The Coconut Tree in Oxford

This review might come as a shock to everyone, but out of the many Sri Lankan restaurants I've been to, this by far has been the worst. The service was really bad. Our plates came with hair, afterwhich the waiter simply took it to a corner, wiped it and brought back the same plate. We pointed out to him that there was hair on the plate so we needed another to which he replied "what do you want". Very rude. The food is nothing close to what you'd taste at Kolamba, Colombo Kitchen, Hoppers or Machan. The authentic SL taste is no where near any of the dishes. The choice of menu is very poor. Lots of classic dishes missing. Portion sizes are so small compared to the price which is a similar price to the above mentioned places. The restaurant felt very unhygienic. Very sorry but terrible first experience, will not return.

Honestly some of the best food I’ve had. I came in a few weeks ago with my partner and everyone was so welcoming. The food was delicious and the iced tea was to die for

Everything about it was mid. The food was nothing special at all and lowkey expensive as 1 person needs around 4 dishes… also the vibes were just not it, it was so dead. They also had no milk for tea after the meal and no coffee machine for espresso which was quite disappointing. Won’t go again, definitely better places in Oxford. Wasn’t awful though.

Kabir was lovely and the food was great!

Our third visit, food still very good, although some dishes very salty. The place itself looking a little tired. Mend urinals out of action as they were several weeks ago. Only had red stripe and Stella beer, no cider no bottled beer - that’s not a good sign of being well run, especially for a Friday night.

The food was dry. When I asked about the sauce, I was advised to buy a curry dish. The rice was supposed to be with shrimps, but unfortunately we had to look for them with a magnifying glass. They were cut into mini slices. If I put them together, there would be a maximum of 2. For me, it was 40 pounds.

Food is great and good value, staff were really nice and accommodating, even played some songs and brought out a cake for our friends birthday. Recommend medium size groups for the best atmosphere.

Pleasantly surprised by it. Friendly staff, and food was nice, cocktails even better!

Took a booking for 9:45 with their opening times advertised until midnight. Arrived and was told the kitchen closes at 9. Served us regardless but served us reheated microwave food that stayed piping hot for the good part of an hour. Drinks were decent but overpriced for what it is. Bowl of food in the image cost £10 for reference

"This place is so frustrating. The food is excellent and the staff are attentive but the music is SOOO loud! It's like easting in a nightclub and you have to shout to each other to be heard. It even says in the menu not to ask them to turn it down!! The fire alarm went off multiple times too and there was no apologies like it was just part of the noise of the place! I would love to have more of the excellent food but will not be back unless they turn the music down."

Absolutely amazing SriLankean food! Also decently spiced, prepare for some fire!

10/10 experience!! The food was phenomenal, such incredible flavours and great spice. Great place for sharing food. Staff were amazing, they were really friendly and everything came out in good time. Prices are really good. Will definitely be back soon

Wonderful food, enchanting service. We went there spontaneously. We had never tried Sri Lankan cuisine before, but we were very impressed. We had previously assumed that the cuisine was strongly influenced by Indian cuisine, but we were proved wrong. We had the very tasty Cheesy Colombo and the Plain Hopper. Also highly recommended are the Beetroot Baduma and the Coconut Cabbage Sambol. The prawn curry and black pork are also highly recommended. Somehow, however, our eyes were too big or our stomachs too small. In any case, all the dishes were sumptuous and we took the leftovers home with us.

The food was absolutely delicious, especially their egg hoppers and prawn curry. I’ll definitely be back for more.

Food was great but portions were not particularly generous considering the price. Also, it's a bit of a bar atmosphere, quite loud and packed. That's ok, but be aware in case you are looking for a quiet and more intimate venue. Cocktails were tasty! Egg hoppers are a must. Everything was quite spicy 🥵

Lunch could not have been better. Delectable food with some decent heat. And the friendliness and warmth of the service greeted a new customer like an old friend. This is a restaurant to return to time and time again.

Never had Sri Lankan food before but this was a lovely experience. The employees are very kind and the food is truly delicious. The portions look small-ish in the dish but there’s actually quite a good amount of food in them. It’s all seasoned very well; some a little too spicy for me but you can always ask and I still found it delicious (and I suppose it may be quite authentic). In addition the prices are very good.

The hoppers with seeni sambol and lunu miris were great! Server was a charmer and took great care of us. Menu was neatly explained.

Food was great and flavorful. Great vegan options! We did the “can’t decide” option and were offered an array of great options. Choosing this route was pricer than we realized (25 pp), but it is clearly marked on the menu so that was our bad. The mocktail options are delicious as well!

