. It's so cozy and festive! Thank you for creating such wonderful moments – I will gladly return again and again!

We've been aiming to come here for a few weeks and were lucky enough to get a table in a obviously popular venue. We weren't dissapointed, loverly honest service and great food. We'd listed 9 tapas but the waited was honest and suggested with their portions we might be over enthusiastic. He was right, the eight we settled on we served a few at a time which we enjoyed with cava. Great aioli and first class calamaes where our highlights.

Got a table in the window for dinner with my sister and had a wonderful meal with a bottle of wine. The dates with bacon and blue cheese were to die for! We’ve been trying to recreate at home ever since!! Excellent service, relaxed atmosphere and great food.

I recommend the Gambas Al Ajillo, it's absolutely delicious and a must-try. I've been going back every week for this dish!

Excellent tapas, great place for a meal out to catch up with friends.

Good tapas, quick service, chill environment.

Had a most fantastic experience at Al-Andalus, would recommend to any and all. Food here was just incredible and the service was out of this world. Our server was a joy and gave us excellent recommendations on the food. Will be going again soon!

Decent food, quite large portions for tapas.

Such rubbish food and service my brother got food poisoning from this rubbish place and the plates were dusty and the food had to be returned 2 times before we gave up with the food. I would not recommend such a rubbish place before and I hope this restaurant gets shut because of how poor the service and food was, should be ashamed of yourselves.

Pros: staff were nice and attentive, nice restaurant appearance wise Cons: went for one of the group/party options and the food quality was so poor - and it was not cheap either. Really lacking in flavour especially the tortilla. A lot of the dishes looked very shop bought (peppers in oil dish was straight out of a jar on some basic salad). Ordered sangria which is advertised as 11% alcohol strength but tasted very watered down with juice. Lots of good reviews on here so maybe main menu dishes are better quality but I wouldn’t return

Everything was amazing, we had beautiful time in Oxford and this restaurant was just best end of our visit!

Great tapas - enough variety of traditional dishes and some excellent innovative Al-Andalus versions. Good choice of wines and beer. Cosy environment, bordering on cramped with uneven floors. Service very stretched and mistakes made, but still a good experience.

Paella was good, it's very filling so don't order too much as a starter.

OK tapas, staff were friendly and the atmosphere was good.

Very nice place to eat. I'm far from a Tapss expert but there was a welcome range of menu options which were all tasty. Service was polite and friendly in good measure - a pleasant evening in good atmosphere.

This restaurant is a trap! All the foods is microwaved. Very try chorizo (definitely cooked couple of days ahead and reheated) soggy potatoes bravas , the gambas à la plancha never been close from the plancha, no salt… disgusting. I would be ashamed to work here.

A loverly place with 1st class service, 8 tapas delivered at a perfect speed to enjoy with great company and wine. Our only minor gripe, just a tad of salt needed, otherwise perfect thank you x

Lovely tapas bar with relaxed atmosphere . We shared a very tasty vegetarian paella accompanied by the house red . Very enjoyable evening

Was looking forward to an evening eating tapas and impressed by the reviews. However, I really struggle to understand why there are so many positive reviews about the quality of the food. Patatas bravas were OK (shop bought aioli). Pollo and chorizo con patatas was OK too. Other positive note, service was pretty good. Other than that, some of the worst tapas I have ever eaten with a special mention to the tortilla (very eggy, no onion, overcooked and dry). The lamb skewers were also overcooked with a strange tasting glaze. The gambas a la plancha (4 for £9.50!) were absolutely tasteless. Albondigas were too sweet. Croquetas were overcooked, too dry and pretty tasteless. The chistorra in Pinchos de chistorra i queso on the other hand was raw and the bread it was served on was disappointing. Buñuelos de bacalao were a bit greasy and didnt really taste of anything.

Great food. The paella was amazing. One of the best paellas I had. Definitely worth the wait.

