Curry Night at Permit Room, Oxford

Can’t stop, won’t stop talking about Permit Room!

Ever since Permit Room landed in Oxford, I have been a huge fan. I always felt that the Oxford food scene was lacking a good Indian restaurant, so Permit Room fit right in.

The low-level lighting vibe at Permit Room sets a nice atmosphere, but it is not the best for a foodie trying to get some photos- it does have its own charm though.

I was craving a good curry and a drink, which naturally had to start with my favourite cocktail at Permit Room…

Kiwi Colada Shimmy

Ever since the opening of Permit Room, I’ve fallen in love with the Kiwi Colada Shimmy, and honestly, I just love the name. It’s an icy pineapple-coconut classic with rum, kiwi, lemon grass, and ginger.

In short form, it’s basically a slushie cocktail, so how can you go wrong with that? Taste-wise, I would say the kiwi and pineapple are the strongest flavours, with the lemongrass and ginger helping balance out the sweetness. I had no idea that there was any flavour of coconut in there until looking at the menu again!

So far, still my favourite cocktail here.

Let’s get to the food!

Their Chicken Ruby curry is always a winner for me.

Here is a rundown of everything we had:

Chilli cheesy garlic naan bites
Dishoom chicken ruby
Garlic naan
Basmati rice

We absolutely loved the chilli cheesy garlic naan. It came out nice and hot, and the melted cheese makes it even more delicious. There wasn’t much chilli on these, which would have added a nice layer of flavour, but I would still order these again.

The chicken ruby has to be my favourite thing on the menu. It’s packed with so much flavour, and they don’t skimp on the chicken or the curry – I’m drooling just thinking about it again. The portion is generous too, so we left very full.

Final Thoughts

As you can tell, I do really love it here. The service is always incredible and the staff are friendly, probably some of the best and most consistent service in Oxford’s food scene!

The consistency might have to be my favourite thing about Permit Room. Whether it’s the drinks, food, or service, everything is consistently good no matter what time you go there, and I think this is something that is quite hard to find these days!

The one thing I will say is that it is quite expensive. When the bill came, we both had a little heart attack, as it totalled up to be quite a bit for what we ordered- something to keep in mind.

Are you a fan of Permit Room?