Busaba Eathai

Thai Restaurant in Soho
Busaba Eathai image
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7 / 10 from 8 reviews
Address
106-110 Wardour Street
Soho
London
W1F 0TR
Map
Telephone
020 7255 8686
Cuisine
Thai
Other Branches
Busaba Eathai
Region
Soho
Nearest Station
Tottenham Court Road
0.24 miles
Opening Summary
Mon – Thurs: 12noon to 11pm
Fri – Sat: 12noon to 11.30pm
Sun: 12noon to 10.30pm

The original Busaba Eathai opened in 1999 in London's salacious Soho. Fifteen years later, there are still queues along the street every night of the week.

Busaba Eathai Picture Gallery

Busaba Eathai
Busaba Eathai
Busaba Eathai Picture

All In London Review

Crowd pleasing Thai food

Alan Yau is laughing all the way to the bank. From setting up ubiquitous noodle chain Wagamama to the higher end Yauatcha and Hakassan, through mid-priced Cha Cha Moon and Italian bakery-style Princi, every venture Yau turns his hand to seems to turn into a goldmine.

The Wardour Street branch of Busaba Eathai regularly has queues winding around the pavement, this despite there being a further three branches in close proximity, near Bond St, Piccadilly Circus and Goodge St to be precise.

So what’s the key? Is the food tantalising? Are they giving dishes of Pad Thai away for free?

Inside, long communal tables are shared by diners, the lack of space and intimacy being a typical characteristic of Yau’s eateries. Low level lighting and noise are the other two. A place for a date this is not.

The menu has noodles, stir fries, grilled dishes and curries to choose from, as well as plenty of vegetarian options. Portions of noodles are hefty - the smoked chicken with Chinese broccoli and egg (£6.90) has generous chunks of smoky meat sitting atop bundles of thin noodles.

The chicken and butternut squash stir-fry with cashew nuts and chilli (£6.60) is moderately spicy while the char-grilled sea bream (£9.80) is cooked to tender perfection and aromatised with chilli and lime. Large pieces of fennel complete the dish.

The Thai calamari (£5.70) is a definite highlight, cooked in a light crispy batter with ginger and peppercorns which add a little heat. Sticky coconut rice (£2.70) is served in quirky pots with a hole on top.

A guava Bellini (£5.50) doesn’t quite live up to its exotic promise by lacking in flavour but the hot sake (£4.70) is expectedly fine.

So why do Londoners flock here? Dishes are consistently tasty, a generous meal can be had for around a tenner and Brits love a bit of Thai. Food I mean.

Reviewed by Leila
Published on Sep 14, 2010


User Reviews

EmmyLovesGoodFood

Aug 30, 2010

2 words: Thai Calamari!
Anonymous

Jul 8, 2010

The food is excellent, the location nice, it is always packed between 7 and 8, the seating arrangement is very cosmopolitan and the service is adequate and very charming.

I go at least once a month
Anonymous

Jan 25, 2010

Went on a Busy Friday Night. Service brilliant. There were 12 of us and everyone's food came very chilli and food had no real flavour. worked out £20 per head with alcohol. I hear good things about their lunch menu. It is ok, nothing too special.
Anonymous

Aug 16, 2009

A really lovely place to eat!
We were in a line for about 15 minutes before we go in, as they were very busy (which I understand is fairly normal) but once inside our orders were taken very quickly!
According to other members of our group, the service was a bit slower than usual, but I thought it was fine, enough time to have a half glass of wine and a bit of a chat before the food arrived.
The food was really delicious and very reasonably priced. The atmosphere is really excellent too, very relaxed and friendly.

Anonymous

Nov 28, 2008

This is by far my favourite thai restaurant... food is always fantastic and the casual atmosphere is great! Two thumbs up :)
scaro

Oct 10, 2007

Folk were queueing outside. We got in fairly quickly though. It is obviously a popular restaurant with good décor and atmosphere.

But the food was average to poor. Chargrilled duck with tamarind seemed ‘manufactured’ – it didn’t look like any part of a duck I’d ever eaten, the texture was strange, it seemed overcooked and chewy, and the dish lacked flavour.

Similarly the pandan chicken was ‘bulky’ and lacking in taste . . . the worst pandan chicken I have ever eaten.

One got the sense, with this and the duck, that this was production-line food .. . but big portions don’t make up for an absence of flavour.

The pad thai was passable but could have used a side serve of fr
TravelOwl.co.uk

Dec 21, 2006

This is a great place to catch a quick, good quality meal. The Thai food is superb and there's always a great atmosphere.

The atmosphere is relaxed and you'll feel right at home stopping by for lunch with some business associates or dropping in with a couple of friends.

The menu is good and dishes aren't expensive, unlike Yo Sushi or other places you don't feel rushed which is great for a place that provides 'fast food' of high quality.

I've enjoyed a number of really superb Green Thai Curries and will be heading back this weekend as I've got a day in London.

I hope you like it too!

TravelOwl.co.uk
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