Asia de Cuba at St Martins Lane Hotel

Interesting and relaxed atmosphere, good food and a good venue, will be back!

We booked for 2 courses fixed price on a Sunday late afternoon. We enjoyed amazing cocktails and service at The Light Bar, adjacent to the restaurant before dinner. The staff throughout were superb, very welcoming and friendly in the bar and in the restaurant. We adored the St Martin's Lane Hotel. The food was a major disappointment as we were expecting new flavours and much more of a gastronomic experince, based on reading about the cusine of Asia de Cuba. The exact names of the dishes I can't remember but I selected the crab croquette starter and it was indeed a croquette with very little flavour of crab, served with a coleslaw like mini salad which also lacked any great flavour, other than what you'd do yourself at home, the spoon on the side of dish merely contained a drop of soy sauce. My sisters ordered the ribs which were served almost cold, the portion size was far better than the other starters and they were very tasty, but no more so than any decent spare ribs you'd get elsewhere…another guest arrived late and ordered a starter from the a la carte menu which was exceptionally small and pathetic for £17.50 and resembled and tasted like a stack of pompadoms with tiny cubes of tuna on each…again, tasteless experience…for the mains, the jerk chicken dish was a fair portion and the best choice of the night, again bland jerk chicken not Asia de Cuba's take on jerk chicken that we expected, very standard fayre. I opted for the minute steak was very tough and again, very poor flavours. My other guest opted for the vegetarian main which I must say was totally pathetic in terms of portion size, flavour and appearance, it resembled little samosas sitting on a bed of sauce…this portion really was laughable and very bland indeed. Our waiter was very nice and we enjoyed the evening due to the beautiful surroundings and the overall wonderful service and cocktails in The Light Bar and staff on the restaurant floor. The food was a total let down…I almost forgot about the desserts…well they looked fantastic and really cheered us up but a major taste let down…they tasted like cheap desserts, the chocolate was synthetic tasting and a total let down to the end of our ‘experience’…

I am genuinely baffled as to how this restaurant has so many good reviews, a group of us went last night, the service was excellent, however the food was particularly under-whelming. In my opinion, there's no room for bland mediocre food at these kind of prices in London… There are too many other great restaurants one can go to.

I went to Asia de Cuba for my Birthday with a group of 10 and it was amazing!!!
We actually decided last minute to have drinks in Light Bar beforehand. This is an uber-cool bar inside St Martins Lane Hotel just next to the restaurant. I tried a cocktail with Fig (apparently this was part of an internal cocktail competition where the bartenders take on the bar manager… what fun) It was delicious! Straight away when we entered the restaurant the atmosphere was really buzzing.
We had some more cocktails (of course) and followed the waiter's recommendations for the food. (seriously recommend the seared tuna with wasabi mash!)
Just a wonderful night!! Thank you Asia de Cuba

food is very good – however there are more dislikes than likes with this place – food is good but very expensive for what it is. The drinks, again are quite good (weak but good) but again very expensive £14 for a mojito which is brimming with ice is a little ott. The vibe is quite nice, modern and vibrant shame the service is of the same all to familiar feel – very slow – constantly asking or searching for a waiter to chase up drinks and food etc – There are better places nearby at lower prices so I wouldn't bust a gut to get back

I have been going to Asia de Cuba for a number of years now. Many birthdays and other special occasions have been celebrated there. the atmosphere is amazing, decor faultless. The round table in the far corner is a personal favorite. The coctail menu has new twists on old favorites. I've eaten out in london a lot and havent found anywhere with a menu quite like this, the calamari and banana salad and the slow roasted pork are particular favorites, the wagyu beef is also very good. im a big fan of the sharing idea, its a much more interactive and social experience than simply getting your dish and eating it, also getting to try way more dishes is always nice.

it is pretty pricey but i definitely think the experience is worth the cost. i hope they'll keep doing the same thing they have done for years, for years to come.

This is my favourite venue in London, we went for our work Xmas meal last year and what a treat, there were 11 of us and we were all sat on a lovely large round table which made interaction and conversation between us so much easier.
It was simple to book and we were offered the exclusive guest/diners bar beforehand for delicious cocktails.
The food is delicious and there is something for everyone as we have a couple in the party who don't eat fish, but they were equally delighted with the choice.
This is a lively venue and very entertaining on every level, I just wish that dining then entitled you entrance to Bungalow 8, but overally a truly fantastic place to eat and so convenient for central London

A friend and I went to Asia de Cuba on a Friday night and were taking up their 2 courses for £25 offer. When we sat down we told the waitress that we would share a starter and a pudding so we both got to taste the 3 courses on offer. Her reaction was a mixture of confusion and horror and she swiftly went to check if it was ok with Chef! Our request was permitted. The food was quite average. The dumpling starter was very small (even if you're not sharing) and although the chicken main was substantial, it lacked anything special. We shared the doughnuts for dessert and they were lovely. All in all it was an ok experience. The atmosphere was good and the service correct but the food was disappointing.

This has always been one of those places I've longed to vist and I finally got the chance today, at someone else's expense! The decor is quirky and fun and a real treat for design nerds; it's a little bit like sitting in the middle of Tate Modern. The portions are generous and I understand why the staff encourage diners to share. However, the food is outrageously expensive (£30 for lunch mains) and even though it was of a high standard, it didn't justify the price. The pan seared ahi tuna came in thick slices and lacked delicacy, although the wasabi mash was light and full of flavour. The black miso cod was cooked perfectly but let down by the black bean and edamame salad which had a good balance of flavour but needed more cooking. I'm pleased I've been and really enjoyed the experience but you can get this level of cuisine at a much better price elsewhere in London.

I am a regular visitor of Asia De Cuba. The restaurant is very well designed by Philip Starck with simple design and good story behind it (ask servers, they happy to tell you all about it). The service is attentive and personal, any requests are happilly accomodated by servers, food is fantastic, especialy the calamari salad and short ribs; I have been celebrating my friend's birthday and the waiters brough up the desserts with candles and sang happy birthday, really nice touch!
I will come back for sure.

Hard to get excited about the Light Bar … over-priced cock tails and the chance to encounter the loud and brash of the city.

The decor of the restaurant is striking – a beautiful place.

Dumplings SO disappointing.

Signature Surf and Turf is excellent.

Service is good – but a little bit stilted.

Certainly not value for money.

My boyfriend and I went here for Valentines day. We spent about £180 and both ended up sick with food poisoning! We contacted Asia De Cuba the next morning and they passed us to two different people and eventually were told that the Manager would have to phone us back. We said fine but didnt get that phone call from the Manager. We rang again and were told the same thing.
Someone called the next day referring to our ‘food allegation.’ We were told we needed to give stool samples and a list of the food we had both eaten within the last 48 hours. We already explained that we were not eating together in the last 48 hours and this would have been easier to produce if they had have called the day before! For £180 you get food poisoning and bad follow up service.
Dont both going here there are far nicer places where the food is safe to eat.

It may no longer be the coolest or hippest venue in town, but in the 30+ times I've dined here over the years I've never been let down. The atmosphere is always electric and loud and the food consistantly good. The Pot Roast Pork, Thai Beef Salad are particular favourites and tend to be repeated each time I go. The additional pull of the Light Bar as well makes it a great venue.