Wilding Oxford in Oxford

Such an enjoyable lunch, enhanced by excellent service and the most delightful food... of course the superb wine selection available as a glass, large glass, carafe and bottle helped. Fantastic experience which I would recommend to anyone looking for something done differently and extremely well.

Given the excellent reviews, we had high hopes for the meal. Sadly, some of the dishes were underwhelming, some delicious and some were virtually inedible! First the good... the Jerusalem artichoke bhajian and beetroot chutney was delicious as was the Sourdough, roast onion and marmite butter (surely just Marmite and butter mixed together??). The Pork belly was tasty but seemed a little underdone for my liking. The cheddar doughnuts were very average and the house cured duck ham with celeriac remoulade was anaemic and not very palatable at all. As for the wood oven fired carrots with dukkah and spiced yogurt - seriously, does anyone taste the dishes before serving them? They were heavily over spiced and were completely inedible. Maybe it was an off night but in reality this was a deeply flawed menu which simply didn't live up to the star billing. Such a shame - but I won't be returning anytime soon.

Popped in for a quick drink and couldn’t resist ordering some small plates to share. The food was incredible; particularly the “Posh Northern Tea”. Will definitely return to try the rest of the menu!

We had a most enjoyable lunch, sitting at the chef’s table to celebrate our daughter’s birthday, today. The food was exquisite, a fantastic selection of imaginative and flavour packed small plates all brought to us and passionately described by Michael Carr the very personable, head chef along with equally enthusiastic chef, Jacek. To name a few dishes that stood out for me, the Lamb sweetbreads with chorizo XO sauce, the fresh Sourdough bread with Onion butter and Taramasalata and the Hot Smoked Salmon with seaweed salad and hollandaise were delicious. We also enjoyed a selection of wines by the glass, they have many that can be enjoyed by the glass or carafe, which is a great way to explore their diverse range of wines without committing to whole bottles. All the staff, especially Alex and Georgie, were friendly and attentive and made our visit very special.

My friend and I were having our annual Christmas lunch and she suggested a new place. We waited a considerable amount of time for 2 tiny croquettes to arrive. I waited another 15 minutes for lamb sweetbreads that had spent much too much time in the deep frier. When my parsnip "cacio e pepe" came out the parsnip was hard and burnt on the bottom. The roasties for me were the best plate to come out and the salad, a half head of lettuce with salad dressing, was fresh. I had hoped it would take the burnt taste in my mouth but unfortunately a home-cooked dinner was what finally took the bad memory away. So sorry as the place is delightfully decorated and classy.

Wilding is exceptional. The food is imaginative, the wine list comprehensive and the service delightful. If I lived in Oxford rather than far away it would be my go-to place.

If I were you I'd ignore the negative reviews. This is currently the best restaurant in Oxford. The dishes which are mainly designed to be shared but don't have to be, look like works of art, combining fresh, top-class ingredients with unusual but delicious sauces. The staff are friendly and the food produced from an open-view kitchen by a young team led by Michelin star-earning chefs. The wine, decanted into unmarked bottles, is exceptional and can be bought in the off licence area. The prices? Far too little for the quality. £60 a head on the night we went. They won't be this low for long. Thank you. Oxford needed Wilding.

Wilding has great atmosphere and drinks. We had dinner there, and the food was just bad. There was more focus on the presentation than the taste. Most of the food we ordered had too much salt, and it was almost inedible. Be careful of what you are ordering, or you will end up paying 25 pounds for mushroom plate. What happened to good old fashioned English food. We will not be going there again.

The place has good atmosphere but tends to be very noisy. The food is truly disappointing and heavy. The focaccia bread was covered in oil and served with "onion" butter. The leaks were covered in mayonnaise sauce and tiny pieces bacon. We ordered the steak for two (£60) and half of it was burned and uneatable. The potatoes were lovely but again served with mayonnaise on the top. The wine was OK.

The food was delicious, original and well presented. Service was charming. Altogether a very good evening.

