Cosmo is a world-buffet restaurant concept that redefines the “all you can eat” experience by taking diners on a culinary journey across the globe. With a central focus on variety and value, it presents a dazzling array of over 150 dishes from more than eight different cuisines—including Chinese, Indian, Japanese, and Italian—all served from a bustling, open-kitchen environment. Guests are invited to explore live cooking stations, from the sizzling teppanyaki grill to the traditional carvery, creating a lively and interactive dining experience that is perfectly suited for families, large groups, and anyone seeking a fun, flavourful adventure without the confines of a single menu. The Cosmo chain opened in 2003, and the Oxford branch opened in 2016.
A few weeks ago, we were invited to try it out, and since it had been a fair while since I had been, I thought it would be a great opportunity to see what the restaurant offers. To truly try the food and drink options, we went in a group of four, that included a vegetarian as well as a fussy child. The other two of us are really into our food and like to try different cuisines. This meant that we’d get a good chance to try most of the food and also look at how it caters to people with different sort of food needs.
Cuisine offered
Before we go into our impressions, let’s look at the cuisines on offer in the restaurant.
We have the following:
- Indian
- Japanese (sushi and teppanyaki)
- A doner kebab stand
- Italian
- British Carvery
- Salad station
- Chinese
- Sea food
- Soup
- A variety of puddings, including ice cream, a chocolate fountain, and many kinds of cakes.
- Some special dishes that seemed like were there as guest dishes
There is also live cooking, where you can ask chefs to prepare you fresh burgers, or grilled sea food.
Chinese, Indian, Japanese (sushi and teppanyaki), Italian, and a traditional British carvery. Live cooking stations are a highlight, where chefs prepare dishes like teppanyaki, grilled seafood, and meats fresh to order.
Drinks on offer
There is a full cocktail menu, a mocktail menu, as well as an assortment of your usual drinks on offer. Tap water can be had for free, and there is a station that lets you refill your water with or without ice. Soft drinks can also come with free refills.
The drinks are an extra cost, but they were very reasonably priced for Oxford. Moreover, they were also served in big portions, which was amazing. We really liked the mocktails, they were fresh and fruity!
The Atmosphere
We went on a Saturday evening, which probably is their busiest time. Each table gets 90 minutes to eat, which you are told as you sit down, and they then place a little note on your table that tells you when you need to vacate your table by.
The restaurant had a good atmosphere, lots of families with kids as well as groups of friends and such like. The tables are arranged in a somewhat cosy setting, but generally speaking it is fairly comfortable.
Beyond the table is the food, starting from Indian at the left, then Japanese, then Italian and guest dishes, then the carvery and then Chinese, finishing at the sea food. After that, you have the puddings.
As you sit down, a waiter will attend to your needs, ask you if you would like drinks, and then take your order. Plenty of waiters are around so you can always order more drinks or ask for other things as is needed. This created a generally relaxed vibe.
Once you are settled, you can head to the food area and grab whatever you would like.
Food highlights
I tried a little bit of everything, from Indian to Chinese. What I really liked about Cosmo was that everything was at a very good standard. It is often the case that a buffet may offer a lot of quantity but may lack the quality. I was pleased to observe that this was not the case here. Having said that, each cuisine did offer plenty of variety.
The Indian food itself was pretty decent. The sushi was nice but didn’t really invite many visits.
I found the spinning donner meat quite cute, and with it was a little kebab station where you could make your own wraps and add salad and sauces to it. If I had to be critical, I’d ask for more sauces like garlic or the chilli sauce you get in Turkish places. But otherwise, not much to complain.
The Italian was nice, and so was the carvery. Among the Chinese offerings, the duck pancakes were a particular highlight. They also had a lot of finger food among the Chinese, which was all sorts of things that you may find on various menus. From chicken wings to poppadom to chips and wedges.
The seafood was cooked really nicely too.
Some dishes that were really good was the lamb curry, this Persian Lamb and rice dish that was among the guest offerings, and the aubergine Chinese curry, which was simply splendid.
Food for vegetarians
The good thing about the wide variety of dishes on offer was that there was plenty of options for vegetarians. From curries, both Indian and Chinese, to pasta and pizza, to sushi. There was something for anybody who may be vegetarian.
Catering to the kids
Probably the hardest clientele to satisfy! For the little ones, you have the likes of pizza (margarita and others), mac and cheese, chips, more chips, some more chips, poppadoms, prawn crackers, and lots of other bits and bites.
Moreover, the pudding stall was a particular highlight for the little one. The self serve cones as well as the chocolate fountain were particular favourites.
Cost
At the time of writing, the cost for a main adult meal at the weekend is £23.99, while it is £11.99 for kids. On weekdays or at lunch times, costs are slightly less.
More information
You can find more about the Oxford branch of the Cosmo restaurant here: https://www.cosmo-restaurants.co.uk/restaurants/oxford
It is located in the city centre on Magdalen Street.
The link above can be used to book a table or find out more information as well.
The complete menu on offer can be seen here: https://www.cosmo-restaurants.co.uk/menu
Verdict
As somebody who loves food, and with the growing cost of eating out, I was pleasantly surprised to find not just the quality and quantity of food on offer at Cosmo, but how much it cost the four of us to eat there. I can definitely recommend for all sorts of people, whether you have fussy kids or people with particular needs, there is something for everyone.