The mezze bowl at Damascus Rose in OFS Cafe

Oxford has got so many hidden gems squirrelled away, but sometimes it’s hard to see past the restaurant chains and opt for something more original.

So next time you’re stuck, or wondering where to grab lunch in the city centre, bear the OFS Cafe on George Street in mind, because it houses Damascus Rose Kitchen whose authentic Syrian food offering is superb.

OFS Cafe

We are so lucky to have them here because the social enterprise not only supports Syrian and Arabic-speaking refugee women, but they are the ones preparing their home cooking for you, which is why it all tastes so damn good.

The cheerful OFS Cafe interior is always busy, largely due to the fabulous food, but also because it’s an accessible, bright, open space, perfect for a catch up.

Great coffee at OFS Cafe

So when a quick lunch was needed before a meeting, we snuck in, grabbing the last remaining table in the corner, as students, residents and visitors, young and old, enjoyed themselves around us.

Check out the menus, or the giant blackboard, and order at the counter. The coffee is great here and brunch is served all day if you fancy a Syrian breakfast or the shakshuka eggs.

But it was cold and wintery so we dived into a bowl of Damascus Rose Kitchen Soup (£5) made with lentil, carrot, potato and onion, served with fresh bread, and some lemon to squeeze in. Thick, hearty, nutritious and affordable, it hit the spot with its delicate spicing.

Soup at Damascus Rose Kitchen

But if you’d like more of a selection, and fancy trying lots of different things, then the mezze bowl (£12) is the way forward (see main pic). Generous, vibrant and adventurous, it includes the likes of hot crispy falafel, hummus, fattoush, broad bean salad, pita bread and batata harra (diced potato with garlic, coriander and chilli) and a mediterranean veg stew.

Throw in a portion of velvety baba ganoush (£6) (a rich, smokey aubergine dip topped with parsley and pomegranate seeds) and we were good to go, devouring the delicacies before us.

babaganoush at Damascus Rose Kitchen

The hummus was so smooth, without that starchy grainy texture you find in supermarkets, perfect smeared on the pitta topped with the fried falafel balls (ground chickpea mix), crunch of salad and bite of the spicy potatoes.

There are pastries, cakes and cookies at the counter but our time was up, and we had to depart for our meeting hastily. But what a wonderful way to spend a lunchtime, whether you’re on your lunch break or just passing by.

Lunch at Damascus Rose Kitchen

And you’ll never have to worry about consistency or standards slipping because the women running Damascus Rose Kitchen take enormous pride in what they do and the quality shines through.

Open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am-3pm, don’t walk past next time you’re on George Street but venture in to the OFS Cafe for some of Damascus Rose Kitchen’s proper Middle-Eastern hospitality. https://oldfirestation.org.uk/cafe/