Disappointed Someone was using a mixer next to our table Very noisy! Extractor hood did nt seem to work as it was very smelly When we reçeived the bill they took 1£ off for charity Never been asked if I agreed I don’t think I will go back

We had a fantastic dinner at Wilding. The tapas menu is very appetising and the food didn’t disappoint. We loved the Croque Monsieur croquettes, the yoghurt flatbread, filled with raclette cheese and honey and topped with mushrooms (such a great combination), the large fries with curry sauce, the hot smoked salmon - everything was fab. The service was very attentive and even though the restaurant is quite large (with another 2 rooms in the back and a room upstairs), we never waited for anything and were well looked after. Great atmosphere- the restaurant had a vibrant buzz, especially on a Thursday night.

We've left this 24 hrs to reflect & be fair. Perhaps the first intimation that this was not going to be the best experience was the remark from our (charming) host that "the food would come when it would come..." Interesting notion of customer service. But never mind, we thought. We had just been to a spiritual moment at evensong in one of the colleges and we were feeling chilled and benign. We chose. Our starters (which were a composition dish - not cooked) arrived a bit later. Well, half an hour later, to be precise. By the way, the wine was lovely (excellent advice from our host), but we'd kind of thought we'd be consuming it largely in combination with the food. Starter (when it came) was utterly delicious - Baba Ganoush. Then another forty minutes for the main courses to arrive. Our spirituality was starting to wear a little thin. OK - so the main courses were a total curate's egg. One of us had the venison - one part beautiful, the other overly gamey and uneatable (we've grown up with game so we know what good is!). Not good. One of us had the pork... now we've been around the block with pork belly dishes, and they should be succulent and almost fall away from the fat. This was tough & chewy. The accompanying sauces were all lovely in their own right, but too many strong flavours in one dish. By the way - everything was basically cold in the main courses. Hmmm. Calm down chefs. And they overpowered the subtle flavours of pork, which is a gentle meat. Similarly the potatoes were overcrowded with flavours. Now some of you readers may like this. We don't. But you may take this as a positive for your palate. Your choice. In short, it took two hours to serve two courses. Flavoursome in parts. Overly so in others. Fab wine. Charming people. Overall disappointing & pricey. We arrived relaxed, we left depressed. Come one folks. This is so close, but it doesn't make the cut. That's our opinion - others may read this and say it's just the place for them. We've tried to be fair. You have a great location and catchment. Could do better. Please don't reply, just focus on the comments and see if we are typical of the people you want to reach and please, or not.

Thought hard about the score here as would probably give them another chance. Short version: amazing food and wine, poor service (but we may have been unlucky). Positives first. We loved the food and wine and the atmosphere was great on a Saturday night- although the open kitchen made the restaurant a bit too smokey at times. The menu is really interesting and we loved the removal of starters and mains and encouraging sharing of all dishes. Wine list as you’d expect from a wine bar was excellent too and many were available by the glass. However, our order was lost (I still have no idea how) and it took nearly an hour for the first incorrect dish to be delivered to us. There was no apology from our original waiter and eventually handled by the front of house team member who retook our order. Whilst we loved the sharing concept, the original waiter also recommended we buy far too much food - he suggested one larger dish, one side and 4-5 of the smaller dishes to share for 2 people. As a result we couldn’t finish all the food and also didn’t have room for the puddings we had looked forward to. We did appreciated the sorry of a free glasses of wine each and the proactive removal of the service charge but it was a frustrating evening for an anniversary meal we had been looking forward to.

Delicious food, cool concept, great service and wonderful wine. The chef’s clearly know food and they’re proudly on display showing off their skills. Seriously professional, proper foody place with zero pretence. Welcoming, relaxing and superb dining.

What an experience! Some of the best food we have had! Our waiter was Callum who was excellent and very attentive to us. Great ambience in the evening, I would highly recommend this restaurant

After many hours walking around Oxford on a somewhat hot late summer day we feel upon this place with relish. Unusually for us we sought shade in the lovely secluded patio garden and enjoyed a cool drink. We were very unsure where to eat in...

