Amanda V.

Ambiance is laid back and service is friendly and helpful. Food, however, is lacking. I got the green curry and it could not have been more watery or bland. Flavor was also sub par. My husband got some noodles, though, and he was moderately happy with his meal. Would not return.

Have definitely eaten better Asian food elsewhere. The Curry lacked flavors and had no distinct after taste or any wow factors. The Laksa was slightly better and more authentic. They have good lunch specials.

Marilyn V.

Came here upon a suggestion from a friend. Overall, the ambiance is casual, lively and staff are very friendly. Reservations online were a bit difficult bec of the limited time when reservations can be made. There's a wait to get in but it's not too bad considering Friday night. Asian dishes were well represented but I would say not done quite right. I was looking for the marriage of tangy lime/tamarind, the salty fish sauce and sweet flavours but none of them distinctly amazing. The sauces tasted about the same on every dish. Grilled chicken was a bit dry and overdone. Balinese Pulut Hitam Rice Pudding was the best! Black rice was chewy.

Zahra S.

We fell upon this place while we were hanging out in Soho. This is the perfect spot to come with friends, and their food is delicious! I like spicy food, and they had some great variety of Asian foods that were spicy and flavorful! Oh and they have buy one get one free drinks!!! ;)

Kimberly C.

I loved Banana tree. The vibe is very young and casual. I would highly recommend getting the laksa. It comes with so many different toppings and it is the perfect size. The broth is extremely flavorful and unlike anything other noodle soups that I have had. The curry is also good, but nothing special. The prawn chips were a fun addition. They also happen to have half off drinks at all times which is a huge plus. All the workers are so kind and ensure you have a great experience!!

Rabia J.

After eating English style fish and chips mostly during my vacation in London. My sister and I were craving some good Asian cuisine. Bad itinerary planning on my part, (went to London, then went to Paris then went back to London lol I just wanted to make my sister more adventurously tired) our train arrived to London from Paris in the evening for the last 2 days of our trip. By the time we put our luggage away and did some shopping near the oxford and regent street it was dinner time. We walked/ or took the train towards the west side of London. I was so tired that night not sure how we ended up in soho, London. Very lively place with bars and contemporary restaurants. And I wasn't sure why they had so many sex related stores etc. Later, I researched about it and discovered soho was one naughty place up to 1980s. The point is we found an amazing Asian restaurant called Banana Tree. They have 6 locations in U.K. Only have been to this location and it was very no fuss hip sort of restaurant with regular seating as well as communal seating. We ordered two mocktails (yummy/yummy) from their extensive mocktails/juice list. The appetizer noodle soup we ordered was amazing with a delicious curry flavor to it. We ordered two noodle dishes as well and they were unique and tasteful. The service was quick and efficient and I liked the casual date night atmosphere. If your in London go to one of their locations for sure (this one is for you Ash and your upcoming trip to Europe)

DJ And America V.

Where to start with this place? It stood out compared to the rest of the restaurants on Main Street heading towards Cardiff Castle. The only place we saw with Caribbean food. You walk in and the smell is out of this world! The music and interior design is just so much fun. I wish I lived in Cardiff so I could eat here regularly. During happy hour they have buy one get one free on their cocktails and let me say they are extremely delicious with all the fresh juice flavor! The food isn't too spicy and they have a lot of wonderful assortment of sauces you can try. The bathrooms were neat with the tire sinks. Nice staff. We really enjoyed this place.

Bethany W.

