I stumbled into this restaurant looking for a place that's not a long line in Covert Garden during Christmas. didnt know this is a chain. we didnt have reservation so they sat us in the communal table upstairs , but in the end the table was just for ourselves. i had their crab curry, it was really delicious. you can see a lot of crab meat inside and a good kick of spice, perfect to eat it with rice. our group ordered different things, heard the green curry and the butternut squash curry are not as good, but the pad Thai seems legit. they also have kids menu. The service is pretty slow. it took a long time to get the order and took very long for the food to arrive as well. overall it's a great Thai place but you just need to know what to order. read more

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The food was excellent. Each dish brought unique flavors. Interesting combinations that really worked. Definitely a good chef and/or owner who puts thought into menu items. Service just okay and bench seat fabric was falling apart. A bit worried when I saw this but food made up for it. read more

Lovely Thai restaurant just around the corner from Covent Garden underground station. We came with friends and their child as walk-ins on a cold rainy day - it was relatively easy to get seats as one of their larger communal tables in the back. The space is very modern and warm. Food was pretty good. Sadly I ordered a butternut squash curry that wasn't very tasty at all. It came with a coconut curry sauce, and I added chicken and rice to the mix but overall it just tasted bland. The other dishes from friends were much better - major shoutout for the Crab Curry though - that was hella delicious, and even comes mixed in a hollowed out crab shell. The Green curry wasn't very spicy, not for my taste anyways. I think overall they could give people more options for spice levels. Dessert on the other had was fabulous - a toffee rice pudding that was incredibly yummy and served with vanilla ice cream. Despite their resistance eventually everyone else had a bite and concurred it was quite wonderful. The only improvement is service speed. There were many times the staff didn't come check on us for long periods, especially when things got a little busier (we came around 2pm). Otherwise, nice little place to enjoy Thai food. read more

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I've always heard great things about Busaba so I was eager to try it for myself. I can definitely say that it lived up to the hype! Everything that I ordered was soooo good! To drink, I started with the guava Bellini. It was delicious so I quickly ordered another. To eat, I ordered the Chilli Beef Jasmine Rice bowl. It's the second option under "Rice Bowls". It was AMAZING. I love the fried egg on the top. So, so good. It was actually a pretty large portion so i took it home for later, and guess what?? Still amazing!! I also ordered the "Por-Pia Jay" veggie spring rolls. Those bad boys came with a yummy sauce. 10/10 recommend!! Great food, great ambiance. read more

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The ken Chan pad Thai was great, my husband ate one and got another to go. This is the spicy pad Thai with prawns. Mussaman duck curry was good. Brown curry not very spicy, duck was tender with potato. Tamarind fish is fried breaded fish, crispy and tangy flavored. Northern Thai laksa noodles, ok flavor. (Written by husband) read more

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Delicious this food ! Although that don't have all the traditional dishes they do have a nice selection of some traditional dishes. Recommend the spicy prawns and the green curry, nice ambiance . I would return when back in London :) read more

Busy Thai eatery conveniently located next to the ROH. Most of the seating is communal in big ample wood tables. The people seated at our table happened to speak Spanish. Two couples from Galicia. One couple wre visiting their friends in London and not used to the spicy food. They swapped dishes. Lol! The food was excellent. We ordered a sample of dishes: Chicken Satay Sticky wings Crab Fried Rice Sticky Rice Pad Thai Pad Kwetio Jasmin rice Chinese broccoli Washed down with Lemon Ginger tea and Singha beer. read more

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We were greeted happily around 10pm. I thought they might be closed but they said with a smile that they were still open for another hour. I've never been disappointed with Busaba and this was our first time at this particular location. Still amaaaaazign and still deliiiiicious. I decided to choose the summer special- it was fish curry with star fruit- really light and quite delicate. When I first saw it I thought it was sort of small but the broth was absolutely amazing with the rice and it turned out to be just the right amount for din din. Our friends from out of town really liked it as well. I know I can always order something different here because everything is good! read more

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Very affordable and tasty Thai food. I'd seen this chain (10 restaurants in London) recommended in various places and I'd say it's a great alternative to the blander, overpriced fare on offer at Wagamama and co. The food here is very reasonably priced (lots of dishes under £7 which really impressed me) and my chicken and lemongrass soup, as recommended by another review, was excellent (except for when I bit into something hard and bitter thinking it was a potato. It was not). My friend loved his chargrilled duck dish, which did indeed taste great. It also has a slightly nicer decor and atmosphere than the more canteen like versions and service was efficient and attentive. These restaurants tend to be in locations, e.g. Westfield, close to Covent Garden, where a lot of the food on offer is mass produced, sub par and at premium prices - if you find yourself in that situation - head here! read more

