Shaka Zulu

This is the kind of place i envisage is what the makers of the Lion King musical would dream up! Very VERY OTT inside plus an escalator leading into a huge african themed room. An escalator i tell you!!!

We had gone there as a small group – and were told, if we were more than 15m late, the table would be taken given they were so busy. I did wonder about this as when we were finally seated, there were a lot of empty tables! I was told later it is often on Groupon so i did think it couldnt be that good if they have to advertise for custom.

Food itself wasnt as bad as id expected as id read the reviews on the web only an hour before i came. I had lamb samoosas (not sure why its a moo rather than a mo) with harissa spiced mayo. My main was the spit roast of the day – quite a nice beef spit roast accompanied by fries and a south african style mayo laded coleslaw. My friends had a mix of seared tuna, tagliatelle with lobster, and ostrich steaks – all of which was relatively nice. My spit roast wasnt medium rare as they insisted, but cooked to the max so a tad dry. Unfortunately i was also sick with a dodgy stomach the next day – i dont want to blame the food but im pretty sure it was that.

This isnt a restaurant so to speak – its essentially a club trying to sell food and masquerade as a club. Its not a place for foodies. Its a shame as Camden always had that kooky feel to it, whereas this place just seems to be another Tiger Tiger and completely sleazy and souless. I do think it would work well if you are with a big group who want the whole food, club thing all in one but keep in mind its full of TOWIE types by the end, plus a packed dancefloor. If you're idea of a good night is this, plus checking out ladies in bikinis serving shots, then this is good for you!

My husband and I are very big into having our children try foods from all over the world. Once Shaka Zulu opened last summer, we thought it would be the perfect opportunity to showcase South African food for them – after all, good South African restaurants are a rarity in London. We went by ourselves first to make sure we enjoyed the food before bringing the kids. We did enjoy it and have been back multiple times since! Just this month we decided that it was time to bring our two young children (a boy and a girl) to Shaka Zulu and were thrilled at how much they enjoyed it. We went on the Sunday Braai Day, which was more like an experience than just a meal. The looks on our kids faces were priceless when they walked in and saw the décor – like they had walked into Disneyland! They enjoyed the food and especially loved the kids corner where they both had their faces painted and made masks. We plan on bringing them back soon! It was a great bonding day for the family!

Shaka Zulu is such a disappointing dining experience that I felt the need to review it at 9am on a Sunday (the morning after I dined here with my girlfriend). I bought the Groupon voucher which entitled me chose from the limited ‘Taste of Africa’ menu. For starters, we both chose the deep Fried soft shell crab…mistake! This dish was so horrendously greasy (think KFC if they did crab) that you couldn't even taste the crab meat. For our mains we had one trout and one beef. The trout which was surprisingly OK, however, the beef came as a lone slab of meat on a vacant plate, served with a small bucket of chips. We didn't have an option to order any greens (or any sides) as a supplement. Presentation was poor and so was the taste. Nice! For desert we had the coconut creme brûlée and passionfruit with didn't sit well together at all, a complete messy mush of food. 

 The decor of this place looks like a Vegas themed restaurant gone wrong, it does have character but it lacks any originality ( please visit the female toilets for the 'watering hole experience). The service was also poor, we waited 30 mins for our mains and they didn't clear our greasy starters until I flagged the waiter. I hope that you stay behind after dinner for their ‘club’ which looked like a scene from ‘The only way it Essex’ , chavtastic!! 

Roger Payne, who spent a reported 5m on this place should be ashamed of himself.

The decor is fantastic, it doesn't even feel like you are slap bang in the middle of London, but I am embarrassed to be South African and associated with the kind of place that is an empty shell because of the staff they have running it. Spending that kind of money and not training your staff – professional hospitality suicide.

They are exceptionally rude, so much so that when you complain they stand and laugh in a huddle, led by the manager I might add!!

Prices are abhorrent for the level of service they provide.

Go see it – but don't eat in it.

This venue is beautiful. The food is very good and exotic; however, the customer service is terrible. The staff lack customer serice, restaurant and any bartending training. Their organization, response to customer requests and knowledge of the restaurant is awful. The security is rude and ineffective as there was a huge fight that was out of control on the dance floor for about 8 mins.

We waited over an hour to be seated for dinner. There were no procedures to deal with a back log of customers. Drinks took extreme long, about 15 mins on average to make and we received the wrong drinks on our first order. There did not seem to be a clear chain of command to escalate issues or complaints. Due to the long wait and poor service, we were promised complimentary champagne this took 20 mins to be delivered and when it was it was sparkling wine.

The food was good. However, the dining experience was marred by party revellers from the other side of the floor coming over to the restaurant and walking around, placing their empty glasses on the table while we were eating and in two separate instances, revellers vomiting under tables in the restaurant area. When we complained, the response from the staff was to hand one of the persons a large napkin and then he continue with his duties.

