Bubala Spitalfields

Bubala brings bold Middle Eastern flavours to the heart of Shoreditch, proving that vegetarian food can be fast-paced, flavour-packed, and effortlessly cool.

Taking over the space where Indian restaurant Gul & Sepoy once stood, Bubala’s dining room is a tightly packed space with enough room for only around 30 diners. The interiors are stripped back, featuring the obligatory trendy restaurant hallmarks of potted plants, rickety wooden furniture and bare plaster walls. The format of the menu also aligns itself with current trends, with the food offering designed to share and dishes arriving at the table as and when they are ready.

While the menus at some vegetarian restaurants can be bland or restricted, we have to admit that the bold flavours on show at Bubala meant we barely even noticed that we’d gone a whole dinner without any meat.

Highlights from our visit included thick slices of fried aubergine which were slicked with a luminous green zhough that revealed lively notes of chilli and coriander, as well as a vibrant fattoush salad that was topped with feta crumble and crunchy shavings of kadaif (a noodle-like pastry that’s native to the Middle East).

Potato latkes were another stand-out, although these turned out not to really be latkes at all, but instead confit layered potatoes, pressed together in a dense block. This dish has popped up on several London menus in recent years, but Bubala’s crisp, golden versions have a trump card in the shape of the devilishly good garlic sauce they’re served with, which conjures up images of 2am feasting in kebab shops.

The staff at Bubala are sweet-natured and knowledgeable, although diners who are accustomed to Middle Eastern cuisine could find their ‘do you understand the menu?’ style of questioning a little patronising. On the drinks side of things, there’s a list of mainly European wines and three peppy cocktails to choose from (think along the lines of a Plum Spritz), while desserts include coconut sorbet and rich salted caramel truffles.

Fun, keenly priced and full of cool, young Londoners, Bubala is certainly one to watch. 

Bubala is a vegetarian restaurant centred around Middle Eastern-inspired sharing dishes, natural wines and vibrant cocktails. The concept started out life as a pop up, and has since graduated to three permanent sites in London, including this original opening on Commercial Street in Shoreditch. In case you were wondering about the name, Bubala is a Yiddish term of endearment that loosely translates as ‘darling’ or ‘sweetie’.

The intimate restaurant only seats around 30 diners and is a casual space accepting both walk-ins and reservations. The menu is entirely vegetarian and the majority of the dishes are designed to share, with Bubala taking its inspiration from the modern cafes found in Tel Aviv.

Dishes are cooked on an open grill and feature a mix of traditional and more unconventional flavour combinations, spanning breads and dips to small and larger dishes. You might choose to start with a selection of dips and one of its famous 'laffa' flatbreads, be it hummus with burnt butter and pine nuts, or labneh with confit garlic and za’atar. 

Bubala's popular oyster mushroom skewers with tamari and coriander seeds are a must, or look out for halloumi with black seed honey for another winner. Larger plates might centre around a hero vegetable, like carrots with feta, apricot and dill, while sides include its famous confit potato latkes, served with garlicky toum.

Can't decide what to order? Choose the 'Bubala Knows Best' menu, a set offering that includes some of Bubala's most well-loved dishes. There is also a vegan menu available, and a mezze menu available for lunch. 

On the drinks front, you’ll find a list of European red and white wines, as well as orange and pink wines for more adventurous drinkers. While cocktail lovers are sure to find something to quench their thirst, from a 'Strawberry, Basil and Pink Peppercorn Fizz' to a 'Not, Not a Mojito V2'.