I avoided Busaba Eathai for years after several underwhelming experiences paired with my dislike of communal-style dining. However, I was in search for an affordable option on a Friday night in central London and discovered that Time Out cardholders receive 50% off of their food bill here- valid any day- so I put my prejudices aside. We visited the Covent Garden location and were greeted by the ubiquitous Busaba queue- a permanent fixture outside of their Soho branch in particular- but were seated almost immediately. We ordered prawn crackers to graze on and some drinks- the crackers were moorish and a satisfying complement to a cold beer. They were more scampi fries than the bland, Styrofoam variations often proffered to diners in Asian restaurants. The sweet chili sauce appeared to have come from a bottle and was uneventful. We then had issues with our drinks- I was brought the wrong order and had to ask twice before this was rectified. My boyfriend was happy that they offered a selection from Five Points Brewery, but he was given a glass that had obviously just come out of the washing machine- he fortunately prefers to drink from a bottle! The most astounding moment arrived with our mains when our server asked if we could manage with chopsticks and spoons- she explained that they were out of clean forks. This didn't cause me any consternation with my noodles, but my boyfriend felt that his curry required more practical utensils. We sent the waiter on a hunt for a fork while we eyed up our dinner. The food was average- my pad kwetio was billed as a spicy dish of flat noodles, smoked chicken, shitake mushrooms and prawns. In reality, it was a slick nest of noodles that lacked any real heat and was very sparing on the chicken. The king prawns were the highlight, perfectly plump and meaty and had somehow avoided soaking up the oiliness of their surroundings. My boyfriend's songkhla red curry arrived swimming in an aromatic broth and looking more appetizing than my meal. Sticky rice was required on the side because none was offered with the main. The ingredients of the curry were a bit sparse- the hunks of beef were generous, but there was a lack of tomatoes and peppers, which would add vivacity and visual interest to the dish. The flavours were good, however, and there was a discernible hint of heat. Service was sluggish and disorderly throughout the meal and there was muddling over our bill- our server accepted the Time Out card without any issue, but we had to request the bill several times. When it did arrive, he had already forgotten about the discount and it had to be recalculated. In the end, the meal and drinks came to £22.33, which I can't fault for a central London meal on a Friday evening. The central locations of Busaba Eathai are best avoided because the service suffers as a consequence of how busy they are. If you do visit a Busaba, the curries are a flavoursome choice, but don't expect more than a barebones version. If you're not in a rush, you are advised to track down an authentic Thai restaurant, as there are some wonderful and affordable gems all over the city. read more

Busaba Covent Garden - Prawn Crackers - Thai Near Me - London, XGL

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My Korean friend raved about this place....she said it was the BEST thai she's ever had... umm...i've been to Thailand...and I've had great Thai food that was not in Thailand and i LOVE Thai food...so I was really excited...but was disappointed~ sorry~ -the calamari was too salty -the fish curry was TEENY plate? wasn't even a place a half bowl? (I thought it was an appetizer dish) -coconut rice was too sticky what i liked: 1. ambiance (dark, bench style seating- GREAT for a date) 2. Food... was oki...honestly thought it was a might salty and the coconut rice was sticky... which was odd...didn't expect it to be so sticky...i'm asian..i know my rices... 3. The staff was nice~ our waitress helped with recommendations **like i said this is a great date spot because you can sit next to each other and it's sharing a BIG table with our guess so it kind of makes it less formal and more easy going but still with a nice ambiance. read more

Busaba Covent Garden - Ity bitty portions - Thai Near Me - London, XGL

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Very nice restaurant with a gastronomy full of imagination. The attention was super nice and a decoration very modern Thai read more

I am just not a fan... At all. I must be paranoid, but sharing tables with strangers is not my thing, what if they are crazy people spying on other's conversations? I went twice with a big group which was great but even then, the food was so so and the restaurant was super loud. I had a coconut / lemongrass soup the second time which was really, really tiny portions, but did not wish to order anything else. The first time, I also ordered soup which wasn't very good or big, so I then ordered pad thai, but asked the waitress to take the shrimps out.... When it arrived, it was covered with shrimps. Good thing I dislike them and was not allergic... I know a much better, familly-run thai very close, and it's much, much better! read more

Was in search of Thai food in the city and found Busaba. From the reviews I wasn't expecting much. Service is very poor, was seated in a spot were we weren't seen and felt forgotten. That being said, the food is amazing. Had a cocktail that was a spin on a piña colada, tasted like summer. And the portions were a good size. For this reason I would happily go back. read more

