XO Kitchen in Norwich

Excellent 70th birthday lunch for 28 of us. All of the staff were brilliant. Very easy to organise and food was amazing as always. You catered for everyone’s needs. Thank you.

Absolutely without a doubt one for the best restaurants in Norwich.

Great value for money! Amazing staff, brilliant food and a creative menu. Sharing dishes and great cocktails 🍸! Well worth visiting.

Amazing food everytime we have been, super tasty and full of surprises They should offer cookery classes! Staff are always friendly and offer great service - I recommend this place to everyone

Absolutely amazing place to visit. Staff were really friendly and able to answer any questions we had and make recommendations. The food was full of flavour and we couldn't fault it and very filling! We will deffo return!

First visit. Amazing food and excellent service. Great coffee and range of other drinks. Will definitely go back.

Very pleasing. Rare to come across a reasonably priced place like this which is innovative. Enjoyed the beer, the main and the dessert, tasty.

Had a fabulous dining experience. Food was amazing, full of flavour and an excitement in every dish. Cocktails were delicious and well received. Service was well informed, happy amd helpful.

Innovative menu. Great food. Super staff. An absolute pleasure.

Everything about this place is beautiful. The food, drinks, atmosphere and staff are astounding.

Best place to eat. Team are always lovely and food is always amazing. Thanks! ❤️

Placed in front of workman’s toilet as a romantic dinner for 2 then moved to a different view of same toilet with a cold draft from door. When asked to have candle lit. No candles. Completely rubbish.

Had a great meal here with friends, great atmosphere and the staff are so friendly and helpful. The food is delicious, and wide range of drinks too. If I had one criticism it would be that the menu perhaps could have had some more veggie options, as particularly for sharing ‘tapas’ style food it was a little bit limited. The dishes that I did have were delicious. Would happily go back in future!

Great food and great value , lamb hash brown , fried chicken and the pork all excellent. ,

Spent my birthday celebrations here with a large group. We had a rolling menu where the kitchen just kept bringing us delicious dishes - catering for everyone from meat eaters, vegan, veggie and everything in between. Insanely good food and lovely friendly staff. Will definitely be back! Thank you for making the day so special ❤️

Although the weather was cold the room felt cold too and did not warm up whilst we ate. We shared the prawn toast to start which was lovely. Very tasty. I chose the Korean chicken which looked amazing but was very overdone and hard to cut into. Flavour was good but it really disappointed me that it was so overdone. My friend ordered the prawn khao soi. It tasted devine and looked so good. Total bill was £55 which also included a Diet Coke and ginger beer. We thought it was a bit pricey and the service charge was automatically added for two people. Overall I’m not sure we will return but mainly because of the chicken dish - it was such a shame.

My fave Norwich restaurants! Total gem! The food's amazing, never disappoints. Just wish the loos were closer.

I love this place!! ...... The food just blew my mind, really interesting flavours.... Incredible.

Astonishingly good food with very generous portions! Food came quickly, service was attentive and the presentation was great. A bit loud for me, but this was a Saturday evening so not unexpected! If you're in the area please do come.

You probably already know this, but when you arrive somewhere expecting the best and go away feeling you've had nothing approaching it you feel doubly disappointed. Honestly, we thought we were in for a proper treat when we had the pork toast as a starter - it truly was something special! That being said, we got an order of the Korean fried chicken that we had been reassured was a signature dish at XO kitchen and order a special of Japanese meatballs. Sad to say both dishes fell way short of expectation. The Korean fried chicken was soggy - as if it had been saturated in sauce - which gave it quite a clammy, slimy texture. It didn't come with chips but instead was crowned with a mountain of needless inedible frizz that just served to get in the way and clutter up the little table. The Japanese meatball special was one of the most disappointing dishes I have ever tried. It looked like something you'd find in a farmyard that needed shovelling up and it was served on a piece of bland white bread with the crust cut off. What I dared to try of it was dense and intensely chewy. This was 3am homemade student food and not something you'd ever expect from a professional kitchen. Service was wildly variable. It was extraordinarily busy when we arrived but we did have to continually look around and eventually start waving at staff to get attention after there didn't seem much of a better way to catch their eye. Without wanting to sound too mean, it seemed that some staff were welcoming and others would rather we were not there. I'd say that XO kitchen was a staggering miss on this occasion, and for the money we spent I'd say it was very disappointing overall. However, I'd also like to acknowledge that it's a restaurant that takes risks with its menu and embraces creativity and in the creative quarter of Norwich, this is not necessarily a bad thing. It is important that chefs express themselves, challenge status quos and keep ideas fresh for the demanding palate of casual diners in the 21st century. Still think someone should have noticed that the Japanese meatballs looked like duck shit though.