First time at Wilding with friends. Lovely spotless, airy setting, very attentive service and fabulous food, cooked to order so the veggies amongst us were well catered for (could add something to that effect on the menu). Herdwyke lamb was delicious. looking forward to the...

This restaurant is in a great spot in central Oxford, with a gorgeous garden for outdoor dining. The restaurant has a relaxed vibe, and the food was good quality, innovative and enjoyable. The staff were friendly and helpful. Great wine. A very happy,relaxed leisurely lunch-...

We enjoyed a superb lunch at the 'new' Wildings this weekend. The food was simply superb and we enjoyed sitting at the Chef's Counter watching the dishes come together - and it was all so very calm in the kitchen. The range of dishes was...

WOW! WOW! WOW! Wilding totally exceeded expectations! Food was incredible! Sampled most of the dishes, and each one was a culinary delight! My overindulgence was an understatement! The staff were well versed on the menu and super friendly. The atmosphere was elegant but relaxed. Even...

Long Bank Holiday lunch with friends. 8 of us. Food super interesting and really delicious. We shared lots of different dishes so got to try a great variety of what was on offer. John Dory for 2 - so fresh and tasty. Lamb - very...

Enjoyed a fantastic evening at Wilding Oxford. Great selection of wines and excellent food in a lovely location. Service was friendly and professional, overall a brilliant experience.

Early Sunday evening in Oxford and no booking but easy to walk in and we shared sherry and cashew nuts to start followed by a delicious pizza and accompanying carafe of wine. A lovely evening and would highly recommend a visit.

A Friday night treat for us attending Wilding, Oxford ended up being one of the best meals of my life! Very unusually, I had a full 3 courses from entree to desert & each was so perfectly tasty and unique, it was a pure delight....

Food and wine was lovely when it actually came. Service was beyond atrocious. It was a game of ‘find the waiter’. Became so frustrating. Hard to remember a less attentive waiter, in a very empty restaurant. Would have to think very hard about returning and...

We didn't arrive for lunch until around 2 so it was quiet, but the food and service were lovely. Such unusual dishes like Brown shrimp pizza. Jericho is an area that is full of restaurants and bars and this one stood out. Only moan was...

We are local to Wilding and loved to drop in for a glass or two of wine. Lately the staff attitude has been unwelcoming, confrontational and rude! The last two visits we were so offended we left without ordering. Very poor!!

What a find!! Didn’t book and just walked in on the off chance. Really warm welcome, the staff walked us to a table in the middle part by the pizza oven, explained the specials of the day and got us water. We've ordered a couple...

Great location in Oxford. Son’s burger was good but my steak was very rare (when medium had been ordered) and my wife’s fish was under-cooked. We raised this with the manager by email the next day who said s/he’d “circle back” and we’ve heard nothing...

Stumbled upon this place and very pleased with it. So refreshing to be properly greeted when entering somewhere. Shown to the table, immediately served complimentary water. Lovely waitress who helped with the wine menu in a pleasant way and did not patronise. Loved it so...

Super tasty food. Cocktails were really nice if wine isn’t your thing. If wine is your thing then loads of choice. Staff were really welcoming annd service was excellent. We will be back!

Dropped in for a drink while celebrating our friends' engagement; several minutes after we were seated a party of 3 men arrived who made a show of immediately asking about expensive bottles of wine. Not only were we ignored while the two members of staff...

A group of four friends, we ate at 6.45 on a Saturday night. Despite being busy the device and food were excellent. Great ambience and fantastic cocktails. I must make particular mention of our waitress who was a delight; friendly, efficient and helpful despite it...

Had a lovely family reunion this evening and the food and service was second to none. Will be our future spot to bring more family for a wonderful evening. Couldn’t recommend enough. A massive thanks to Sharlene our waitress she really made our evening and...

I had a steak with fries and salad. The streak was midium rare as expected but wasn't seasoned, I had to ask for salt and pepper. French fries were french fries it is hard to go wrong here. But the "salad" was literally a handful...

Visited on Saturday for a meal and what a great place it was. Food was lovely, wine was superb and we were very well looked after by our waitress Charlene. Would highly recommend

We had high hopes on this, our first (and only) visit. Fish of the day was over cooked and had clearly been kept warm for ages. Beetroot starter was ok. Scallops gritty. Burger tough and bun too dense.