We booked for 2 several weeks ago, told 2 sittings so only 6pm or 8.30 available. We opted for 6pm. Turned up and only 2 tables for 2, either right by the door or squashed in my the stairs. Blonde waitress couldn't care less, we went elsewhere. Don't bother with this place, trades on its location alone.

Great place to for a Tapas with a vibrant atmosphere and decor

One of my fav paella place in Oxford. The only drawback is 40min wait but it’s worth it. Brought maybe friends here and they love it.

Popped in here for lunch just before Christmas with two friends. Very impressed with the quality of the tapas, the portion sizes and value for money. Really nice atmosphere, highly recommend.

tapas here was really well portioned for the prices compared to other tapas bars i've been to in oxford. food was tasty too! highly recommend the goats cheese with honey and the sangria (get the jug 😉)

Fantastic food and wine selection, friendly staff

Just ok. Decently priced for medium Spanish food. The vegetarian paella is nothing to rave about and the croquettes are a skip. The star of the show was the fried goats cheese and honey. The sangria is not strong and tastes of a box mix with very little wine in it. The restaurant has a nice atmosphere but could do with some updates and a deep clean.

Stunning tapas. Life-changing dates stuffed with blue cheese wrapped in bacon. Doesn't need to cost £40+ a head, but you'll have fun if it does.

The restaurant was fantastic, me and mate had a great time. I got the lamb which was outstanding probably some of the best I’ve had. The service was great and friendly. Would recommend to anyone coming around this area

Didn’t enjoy it at all. Food came out within minutes which to me says it was microwaved. No flavours, mainly deep fried. Lovely service but it couldn’t make up for the poor quality of food

A very brief visit here today for a spot of lunch. My plans stood in the way of taking longer. The choice of tapas is good. There are many stalwarts in the menu.

Incredible food with nice hands-off service and a lovely atmosphere.

Best food in town. Very delicuous

It s very good.I like spanish foods.Its best spanish food in uk.

Rather disappointing. Food was awful, microwave reheated dishes with a texture of dry sponge. Service below average with very unwelcoming attitude from staff.

Nice place, good food and generous portions. Sangria highly drinkable. However, did get noisy as the evening went on.

A poor approximation of Spanish cuisine at a high price point. I will not be returning.

We had to wait for almost an hour for the paella and the confirmation from the chef as was weekend, we ordered some starters and black paella, as is the only main dish that they got, which was overcookeded.

Bland, cold and the staples were the worst! We've been twice now to this restauraunt and it's surprisingly bad considering how nice it looks and how inexplicably popular it is! Croquettes - really awful - bland, horrible texture - how can these be bad in a tapas restaurant! Frozen ones from the supermarket would be better! Tortilla - one of my favourite bits usually and here it was cold, flavourless, nasty texture - so disappointing Patatas bstavas with chicken and chorizo - cold and unbelievably bland - not even a hint of heat or flavour in the chorizo - really really bad. Were hungry and ate it all - not cheap and not good enough. Other dishes edible but nothing special. I will say the dates with blue cheese and wrapped in bacon were good. Staff perfectly pleasant but never asked how it was and wouldn't have been able to improve anything if they had! So much better food to be had in Oxford - it looks great from the outside but don't fall for it . If a Spanish person was to eat this I'm sure they'd be frothing with rage as to what had been done to their precious cuisine!

I can’t fault the ambience or the service. However, the vegan options were very bland. The patatas bravas were just roast potatoes, with no flavour. The waitress told us afterwards the spicy chilli sauce was vegan so should have been on the potatoes. The sautéed spinach and vegetable kebabs were tasteless. Both could have been improved with garlic and spices. One of us eats meat and said their food was lovely hence the average rather than poor review. I have to say the vegetable paella on the next table looked lovely so if we go back, we’ll try that.

Fast to be seated, busy but friendly staff. Food was excellent, in particular the king prawns in garlic. Overall lovely evening with family and would highly recommend!