Booked here for my mum's birthday. Our booking was for 5:30pm and upon arrival were initially given a table right in the middle of the restaurant which we didn't want. As the restaurant was mostly empty we requested a table with some more privacy in the a corner which the waiting staff oblidged for us. After getting settled at our table, the waiter explained the menu to us going through how much to order and the spice levels and that dishes could be tweaked to our tastes upon request. We ordered our drinks (my parents went for the 2 for 1 mocktails and I copped out with a lime and soda). Nothing to complain on as far as drinks are concerned. Tap water we had to ask for (5* service is tap water without asking and glasses being filled for us IMO). When it came to ordering food we ordered a wide variety of dishes; a plain hopper, an egg hopper, chickpeas, cashew curry, chicken kottu, chicken curry, rice, parotti, aubergine pickle and the mixed chutney. All the dishes arrived pretty quick, probably due to lack of diners. Remember, as this is a 'small plates' / 'tapas' style eatery, there are no courses, the dishes arrive when ready do be aware of that if you decide to come here. Going back to the food, all of it was amazing, the hoppers had a wonderful fermented flavour and paired extremely well with the condiments. The chickpeas had a spicy kick, the chicken kottu and curry were incredibly hearty and went down well with the rice and parotti. My only criticism is that the cashew curry could've had a bit more oomph and the peas could've been cooked a bit more. In our opinion it lacked flavour and was underwhelming. Other than that everything else was delicious. Overall, I am giving this place a 4* as the food and service wasn't absolutely perfect. However, this is still a place you should visit if you want something different to the usua South Asian fare on offer. Also to not that for the amount we ate and how satisfied we were after the meal, it was extremely good value for just over £22 per person including serfvice charge. But remember we did have soft drinks so that probably contributred to the cheapness of the meal. So yeah, I'd generally recommend this place and anothing thing to mention was that there was a really good sleection of vegan and veggie options which was particularly good for my mum who is veggie. Annoyingly though, they didn't have anything appropriate as far as desserts are concerned that they could put a candle in to act as a small cake for my mum. They offered to put a candle in their panna cotta but they warned me it had gelatin in :(

Absolutely fantastic food and atmosphere and the owner and Staff are so friendly makes you want to go back thank you for a lovely evening

Found this absolutely amazing little place few weeks back and have been going back every time we're out since trevi and his staff are so welcoming you feel part of the family and the food is amazing I can't recommend enough

I never say this in reviews but this was honestly the best meal I've had in a long long time! The staff greeted us when we arrived and talked us through the menu helping with vegan gluten-free options-of which there were loads. The food was exceptional and the Ice teas and cocktails were great, our server Sara (or Saha) was very friendly and attentive. 😁 Will definitely be back many times

Honestly this place made me love Sri Lankan food. Often as a vegetarian it can be difficult to find good options in Sri Lankan restaurants, but this place has lots of delicious options. Me and family love spice so we did ask for the dishes to be extra spicy which was perfect for us. My favourites were all the chutneys, the hopper, the spicy potatoes and the kothu! Would 100% recommend this place to anyone!

Very tasty food, good portion, friendly and nice restaurant.

Really delicious food, great range of vegetarian and vegan options. Bring your appetite!

Highly recommended place to try Sri Lankan food. The attention and service was excellent, recommending typical dishes. They also have a children's menu to ensure that everyone enjoys it. We will be back!

Great place. Affordable menu, wide range of drinks. Professional and accommodating staff.

That was an amazing experience and great hospitality

Staff seemed nice enough but food was average (would not recommend the hoppers, for an absence of any taste whatsoever!) and in very small portions. Dishes were also visibly dirty; I was actually ill in the morning although whether or not this was due to the meal, who knows? Overall not worth the money, especially in an area like Cowley/St Clements with so many other options.

One of the best Sri Lankan cuisine experiences we've ever had! The food was delicious, and the vibrant atmosphere created a perfect setting for an evening dining with friends and family. The staff were incredibly kind, providing top-notch hospitality and helping us navigate the menu with various options. We can't wait to return on our next visit to Oxford. Every traveller to Oxford should definitely check it out for a mouth-watering experience!

Highly recommend eating from here kid friendly amazing food very clean kitchen absolutely worth the experience lovely customer service

Ordered food to be delivered. The curries and Dahl's were packed in cardboard, so by the time we got our food the box had begun to degrade, leaking our food all over. The portions were small for the price, some boxes of food arriving not even half full. The food was fiery, even for me, someone who regularly enjoys spice, and this completely overpowered the flavours of the food. Overall, the food was tasty, with a few things to improve upon.

