Oriental Condor

Walking to the Oxford train station, my eye caught this little gem of a restaurant. For some reason, you hang a duck or a pork belly in the window and my eye jumps to it! So I knew I had to try it as the smells and what I saw in the window all gave me the high sign that this was a place that knew what it was doing when it comes to Chinese food. Also the ratio of asian to europeans customers signaled me I was in the right place.
So for a little lunch we tried the pork belly and some of the duck. Both were so yummy. And the pork belly was some of the best. The skin crispy but not so hard you crack a tooth on it. The right amount of fat to lean. So yummy. The duck was pretty darn good as well. the meat flavorful and tender the the skin just crispy and yummy.
We also had some dumplings and other traditional dim sum items. The shanghai soup dumplings were just ok, not enough liquid, the pea shoot dumplings were a bit of a disappointment, but not bad. But the lotus wrapped rice was so yummy and so tasty I could hardly contain myself. A real treat and a must order in my opinion. The portion size was also just right for Dim Sum and not huge as you get at some places. Just enough to make you want for more.
I know some people will not like the décor of this place, but it is classic basic chinese with plain tables and nothing fancy. The food is what should bring you in, not that they have fancy table settings. Go, enjoy, tap three times with your finger when they bring the tea and sit back and let the pork belly melt in your mouth, it will be worth it.

Inviting from the outside, with the days meat hanging in the window! Felt like we were eating in a conservatory, but we weren’t looking for a fancy setting. Most of the food was good, so no complaints there (the noodles were cooked well, but in small broken pieces). Nice big menu too!

Bog standard Chinese with a vast menu. Quality ranges from very good to very poor, depending on the dish. The Chicken in yellow bean sauce and duck pancakes were good, but the beef dishes tend to be overcooked and flabby. Prices are good, and you can get a load of food for not much money. The place always seems to be full of chinese customers so that’s a good sign.
The worst thing about this place is the phone which plays an extremely annoying selection ringtones whenever someone calls. The staff seem to love this enough to leave it ringing for ages each time. The conservatory area at the back can get a bit chilly.

This is a chinese restaurant that is right next to the Oxford train station.
The food that they serve is authentic enough to be chinese, but not good enough to be considered good chinese food. they have a lovely big drawing along the walls which depicts a chinese night market.
I love their noodle dishes, but am not too enthusiastic about their roask duck, chicken, or pork dishes. The vegetables are sometimes overcooked and is cooked with too much oyster sauce, which covers the natural taste of the vegetables.
However, their food is good value for money, it may be worth a visit.

Ypou know, I hear that this place is fantastic but I’ve only ever been here with large groups of people.
We used to go here with about 20 people. I think the trouble with that is that they serve everyone else before they serve the large party. We have had to wait at times over an hour for starters and even longer for a main course.
Now, the food when it does come is really yummy. The menu is extensive and the preparation is really excellent. I do not understand why they always make us wait.
We haven’t been back for an awful long time because it is just too much to ask to be left waiting for over an hour for starters and I haven’t been there with a small group.
I’m sure that if you do go you’ll get the fantastic food without the terrible service.

The Oriental Condor is a cafeteria-​style Chinese restaurant in the heart of Oxford — it’s right opposite the train station. You can see into the kitchen through the front windows, and there are roasting birds displayed as well.
The entrance leads into the bar area, which is where you can wait if you’ve ordered a take away. The restaurant area is at the back. The décor isn’t posh, but it’s clean and there’s a lovely mural on one wall.
Whenever we go there are Chinese people eating in the restaurant — which speaks volumes for the quality of the food. The huge menu covers everything you would expect from a Chinese restaurant, but there are other choices too which represent more authentic Chinese food.
If you’re in to refined dining then you won’t appreciate the hustle and bustle, but the Oriental Condor is a great place for a good and quick Chinese meal. The portions are a good size, and the prices are reasonable and it’s a thoroughly fun meal out — chopsticks are standard and you’ll only get cutlery if you ask!