Believe me, this is the worst restaurant experience I have ever had in my life, both in terms of food and service. It was only 7 o'clock when we arrived (with a reservation), but the waiter refused to let us order paella. Unfortunately, the restaurant only had this main course. In order to be full, we were forced to order many side dishes and three desserts. Each dish can be more unpalatable than the last, with stale ingredients and strange seasonings that are tasteless. I don’t know why the restaurant still has a 4-star rating. I hope everyone will see this food review. ill！！！🙂

Lovely experience, with great variety of tapas, tasty too! Attentive service! Nice ambiance. Definitely would come back!

Overpriced tortilla that was cooked possibly a week ago, and they overheated it in the microwave, SO dry and not like the real Spanish ones at all. Dry croquetas too, and the paella can be many things but paella. Owners used to be Spanish, but there’s not a single Spaniard left!

Great range of tapas and drinks. Lovely outdoor patio and nice staff!

Lovely lunch. A generous size paella for two, and the octopus tapas was well seasoned. The service was very friendly too and would happily go back again

Really enjoyed our anniversary meal. Arrived Wednesday 9th of August for 6.0pm table for 4 so plenty of spread space 🙂. We were led into the garden at the rear which I didn't know existed.😂 Only one or two people as it was quite early the waiter gave us a glass of fizz each which was much appreciated 👍 We enjoyed a quiet meal until it started to fill out around 8 but by this time we were ready to leave. Overall a very pleasant evening with good food.

Very slow service, although they were not so slow to take the order. We ate and they didn't check if everything was OK, if we wanted anything else or even wanted a coffee or a pudding after. They came to our table 1.5 hours after we had finished the meal. The restaurant was practically empty, so there was no excuse apart from the fact they may have forgotten we were there. I resent having had to pay the service charge to be honest, I wish i had refused to pay it.

Great tapas, great atmosphere, great service. Excellent wine list and food was delicious.

Smashing lovely staff cannot be faulted

I am sorry to say that this is a spot that should be skipped. The service was lovely and one of the best experiences we've had in Oxford. The food, on the other hand, was shameful. The albondigas came out in a crock that showed all the signs of having been microwaved (the crust on the tomato sauce along the edges where it meets the bowl); potatas bravas that had bravely sat in a pan after being semi-roasted before being scooped out and taken to the table. The mushrooms were fine, but maybe take the rough stems out so they don't look sad and ruin what was probably the best dish of the meal. I love sangria, but this one was a little too heavy on the sugar for me. We did not stay for dessert. Great service. Blame the back of house for this disappointment.

We arrived at the second seating at 8.30pm but we were greeted with a long queue of people. It took at least half an hour before someone came to take our order. No bread or appetisers were offered. The wine was below average and the food was mostly overcooked. There were a few dishes which were tasty but overall the meal was painfully average for the price. The service was slow but this was not the fault of the staff, they were all overworked and too few on shift. Wouldn't recommend - there are many better restaurants in Oxford.

What an honest place to eat. The tapas are good and not too expensive. The lambs were tasty (but a bit overcooked). The chicken and chorizo were good. This is not exceptional, but this is affordable and kind. My only regret: the 40 minutes to wait for the paella. I'm sure it is worth the time, but I didn't have the courage to wait. I recommend it and I'm glad this restaurant exists there in Oxford ! Viva Espana !

Great food and great service. Reasonable prices too!!

Potoes pleasant shame about the rest Chorizo sausage tough, skewered lamb inedible too salty burnt on the outside raw on the inside,

This is how they served the tapas, waited 2.5 hours for the paella

Nice people and good food. Saves a trip to Spain and almost as good. Would come here without a doubt if on Oxford unless it is a hot day as there is no outside space. But how often does that happen.

Visited several months ago with friends - memory is a little bit vague. However I do remember nice ambiance and good service, although many items seemed salty to me.