In addition, there was a huge fight on the dance floor. The bouncers took about 8 minutes before they showed up to clear the fight and trouble makers. This took a further 15mins to resolve and the music was turned off. They then started rudely ushering people out of the venue before closing time. They did this in the worst, most impolite and forceful fashion! One group refused to leave because they had just bought drinks from the bar that was still open. The bouncers were rude, loud and threatening to the group. There was a nervous stand off between the two groups as the patrons would not back down and leave the drinks that they had bought. It was not closing time for the venue as advertised and the group wanted their money back or be allowed to have their drinks. In the end the manager of the venue came over ushered the security away and allowed the group to consume their drinks.

This was the 2nd time I had been to this venue and the last time for me until I here really good reviews. It is not at all like Gilgamesh which I adore!

Overall I had a great experience at Shaka Zulu and have already encouraged many friends and family members to find a special night to experience South Africa right in Camden. After hearing all the recent buzz about the new restaurant, I figured it would be a nice change from my usual spots, where South African cuisine is rare. I am extremely glad I did and so were the friends that I brought along! Upon arrival you are greeted by the warm, though not overly obnoxious staff. Then you take a moment to look around and realize that all of the statues, decor and the atmosphere in general are truly unique. The beautifully crafted carvings and attention to detail in each mask and warrior scene could be viewed as over the top, but personally I enjoyed them very much. The waitstaff were all very friendly and accommodating, our waiter was very knowledgeable about the wine and the South African cuisine as well. My friends and I decided to share a few dishes. Because so many of the options were unfamiliar to us, the waiter was very helpful in narrowing down items to best satisfy our interests. We ultimately decided on the roast cod, pan fried kingklip, the Cape Malay chicken curry and took a heavily debated risk with the ostrich rump. Each dish was very unique and created a great balance in our meal. I enjoyed each but would have to say the chicken and cod are tied for my favorites. We were then of course swayed into ordering the creme brulee, already proving to be a guest favorite as the table next to us raved about it. Hands down the best I have ever tried! The coconut daiquiri was very fun, and I genuinely appreciated the creativity that went into the delicious Madagascan Margarita! The live music was an added bonus to the overall experience and we even got a bit of dancing in by the end of the night. Overall I had a great time at Shaka Zulu and already have plans for a night there next week!

Ok, the decor is majorly OTT but the service is excellent, and above all its fun and very relaxed. Ate in the seafood bar, yummy oysters, and Crayfish was outstanding. Definitely going back, its a proper all round experience

I wanted to post this because the place is simply brilliant, from the moment you step off the escalator you are transported to Africa, it is stunning.

The welcome was great and the cocktails were really nice too, not the run of the mill there were interesting twists on the norm.

Not as expensive as I was led to believe, £9.50 in a place like this is pretty average. We waited in the lounge bar for about 20 mins for our table . The waitress in the bar was very bubbly, but it was her first day so her knowledge was a bit limited, made up for by her smile and the drinks did come quite quickly.

The restaurant is below the bar and we had a small booth for two, this was a nice change from being crammed in on a line tables for two. The atmosphere is electric and there was a juggler and drummer performing at the tables.

We had a sharing board of Game meats, our first time, beautifully presented on an aged wood board, our waitress Carolina was attentive and gave loads of advice.

We passed on pudding, 900g of meat was enough! But we were talked into a Rum Blazer cocktail which the bar man makes at the table, very spectacular especially when it is flamed at the table right in front of you.

The wine is all South African and a very extensive list , there is a lot of information on the list to help , and the waitress helped out.

We were offered a table in the club afterwards but we had a babysitter so had to pass, it looked full as we left and the club music was just starting up.

The toilets are not very well signed, they need to improve this and the way out is a bit weird , but overall it is fabulous with great staff and managers all over the place talking to tables and keeping an eye out, would we go back, oh yes the babysitter is booked next week!

Hmmm. This has received a lot of dodgy press. It's OK for a late night drink in Camden – and the scale of the place and the decor is pretty impressive. Food (we had snacks only) is OK, if expensive, and service for us wasn't as bad as everyone suggests.

Having dined on a couple of occasions at nearby Gilgamesh i had hoped that Shaka-Zulu with its similarly large capacity venue and post code would be of the same standard. How wrong could i have been? The only similarity between the two venues are the fact that both have stunning interiors filled with carved woods themed furniture.

I knew that the experience wouldn’t fare well from the moment we arrived. The table had been booked for 8pm, but due to a taxi mix up we were a few moments late. I had called to let the restaurant know that we were on our way and would be a few minutes late but when we arrived it was as if it was a total surprise that we would be dining that evening. ‘Would you like to take a seat whilst we prepare your table’. Fine we did so, but ten minutes later when we weren’t seated (having to wait in the otherwise deserted upstairs lounge) i went to suss out what was taking so long. ‘Our manager is just sorting your table out, it wont be a moment’. 5 moments later we were finally shown to our table.

