Shan Shui in Cherwell

We decided to visit Shan Shui during a shopping trip to Bicester Village to celebrate my wife’s birthday. Instead of our usual grab-and-go from Pret, we thought we’d enjoy a nice sit-down meal given the occasion. Since the restaurant has been around for years and we’re big fans of Chinese cuisine, we thought it would be a great choice. Unfortunately, we were very wrong. We ordered a few starters and some dim sum, and the food was absolutely terrible. My wife actually had to spit out the chicken dim sum because it was so bad, something we’ve never had to do at any Chinese restaurant before. The taste was awful, and it left us questioning how Bicester Village could allow such a poor-quality restaurant to occupy such a prime location, especially in a shopping centre with limited dining options. We ended up returning the food and leaving without ordering anything else, as we didn’t want to let the bad experience ruin my wife’s birthday further. We didn’t even complain because it was meant to be a special day, but I wouldn’t recommend anyone waste their time or money here. We’ll stick to Pret or Itsu next time, and I strongly advise everyone to do the same.

We decided to visit Shan Shui during a shopping trip to Bicester Village to celebrate my wife’s birthday. Instead of our usual grab-and-go from Pret, we thought we’d enjoy a nice sit-down meal given the occasion. Since the restaurant has been around for years and we’re big fans of Chinese cuisine, we thought it would be a great choice. Unfortunately, we were very wrong. We ordered a few starters and some dim sum, and the food was absolutely terrible. My wife actually had to spit out the chicken dim sum because it was so bad, something we’ve never had to do at any Chinese restaurant before. The taste was awful, and it left us questioning how Bicester Village could allow such a poor-quality restaurant to occupy such a prime location, especially in a shopping centre with limited dining options. We ended up returning the food and leaving without ordering anything else, as we didn’t want to let the bad experience ruin my wife’s birthday further. We didn’t even complain because it was meant to be a special day, but I wouldn’t recommend anyone waste their time or money here. We’ll stick to Pret or Itsu next time, and I strongly advise everyone to do the same.

Can't knock the food as it was very nice, and our servers were very polite. However, one of the head staff members seemed a bit annoyed and was passive-aggressive to his staff in front of us. On the food, it was lovely.

I recently visited Shan Shui Restaurant and tried their amazing food. The flavors were unique and the overall experience was enjoyable. However, I did have one issue with my order. I got the chicken curry, and unfortunately, the chicken came with the skin on, which I personally found unappetizing. I would have preferred it without the skin, as it made the dish less enjoyable for me. Other than that, the food was great, and the ambiance was nice.

Been to here many times :) missed it

The restaurant is delightful and comfortable, with friendly and respectful waitstaff, especially George and Greta.

A wonderful lunch with my son. The staff and the food was delicious. The staff were all incredibly well humid, kind and looked after as extremely well. We should definitely return

I arrived at 7:34pm and was told I can only order take away. I was in shock to learn that! All restaurants in the village close at 9pm and I walked into a Resturant nearby and experience no problem to dine it. Horrible hospitality by the Chinese waiter

Good authentic Chinese and Asian food with friendly service.

Good food and good hospitality. Service was quick too 👍🏻

I’m extremely disappointed visiting here today. I did read the reviews before coming and thought maybe people are just over exaggerating about the food being the worse. But no… they were right! Right to say not to visit this place. The only items that were nice were Dim Sim Chicken and Mushroom and the Calamari. We ordered about £100+ which including 3 mains and what a rip off! I think that dish with the million chillies is such a gimmick! It’s the same chicken they offer in starters but only thing they add it in the main course is peanuts, spring onions and a bit of ginger with again MILLION RED CHILLIES. And it was SO SO DRY that I couldn’t even have 4th-5th bite. Though we already ordered the chicken bites in starters - no one in service cared enough to say that it’s the same chicken we are ordering for the main course. I was so happy to hear that we have an option for halal food. There is so much potential though and it could be better. Wont be visiting again though. There are better places with better food and service. Truly disheartened.