Had Sunday roast with family. Super friendly and knowledgeable staff throughout. Wonderful food and drinks. Lovely setting, noticed they have outdoor space for warmer weather. Will definitely return. Fresh baked Sourdough was put onto the counter and I asked if I could buy one, sadly...

I live in Oxford and have been meaning to pay a visit to Wildling for a while, so when my friends said they were visiting me for the weekend I thought it the perfect opportunity to try this place out. It is always a bit...

Really attentive, polite and professional service but disappointing food menu and quality of food. Very limited choices for starter so reluctantly opted for charcuterie for two. Meat was excessively fatty and focaccia was basically fried bread and nothing like focaccia. Very limited main menu so...

I’d never been to Wilding, but a friend recommended it, so I booked it for a gathering of 12. Communication from the restaurant was excellent and they decided to put us in the upstairs room which was perfect for our number. The service was impeccable...

Excellent place! Visited with friends and had a brilliant meal. Staff were super attentive and helpful. Can’t wait to visit again. Highly recommend!

Visited this wine bar for lunch earlier today.Enjoyed the food..we had pizza..burger and my favourite veg..beetroot. All well cooked and tasted very nice.Very pleasant staff and enjoyed seeing the little rescue chihuahua..we shall visit again. An excellent find.

Good food and the starters and desserts were reasonably priced, however the mains seemed very expensive in relation to the other courses. Nice, bright, buzzy place. Service needs to be worked on. We had around 4 different servers during our evening and most seemed young,...

We called in for lunch. I’ll deal with the food first. That was fine. Not historic, but two acceptable starters and main courses. Nice selection of wine by the glass. There were two staff that we saw. A person who we saw as we came...

Wilding is a welcome edition to Little Clarendon street. This is a venue that we choose to revisit due to its location, food, good wine choice and service. It’s lovely to be able to sit outside in the Summer months but I so think that...

We just stopped in for a glass of wine after dinner elsewhere. Friendly service, good wine and reasonable prices. Snacks were very reasonable....we ordered a small container of roasted cashews for just 4 pounds. Seemed to be a popular place for many ordering dinners. We...

A great visit - Monday evenings can be quiet but this was busy, good atmosphere and great service The food was delicious, and a very good wine list. Very good value.

Visited Wilding and was excited to visit here as I had heard good things about it. Unfortunately after my experience I shall not be returning. Food was very poor, bland and under-seasoned. From the moment we were sat at the table service was equally as...

From the moment you walk in the door the greeting makes you feel welcome and sets the ambience. The food was great and the wine collection amazing. I would recommend the Wilding , can’t wait to go back

Yet another fab experience at Wilding, served by the super helpful, lovely Hamilton. Great advice on wine choices and friendly chat. So relaxing and a great way to spend a lazy Saturday afternoon . The food was good as always. Thank you, Wilding.

Attentive staff, they know their stuff, really friendly. Food and drink excellent and the atmosphere is very cool, decor suits business or pleasure and lots of room between tables when dining. The bar area has a more rustic feel with the shop inside etc.

My friends and I had such a lovely evening at Wilding. Their supper club is great value, and the food and wine was excellent! Can't wait to come again.

Met friends here and we had a great time. Atmosphere was excellent, as was the service. Food was very tasty, and our group tried many items on the menu. Overall, one of the best experiences in Oxford.

We had a Saturday lunch at Wilding. My partner had a been a few times and really loved the small plates, so we went and had a great seat at the back of the restaurant in the outdoor courtyard. There were a few ants keeping...

Popped in for drinks with friends after dinner. Have not eaten as mixed reviews but atmosphere was great last time. However this visit really lacked a good vibe. Wine choices are good if not great, in fairness they are good value. Friendly service from a...

Heard mixed things about this restaurant, but was excited to try. The wine was excellent and we loved the concept of having a wine bar at the front with a restaurant behind. The service was also, for the most part, good. But the foot was...