My friend got a severe poisoning after eating here

Delicious food with plenty of vegan options and some interesting cocktails as well. I can recommend the dhal, pumpkin & cashew nut dishes although everything else was just as great. Friendly staff, quick service. You can't really go wrong here!

I really never write reviews, but I wanted to express my appreciation for both the service and food that The Coconut Tree provided me and my partner last night. The staff were so welcoming and friendly; their energy was some of the best I have seen in the service industry (I’ve also worked in the industry for awhile, I understand how difficult maintaining such an atmosphere can be). Nothing but praise for the employees! The food was also incredible. As someone with coeliac disease, it’s quite hard to find a place with a lot of gluten free options. It absolutely made my week to be able to choose almost anything I wanted off of the menu; it’s an experience I haven’t had in years. The dishes were just the right size for a tapas style meal (well-priced, too), and the waiter gave us good advice about the portions we were ordering. Everything was perfectly seasoned and spiced (it did made me sweat a little bit!). I am very glad I chose the right spot for my anniversary with my partner :) We were both very pleased and had a lovely evening.

Really tasty (and hot) food, liked the concept that you get served several smaller dishes, so you get to try a lot of awesomeness. :)

Very enjoyable visit to this restaurant. We were with thee people and shared several different dishes, all of them delicious. Very tasty, some spicy but certainly not too spicy. Made me want to visit Sri Lanka to try more of their delicious cuisine. We got some cocktails as well. Service was good, friendly and we didn't have to wait too long for the meal. Nice ambience as well, chairs could have been a little more comfortable. All in all, I'll certainly go back next visit to Oxford.

Great place for a tapas style Sri Lankan dinner. Service is friendly. Great tropical cocktails.

Food was great here. Loads of flavours and things to try. The service was great, very good explanation for everything. The cocktails were also real good 😜

Love this place, The food was amazing and Trev is just unreal. 100% go here

We had the pleasure to be served by Vicky. He went through the entire menu for us which was very helpful and his recommendations were great, having friendly staff always makes the experience better 😊

Amazing food and super friendly staff. I would highly recommend cocktails and for food you can get a few different dishes to try. Sri Lankan Dahl was superb!

Food is awesome Service is Fabulous PRAWN CURRY is next level delicious Special shout out to Praveen for his helpful behaviour

Coconut tree has gone downhill but my latest take away was the tip of the iceberg. Just awful soggy undercooked bread and a curry served in a Vegware tub … no thanks!

Excellent food, slightly slow service but we were a very large group so fair enough.

The food here is immaculate. I would definitely recommend the kotthu to anyone - a great mix of roti bread and chopped fried vegetables. The drinks are also very tasty.

This is Sri Lankan food. It’s my first time to try it. Overall, it’s average. I have nothing to say about the appetizer hopper😶. The pock belly is too salty. The curry cashews are very bland. Only the chicken wings are sour and spicy. I think it’s okay. It’s a slightly spicy sweet and sour chicken. Taste. The service fee is 10% by default, no choice😮‍💨

Had the pleasure of dining with the team last night. I’ve cheffed all over the world and feed celebrities on Tv&Film. Great food and service to match is the impossible thing to achieve for me…until last night. Made to feel incredibly welcome, personal and heartfelt recommendations about the food. I am a newbie to Sri Lankan food. The cocktails OMG stunning, music perfect even the restaurant ambience. I can not remember a restaurant experience that ticked everything that makes it great. Plus got to say the music choice and playlist is now on my Spotify!! Now a huge fan guys. The food every single dish I bought half the menu was cooked to perfect, cooked fresh, garnished and presented beautifully but not pretentious. Hold onto those chefs guys, they rock! I will be telling anyone who will listen about this little gem. The lovely gentleman I didn’t catch his name but I believe he’s been with the firm around 5 months and was Sri Lankan. Also a lovely chap from Bengalaru./Bengali. 10/10

Love this place. The staff are Soo lovely and welcoming and nice to eat somewhere where the staff knows the food and what to suggest. Absolutely recommend this. This is the best vibe yet and I've been to three so far. Warning food is spicy if u like it hot!!!! Big up Trev and Nikesh. Thank u for looking after us.

Second visit, and just as good as the first time a few years ago. I absolutely loved the beetroot special. The curries are very flavourful. Go!

Great atmosphere, some of the best food I’ve had out in a long time. Great value for money and would definitely recommend and return again.