Very disappointing experience at Shan Shui Bicester Village. I ordered a £24 ( Chicken malayi main dish , it was same chicken as our starter! The plate was filled 70% with dry chilies, leaving barely any actual food. For the price. Starters were decent and can’t complain but I expected much better in the main course. Definitely not worth it

It was good but I suggest the portion size for the starters is increased. The 2 buns were not worth the price.

Little expensive but tastes great.

Delicous food and nice staff service

Customer service was ok, food was good king prawn fried rice was tasty. The bbq chicken dumplings I got was very sticky but overall good eats

The food is great, it's a perfect spot

Decent food, nice place to grab Asian food when in Bicester village

My wife and I are regular customers and the service is A1.

Honestly I don’t even know where to begin. So we ordered the mala chicken - waiter seemed a bit shocked that we wanted it but it was raved about I mean we hardly received any chicken we got a plate of chilli which truly isn’t edible in anyway we tried because we were actually lost as to why we received a plate of chilli. The vermicelli wasn’t great either it was super bland. The service was pretty good but not worth a gratuity charge like you just brought over a plate of food overall I’m so disappointed with the food that we won’t be coming here again. You are one of the only halal places to eat in Bicester and you have taken advantage of that by providing subpar food

Good but not great ! Service is quite decent, a very busy place. Can improve on the quantity a bit. Nasi goreng is nice !

Rude waitress rolling her eyes when serving the food and expect us to pay £20 for service charge

First visit to Bichester outlet and came upon Shan shui restaurant. Decided to have a try. The udon noodles was abit sweet for me. I would definitely come back to try other food. Service was good and friendly.

Poor food taste, poor service, high prices

Found this halal restaurant in bicester village, was abit skeptical at first but went ahead and booked a table. Thoroughly enjoyed my vermacelli chicken and my Mrs ordered wok fried chicken and rice which was amazing. Highly recommend visiting if coming to Bicester Village.

The only restaurant in Bicester Village!! Definitely go Calamari is really, really delicious and the seafood noodles are also really delicious!!

Expensive for what it is. Do not recommend going here.

Very small portions, Service was not the best. We arrived at 8.20pm around 8.55 they was rushing us to pay so they can clean up. Would I come back when I am in Bicester again? No. The price your paying the portions are very small.

More like a cafe then restaurant

Had crispy chicken with a wonderful sauce, plus egg fried rice and a very nice chilli oil. Some of the other customers' behaviour was a bit uncivilised (loud burping). Maybe it's ok where they come from, don't know. Will be back anyway

Reasonable Asian good in Bicester Village

very very bad！！！！！！！！！Please do not go！！！

The food is made really well and the service is provided quickly. The atmosphere makes it a nice place to dine in.

Such an awful taste, the noodle is dry and over fried, taste salty and smoky.

My go to restaurant at Bicester Village. Delicious, tasty, proper spicy Asian food of all sorts. Something to look forward to when shopping here 😋

Food was decent though pricey for what it was. Staff was very friendly and helpful.

It is really terrible Chinese food. Poor quality, not authentic at all. We ordered vegetables curry, it turned out just 5 baby potato sitting in curry source. No green leaves at all.

Best Chinese in Bicester village. Limited menu. Very crowded.

Amazing food, very quick service. Erika our waiter was wonderful and went above and beyond. 5*

English Chinese food - no good no authentic

All the meats are halal here . I love this place because I can get different types of halal Asian food here . A large selections of halal food available here . But don’t forget to Que the waiting list by scanning the QR code

Today, 21/4/24-Sunday, I went shopping at Biceater Valley with my husband. And we went to this Shan Shui @ Bicester Valley for lunch. My husband & I enjoyed the food there. Food is tasty, unique, and well presented. Services were excellent. Highly recommended ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Superb Chinese Restaurant, great food, fast and friendly service. Dim Sum is excellent, as is the Bubble Tea. Highly recommended.

Great food and service. Varied and tasty menu. If you decide to refurbish, please change the tables. In the sun my partner needed sunglasses as the table top acted like a mirror 😎

Very tasty food, cool vintage atmosphere, excellent service from Suzanne. What you can see on the photo was approx £70.

The attitude is so bad, it feels like I owe the waiter money.

Recommended for every Chinese food lover! Great food, amazing stuff and always on time! 5 stars from us!