These are popping up all over the place, it seems! A smaller location but fast and super friendly service like you would expect from Busaba. Coconut chicken and lemongrass soup is pretty amazing, also, this is one of the only places I'll get calamari from....definitely order a side if you're a fan. The pandan chicken will also come with a side of the most amazing dipping sauce you'll ever get at a restaurant, hands down. Yes, this chain is a bit noisy, but the food is good and the guava bellinis are refreshing... suck it up, soak it in and have some Thai the Londoner's way. read more

I was thinking about 3 or 4 stars. I have decided for 4 star because of the food. I liked it a lot and it was my first time to a thai restaurant. Prices are high i think but the quality of the food worsted enought. I took spring rools and noodles, i don't remember the name but they were with chicken. Rolls were well fried and with nice taste. Normally they are quite heavy for uour stomach because if the fry but this time they were quite delecate. Regarding the noodles: they were nice but not great. I mean i have eaten noodles that were more tasty than those ones. A friend of mine took noodles with shrimp. They were spicy and tasty. I think next time i will take shrimps ones. By the way i think prices might be a little lower (we spent 25£ each one and we were 6 eating the same stuff) I will definitely eat there another time. read more

What with the British summer rain and clouds destroying our plans to go up to the top of the shard on my birthday at the time we wanted we were pretty much left to fill the time with eating. I fancied Thai food and after reading the reviews we ended up here. I was not disappointed despite there not even being a hint of Thai iced tea anywhere, which must be an American invention. We started with the prawn crackers and Bellinis and homemade lemonade. Their list of drinks is extensive and creative, though the portions are somewhat smallish. We wanted the roti bites but sadly we were out of luck as they didn't have any. Instead we ordered two mains, more than enough for two of us to share at lunch. The beautifully presented tamarind duck was amazing and I would order this 10 times over for the tangy sauce alone. The side order of sticky rice that came in a cute little woven box was a good accompaniment. We also ordered the sen chan pad Thai dish which was good and had a completely different flavour profile but it was not as memorable as the duck. There was just about enough meat in there and the shrimps had been properly prepped, so I wasn't eating fish poop, yay :) If I was to go again I would definitely order the duck again and then perhaps try another new dish or two. The decoration is modern and the ambience is relaxed. You are sitting on benches at large square tables that could seat up to 12 friends and maybe 8 strangers. So yes you may well be eating right up close to someone you don't know but I personally love that cause I like eaves dropping! I can't remember a desserts menu but if they do one I bet it's creative. read more

Busaba Covent Garden - Duck - Thai Near Me - London, XGL

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Not the best, but not the worst Thai restaurant at which I've eaten in my life. This restaurant gets points for its proximity to LSE -- students of the school get a 20% discount, which is a fairly generous offer for pricey London. Has communal tables, so if you don't like that kind of dining, steer clear. Luckily my friend and I shared with a table of gregarious Canadians, nice people. Service is hit or miss -- had to issue a reminder about water, and food seemed to take a while considering what we ordered. Ginger beef was flavorful, but not as spicy as I expected. Best part of the meal, actually, was probably the ginger tea at the end. Delicious! read more

Love this food. By far the best.. I've been living in London the past 2 years and I'm eating from there at least twice a month. The Pad thai there is amazing , the duck delicious, the spring rolls as well. Try out the duck!!! read more

Another Busaba. The same menu, the same staff uniforms, the same shared tables and low lighting. But I wouldn't have it any other way. it's the go-to chain (I remember when it was just the one restaurant) for very good and flavoursome thai. Not the cheapest, but it's certainly worth it. The thai calamari is one of my favourite dishes at any restaurant in London. read more

I used the yplan deal and I'm so glad I did! I got the pad Thai with the Thai calamari and they were both delicious. And definitely an added plus for having sriracha too! The calamari was sweet which was pretty unique and the pad Thai tasted like every other good pad Thai I've had. It gets pretty busy but they try to accommodate everyone in as soon as possible. read more

Busaba Covent Garden - Pad Thai, thai calamari, and chicken wings - Thai Near Me - London, XGL