Fab food, some different takes on some items on the menu, and different wine. Staff happy to explain anything we asked. Watermelon salad was great. :) 👍

Fantastic, just walking by decided to give it a go and loved it katsu curry was amazing, highly recommended,staff very attentive and reasonable prices, thanks keep up the good work.

Tasty food, great portion size. Very friendly staff and nice atmosphere.

Very good food, good service, bonus points for moving a just turned 50 year old to a quieter seat. I love you for that.!

Amazing flavours. Great friendly service.

Everything about here is superb. Food unbelievable and unique and service is so friendly. Look forward to going again!

We love this place. The friendly welcome, the relaxed vibe and the abundance of exotic plants are the perfect combo. The food is delicious - I particularly recommend the hispi cabbage and prawn skewers - and very coeliac-friendly. We’ll be back!

Was in Norwich for business, stopped in for some lunch with locally based colleagues. What a great place, very relaxed atmosphere, beautiful fresh tasty food. I'll be back when I'm in Norwich next for sure!

I wish I could give XO 6 stars because it’s that good. From the moment we entered the staff were amazing, and the food is just something else. I’ve never had such an interesting complimentary combination of flavours all in one place before. It was truly delicious and there was sooo much more on the menu I want to try!

Been in several times and it always delivers a top tier experience. Food is on point, service is attentive and the vibe is popping. I even end up going in hard on the cocktails because they're just too good. Keep on doing what you're doing, it's great.

Absolutely delighted with the selection of dishes, quality of ingredients, presentation and service. I managed to squeeze in a dessert today and am now absolutely stuffed. Definitely will be returning to an establishment who maintains consistent top notch standards 👌

Delicious and surprising dishes served by friendly informative staff. Our first visit - it won't be our last!

As first-time visitors to the restaurant (a group of four), we had a wonderful dining experience last night. The Asian fusion food was delish. We gluttonously ordered almost everything on the menu and an armada of food platters just kept coming. The vibe was buzzy, the staff were friendly and we had a terrific time! The only bone of contention were the wine tumblers. Though these would be suitable for a family picnic, or for children to drink Tropicana from, they were a poor alternative to the traditional elegance of a stemmed glass. Moreover, a white wine soon loses its chill when warmed by a blood-hot hand. Happily, our fabulous server changed them for stemmed glasses without any fuss, which cheered us up no end. We will definitely come again!

Thank David from The Bicycle Shop (cafe/bar, Norwich) for this recommendation!! XO for XO sauce or kiss hug? Hmmm. (a delicious seafood sauce used in Chinese food.) So as a chef I was hoping the latter. A warm friendly greeting followed by great service & delicious Asian fusion cuisine full of delicious flavour & excellent presentation. You can tell the chef (I believe owner) adores his craft. Thank you for a lovely evening.

Delicious meal - vegan soup with tofu and noodles. Broth was outstanding. Staff was adorable and very kind and welcoming Nice selection of dishes (mostly asian) with Thai, Korean etc. Will be back again for sure ! Also good to have coffee or a cocktail

An awesome experience. Staff really helpful especially the maitre'd who explained the menu too us and advised if any dish was very spicey so we could choose accordingly. Service was prompt. Food was very tasty and nicely presented. First class. We will definitely come again.

