Review: Namaste Village

Having returned from Leeds in July where I went to a veggie Indian restaurant which I loved so much, I was sad that there was nowhere similar in Oxford where I could relish in meat-free Indian dishes. Thankfully, my wishes were answered quickly with Namaste Village opening up their newest restaurant right by Oxford Castle only a few weeks later.

Offering bold flavours from all over the country, Namaste Village’s menu will delight both meat eaters and veggies alike. The founders behind what is now an established restaurant chain around the south of England, noticed that a lot of the Indian restaurants in the UK don’t reflect the authentic diversity in Indian cuisine and didn’t offer many options to veggies or vegans. So in 2010, Namaste Village was born, with Norwich hosting the flagship restaurant. Now in 2025, Namaste Village’s sixth restaurant has opened its doors to Oxford, where we can enjoy their creative menu that will keep you wanting to return.

Located at Oxford Castle, Namaste is tucked away next to the historic building, allowing you to take in the historic site with Namaste Village’s al fresco seating – perfect for these warm summer evenings. As you enter, you are enveloped into a warm and welcoming atmosphere with low lighting and rich colours on the walls. The staff are very friendly, with six members of staff moving over from the Cambridge branch to set up the Oxford restaurant.

As soon as you look at the menu, you will not be disappointed, with a large variety of flavours, spice levels and dietary requirements, there is something for everyone.

I wanted to try a lot of their different flavours and meat alternatives so we ordered a range of dishes to share – usually this is my favourite style of eating and Namaste Village caters very well to sharing dishes. However, you can very easily order your own meal if you wish.

To begin, no Indian meal is complete for me without a mango lassi.

It may be one of my favourite drinks on the planet and the one at Namaste Village does not disappoint, especially considering they have a vegan version which I have never come across before. With some pretty mango lassi art, the drink was the perfect start to the meal and balanced out the spices of some dishes very well.

For starters, we had to order a chaat, crunchy, savoury and saucy, chaats are some of my favourite Indian dishes. The crispy spinach chaat was listed as a Chef’s special so we opted for that one. It was delicious, so much so that I am thinking when can I return to get my chaat fix? Deep fried spinach leaves topped with chopped vegetables, chutneys and yoghurt, it was fresh, zingy and utterly addictive.

Very rarely do I see seafood veganised, so when I saw Namaste Village had vegan prawns, I had to order them.

Marinated in ‘koli’ spices, these were crispy and full of flavour. Served with a tangy mayo-type sauce, these will satisfy any seafood cravings. Then for a different flavour palette we had the chili chick’n which pulled on indo-chinese origins and was sweet, garlicy and sticky. This dish is indulgent, leaning into south-asian tastes, it will keep you going back for more. Each of the three starters were between £8 and £10, which is quite standard pricing for starters, especially ones that deliver big on flavour as these did.

Moving onto the mains, we opted for a veganised classic, chick’n butter masala, which was rich and creamy, not spicey but full of depth.

The portion size was a decent size too, after our three starters, we were already getting a little full by the main courses. The meat-alternative to chicken that Namaste Village use is juicy and succulent. This came in at £13.45 but you had to order rice or naan to go along with it which bumps up the price.

Finally, it would be wrong to leave without trying a Dosa, we opted for the Namaste Special Dosa which was filled with potato mash, grated paneer, desiccated coconut and sultanas. It was starchy and a little fruity but in a great way, and complemented the flavourful curry really well. It was perfect for mopping up all the sauces we had left over on the table.

Though by this point I was so full I was ready to roll home, I was too tempted by their Gulab Jamun dessert. It is a syrup-soaked milky dough ball, served with Kulfi ice cream, mago pulp and cashews. Refreshing and light, I was glad I got the opportunity to try this out.

Overall, Namaste Village is offering bold flavours that I cannot wait to eat again. To celebrate their opening in Oxford, they are offering 50% off all dishes if you say the code LOVENAMASTE when ordering. No excuse not to visit now! You will not be disappointed.