The green peppers were sensational and portions were generous although I wouldnt recommend their seafood...

Regular Spanish food... (first time I see croquettes without bechamel). Small and noisy place, with tables too close together and with little ventilation. Young and friendly waiters but problems with English

Al Andalus the best Spanish cuisine in Oxford!

Really bad service and the food was below average. The paella con carne and the fideua were the worst I have ever had. Wouldn’t recommend it.

Good food. Will be back for their Montaditos de lomo y queso, Skewers de veal y datiles, Ponchos de chistorra y queso and Paella de Maricopa.

We ordered 6 different tapas and only the grilled lamb was any good. The rest was either average of below average which was quite disappointing for the price of each dish. I would have given a 3/5 review but to top off the evening, the waiter tried to overcharge us an extra £10 on the card machine, I might have believed it was an accident if the numbers were even a bit similar to those on the receipt but they weren't. £50.79 is unlikely to accidentally become £60.41. And service charge was already included in the price. Luckily I noticed and they gave it back to us in cash. Would not recommend.

Could not fault this place in anyway. By 6pm it was packed and I can see why. Great menu choices. The food is excellent and we had a lot of Tapas and shared an excellent Paella. Staff were great and fantastic value for money

A wonderful little restaurant which serves a wide selection of tapas items, of which, the ones we sampled were delicious. The staff were also very welcoming and service from the kitchen was timely and efficient.

Found the food to be super disappointing, and not at all authentic Spanish. There are so many Spanish people in the U.K., so I’d really expect the food to be better. The tortilla was almost inedible (see picture). :-(

Very nice place for some Spanish tapas, good menu, nice atmosphere and friendly staff. 👌

I came here few times, the paella is very good and there is a very nice selection of tapas!

Great atmosphere, food and service.

Took them 1 hour for the main dish to come out and it was disgusting! Disappointing food. Not worth £80

An atmospheric place, cosy with plenty of Spanish feel and great staff. The food didn't quite reach the same level - it was perfectly ok but lacked flair. I'd still recommend a visit though.

Really tasty Paella and friendly service. I will have to travel and try again in the near future.

The risotto is gorgeous, delicately flavoured and comforting. You have to wait for 30 minutes whilst its prepared, but it's worth it. The other dishes are equally good and provide some interesting flavours - eg dates with blue cheese wrapped in bacon. It can get quite noisy indoors when it's busy, but this is the price you pay for a popular restaurant. There is a nice garden in the back for warmer evenings.

Everything we ordered tasted bland and microwaved, not worth the price.

Lovely food, the portions are larger than we thought so we left full and happy. BIG recommend the aubergine patè from the cold tapas, one of the nicest things I've ate. The rest of the food, while lovely, didn't stand out quite as much as that dish. Overall I would recommend this restaurant.

All tapas dishes wonderful - and served hot. Wine most reasonably priced. Service good even when they were getting busy. Good atmosphere - busy and friendly. Lots of buzz from conversations rather than music being on loud.

It’s a lovely restaurant. Very friendly staff. We ordered a couple dishes to share and I’d like to recommend these two - Crema de berenjenas(homemade Aubergine pate)and Datiles con bacon(dates wrapped with bacon and blue cheese). 💯 The best aubergine pate I’ve ever tried so far.

Had a superb evening meal here, tapas was great , loads of choice .. jug of sangria went down well! Good value for money

Nice atmosphere, friendly staff. Tapas was good.

We chose this place because we really like tapas, and because of the largely great TA reviews. We weren't disappointed. It was a bitterly cold Sunday lunchtime and the welcome was as warm as the restaurant. The dishes we chose were all excellent, service very good and prices quite reasonable. We ended up staying there for almost three hours as it was so relaxing, and didn't get hassled at all by the staff. The location is really convenient, around a 5 minute walk from the Ashmolean and the centre of town. Highly recommended.

