I sometimes forget about the huge variety of restaurants/bars at the top of Oxford’s Westgate shopping centre – but have recently reacquainted myself and there’s some gold up there. It’s a great spot for an evening date night, catching up with friends, or even a solo dinner date.

Dirty Bones resides up there, with a large dining space and an impressive bar. Staff are warm and friendly and just the right level of attentive. I recently went for dinner and tried the new Summer menu. A great mix of meat dishes, fresh Summer salads, cheeky cheesecakes, and a range of cocktails – it’s a menu you should explore for sure.

First up – bevs! Yes, I went for the ‘Fab’ cocktail (inspired by the Fab ice lolly) because yes, I’m 12 years old. It was indeed fabulous (wahey) and I ate every single sprinkle that came with it. 10/10 would drink again.

For starters, we shared the mac and cheese balls and the Padron peppers. I don’t think I’ve dined anywhere without ordering the Padron peppers – they’re the best. However, this was the first time I’d been served them with a sauce. A satay sauce no less – delicious. The mac and cheese balls were served atop a gochujang and yuzu sauce. Anything gochujang gets my vote – stunning.

For our main we shared the ribs and the crispy fried chicken. The chicken was fried and seasoned to perfection – super crunchy on the outside, succulent and tender on the inside – mwah! It was also not too heavy, and left us the right amount of satisfied. The ribs were tasty, but nothing to write home about. The chicken definitely won.

Chips and slaw were the sides we went for, but there’s quite a decent selection of sides/small plates. Great for sharing if you’re in a bigger group.

After all the food and cocktails we didn’t have space for dessert but the menu was definitely inviting – pretty sure I saw something called an ice cream doughnut sandwich, highly likely I’ll be going back for that.

Dirty Bones have various menus and offers going on during the week – Wing Wednesdays (bottomless wings, I repeat – BOTTOMLESS WINGS!), a £10 lunch menu, and a brunch menu. I’d be keen to hear what you think if you try any of these menus.

Dirty Bones Oxford
304 The Westgate, Queen St, Oxford OX1 1PG
dirty-bones.com