I needed to book in advance 2.5 hours in advance for my lunch during Christmas. The queue system will alert me when it was my turn. If I didn't turn up within 15 minutes, then my reservation would be cancelled. Taste wise, just mediocre. Nothing special. In fact, it was too pricey compared to the small portion given. Not value for money. 2 stars But the ambience here was comfortable. Not like pret a manger or itsu that was always full house and no social distance

Tasty and well presented though slightly pricy.

Spring onion noodle with prawns is great,

Booked by qr code to join queue but was in within 10.mins. Gorgeous bubble tea and delicious food and big portions. My place to eat at Bicester from now on!

Really nice food and really nice service. The venue is beautiful. Had a lovely time!

Quick and friendly service. Nice decor. Food was of good quality. Lovely starters. As for a main, I do recommend Mala Chicken. I usually eat spicy but have to warn anyone that unless you eat naga chilli level, stay away from Nasi Goreng. Minor downside, place is very small for a restaurant. You have to wait in the virtual queue and constantly keep an eye on the notifications.

I recommend the beef rice noodles, which are delicious. The prawn fried rice has large and fresh shrimps. The rice is just plain. The seasonal vegetables are Qingjiang vegetables, but the processing method is different from Taiwan, which is very good. The fried dumplings are pretty good too

Other customers were prioritised over us repeatedly even before we entered the restaurant, from waiting for our seats to ordering our food to payment. Even our food portions were ridiculously smaller than other customers. Not sure why we were discriminated against while others receive preferential treatment. Food wasn’t even that good

Place, Services and food was very nice overall. The waiting times were a little long due to being in bicester.

Excellent service from the whole team! Food was nice, chicken coconut curry only had few pieces of chicken in sadly.

Arriving hungry post-shopping, we opted for this restaurant despite mixed reviews, primarily due to the limited options within the Bicester village. Regrettably, our experience turned out to be disappointing The Indonesian fried rice lacked flavor and substance, while the chicken satay portion disappointed. The saving grace was the sambal chili, with delightful pickled vegetables. The prawn fried rice was passable but nothing exceptional. We left around 11:30 AM, and the restaurant was already bustling. As they only accept walk-ins, be prepared for potentially lengthy wait times. If you're craving Asian cuisine while in the area, it's an option. However, considering the wait, it might not be worth the time investment. Exploring nearby eateries could offer better alternatives.

Honestly I am surprised the place is only rated 4.0 on google. It was amazing. The staff were very attentive and the food was better than great. I had chicken and mushroom dim sum and pan fried gyozas for starters. When i say I wanted to order more I mean it. They were really pleasant and some of the best I had. I also had the chicken satay because I wanted to try it, it was recommended to me by friends. It was good and seasoned beautifully but just the peanut sauce was too sweet for my liking. Maybe it was not the dish for me. I also had the king prawn fried rice, the portion was huge and filling so it explains the price. The fried rice was definitely above average but I had better. The king prawns with it were really great and seasoned beautifully. I also tried a some of their popular tea. I had to iron goddess of mercy. Really interesting name. It was really light and refreshing. Definitely coming back and trying more dim sums and other mains :)

Good food and amazing service! Definitely will revisit again 💯

Great traditional Chinese food very tasty. Excellent service able to get you into restaurant faster if a small group ie. One or two people.

The service is terrible. You see this place keep walking and eat somewhere else. I left extremely disappointed.

Fast service and quality always good.

Wow , what a great experience 🤩 George served us and the service level were more than 5 stars . The food was great and the restaurant standards are absolutely perfect. Clean and cosy also a very welcoming place to come. The price is great and I will definitely recommend George and the staff services to my family and friends.

The fried rice was shrimp on white rice with 3 pieces of frozen carrots. Yum

Bit disappointed to be honest , the service was extremely fast and the place is spotless , however the food let it down somewhat . Jasmine rice was spicy , not expecting that !! The chicken coconut curry had just a few pieces of meat , the remainder was potato to bulk it out and a very watery sauce . Not rich and creamy as the menu stated more like bland and greasy . The chicken was the cheaper cut and slimy in texture . Didn’t enjoy this and I’ve made better at home . The vermicelli chicken was an improvement and the dumpling's were quite pleasant . Value for money ?? No sorry far from it . Great service ?? Yes cannot fault the staff . Plenty of space ?? No it’s cramped . Would I return ?? Sadly no .