Been twice nice and the staff members are exceptionally warm and the food is phenomenal. A couple months ago, I came with a friend for the first time; we were so impressed especially with Trev, who explained the menu in such an engaging manner! Went back again on Friday with another friend, where the food and service were just as amazing. It was also great to see Trev again! Will definitely be back

Tried 4 vegan dishes that were delicious. I'd recommend the vegan kotthu. Everything was properly spicy, be warned.

Amazing food, friendly staff - great for vegetarian and gluten free options too!

We were celebrating a friend's birthday. All the staff went above and beyond, I'm really greatful for everything. The food was incredible, the drinks were awesome, the music was perfect, the ambience was amazing and I can't wait to go back. Thank you all for making it such a fantastic evening."

Lovely place with great service and great food and drinks, will be returning again!

Had a fantastic time at the restaurant when we visited on Saturday. 10/10 food and it's tapas style dishes so you can try a few things from the menu. I'm vegetarian but my partner is not and we both had loads of options to choose from. Special shout out to Vicky who was serving us and was so friendly, knowledgeable and funny. I am just sad that I don't live in Oxford and can't visit all the time.

Good spicy food. I especially loved the goat curry, the lamb cutlets and the hopper

Exciting flavours, pleasant atmosphere.

We came here for dinner during a trip to Oxford- absolutely delicious food with great service. The staff was very attentive and accommodating. Would love to eat here again if we ever return to Oxford.

The food here was absolutely amazing with the perfect balance of spices. Would definitely recommend trying the hot butter calamari, jafna goat curry and the chicken kotthu. The drinks were delicious as well!

Had the express lunch here on a quick first trip to Oxford - Vicky was our waiter, extremely kind and knowledgeable about the menu as well as Sri Lanka generally. Would highly recommend!

As Reviews go this one is going to be quite simple. The Coconut Tree in Oxford was wonderful. The atmosphere as we went in was lovely and the staff were friendly. As it was our first time there and we've not had Sri Lanka Food before the waiter was great at explaining the menu and the history of Sri Lankan cuisine. The food was delicious and we all agreed we would definitely go again. If you're thinking of going, then do.

A good value, good quality Sri Lankan restaurant not far from the centre of Oxford. I visited with a Sri Lankan who approved if the authenticity of the cooking. It was very busy on a Wednesday evening so is clearly popular.

Visited this place on a trip to Oxford for Mother’s Day Weekend. We reserved a table for 3 and they gave a decent period of 90 min window for lunch. Ambience was apt, reminded me a lot of a gourmet restaurant. Of course, it’s SriLankan food. There is no parking, as expected in Oxford so we had to park at a public parking place St, Clement’s which is 1 min walk away from this place. Service was good, turnaround time of ordered food is good. If you can tolerate the spice level, you will love this place. Desert menu is also apt. Overall, a good experience with cozy atmosphere and welcoming waters and staff. Would recommend this place for regular eat-out foodies.

Lovely atmosphere. I haven't had much Sri Lankan food before but compared with other cuisines this did seem spicey across almost all dishes, not just the labelled hot ones. Cocktail two for one's are great though and our server Nick was extremely friendly and attentive, thank you!

Food was great…Service was bit slow.

I went to Oxford and wanted to try some of their Sri-Lankan food. The portion sizes were ridiculously small and really bad quality especially for the price we paid. The curries we ordered came in small cardboard boxes with arrived very damp when we opened it. The price was very high and lacked the authentic Sri-Lankan taste we wanted. Overall the experience was terrible. I will not be coming back again and I do not recommend this restaurant.

We had a brilliant experience at The Coconut Tree. The food was delicious, service was quick and friendly, and the ordering process was clear. There is a cocktail you should order, if you drink, which involves some pyrotechnics. Just be prepared for the fire alarm to go off! The only thing I'd say is that, given the small portions, it is quite easy to over order. Plus, the meat options are pretty expensive for what you get. I regret not trying more of the vegan/veggie options, especially as it would have brought down the bill.

My favourite restaurant in Oxford

Whilst the food, drinks and atmosphere of Coconut tree was really good (the goat curry and prawn curry in particularly were fantastic), the "warm Sri Lankan hospitality" that they mention on their website was lacking. We arrived at the time for our reservation, but were ignored for almost 5 minutes, including a couple of waiting staff who physically walked round us to return menus without acknowledging our presence. The wait felt uncomfortable as a number of staff looked at us and had the opportunity to offer a quick "we'll be with you shortly", which is all we'd expect as appreciate they are busy serving customers. That being said, once seated, our server was friendly and offered some good suggestions. Overall we did enjoy the experience, and would definitely recommend it for its food and drink, but the initial service could be improved (hence the 4 star).