I was meeting a friend from home for a catch-up and she had a Taste Card so we had a nosey on the app and found Banana Tree. The offer was 2-4-1 on starters and mains AND happy hour cocktails... Happy days! I had heard good things about Banana Tree so I was happy to head there and check it out! The restaurant is huge with plenty of table and bar seating. I was annoyingly sat next to these winder leaver things which kept prodding into me so I wouldn't say I was comfortable throughout the evening. We ordered two Woo Woo's which, of course, turned into four. They were fresh tasting but there wasn't much alcohol in there and they went down a little too quickly, mainly because they were filled with ice. I then opted for the steamed chicken dumplings in a fresh herb and garlic sauce - they were served in a bowl and covered in the sauce. I have to say they were pretty good but if I wouldn't have been a big fan of the sauce then they would have been difficult to eat but luckily for me it was YUMMY. Next, I had their recommended Banana Tree Laksa with king prawns - rice noodles topped with a spiced coconut broth, with aubergine & bean sprouts. It was definitely hot. You could really taste the spice in the broth but it was good. There were plenty of prawns and SO MANY noodles. The bowl was huge and no matter how much I ate it just didn't seem to go down. I ended up leaving half of it which is never a bad thing I guess. I did enjoy it and would definitely have it again! Our waitress was friendly but we had to have the bill amended in line with the Taste Card even though we'd mentioned it twice and when actually asking for the bill. Overall our experience was good, it was just a shame about the few irritants but I would go again for a cheapish and satisfying meal if needed.

Marc S.

Yummy, quick, flavourful and good value. I'm going back! The Good: *Signature dishes were well prepared. Flavourful, well-portioned, and reminiscent of true Indochina cuisine. The Lahksa had an amazing coconut milk base, and was complimented by many spices, the noodles, and freshly prepared prawns. It hit the spot on a cold London evening. *We were seated right away (w/o a reservation), which is saying something, given the pretentious nature of a few of the SoHo eating establishments nearby. The Bad: *Two-for-One Happy Hour special drinks. Right? Right? (Sigh) First taste was 100% alcohol, and cheap stuff at that. After some of the ice melted, the drinks tasted like water, lacking flavour. But for the fresh passion fruit on top, these drinks were deplorable. The Ugly: Server was on his first day (and not as a trainee) and didn't have full knowledge of the menu, so special requests caused delay and confusion. Overall, their signature dishes are amazing! We'd go back for the food. Good prices as well makes this a winner for an exotic early dinner before a show-

Sampad D.

Another awesome place for asian fusion. Wonderful food. Service is good. Ambiance is OK. Recommended - The BananaTree Laksa

Jing Shyang Y.

Banana Tree is one of those asian/pan european restaurants. When it's done well, you appreciate the twist on classics and staples you've tried in those countries. Where it's done badly, it's just insulting, bordering on embarassing. At one of these type chains in Germany when I complained that a dish I'd had a milllion times was a little salty, I was told this is how it's supposed to taste! Gladly Banana Tree falls into the former category. That said, it's not perfect and there are a few areas it could improve. The interior is great. Spacious, airy, warm and you can see the food being prepped in the kitchen. Great. Service is brisk and polite, if a little stilted. Whenever I go to restaurants like banana tree or giraffe, I like to order things I'm familiar with to compare the quality of the dish. I picked the Thai Tamarind and Garlic Wings along with the double cooked crispy pork mix. These were great. New flavours and concepts for me. The double cooked crispy pork in particular crispy, but still moist inside. There were a few duds however that had obviously been over-fried which we had to leave unfortunately (I think this is the dish that gave me a sore throat afterward!) The achar pickle a little milder than you'd get in an asian household, but tasted great. For the mains, Chicken curry laksa and Kway Teow Mee. The curry laksa was great, lots of ingredients and the chef did make it extra spicy as we'd requested. The Kway Teow Mee however was lacking. The trick with that dish is to have a very high heat in order to char the noodles. This they got half way right. But the noodles should have been flat rice noodles instead of the standard rice noodles they used. Texture is everything. Additionally the Vietnamese coffee we ordered was WAY too sweet. Too much condensed milk and not enough coffee. We were way stuffed after those 2 courses which is a good thing. You won't go hungry on the portions here. However there is just a little work needed on the food to really elevate this place to 5 stars. Everything else from atmosphere, staff and interior is there. One last thing. There is a wifi point called banana tree at the branch, but it's locked and I was told this was for staff use only. That's annoying. If it's for staff only, call it something else. Wifi access is close becoming something every good business should have as standard. If only to upload my photos to Yelp or Instagram asap!