Reasonable food quality Reasonable authentic Reasonable variety Good service Great place to have lunch in the middle of shopping Not the best value for money but acceptable

Been here for dinner after shopping at Bicester Village. It was busy night, as it is located in within the shopping outlet. Food was delicious but service was ok. And atmosphere was ok as tables were too close. Overall it was ok.

Excellent food and very courteous service

Asian fusion resto. Fried chicken noodle & vermicelli noodles are good

Great foods & service. You must make online reservation to ensure seat are secured. No walk in

Good food, decent portions and scrumptious flavours! Makes you filled before or after your shopping.

I’m an international student, been to Heathrow many times. Always love to get some dumplings here.

please hire the one they call ''joe'' back as a waiter. the atmosphere since his departure hasn't been the same. Now none of the other members of staff will touch me up in the restroom. I'm aware that this is probably the reason for him not working here anymore however I think his services are important to customers while also providing the restaurant with extra revenue.

Had our lunch (party of 16), Great food and the service was amazing especially from Reen. Thank you

A must place to eat when u go to bicester. my food recommendation wud be wok fried beef vermicelli and fried rice

Came in quite late, good thing it wasn't a busy night. Service was quick and food was tasty!

Thoroughly enjoyed the food. Will definitely eat here again.

Really nice food. Good amount of chilli

Amazing taste, like eating in China. The stir-fried chicken with Szechuan chili is the best,Not spicy. If you're very hungry, I recommend making a reservation first. Because it takes a very long time to wait.

Food not hot and tasteless Very expensive

Joined the digital queue for lunch and a notification came in about 15 minutes that a table was available. Compare with other Shan Shui restaurants, its menu provided limited selection of dishes. A helpful male waiter who could speak Cantonese and Putonghua that served us.

The food is incredible 😍 and the staff are great. Thanks for our lovely dinner

Good bye Osaka READING and hello MARUGAMEUDON(literally just opposite) Took my 9 year old daughter for lunch and place an order for £60-70. We both ordered the udon with pork belly and my little one asked me if she could have a bit more spring onions in her soup! First waitress told me we don’t do that! Really, no spring onions in the kitchen? The second waitress said she would have to charge! Called Alina the manager who said she wouldn’t know how to charge and she is really sorry!! Really?? We decided to leave and found another UDon place just across the road!! Food was boom and service fast! We both had prawn tempura, chicken gyoza and chicken karage as starters! Little one went for katsu chicken and rice and I tried the curry udon with beef !! It was boom and bill came just over £30 !! Annnndddddd there is unlimited condiments at no extra charge, fresh garlic, ginger, kinshi and other bits!! Don’t get ripped off and let people take you money for granted!! Shame on the staff and the manager for going for on an ego trip!!

Great food, great ambience! The food was well seasoned and my family rly loved the curry :-) the only thing was - we sat outside and the heater was turned on and was slightly too hot even though the weather was not cold.

Ordered the Shan Shui King Prawns Fried Rice. As we were eating, droplets starting falling onto our table. When we asked the staff, they mentioned it was the A/C and that they couldn't do anything about it. We weren't even given the option to move tables. Putting that aside, the mains wasn't too bad but slightly on the dry side and what made it taste a whole lot better is mixing it with my partners dish which was the Nasi goreng istimewa which tasted great on its own and also enhanced the San Shui King Prawn fried rice dish which definitely needed some added flavour.

We ordered for starters chicken dim sum which were incredible. Mains we ordered king prawn fried rice which was quite bland. Had to add lots of sauce to make it taste better. We also got nasi goreng which was 👌🏽👌🏽. Cooked to perfection, came with chicken skewers egg on top and nice little veg on the side. Was really good. Service was ok, we sat at a table where the AC from the top was dripping? It kept falling and splashing onto our food so we had to eat literally on edge of the table. We mentioned to the staff but just said “it’s the AC” and didn’t do anything about it.. didn’t even offer to move us. At the end we mentioned again so no one would sit there about the water drip and they again just said “it’s the AC” and nothing else.