Entrance to the dining area is down some escalators past a traditional South African band beating drums and happily playing along. This was a nice touch but it did feel very novelty value. Once sat to our table we noticed that the table was wobbly, catching a waiters eye we informed him of this. But again, ten mins later nothing was done and no-one had returned to our table since. ‘Have you been served?’ asked who what was perhaps a manager as he was not wearing the black tabard uniform of the other staff. ‘No we haven’t’ i responded looking down at untouched cutlery and empty glasses. Eventually we were shown to another table (after i pointed out there was another unused table of two) and sat down.

We were eating from the tasting menu (having pre-purchased an online offer) so our food choices were in Shaka’s hands. The menu included Shraak Bread (similar to chapatti’s) with some traditional dips and olives, Biltong (which was in fact very good), Cape Malay Pickled Fish (which arrived lukewarm), 7 hour spit roast Dorper Lamb (which was served as 3 wafer thin slices that you could barely taste it, and on a bed of a strange cabbage type vegetable) and crème brulee which was all in all ok, as far as desserts go. If we’d have paid full price for the tasting menu (i think at around the £50 mark) i would not have classed it as value for money at all.

One plus point was that we did order our cocktails off the standard menu and the bar staff were able to create what we wanted and at a decent standard. I would say that there is not much else positive about this new London venue. Other negatives i have to add are the female toilets are the Bermuda triangle of toilets. I found myself (with around 6 other females) wondering through a graffiti stairwell looking for the loo’s. Eventually after turning back and giving up they were discovered, when the bill arrived they had charged for an extra bottle of still water and not taken off our pre-paid food.

I will not be recommending this restaurant to anyone, if you find yourself in Camden and want some light hearted fun and at least decent food, go a few metres up to Gilgamesh.

An absolute disaster!!! the Hype did not deliver the expected standard of food and service as advertised.
In fact we would go as far as to say it was incompetence on a major scale from the word go.We were invited
to the Launch and dinner on the 4th of August 2010 by the organiser Samantha Pettifer,(who couldn't organise a **** up in Brewery) Please arrive at 8.00.p.m. we were told and be dressed for the occasion. Six Senior members of my company (a world renown corporate hospitality and services agency) Arrived at the venue at 7.00.p.m.

We Joined a queue of approximately over a hundred guests all waiting for the doors to open at 8.00p.m. We eventually checked in with the security at the door at 8. 30.p.m, and were in the darkly lit first level basement with huge African statues and carvings on all the walls and ceiling.It felt like a dungeon on an enormous scale.
We headed for the bar area and gave up trying to get a drink as the wait was over an hour just to get a drink from the bar. In the meantime I had made my way to the second escalator leading to the main dining area downstairs.
and was abruptly stopped by two security guards and a member of staff. Sorry but you are not allowed downstairs it's for V.I.P.'s only and you should have an invitation card.I presented our e invite and a copy of the email confirming our dinner reservation.

The senior member of staff looked bewildered at the sight of my invites and said please wait here I will try and locate Samantha Pettifer for you.A further 45 minutes later we were ushered downstairs to meet Ms Pettifer who wore this superiority complex and addresses us and over 20 other guests behind us who were in same situation (i,e, invited but not allowed in to dine) “guys there no more seats available the dining tables are all full please return to the upper level and enjoy a free drink”. I quickly asked her about our confirmed invites and she replied consider yourselves privileged to have been invited for the Launch let alone the dinner, this is a prestigious venue and I run it".

We quickly scampered off as fast as we could and were out of the venue in record time!!! by this time we were so hungry that we went into a restaurant called the Gilgamesh. They were completely full (all the other disappointed guests Shaka Zulu) had taken all the free tables.We explained our plight to the manager who then set up an extra table for six by the entrance and took our orders.The food was exquisite and the service was second to none. The attendance of a full time waitress by our table, coupled with the atmosphere inside the restaurants turned our evening from disaster to something we will cherish for a long time to come.

We asked for our bill and the manager came across and announced that the full bill was on the house with the compliments of Gilgamesh including the three bottles of excellent wine and deserts.We just starred at each other and could not believe what we were hearing. This is what I call service with a smile!!! well done Gilgamesh you have won our hearts for keeps sake. We returned to Shaka Zulu only to find the guests leaving in droves and a quick enquiry into their experience the replies came from all sides what experience the food was 4 hours late (one course) cold and repulsive the drinks were £10 a glass and the service well my local McDonald's Has far superior service then this joint. Will you recommend this restaurants to friends and family?
Are you drunk? came the answer recommend? I will not be coming here again let alone recommending.

As for Samantha Pettifer i suggest you find a job where your chaotic organisational style is more suited
May I suggest the London Borough of Camden Refuse Collection Services they are looking for a full time
refuse Inspector. Good Luck and God Bless!!

Service, food, everything, need serious attention. We had to walk out the restaurant ( and go somewhere else) after 3 hours of terrible service and food that had to be sent back.

This was such a disappointing experience. Cold, dark, dank basement. Room for millions yet tables cramped together and only a dozen or so diners. Food terrible (tough tough meat), staff nice but completely lacking in skill and I have never exited a restaurant less pleasantly. Cannot see what their market is. Know it's only just opened but just not good enough.