Had a decent Thai meal here one night after work. The interior of the restaurant is very nice and inviting - lots of wood everywhere. They have a pretty good menu, although I actually found that there weren't quite enough choices. I'm used to thai restaurants having a pretty extensive list of noodles & main dishes, but Busaba's left me wanting more to choose from. Service was okay, but I was definitely left to my own devices on more than one occasion. I asked for some spicy sauce from someone who wasn't my waiter and got nothing. To eat, I had some spring roles, which were tasty; an order of roti; and smoked chicken noodles (Smoked chicken vermicelli noodle, Chinese broccoli and egg). Add a ginger tea to that meal and you're pretty much satisfied for 20 quid. I'd say it's good, not great. Worth a try to formulate your own opinion! read more

Ah, what can I say.... I'm never bored nor disappointed when I come to Busaba... This one is especially well located too, in Covent Garden. For once I didn't get the Mussaman duck curry, which is one of my favouritest curries in da world, but I went for the Black Pepper beef, and Coconut rice. Aye, muchachos !!! It was amazingly good, not at all dry as I had feared, a true blessing from Asia ! The spice was elegantly matched by my Nam polamai fruit juice, which made the whole dinner yet another very pleasant Busaba experience to tell about ! read more

I'm reading the consistently poor reviews of this particular location of Busaba Eathai and I'm sorry fellow yelp diners, my experience was a good one. *Ducks underneath desk* I'm not really a fan of chain restaurants, especially when they warp the cuisine to match the western palate. Thai food is meant to be fragrant, bold, illuminating...and coconut rice is among my favorite things to eat, ever, so, of course, I'm going to rave about Thai food as if it's the most brilliant thing on the planet. First, they have a weird reservations policy. So, we couldn't book on a busy night but thankfully for a Friday, in the heat of the dinner rush, we were seated. Communal dining isn't my thing but with the right people, we're able to have a chat and forget that we're eating at the same table as some man in a suit who does things with his Sriracha that are too obscene to mention. We skipped starters and headed for mains. The vegetarian choices (for diners like me) are idiotically limited. If you want something added to a dish, it's impossible, the staff says. If you want something taken away, however, it's their pleasure. Portions are irrationally small. I was so hungry after eating my pad thai jay that I had to order a side dish and rice to soothe my hunger pangs and ultimately looked like Miss Piggy to the rest of the table. I wouldn't ever claim that this is authentic Thai fare but I wouldn't say it's the worst either. We cleaned our plates and enjoyed our food but this is a Thai place I'd visit in a pinch, not as a first choice. There is room for improvement but it was a quick, easy dinner and one can't complain too much without reservations on a Friday night. read more

On a cold Sunday afternoon I stumbled upon this restaurant while craving hot soup. Although there are a few window seats for single diners- they were all taken that day. I'm glad... instead ended up at one of their family style tables. They have an extensive menu, at very reasonable prices - including special group and lunch menus. I ordered some new spicy coconut broth, chicken, noodle and vegetable soup plus Thai chicken wings.l and the obligatory Asian beer to go with. All of it was fantastic. The soup came in a huge bowl and was loaded with chicken, mushrooms etc (instead of just noodles) I couldn't finish it - even though I ate far more than I should. Ended up taking the wings home with me for dinner. Everyone at my table lived their own choices. It was packed with people, but after a slow start the service was attentive the service was attentive and friendly. This is a great, affordable Thai spot if u r visiting London and craving some spicy goodness- conveniently located right near covent garden. read more

Second visit here, and once again was not disappointed. Great atmosphere, lovely food and certainly doesn't break the bank (couple of us ate for under a fiver with the tastecard - no booking needed to use, just rock up) with good portions too. Try the guava Collins drink too, lovely! read more

Second visit to Busaba Eathai. This time it was not great. It was fine, decent food but I didn't enjoy it enough to finish anything. I ordered the Tom Kha and the pumpkin curry. Service was great and the restaurant is a nice retreat from the madness of Covent Garden at Christmastime. I'll try it again... read more

Nice option for flavorful Thai good next to the ROH. The appetizers (spring rolls and calamari) were flavorful. Each of the entrees suited its eater. Spice level is on par with other Thai choices. As a note, the seating is group seating around square tables-time to meet some new friends! read more

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I'm not a fan of chain restaurants and this proved why. We ordered some very simple dishes that are relatively simple to cool even at home. First there was a very log queue outside on a windy and wet night, only when we got inside there was enough seats for double the size of the queue. The dear they gave me was right where the waitresses kept knocking into me. One of the side dishes was so late after me reminding them about the order only for it to arrive under cooked. For me the food tasted of a lower quality disguised by sauces and seasoning. It's a shame as the atmosphere is nice, but no dessert on their menu??? read more

Good food. Good time. Good laughs. Good vibes. I highly recommend going here, whether it be with a small or large group. Very accommodating and fab customer service. Is nice to have waiters laugh at your poor jokes! read more

Uninspired staff, run out of a couple of dishes, tables not being cleaned etc etc i'm writing this while waiting for 45 minutes for my order to arrive. read more

Love their cocktails ! Good friendly service ! Another my favourite Busaba after Soho branch !

