Edamame

Edamame is barely a restaurant. It's a narrow room on Holywell Street with a handful of tables, a kitchen the size of a cupboard, and a queue out the door at every service. None of that matters, because the food is some of the best-value Japanese cooking in Oxford. The menu covers the essentials — ramen, donburi, gyoza, bento boxes — and does all of them with an authenticity and care that belies the canteen setting.

Students discovered this place years ago and never left. At lunchtime, the queue can stretch down the street. This is not a complaint — it's an endorsement.

What to order

The chicken katsu curry is the crowd favourite and justifiably so. The ramen is warming and well-balanced. The bento boxes are good value — a full meal with rice, pickles, miso soup, and a main at a very reasonable price. The gyoza are handmade and crisp. Everything is freshly cooked, which is why you sometimes wait.

Good to know

Check payment methods before visiting — the restaurant has historically been cash-only, though this may have changed. The queue moves faster than it looks. Seating is communal and cramped; if you want space, come at off-peak times. Takeaway is available and sensible if you don't want to wait for a table. Closed between lunch and dinner services. The Holywell Street location is beautiful — one of Oxford's most intact medieval streets.