XO Kitchen in Norwich

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

Amazing flavours. Great friendly service.

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!

Had the pork and prawn burger today. WOW

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.

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.

Elite cooking. Perfect in every way. Service, dishes and faultless cooking every single time! Go if you haven’t, it’s easily one of the best restaurants in Norwich. Bang bang

Fantastic meal last night with friendly service, definitely recommend booking as it it was full all evening

So good-veggie main just amazing. Boys say wantons were “actually amazing”. Tasty good food with great ambience 10/10

One of the best meals I've had out in Norwich. We ordered 8 dishes between 4 of us and each one was incredible; so tasty. The service was on point as well and the price was really reasonable. More beer choice on tap would be goos, but you really can't fault quality like this. We'll be back again soon.

Food is 10/10. Service is sharp. Reall good vibe and music. Cocktails are brilliant. 100% would recommend

Unfortunately editing my first review as this time was disappointing. We waited around half an hour to order and then finally received our food an hour and 15 mins after we sat down. If we were told there would be such a long wait we could have gone elsewhere. There was a table next to us who were sat after us but they ordered before us and had all their food before we had even gotten the first few dishes. For the first part of the meal there were people being extremely loud and noisy and we didn't realise that xo is more of a pub at night. I think we would return for lunch but not for dinner again, just due to the service. The food was good for everyone so we would return at a less busy time. Old review: First time at XO and definitely won't be the last. Everything was delicious and this made up for a horrible birthday meal last night elsewhere.

The food was nice, however the service was painfully slow. We didn't have our food order taken till we had been sat half an hour (while a table which came in after had their oder taken before us) it then took over 45 minutes for our food to come. It was busy but we were never warned of a long wait, if we were we probably would have gone somewhere else. It's a shame because the food was good but I couldn't see myself going back.

The food is delicious. Simply delicious. The atmosphere a little chaotic but fun because of it. The staff attentive & courteous. Will be taking our friends and family back soon

Worth a visit nice staff modern type food.

Went here at lunchtime. Lovely food. Tasty. Presentation good. Service great.Waitress was friendly . Didn't have to wait too long. Will go again.

Far too loud to be able to enjoy the food. The food was really well presented and tasty but overall experience wasn't great, I was sat with 3 people and we couldn't even hold a conversation.

I had the Burrata to start and it was excellent! I am huge Burrata fan. This was the most savoury version I have had and it was delicious. I should have had it as my main as it was such a generous portion. I had the crispy beef for my main and that was lovely too. Sadly I couldn’t eat much of it because I was full from the starter. My friends had the whipped tofu (again) with other dishes and highly recommended that and the Hispi cabbage. We had 4 starters and five mains and we all enjoyed the dishes. We were having such a good time I forgot to get photos of the mains

I had the burratta in a Thai basil pesto and it was brilliant. Had a side of the hash browns and they were excellent also.

Classic example of a place that does fusion so badly that it gives fusion a bad rep. The Thai satay chicken was flavourless, the satay sauce was peanut goop instead of how it should be - luscious, sweet, salty, tangy and creamy. I know satay sauce isn’t easy to make but come on. The crispy beef was chewy thin strips that tasted like nothing. The pork and prawn burger - I don’t know what that was, two things that shouldn’t be mixed together into one mince, was so strange as a burger and I usually love pork and prawn dumplings. The ladies toilet is three levels up - definitely don’t go if you’re pregnant or you’ll pass out before you get to it. Not super kids friendly. I asked what’s ok for kids and they said - French fries. That’s when I should have cut and run. Sigh

Outstanding, food and servise just amazing.

Only heard of this place from a random twitter post, thought we, a family of 3 would try it. What a place! The food was amazing, such a variety of different food with an Asia twist. We tried 7 dishes shared between us, the Korean chicken was the highlight. The staff were brilliant, knew the menu and answered any questions we had. Will definitely be returning Thanks all at XO for a lovely evening

Wow. This was our second visit and it won’t be the last. The food is absolutely flavour heaven. I can’t recommend XO highly enough. The atmosphere is vibrant, lively and loud but that just adds to the overall experience. The staff are so friendly and cheerful and to be honest I don’t know how they do it - service with a friendly smile despite being crazy busy while at the same time able to keep checking in on everyone so things flow smoothly. Once ordered dishes come quickly - prepared and produced to perfection. Whipped tofu - delicious! I could just eat that all night! I can’t fault anything I’ve had on the menu. I’d hoped to have the prawn tacos again as they were so good last time but they weren’t in the menu - but that’s also good because there’s nothing worse than the same old same old if you want to go regularly. If you’re in the vicinity give it a try! We are already planning our next visit.

If you want a quiet intimate dinner, whispering sweet nothings, this isn't the place for you. But if you want exceptional and unique food, served by very friendly staff ( who have every right to seem harrased in this very busy and lively restaurant, but aren't), then this is definitely the place to go. And again, and again. Who could even imagine whipped tofu could taste so good? And the pork and prawn wantons - you just want them! Oh, and the cocktails! We will definitely be back

Totally fab food and great staff

This is one of my favourite places to eat in Norwich. The vegan options are delicious.

Absolutely delicious! So glad I’ve found this gem! Very loud as it was so busy.

Had an absolutely incredible meal here. If you love punchy Aisan flavours given a UK twist this is a brilliant place to try. I'll definitely be back!

Food was imaginstive, witb some cool twists around presentation and flavour mixing. The menu is small, but with plenty of meat, fish and veggie / vegan choices. The Japanese salad was great, the salt and pepper tofu, needed a bit more spice. We had to wait a fair amount of time for our food, as I had no smaller plate / starter it was over an hour before I received any food. Service was excellent, friendly, helpful and attentive. Venue is a tad noisy, but if you like hustle and bustle it is a lively location. Great people watching opportunities.

I was hoping to see a new menu as they've had the same winter one rolling through. Wasn't very exciting, the burger wonton were especially awful. They were better the first time around at the Artichoke pub, it seems

I love this place! The food here is so so so soooo good, if you like some fusion! Everything was perfectly done!!!! Well done XO!

Fab place to eat, dropped in for supper while passing. Great food and service, I can highly recommend.

Went on a weekday dinner. Food doesn't taste as good as it looks. Had the chicken liver laksa, chicken liver was undercooked and badly seasoned, the laksa didn't taste nice, small portions and everything was way too spicy. Expensive and disappointing. Don't go. Giving 2 stars only because I feel bad. Front of house staff was nice. Service was 7/10. A bit understaff place. I went here for dinner once before covid at the artichoke pub. And it was way much better taste than this.