Harden's survey result
Summary
“One of a kind!” – this old-school favourite “on the ground floor of a mansion block near Regent’s Park” has seemingly “been perfectly preserved in a time-warp, given a menu, decor and staff that don’t seem to have changed in decades (and the prices seem remarkably reasonable, as though they too have escaped inflation)”. Some in our annual diners’ survey “go every week” (“we are life-long customers, as were my parents before me”; “30 years visiting this restaurant and never a bad meal”) and the place is famous for being packed with silver-haired north Londoners celebrating occasions with their families (“Happy Birthdays are sung and there’s cake with a candle”). “Some things just never go out of fashion and it all just works”: “there are elegant pink tablecloths and napkins” arranged in a 70s’-tastic manner and “the set price menu includes melba toast, then crudités as well as generous servings of the main dishes”, drawn from an “old-fashioned” menu which incorporates items like Dover Sole Véronique or Veal Schnitzel Holstein. Portions are “substantial” and “you’ll never leave hungry!”, although some are “still in mourning for the dessert trolley (a victim of Covid)”. “It’s always full, so remember to book!”
Summary
“Oslo Court is one of a kind” and “still going strong after 40 years” at the foot of an apartment block north of Regent’s Park. “Old School in the extreme”, it’s a “classic that never goes out of fashion”… at least if your idea of ‘classic’ is drawn from the era of the mid-1970s. “From the peach tablecloths to the generous servings of melba toast, butter curls and crudités, it’s like going back in time… in a good way. Staff make you feel very special, the whole experience is warm and fun and the classic cooking is great”, so long as you are looking for the antithesis of modern food fashion. “The menu is incredibly large and there’s a long list of specials too” (remember Avocado & Prawns? Or Melon with Parma Ham? Dover Sole Véronique?). “Bring an appetite” as “portions are excellent”. Also, go in festive mood: seemingly everyone over the age of 80 in north London is there to celebrate an occasion (“I lost count of how many times Happy Birthday was sung at lunch last Saturday.”). Top Tip – “the waiter who has been there years still serves the best desserts”.
Summary
“For a birthday there’s nowhere better to come, whether you’re 80, 90… or older!” – this “fun trip down memory lane” at the foot of a Regent’s Park apartment block just goes on and on. A perfectly preserved time capsule from the 1970s (“from the salmon tablecloths and napkins to the recently departed ruched curtains”), you “sit down to crudités with a garlic dip and Melba toast then move onto a three-course meal from an extensive Italian-biassed English menu”: “it’s the most comforting of comfort food” (“Steak Diane as a main… wonderful!”). Service-wise, it’s “a well-oiled machine”: “all ages are well looked after, especially the oldest and youngest” and it’s a “go-to venue for family celebrations” for a large slice of north London. “Portions are huge” (“even the teenagers in the party struggle with the quantities”), but you must leave space for pud, delivered by Neil “the fabulous dessert waiter, who always ‘saves his favourite just for you’!”
Summary
“Let’s do the time warp again (…and again, and again, and again, and…)” – this happy relic at the foot of a Regent’s Park apartment block “hasn’t changed in 30 years, and why should it?” Stuck in perpetuity in the mid-1970s (complete with salmon-pink décor; long-serving waiters from that era; and a menu that’s not wittingly nostalgic, it just never changed) “it would take the hardest of hearts not to be moved to inexplicable joy by an occasional visit here”. The “amazing staff really look after you”, “you won’t leave hungry”, and the arrival of the dessert trolley provides a rapturous climax to the occasion. They are also terrific with kids, who often dine here as part of large family groups incorporating relatives at least 70 years their senior.
For 34 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
Have you eaten at Oslo Court?
Charlbert Street, London, NW8 7EN
Restaurant details
Oslo Court Restaurant Diner Reviews
"ninetieth birthday party for a friend absolutely magnificent - service faultless considering how busy it was"
"Does not change with old fashioned service and menu"
"As usual a memorable experience "
"Very busy Saturday lunch with family. As usual multiple birthdays in the restaurant food and service were faultless. Number of dishes with supplements are increasing"
Prices
| Availability | 2 courses | 3 courses |  |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Always | £55.00 |  |
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| Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £34.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £3.50 |
| Extras |
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|---|---|
| Service | 10.00% |
Charlbert Street, London, NW8 7EN
Opening hours
| Monday | CLOSED |
| Tuesday | 12:30 pm‑2:30 pm, 6:30 pm‑10:30 pm |
| Wednesday | 12:30 pm‑2:30 pm, 6:30 pm‑10:30 pm |
| Thursday | 12:30 pm‑2:30 pm, 6:30 pm‑10:30 pm |
| Friday | 12:30 pm‑2:30 pm, 6:30 pm‑10:30 pm |
| Saturday | 12:30 pm‑2:30 pm, 6:30 pm‑10:30 pm |
| Sunday | CLOSED |
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