Delicious food served promptly by great staff. Lovely meal before a theatre evening.

This is a fantastic restaurant food is imaginative and always tasty we just love it here. The service is always polite, quick and very helpful. I would have uploaded some photos but it keeps giving and error message. Visit you will not be disappointed .

Amazing food, faultless service, great vibe. Very difficult to find any fault with the food or the service. I absolutely love this place

Best restaurant in the city. Every time Ive been the food has been out of this world!

Delicious main dishes - the aubergine flatbread was great, as was the burrata special of the day. Very interesting fusion food! The desserts were significantly less good. Unfortunately, it was too loud in the restaurant to have a proper conversation because of the music and other tables.

Overpriced, slow service. Good( but not great) food. Unjustified 10% service charge automatically added to bill. £75 for a pretty average quality meal for 2. First time eating here, but I’d choose Kimchi every time going forward.

Everything is amazing, great staff, great food and yummy cocktails!!!

Phenomenal experience. Food was fantastic. I knew I was coming back after the first bite.

Customer service very friendly and efficient, lovely staff However, food way too rich and salty. Chicken dishes nice but most were way too salty and rich. Deserts with coco pops and cornflakes felt like something produced by students. £9 is nuts for each desert.

Treated to a very special experience at XO Kitchen. Amazing food with excellent flavours and textures, and beautifully presented. Wonderful engaging service. A great restaurant to visit.

Just the most delicious food & flavours! Fantastic atmosphere.

Absolutely fantastic, the vibe, location and staff are perfect. Food is out of this world. This is a hidden gem for Norwich XO would be equally at home in soho or Shoreditch. 10/10

Friendly customer service and the meal was good, we also got a discount which I thought was very good and helpful.

Overrated and over priced, Kimchi is better food for better value. When we arrived we were shown the specials board and then the next table had their second drinks order taken before we had our first drinks order taken. We had the cumin lamb to start and it was incredibly salty. My girlfriend had the jungle curry with bone marrow which we appreciate is an acquired taste but it was very greasy and salty again. I had pork belly which was a nice flavour but on its own it was overpowering, would've been nicer with more vegetables/rice/noodles to freshen things up a bit. I think they need to up their game to warrant charging £11 a starter and £19 a main course.

Great food and fantastic service!

Food was amazing! All different flavours at every taste. Waiter really nice and friendly. Only wish they had a bigger Evening menu with more Burger type varieties and Prawns ect. As seen so many pics on Instagram but could not see it on evening menu. The food was absolutly amazing! Will be visiting again

Had a meal here the other week. It’s not great for vegetarians. Tasty sharing plates, but if you don’t eat meat you just end up with very rich dips and chips to pick at. There was also an oily leek/paneer dish but it made an overly fatty combination for me. Good service and buzzy atmosphere but hard to hear each other by the kitchen.

Fab evening evening with friends at XO kitchen. Staff were super friendly and helpful. Food was delicious and plentiful! And prices were very reasonable too! Highly recommend if you want to try something different.

Had a fantastic lunch food was great

Fantastic place. Just go. We had a day out in Norwich, which we've never been to before (spoiler alert - it's quite nice). Super-friendly on the phone and on arrival. Nice space with a funky soundtrack. A short menu but we had trouble deciding over many appealing options so had a negroni sbagliato to fortify us in the meantime. This was made with extreme care and tasted very good. We made our choices and were impressed by all of it - watermelon salad, char sui pork belly rice bowl, fried chicken khao soi - though we could have lived without the hash browns add-on cheekily suggested by the waitress on stomach-space grounds. So good we went back a few days later to try some other dishes and it was just as great.

