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Growing vegetarian Indian restaurant group, Namaste Village, has welcomed its sixth site to the beautiful and historic city of Oxford, opening opposite The Malmaison in Oxford’s Castle development.

Namaste Village opened its first site in Norwich in 2016 and now has further restaurants in Twickenham, South End On Sea, Cambridge, and OmNom at Namaste in Islington*, with further sites on the horizon for 2025 and beyond.

Celebrating heritage flavours, Namaste Village is dedicated to vegetarian and vegan food, drawing on influences from all over India. You’ll find biriyani and dosas reflecting classic South Indian cuisine, while street food dishes come from Gujarat and Mumbai, and curries are based on Northern Indian recipes. All food is made using a flavourful combination of spices and sauces to deliver an authentic Indian experience which appeals to vegetarian and meat eaters alike.

Namaste Village pride themselves on their exceptional spices which are sourced from the heart of India’s regional spice markets, then ground in-house to create their signature spice mixes. A selection of their aromatic spice blends are always available to take away and use at home or can be purchased  online from the Namaste Village Bazaar.

Namaste Village Oxford – Food 

Signature starters on Oxford’s menu include Mumbai-style potato-packed samosas, offering a light spice with cinnamon and spicy hints in their dough casing. Street food house special Dahi Puri is a treat – created from hollowed crispy puri filled with spiced mash potato, tomatoes, chutney‘ magic’ masala, spiced yogurt and fresh coriander, and pomegranate served with fresh homemade date, and coriander dipping sauces; while Indo-Chinese special cauliflower fritters, with spring onions and capsicum in house special chilli sauce, pack a moreish punch.

Standout curries include Chick’n Jalfrezi, plant-based chicken chunks in a spiced tomato sauce studded with stir-fried bell peppers and onions, and Paneer Angara, smokey tandoor roasted paneer in a fiery hot gravy of tomatoes, cashew nuts, select spices and fresh herbs including chillies.

Namaste Village’s signature Black House Daal combines black lentils and red kidney beans in a mildly spicy, buttery and creamy gravy, slow cooked for at least 24 hours in the tandoor; South Indian Dosas are made from ground and fermented rice-lentil batter and served with spiced lentil sambar and coconut chutney; and Jackfruit Biryani Rice (jackfruit, mint, coriander and aromatic basmati rice cooked in a clay pot with nuts, spices and herbs) is full of flavour.

Namaste Village Oxford – Drinks 

Accompany your meal with fresh mango lassi made with pure kesar mango pulp, a warming spiced masala chai, or classic Indian Nimbu soda.

Cocktails are infused with Indian flavours like tamarind, chilli, and cardamom. Try The Holi-Tini – inspired by the Indian festival of colours and love – made with gin, passionfruit liqueur and pineapple juice shaken with tamarind and garnished with dragon fruit powder, or perfect for the autumn months, Kaffir Negroni – an exotic twist to the Italian classic – gin based with bitter bianco and bergamot, finished with a green touch of kaffir lime leaf.

Indian-style Cobra beer is on tap or keep it local with a Bearded Man from Oxford Brewery. A small and succinct wine list has been created focussed on sustainable wineries and small scale vineyards that prioritise biodiversity.

Alongside food and drink, Namaste Village prides itself on offering an experience of warm, traditional Indian hospitality, featuring flavours and fragrances that take you back to the culturally rich streets of one of Asia’s most vibrant countries.

Charity runs deep in Namaste Village’s roots and is enriched with Indian values. Aiding to solve World Hunger is a cause the team are very passionate about, so much so that they have their own in-house initiative Dosa on the Wall. Customers are encouraged to donate £5 (or more if they wish). Namaste Village matches each donation equally to make it one free meal, roughly the price of their Masala Dosa, spreading support for others and good karma. For every donation made, a sticker is displayed on the restaurant window and anyone in need of a meal can use it to claim a free meal. This person could be from all walks of life, simply in need of a meal, without losing his/her dignity.

Mr & Mrs Jetani, Founders of Namaste Village said; Bringing Namaste Village to Oxford is a dream come true. As passionate advocates of a vegetarian and vegan lifestyle, we’re honoured to join the city’s rich food scene and showcase how vibrant and satisfying plant-based Indian cuisine can be. We also hope to soon bring our Namaste Cookery School to Oxford, so these flavours and values can be shared beyond the restaurant and into people’s homes and daily lives.”