Food was tasteless and was served cold. None of the fresh tapas in the menu was available, just the precooked ones. Honestly the worst tapas experience I had. The staff though was polite and friendly.

Hands down the best Spanish food you'll eat in Oxford. Very friendly staff and a great atmosphere, love this place!

Very good food, excellent service and very welcoming environment.

Really nice place for tapas in Oxford! Would recommend the OCTOPUS A LA GALLEGA, FISH GUISO and POLLO CON CREMA Y PIQUILLOS!

Really delicious tapas, especially loved the fluffy cod fritters. Very welcoming staff too.

Fantastic food and service but so small, all packed in like sardines. We were fine until I needed the bathroom then an embarrassing squeeze passed lots of diners! Excellent tapas though, would recommend.

This was our 2nd visit to Al-Andalus and we enjoyed every moment. The food is delicious, freshly prepared, a chilled house wine available by the glass and a nice window seat to relax, chat and kick back on a Friday evening. Service was warm and friendly. We'll have no hesitation coming back! Thanks Team Al-Andalus 🤩

Sorry, but as Spanish I have to say the quality was very very poor. Spanish omelette very overcooked, very low quality calamari and padron peppers were deep fried. Pan tumaca was not toasted and and without salt and olive oil. Gambas al ajillo were tasteless, no cayena and the oil quality was very borderline… We had great expectations due to the reviews, but we were very disappointed. Spanish cuisine is part of our culture, history and heritage and it deserves better. Very nice staff.

Outstanding food, well looked after by the staff, thanks to them and the chef!

First visit here and the food was delicious. Staff are lovely, the restaurant has a lovely authentic feel. The only point I would say is that our 6 dishes came our within 5 minutes of each other, it would be better if this was more staggered so you had space on the table and time between each dish, but it wouldn't stop me coming back.

The paella is very delicious and the serving for 2 is big enough for 3 definitely! The tapas we ordered are prawn gambas and grilled octopus. Would definitely recommend the octopus. The Sangria is really nice and fruity.

Was ok.. lamb 3 stars. Seafood in white wine + tomato sauce 4 stars. Mushrooms 2 stars.

Highly recommend that you preorder your paella. When we arrived the paella was done just in time and was immediately served after we ordered our drinks. Perfect! The one we had is a mixta of 2 people portion, which more than enough for 3-4 people. We ordered 4 tapas. The most memorable one was the bacon wrapped date skewers with beef chunks, but the beef was grilled to medium well so it was quite tough. Service is fantastic, the hosts were friendly, inviting and most humbly professional. We felt most welcome. There is public side parking in front of the restaurant, payable at 8.30am-6.30pm.

Food is fine, wouldn't be fine if this restaurant is in Spain through And I waited an hour for the paella😅

I’ve been in Oxford for a few years but was reluctant to try this place as I visit Andalusia frequently and didn’t think the food would live up to my expectations. But it was actually really nice! The staff are very friendly, and my friend and I were particularly impressed by the Buñuelos de bacalao and the fritos de queso de cabra :) (& you can never go wrong with patatas bravas!). Will definitely be back to try more dishes!

Recommended by Justin. Ink paella

I would like to say how the food was but didn't even get that far. Booked our table well in advance of the evening we were due to dine there. We arrived on time and after our booking was eventually found we were shown to our table with the comment" we have a lovely table for you" it was. Not 5 minutes had passed when the waiter came to the table (we thought to take the drinks order) but instead were told we had been seated at the wrong table. No apologies. The other two tables we were offered you could not squeeze into the spaces let alone get tapas on the tables. We left the restaurant informing the staff why. No apologies for the inconvenience just a shrug.

Authentic looking place, nice choice of seating, good ambience. Menu is great, good selection of everything. Had no trouble with ordering , staff, or wait for food. We tried things we had not had before, some were great, others OK, but overall thoroughly enjoyed. We will be back!!.