I was staying overnight in Norwich this week and a colleague recommended XO to me and I am so grateful to them for the heads up! From the greeting when I arrived to the really attentive and friendly service to the delicious food there is not a thing I could suggest to improve the experience! If you like Asian fusion and find yourself in Norwich then I strongly recommend you try this gem of a restaurant! Thanks to the team

Amazing food last night (as always) - thank you.

Food is good, chicken was very nice

Just had an amazing lunch at XO Kitchen. New favourite restaurant, party in your mouth.

One of my favourite restaurants in Norwich - the food blows my mind and my boyfriend who is a bit picky with food always loves everything he gets and is even adventurous when ordering!

Very noisy and our food, although it was nice, was served in a foil takeaway tray! 🤷🏻 Why?

If you haven't been, you're unborn.

Absolutely loved the Asian fusion food here. The service was on point—staff were super attentive and really friendly. I went for the Korean fried chicken and the Asian slaw and it did not disappoint. They serve the fried chicken in this cool fried chicken box, topped off with crispy prawn noodles. The chicken itself? Tender, flavorful, and ends with a hint of heat. What I really liked was the mix of different textures and how everything was just packed with flavour.

Always amazing. Worth the 7 hour round trip from Leeds for (and seeing our friends aswell but they don't need to know that!)

Really interesting and inventive food. The hispi cabbage is great, the watermelon salad a triumph.. the addition of bone marrow to the beef rendang is inspired. Only downside (for me anyway) is it's very loud, conversation was difficult

Fantastic menu, new and exciting dishes that we hadn't tried. Staff were really helpful when choosing our dishes taking into account how hungry we were rather than trying to encourage over spending. The food and service was excellent our only criticism was a very noisy patron on another table!

This place exists in its own dimension. The crazy flavour combos wouldn't work elsewhere but here, they just sing. Keep it in bubble wrap.

Very good food in a cool setting, with an open kitchen 👍🏻 I visited with my wife at about 1845 on a Tuesday for a pre-theatre show dinner. We'd booked and I'm glad we had as it was surprisingly very busy! The service was friendly and good, if a tiny bit slow at times, but (as I said) the restaurant was pretty full The menu was arranged with small plates, larger plates and some sides. We opted to share 3 dishes and a side; we were truly stuffed by the end. The food came out as and when it was ready. Beef brisket rendang loaded bone marrow came out first, served on a beef dripping flat bread and with cl"coconut cabbage" - a kind of gently pickled slaw. This was all kinds of delicious and was our favourite dish. Next, came our Korean Fried Chicken, fries and XO duck fried rice all at once. The duck was served in a lided clay pot, so we attacked the KFC & fries first. The chicken was crisp, boneless and yielding. It was good, but the hot glaze it was dressed with was so spicy that it slightly zapped some of the flavour that was initially present. The fries were a great example, crisp and translucent. The duck was okay, it was tasty and had a whole fried egg sat on top of the rice and under a layer of duck - there were instructions to chop and mix the dish before eating, which was a good idea. It was tasty enough, but the consistency was a bit odd, slightly sloppy / too wet, which wasn't quite what we were expecting from a fried rice dish. The bill came to £68, which was fair for the food, a grapefruit drink and a large glass of wine, including a tip. Overall there was a lot to like here and I'm sure we'll definitely be back.

Food is delicious, not cheap but very few places are these days. The watermelon salad is to die for as, a side dish.

Food was good but slightly over-seasoned. Would have been better if instead of individual plates, complimentary pairings were suggested on the menu. The haggis special plate was very heavily seasoned but paired fantastically with the accompaniments and was the standout dish for me.