A disappointing meal for 6 at this restaurant. The fish smelt old and tasted even older and the mussels were dried up and with no sauce. The children's pizzas were poor with thick dough and very little topping - altogether an unsatisfactory meal and not...

terrible mussels, dry/overcooked/no marinier , fish was old\off, pizza was without toppings, poor pastry.

Muscles which smelt so bad that even the serving staff were wrenching, dismissed by argumentative ‘manager’ that there could be nothing wrong as no one else had complained

Came early on a Saturday evening- had a mixed experience. Starter of sea bass carpaccio was nice but small, however then pigeon salad was a big disappointment - the pigeon was hard like it had been left in the fridge too long and was just...

Let's be clear: I know next to nothing about wine so an awful lot of what Wilding is about was lost on our party of four. And I thought the more than 70 pounds bill for four burgers and two Cokes was pretty pricey. The...

I've been to Wilding a few times, and took my partner along on Monday as the food has usually been delicious and beautifully presented! Although the waiting staff were lovely, the food was very disappointing - unlike my previous visits, there was near no effort...

Caught up with a friend who lives in Oxford. Not too busy Monday. Meant to have expertise in wine but mainly left to fend for ourselves to choose. Was ok veg board but main took a long time in coming and we ordered specialty pizzas...

Excellent food, friendly service and great lively atmosphere. Prices reasonable. Loved it. We will definitely be back.

A lovely Tardis of an establishment. We had a lovely glass of red here one afternoon , returning the following evening for dinner. There is an outside area at the rear. They have a bread oven for fresh pizza . Good menu , great food...

What a great place. Walked past this place and thought we would pop in. Stayed longer than we were going to as the atmosphere was great. Good music, friendly service and more wine choice than anyone would need.

Visited with some friends last week- main course of cod was undercooked & served cold -returned to kitchen for heating. Food was nothing special. Returned again this week with other friends hoping for a better experience, sadly not. Potato & leek soup was tasteless, consistency...

This was supposed to be a good meal out for myself and my girlfriend. In the end the food was good but the service was very poor. On arrival our table, booked for 9pm, wasn't available. We had to stand in a corner holding a...

Have to be honest stumbled across this as the restaurant we were heading for was being refurbed and so glad we did as had such a fabulous lunch. Really delicious food, excellent friendly and welcoming service and even dog friendly. Large selection of wines available....

Wilding on Little Clarendon Street is interesting. It is a deceptively large restaurant with a garden/conservatory at the back, an airy, spacious main eating area and a more cosy, bar area at the front. There is also an area that displays a tantalizing selection of...

Top meal, top restaurant! We’ve just had a great experience at Wilding, celebrating birthdays… started with Padron Peppers , followed by Oxfordshire beef tartare and Cucumber and gin cured trout … both just perfect served with their paired wines. Then a beautifully cooked roast loin...

Peter was a great host, I use this word as opposed to waiter as the latter has more resonance with regards to the experience, which was very personalised and enjoyable. The food was fresh, tasty and there were a number of options. The Negroni had...

A fantastic evening at Wilding, recommended by a friend. Food was outstanding, wine delicious and very friendly and helpful service. Restaurant was full, but very relaxed atmosphere. Would definitely visit again.

Great service, highly knowledgeable sommelier, lovely food and wine. Would highly recommend and will definitely be booking again.

Warm, friendly and knowledgeable service, beautiful, festive surroundings and the turbot special was excellent. Topped off with a bottle of Palmer & Son champagne- it was a great birthday meal enjoyed by three generations of family - thank you!

Make sure you book a table for Christmas treats and wine! Using the private room upstairs for a pre Christmas gathering, we had a fantastic experience. The food was delicious and cooked to perfection with good sized portions. My Christmas trifle was the highlight of...

We visited Oxford from London on a day trip to meet friends for a Christmas get together at the Wilding. I was so impressed with the Wilding. A perfect combo of great staff, atmosphere, food and drink. I had the delicious warm fig starter, roast...

The wine-led vibes are great but they should stick to wine and smoked almonds and olives and not bother employing a chef, or at least, the current chef. The “potato three ways with poached egg” was one of the worst things I’ve ever eaten and...

