| Venue name: | Busaba Eathai | Contact: |
|---|---|
| Address: |
22 Store Street London WC1E 7DF |
| Opening hours: | Meals served noon-11pm Mon-Thur; noon-11.30pm Fri, Sat; noon-10pm Sun |
| Transport: | Tube: Tottenham Court Road or Goodge Street tube |
| Price: | Main courses £7-£12.50 |
| Menu: | View Menu |
| Do you own this business? |
Average User Rating
3.2 / 5
Rating Breakdown
- 5 star:2
- 4 star:5
- 3 star:3
- 2 star:2
- 1 star:2
I have eaten in a number of their branches over the years and to me they have always been pretty consistent. Sometimes service a bit challenging, but where isn't when packed. Communal dining perhaps for some not ideal. Many people seem to love it, considering the queues I have seen outside some, especially the one in Soho.
We went for Sunday lunch and this was genuinely one of the worst meals I have ever had. It took ages to order, and the waiter was miserable, none of the staff were particularly cheerful or helpful actually. The chicken "satay" was three lumps of luke-warm, rubbery chicken with sweet chilli sauce (we thought they must have made a mistake, but the waiter said that this was definitely their chicken satay), the sticky rice was like jelly in a plastic bag, the char-grilled duck tasted of old meat, like it had been frozen for many, many months ... I could go on! And at nearly £70 for two adults and two children, with soft drinks only, it wasn't cheap! So disappointing, and seriously yucky! Stay away!!
I've eaten at this branch many times and as it's fairly hidden away you'd think that it wouldn't be as busy. Think again. Friday nights are as bustling as its Shoreditch and Oxford Street counterparts and this is despite the large downstairs area too. The staff are super friendly and more so than other branches. The first time I came here, a very nice waiter informed me of their promotion they have - not something you often get if you're already in a restaurant! The food as always, tastes fresh and authentic and portions are substantial. If you order anything, it has to be the calamari. I'm not a fan of the normal onion-ring type, but this is crunchy and flavoursome. The only negative is the communal seating can feel a little cramped if the restaurant is in its peak trading hours. But with delicious food at an amazing price; you can't have everything!
Best Thai in London at an affordable price. The in-house decor is nice. unfortunately you have to dine with other people as each table is made up of 10-12 people. The food comes quickly and the best dish on the menu is the Thai calamari. There are many dotted around London, so go and check it out.....
I'm not a great fan of communal dining restaurants, feels too much like eating in a school dining room. However, when the food is good it's a small price to pay. I've eaten in a number of the Busaba branches, the food is consistently good, the service is generally of a high standard with a few blips on the way. Personally, I prefer the spicy dishes, they aren't overpowering, but they do pack that extra zing to tantalise the tastebuds. I'm completely addicted to the Thai Calamari, I could tuck in a fill my boots on this alone, washed down with one of the very pleasant fruit juice concoctions, I especially like the Guava Collins. Although not the cheapest place to eat, the extra expense is worth paying for the consistently good standard of food.
I loved the food, but the place lacked any ambiance and we quick in & quick out. I suppose that's why the price was good.
I had my birthday party here and it was the perfect experience for a big group that wouldn't work in the main room. Recommend booking the private room if there's more than maybe ten people, there were 16 of us which was about right. Bill was very reasonable.
I don't quite understand TO hype - my experience was average. you get what you pay for - it's inexpensive and takeaway quality. staff were nice but we felt rushed. all in all mediocre.
Loved the place and found the food fantastic while remaining very affordable. I don't quite understand the negative comments...
There is a glut of Thai restaurants in London now, so any newcomers will have to be damn good to comptete with the established ones such as Addies, Thai Square, Blue Elephant etc. This newly opened branch on Kings Road, Chelsea left a lot to be desired. Three of the main courses came up cold (Pad Thai,Chicken and Beef) and only the duck curry (the one hot dish temperature wise) had any taste at all. The Pad Thai was far too small to share-as were the other dishes and was very bland. No deserts on offer and the wine we chose wasn't available. This massive barn of a place will not survive in this very competitive area of London if they don't pull their socks up pronto
I generally have very good experiences at this branch and others, but recently things haven't been so great. I had a coconut-based dish which I hadn't tried before, which wasn't very well executed and the flavours were generally a bit weird. Then we had an incident in this branch where my small glass of wine was exactly the same as my fellow diner's large glass of wine. There was only one or two pounds difference between the two, but two members of staff just proceeded to tell us why we were mistaken and refused to accept any fault or concede in any way that maybe we were telling the truth. It wasn't worth arguing with them about, but I was rather saddened that we had to argue at all. So, usually great food (the calamari and the various versions of pad thai are my favourites) but unpredictable service.
How did this make the top 50? I went to the branch in Westfield and it was extremely average. Very very very average. The menu was quite limited and stereo typical. The traditional dishes like pad thai were bland. Still, better Time Out introduce these restaurants than actual good ones so they don't become too popular.