This place is buzzing. Have been several times now and never disappoints. The menu is so creative and interesting, the food is outstanding. Service is excellent and it's always packed. Booking in advance is essential. Great to have such a cool independent restaurant thriving in Norwich. Bravo 👏

Can I just say. If the food at XO kitchen gets any better we are all going out of business. Demi (one of the waitresses) is probably the kindest soul and so good at her job. Such an eloquent human being with extreme manners and fit. If jimmy keeps hustling so hard in the kitchen he’s gonna be in get rich or die trying Pt2 #manymen - love Isaac XO more like X YO that’s ruddy delicious, had an absolute corker of a time… the service.. the food.. the atmosphere..MWAH! I can’t recommend enough and big shout outs to are hostess for the night Demi Demi ding dong, what a diamond. Love always Jack x

I was in Norwich for the evening and looking through Google reviews I decided XO Kitchen was worth a try. I was not to be disappointed. Service, beer, wine and most importantly the food were truly awesome. Spring roll, cheesy corn, Lamb and Liver rosti and the duck rice were all exquisite. I had hoped to take home a doggy bag but alas, it all ended up in my belly.... Soooo good. Seriously, give it a go, you will not be disappointed. 10/10. Thanks to the other reviewers, an absolute gem 💎

Excellent small plate food, great flavour combinations, will definitely be back!

Truly 5 Star ⭐✨⭐✨⭐ Walk in to meet the best bartender in the city, bar none. I've known Spencer's work for more than a decade. What he doesn't know about drinks isn't worth knowing. No real wait for a delicious drink, it's there just as you need it. It feels like a cool, less known hot spot in big city without the crowds or pretention.Then the lovely warm food service starts. So kind, personable and vivacious! The menu is full to the brim with tasty, intelligent, soul food plus an artistic twist. Sated and very full I felt ready to face a freezing night. The wonderful ambience is a breath of fresh air on a mid week night in Norwich, a smaller city. Go! Or you'll miss out!

I want to say a massive thank you to the legends at XO. I booked a table for my GF and her best friend, for my GFs birthday. I unfortunately wasn’t able to be in the country at the time. The staff at XO made sure to go above and beyond with my requests and made it super special for her, for that I’ll be forever grateful. Thanks guys. Amazing service. Legends.

We’ve been to XO Kitchen several times and always really enjoyed the clever Asian fusion food. It’s good value and the portions are generous. Most recently we hired the back room for a birthday dinner. Such a fantastic evening - not only was the food as good as ever but the service was excellent - everyone went out of their way to ensure we had a memorable evening. Highly recommend for everything from date night dinners to parties!

Very popular destination, menu is creative with some excellent dishes. It's a canteen relaxed type restaurant and recommend sharing the dishes. It can work out expensive, so careful how many dishes you pick.

Great service and great food at reasonable prices. I recommend it. Dog friendly too. My second visit with family and 🐕. The waitress told us it's a new menu. Excellent meal.

Overall a 5 star experience. Came here with no reservation last week for dinner. All the staff were really friendly and very knowledgeable and the service was very quick. The food and cocktails were amazing- especially the wantons and the amaretto sour!!. Will definitely be coming back here again.

I’ve been meaning to pop in here for years. I always walk past it and never bothered. More my bad than their fault oc. Today I was looking for a lunch time fancy, nothing heavy but enough to tickle my pickle. So, heading back into town (my original choice was closed) I passed by and thought “fk it, let’s go on inside” as it was a fairly cold day. I found a decent spot by the window and ordered from the mixed lunch time menu - I say mixed, and I mean variety which was wide so something for everyone. I didn’t realise it was Asian fusion prior to going in but after scoping the menu this soon became apparent. I had some South Korean friend chicken noodle soup with a Northern Curry twist. I don’t know much about Asian cuisine but it blew my mind. So tasty, so fresh. The flavours were tantalising, the relish sublime - zesty but not overpowering, spicy but not making the food tasteless. Every bite was a taste sensation. Food so good it shouldn’t be legal. I was honestly so impressed by this unassuming cafe / bar. I would heartily recommend the place to anyone for the food and im excited to try other stuff on the menu because it was absolutely delicious. I guess if Asian fusion isn’t for you then don’t come here, but anyone else, give it a try, you can’t be disappointed! The only slightly irksome thing was another customer who was excessively loud and it dampened the atmosphere. Not XO’s fault but they could have had a quiet word in his ear about lowering his tone. If I was put out others would have been too.