首先位置是错误的，走到了尽头都没看到，问了几个店员才发现走过了；其次人很多但是也不显示业务繁忙，导致我到了才知道人多还要等将近一个小时……

Eggs Royale at Heathrow was just what I needed this morning. Great service by Manjot nothing too much trouble. Nice gaps between tables to say my last goodbyes thank you Susan from New Zealand

Whenever I visit Shan Shui, I consistently experience outstanding services and food which I rate at 10/10. My go to is the satay sticks and the fried fish!! It’s never let me down and everything within the dishes compliments it so much. I was also surprised by the Shan Shui beer, with its pleasant lightness, it went perfect with the meal!

Brilliant food, lovely service! It was very nice to dine with family there, as everyone seemed to be satisfied with the food, and the food was really well made. I would like to visit again with family or friends again in the future!

Good food and attentive service

Great experience! The food and service was amazing. Thank you guys, keep up the great work, btw sea bass was incredible!!!

Meal was delicious. Just the right price for it to be good value for money. The lady who served us was nice, and quick. They have a different queuing service though: you need to scan a QR code by the door so you’ll be in their system so then they can let you know when a table is available. Sounds hi-tech BUT the problem is, the text will say they will wait for 10 mins but in literally a minute they’ll send you another message and another one in a minute and another one; if you say 10 mins then wait for 10 mins. Consider that the person might actually not be nearby. And what I find annoying as well is that, when we ask to switch tables (because it was scorching hot, we were sitting outside because we have a dog) — literally just the table next to us — we weren’t allowed because two women (who seems like they got all the money to spend) has “booked it” — they just arrived, didn’t queue but appears to be a regular to the place because the man dealing with the seating and one of the staff was VERY friendly to them. What’s the point of having everyone else follow one rule but it’s different when you’re a regular who seems to be loaded? Just a bit disappointed by special treatment for particular customers and less for others; we are also paying customer.

Food was fine but they charged 12.5% service charge in the bill along with food cost, which I didn't think was normal in UK.

We visited Shan Shui in Bicester Village and it was a brilliant experience. We didn't get in as soon as we arrived as the place was packed due to it being a bank holiday. We got on the digital queue and got a text when the table was ready. In short, the food is absolutely delicious, the service is great and the atmosphere is simply stunning. The menu features a wide variety of dishes and the unique thing was most of the dishes are made in a way you don't have to order much. We went for seafood and the beef along with Genmaicha tea. The flavors were perfectly balanced and the presentation was great. Pricing at Shan Shui is a bit more expensive than some other restaurants in the area, but I believe that the quality of the food and the dining experience is worth it. Highly recommend!

We visited Shan Shui in Bicester Village and it was a brilliant experience. We didn't get in as soon as we arrived as the place was packed due to it being a bank holiday. We got on the digital queue and got a text when the table was ready. In short, the food is absolutely delicious, the service is great and the atmosphere is simply stunning. The menu features a wide variety of dishes and the unique thing was most of the dishes are made in a way you don't have to order much. We went for seafood and the beef along with Genmaicha tea. The flavors were perfectly balanced and the presentation was great. Pricing at Shan Shui is a bit more expensive than some other restaurants in the area, but I believe that the quality of the food and the dining experience is worth it. Highly recommend!

Needed to book a table via a QR code at the door. Wait was scheduled at 40-50 minutes but in reality closer to 20. Book early to avoid disappointment. Food was delicious. Service was fantastic especially as the restaurant was constantly busy. For a restaurant in a shopping village, it is absolutely faultless. Next time we go to Bicester Village we will have lunch here. Not the cheapest place to eat but the tastiest. Highly recommended. Went back 18 months later and the service, food and restaurant was still really good.

These people wouldn’t know how to organize chook Raffle / stay away and enjoy your day elsewhere

Been to all the chinese restaurants/take away places in Bicester. This one is the best for authentic Chinese food! Highly recommended the freshly made dim sum! After having a disgusting dinner at the other Chinese restaurant nearby the night before, this is a perfect lunch to end our holiday in Oxfordshire!