Had my daughters birthday meal on a reasonably quiet Tuesday evening. Great waiter, very good and attentive. Great starters vege sharing board, tempura, bread. Pizzas were so disappointing. Since when does a Neapolitan have pickled anchovies? Sliced red onions and enough cheese to make a...

Really lovely food and wine, and attentive staff. I had a meat board and my friend the field board. Really beautifully presented and had a lovely wine to complement. Will certainly be going back!

Really enjoyed my birthday celebrations with friendly, helpful staff and great wine and food. Will definitely go back

The staff is friendly and make you feel special, the restaurant is trendy and nice. Unfortunately the food was a 50/50 let down. Steak was good, duck was good but the vegetarian dishes like butternut squash was terrible, my most borrowing dish for a long...

A most enjoyable evening with great food and friendly service. Will definitely recommend to friends.

We popped in to book a table for lunch, and decided to stay for drinks while we waited for our group to arrive. Everyone was friendly and welcoming, good cocktail recommendations, and then we had a lovely meal when we moved to our table for...

After being recommended to visit, myself and my family came for dinner. We ordered focaccia for the table and received a small square of bread that we divvied between four in a fashion reminiscent of Jesus feeding the five thousand. half an hour after our...

The pickled foraged wild mushrooms were amazing!! Absolutely delicious! My daughter and I had a lovely late lunch and were very well looked after. I can’t fault Wilding Oxford

Wilding must be in October 2021 one of Oxford’s newest and most sophisticated restaurants, although we had given ourselves a false start this Saturday lunchtime by inadvertently booking the front bar area instead of the restaurant to the rear occupying a room to the rear...

On arrival greeted by friendly helpful staff, the decor throughout was stunning to say the least. Our meal arrived promptly and was well presented, the fillet steak was cooked to perfection along with the tomatoes, mushrooms and potatoe, which were all well seasoned. We can...

Been visiting many years and have our favourite restaurants to visit - delighted to say The Wilding has been added to the list and we have enjoyed great food and service twice in the last month. The management and staff and absolutely fantastic, so hapy...

The service was quick and the staff were friendly and attentive (also easy to flag down when we wanted to pay the bill, unlike at many other restaurants). The food was of very good quality and I particularly enjoyed my pan fried duck, even though...

I am so pleased we stumbled upon this lovely restaurant. The decor and surroundings are lovely, really great atmosphere both indoors and out. Peter, our waiter for the evening, was professional, knowledgeable and friendly. We had a fish board for starter, mains were the burger,...

A birthday celebration! The service was outstanding, very professional and knowledgable. Jordan our waiter, knew and advised on the wines which were either decanted or delivered in carafs and exactly as good as he had recommended. The food was superb. Too much choice always sends...

I know we have to be patient and understanding in these difficult times, BUT IF YOU CAN’T PROVIDE EDIBLE FOOD DON’T OPEN A RESTAURANT! This was the worst experience we have ever had in a restaurant in 40 years of dining out. Menu looked good...

A delightful place; friendly, eager service, completely charming. Food perhaps a little uneven (great Guinea fowl, poor roast potatoes). But generally excellent, fresh and homely. Just what Oxford has needed. Bravo.

So utterly disappointed by our visit to Wilding. The service from the word go did not match the restaurant, which is stunning. Rude, over familiar and I knowledgable about the menu. Our food took 50 minutes to start appearing. The veg board was very nice,...

Three of us had lunch here and it was very good. The temperature in the conservatory was a little cool for us but the service, food and wine were all excellent. Beware though when choosing a small plates meal as one of the ones we...

What a wonderful find. We came across this delightful restaurant by accident and were not disappointed. The decor, attention to detail and menu (both wine and food) were excellent. And of course the service was top notch. Hamilton, our waiter was very well trained, attentive...

We were visiting Oxford for my birthday weekend and happened upon Wildings on the first day. The staff were super friendly and we had such a great time that we came back the next day for more! Great food and fantastic drinks. Cristi looked after...