Busaba Kingston

Thai·
££££
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SquareMeal Review of Busaba Kingston

Ten years, ten branches. Busaba Eathai has picked up the pace of late, but standards remain high & its regulars loyal. This chain of Thai eateries, conceived by Alan Yau, gets away with things a less sexy outfit could not: hour-long waits for a berth, no starters, no desserts, communal tables. What’s its secret (aside from the Thai calamari which has most readers in rapture)? In short, it’s ‘quick, affordable, informal & open all day’. Chic interiors, low lighting & that all-important ‘buzz’ don’t do it any harm either. There’s a feeling that portions are shrinking, but the menu of stir-fries, curries, noodles & salads still pleases most visitors. The appeal of certain dishes never diminishes – think stargazer monkfish curry, stir-fried morning glory, & pad thai with prawns, not forgetting those delectable calamari.

Good to know

Average Price
££££ - £30 - £49
Cuisines
Thai
Alfresco And Views
Outside seating
Special Features
Wheelchair access

Location

4 Riverside Walk, Kingston-Upon-Thames,, Kingston-Upon-Thames, Surrey, KT1 1QN

020 8481 6788 020 8481 6788

Website

Opening Times

Mon-Sat 12N-11.30pm (Sat 11.30am- ) Sun 12N-10pm

Reviews

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3 Reviews 
Food/Drink
Service
Atmosphere
Value

Anon

22 February 2023  
Food & Drink 2
Service 3
Atmosphere 0.5
Value 2
put pride and quality in your food

I ordered a mince beef dish. However, nothing was mentioned in the menu that it is quite sweet. There was no taste of any herbs or spices, just the sweetness.

Ordered a duck pasta dish at the same time, same here, no mention in the menu that this is sweet. The portion is also quite small. I was given a sauce, which is also sweet(hoysin sauce). I would suggest that they mention this in the menu. Again, I can taste just that the pasta was soaked in hoysin sauce, and nothing more.p

I'm not saying that employees there should only talk/laugh in whispers, however, some, don't seem to understand that constant and ongoing loud, raw laughter that reverbrate throughout the restaurant, disturbs and changes the atmosphere of the restaurants.

This is not why customers come to this restaurant for!

Kristina F

29 May 2020  
Food & Drink 0.5
Service 0.5
Atmosphere 0.5
Value 0.5
Ignores customers

I asked for no spice (as in spicyness. It even says "NO SPICY" on the receipt) and no garlic in both of these dishes. It doesn't seem like a big deal that there's cut up chillies on top, but think if the seeds got into the rice and I didn't notice. I just tasted the other dish and it is very spicy. I have gastroparesis so the food stays in my stomach for hours and burns the insides so I can't eat one of the dishes and the pork makes me feel sick, I'm not sure if it was cooked with garlic or not (I wouldn't doubt it as they ignored me asking for no spice). The pork is dry...
I'm disabled and this was going to be my meals for today and tomorrow as I don't have the energy or strength to cook... All of the food is cold as well.
Also the sticky rice is rock hard, stale, cold, doesn't have any seasoning. It hurts for me to try to break it into a piece to be able to eat it. Inedible...
This is the worst takeaway experience I've ever had...
I called them four times (Once on the "other" and once on the "takeaway" line on one day and the same on another day) and nobody picked up all four times and the call ended. Uber Eats can't do anything about it.

Anon

17 December 2015  
Food & Drink 0.5
Service 0.5
Atmosphere 0.5
Value 0.5
Absolutely Awful!!!
I recently went to the Kingston Upon Thames branch of Busaba Eathai. I have been to the Wardour Street branch many times and have always found the food to be good. The Kingston branch however, is terrible. My brother ordered the chilli beef fried rice and it was almost inedible - the egg on it was very greasy and too much fish sauce had been used. I ordered the Pad Kwetio and it also was very greasy. It had very little flavour to it and didn't even taste Thai - more like Chinese noodles from a very bad take away shop. On top of it the prices have increased and each dish was more than £9. The portion sizes were also tiny - much smaller than at the Wardour Street branch. However, in this case it didn't matter as we barely touched the food. A complete waste of money! Finally the staff were very rude - it took ages for anyone to come and take our order despite me trying to get their attention. When someone did eventually come over, they were completely disinterested. Even when we paid the bill, the staff member who served us couldn't even be bothered to look at us or speak to us. The staff made it quite clear that they didn't want to be there and that they had no time at all for the customers. I have eaten in many restaurants and I have to say that this is the worst dining experience I have ever had. The food, the portion sizes, the price and the service were all terrible.
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020 8481 6788 020 8481 6788

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