I've dined at other Busabas and found the service and food quite good, so when planning an evening at the theatre for a large group I was delighted to find that I could make a reservation for 10 people at this location. The food was just as good as I remembered- the duck curry in particular is a total star. However, the service was so incredibly abysmal that I cannot recommend this restaurant to any future diners. Upon arrival we were seated at our giant table and then promptly ignored for 20 minutes. No menus, no, drink orders, nothing. I had to go find a waiter and ask him to please provide us with the pre-theatre menu (which is listed on their website), and my request was met with utter confusion. Finally after consulting with multiple other waiters and the manager they rustled up some pre-theatre menus that were completely different from what was listed on the website (from which everyone had already chosen their meals). Okay, menu had changed, we reassessed and decided on new orders. 25 minutes into our 'meal' we now at least had menus but still no waiter in sight, as the one who had given us our menus claimed he couldn't take our orders because he wasn't the assigned waiter (cue vague gesture towards that back of the restaurant where no waiters were to be seen), and made no effort to alert our 'assigned waiter' that we were ready to order. I had to stand up and go ask the manager to please come take our order as we had a show to get to and were all getting quite hangry at this point. Our waiter finally materializes and takes everyone's orders, then comes back 10 minutes later and says that actually they are not accepting the pre-theatre menu so can we all please choose different entrees. Are you kidding me? Luckily the manager bustled over after seeing the combination of anger and hunger on my face and he told us that the waiter was mistaken and that they are running the pre-theatre menu and he will put in our order. The food arrived 10 minutes later and it was yummy and and we were finally able to fill our growling tummies. What I don't understand is that this restaurant is quite small and they had more than enough wait staff to handle the number of guests, so they clearly are putting zero effort into training and preparing the staff. It's a definite shame because the food has so much potential! read more

We normally go to the Store Street branch and have had good food there. This branch just opened in Covent Garden. As it's new, not many diners were there. The service was friendly and it wasn't as chaotic as Store Street branch. Pat King Talay (Stir-fried Seafood) had clean taste and the scallop melted in the mouth, but the squid was tough. Char-grilled Duck was perfectly grilled, but the sauce can be improved. The least favourite was Black Pepper Beef; it was too sour for our taste and wasn't worth £9.10. I think we will stick with Store Street branch. read more

Went to this newly-opened branch last night. The food delicious as always, my favourites are the ostrich, coconut prawn and their calamari is unique. The service was very friendly and fast. This new brand is more spacious. I really enjoyed mi dinner. read more

I'm not one to gravitate towards chains, but I stop by Busaba whenever I'm craving a spicy pad Thai. The only dish I actually like is the sen chan pad thai, but find it a little pricey for a dish that is essentially wok-fried noodles. I've tried a couple of their dishes and found most of them to be average. All are good enough for a casual meal with friends or when you just need to get a fix of Thai cuisine. But if you're craving delicious Thai food, I'd look elsewhere. So, 3 stars from me. read more

Best Thai food ever. I love their noodles, starters, juices( especially their juice with jasmine and yugert!!). The food is soo good and the atmosphere is very nice.I would Recommend it 100%. read more

Like most Asian restaurants in London, the food here is not authentic by any means. It's expensive, and the portions are small, and the food is under-spiced to be acceptable to European tastes. Again, this is mostly due to being in London (or Europe for that matter). The restaurant's menu is lacking. They seem to have invented lots of "fusion" dishes, and have hardly any Thai staples aside from pad thai. But I want to see some pad see ew, and there's no Thai iced tea either! Also, no desserts, so you can't look forward to a stereotypical fried banana or coconut ice cream. Damn. The decor of the restaurant is really nice, though, and there are big tables (which you can have to yourself if you're a group of ~7+). read more

Had a horrible experience here. To start with the food is expensive and the portions were small. We finished our meal. We were asked if we wanted dessert or coffee. We said no. We were still finishing our drinks. The waiter immediately asked us to pay and leave the restaurant as they wanted the table. Rude, ride, rude. I have never been told this in my life. read more

It was just OK, came with some of of my UK team for dinner, the place was absolutely jammed and the dishes were hit or miss. The simple dishes were great...anything what was a bit more complex in nature was bad...very weird. Maybe it was a bad day cause it was so jammed. I will find it hard to be back here. read more