Tan was a really great waiter! We went for our evening family dinner and were greeted warmly. They were patient with us when the rest of our party was quite late. Food came out quickly and the staff were really nice. Really recommend the goat curry! If I was not just visiting Oxford I would come back every week!

A perfect meal out. Got six dishes to share between two, two of which were larger dishes. The perfect amount to leave feeling full but not too much! First time going and would love to come again- the music was loud but awesome !! 90s & 00’s r&b and hiphop bangers :)

Delicious food at good value, with friendly service. Music a little loud but certainly a good atmosphere.

Great vegan food! Thank you Dru for your great service!

Delicious food in a casual and lively atmosphere. Perfect for both vegetarians and carnivores. Recommend the "Can't Decide" sampler meal.

Great food, great service and great atmosphere. Sri Lankan food at its best. The black pork is incredible

Fun atmosphere and really tasty varied food. Great care taken with allergy information to help me choose dishes.

We had a ridiculous and delightful work xmas meal here with flaming cocktails, superhot chilli, tasty food, it was great fun.

The Coconut Tree Oxford is a delightful, colourful and fun place to hang out any time of the day. The Sri Lankan food here is as authentic as it is delicious with some innovative and seasonal creations. There are a few classic dishes that can't be missed, such as Hoppers, dal, kotthu and the coconut sambol but try as much as you can because it's all excellent. I love how the portions are small enough to allow you to try more dishes than most places. The service is excellent, prompt and friendly. If you drink alcohol I would recommend trying at least one of their cocktails. This is a great place all round

Friendly stuff good experience thanks dru

Absolutely delicious food here! I had the goat curry, rice and lamb balls, not huge portions but still enough to fill me up. Loved the rustic nature of the place and ate every last crumb of my food.

Seated us by the window which means who ever sits on the window side gets the window ledge stabbing into their back. The place was empty with only 2 other tables taken. Absolutely ridiculous. Wouldn't return

Amazing food, great cocktails and brilliant service by Druthik and Tanmay! The food was served fresh and hot, the black pork and hopper are my personal favourites, will definitely visit again!

Love this place. Every dish we tried was wonderful. Bring your friends, order lots of small dishes to try, share everything, or don’t! They have a great selection of teas, drinks, vegetarian and vegan options as well. If you want to eat on the healthier side they have high protein options for plant based people.

Authentic Sri Lankan food just near the heart of the city. Friendly staff and cosy seating. Order a variety of items form the menu to truly indulge

Buzzing atmosphere and friendly staff. We ordered a few vegan dishes that were quite average; the cashew curry was a thin sauce with lots of nuts, and the pumpkin curry had three not thoroughly cooked pumpkin chunks. The Dal was rich and flavourful, and the hopper and dips were tasty. Chickpeas and potato dishes were extremely hot, full of chillies, so that we couldn't eat much of them - although it doesn't say anything about heat on the menu, nor the waitress didn't. We were pretty disappointed as we love Sri Lankan/South Indian cuisine.

Excellent choice of vegetarian/vegan food. It's a great idea to share dishes and this is what we liked about the coconut tree. The cocktails and mocktails are also pretty decent. Prices are pretty reasonable too.

Amazing food, lovely cocktails and great atmosphere! Really good service as well, Staff all super friendly.

Tan was a great GREAT server! He was very kind and very fast. I look forward to going back to the Coconut Tree because of him

I was very pleased with my stay - even for me as a vegetarian, the palette of food was very diverse! :) Special Shoutout to the extremely nice service team!

Had a lovely meal and willow was a delight! Would love to come back again and try out more of the menu.

Love this place! They've made a few changes to the menu since I was last there but it was all very tasty. Recommend the goat curry. Loud and very busy (Saturday night), but the service was pretty decent.

We had a great first-time experience at The Coconut Tree in Oxford! The food was really delicious and the portions ideal to share. The cocktails were divine, and our server Chetan was an absolute sweetheart who recommended us some dishes which became our favourites almost immediately.

Excellent and authentic food, great staff and atmosphere

What a find! Delicious hot and spicy food and cocktails. Lively atmosphere and attentive, fast service. Down to earth ambience- lovely night with friends - strong recommendation ♡♡♡

Lovely food and friendly waiters.

Great value for money Fast service Good food Spicy 👌🏼

Great food and lovely service from Chetan, thank you :) we will definitely come back and recommend to others