An amazing restaurant serving fusion food which was absolutely delicious. Really lovely staff. Highly recommend going here.

Great food, good for sharing and testing out new flavours and tastes. Good selection of soft drinks options and cocktails. If you don't share it can be a little expensive for the portion sizes, just something to consider!

The most amazing meal and experience. We sampled most of the menu between our party of 6 and each dish blew us away. So much flavour and top cocktails too. The staff were all so welcoming and attentive. Thank you so much XO

Our first visit Highly impressed with the service, food and venue Cool wine list. Delicious gin and tonic. Cocktails looks really good and will try those in a future vist Main menu is excellent but specials also very good. A sharing burrata was too good to remember to take photos of. Wontons were crispy and tasty. Sweetcorn ribs were outstanding Curry dishes for main. Both 😋 Highly recommended

I have never given a review before but our meal at XO was just exceptional. Booked a birthday party for circa 13 and simply said here is a budget per head, please surprise us. The food was just astonishing. The variety and flavours were amazing and the service was brilliant. Outstanding.

It started so well with the starters being simply delicious. However the mains were a severe let down. As a massamam curry fanatic I was left hugely disappointed with their rendition of one of my favourite dishes. The pork belly and crispy chicken disappointing too. The starters, with the BBQ corn, bone marrow and crab curry, wontons simply delicious I was gearing up for a good second half but it fell flat. I was also rebuked when asked for a bowl of rice 🍚 to go with the curry. They said no. They do serve sticky rice on the menu with the pork belly but "didn't have enough to order extra". Rice really doesn't take that long to whip up in my opinion and you need something to go with a curry. The naan provided was the only option. Service also was a Jekyl and Hyde experience. Really friendly guy greeted us and showed us the specials. However then we were served by a lady who couldn't care if she was there or not. Shame, I had high hopes but left feeling a tad bit disappointed at the end of the night

Food and drink were amazing, staff were friendly and nice music being played

Impromptu visit on a random Tuesday night after a meeting in the city. Such a great place, the service is welcoming, it’s not pretentious and the food was delicious. The only problem was leaving feeling soooo full!! Great job guys, we’ll be back. 🥰

XO is easily one of the best restaurants in Norwich! The food tastes amazing, the price is very good for what you get in my opinion and the atmosphere/staff are all lovely! Each time I go I always want to go again soon after to try something new!

Really delicious Asian fusion food! The servings are big as well so the price is really worth it. We went for dinner and they were very busy. Always recommend booking a reservation in advance!

Went to the XO kitchen for lunch today and had the pork and prawn burger. Not going to lie, it was the best burger I think I've ever had. Can't recommend this place highly enough.

Had the pork and prawn burger today. WOW

Only had a coffee but it was hot and strong so no complaints 👌

Impromptu visit with amazing food and service as always, already looking forward to my next visit. incredible vegan options too.

We’ve just visited for the third time, as a couple, and as we ate we both agreed that XO has claimed the title of our favourite restaurant in Norwich. The food is incredible, really delicious, constantly changing menu and such amazing flavours. We love that you can choose whether you share and have it arrive as and when it’s ready or have it come more traditionally as starters/mains. Oh and mustn’t forget to mention the fabulous cocktails! The staff are so so friendly. Warm, welcoming, happy to take time to recommend dishes and explain what is in each one: a lovely buzzy atmosphere too. Such a treat, would highly recommend.

Really lovely food and great service!!!👌

We had a fabulous meal at XO Kitchen. The welcome was wonderful. The food was delicious and full of exciting flavours. Everyone involved in our service was just lovely and gave a real sense that they were really excited about us trying things for the first time. We will definitely return.

Last night was my first time trying xo, service was really friendly and attentive and the food was just out of this world. If you're a foodie in city definitely a place to go.