This was pretty awful Thai food if I'm being honest. I saw the high reviews for the other locations and ordered off Deliveroo. It came quickly and was packaged well; however portions were quite small. I ordered the prawn crackers, the som tum salad, and the crispy duck noodle. My total came out to $21 although I had a promotion through Deliveroo so I didn't pay quite that much. The prawn crackers were fine, pretty much exactly as I would have imagined. They came with a sauce however there was barely any in the container. The som tum salad was the best item of the three although was very spicy without much depth to the flavor. This dish I would get again though. The duck noodle was absolutely terrible - the noodles were like those in the cheap ramen packets and the duck was cooked horribly. Not at all what I was expecting given the description. Would not order again. read more

Busaba Hoxton Square - Prawn crackers - Thai Near Me - London, XGL

Not too shabby for Thai cuisine in the middle of Shoreditch. It was a cute place and the only thing that reminded me it was Thai was the burning incense and small buddha in the front. The disappointing part was that they didn't have a lot of things on their menu which was a bit odd since it was just the beginning of the day. Aside from that, their basil beef rice plate was good and their veggie spring rolls were edible. Their "hot" wings weren't that spicy. My friend liked their soup and my other friend finished her pad thai. The fish sauce and sriracha they had on the table was clutch too when we needed some extra spice or salt to our dishes. read more

Busaba Hoxton Square - Current menu - Thai Near Me - London, XGL

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Delicious food! Nine of us were seated almost immediately with no reservation. Service was great. Great vibe and loved the ambiance.

Gone downhill. Green curry was bland and not spicy at all. There seemed to only be one server for the entire restaurant.

The food was honestly out of this world. Best Pad Thai I've ever tasted. We got the classic Pad Thai which contained tofu, egg, and prawn. So simple yet so flavorful. I also really enjoyed my mango aperol spritz! Super yummy. Service was a bit all over the place. Because there are kind of communal tables (aka you're seated and served at one large table with approx. 3-4 separate parties), it was kind of hard to get your waiter's attention. Other than that, it was a total 10/10. read more

Aw c'mon! What's with all the 3 stars!!! Busaba is great with delicious fusion-ish Thai food! Loving the canteen style dining tables and the cool relaxing chill out atmosphere! MM! Yummy drinks yum yum! Lemongrass and ginger pressé and their coconut water mixes are goooood! Green papaya salad, calamari, morning glory and pad thai jay are on my to-go list! Everything else is also good with alright prices. Portions aren't huge, considering the pricing isn't super expensive anyway. Does get crowded on weekends and even weekday nights. read more

I love this Busaba in old st. they are very efficient there and well the food is always good, I just think some plates are a little bit price for what they offer but the calamari is amazing! I always go of some chicken satay and coconut rice if you want you can fill up with some Chinese broccoli and voilá! read more

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This Thai restaurant is located very close to Holiday Inn Express. I came here for lunch. I thought the place is big. I sat by the window facing the street. Each table offers a set of spice and sauce in case customers want extra hot and spicy. Yes! Never forget to throw that in so your tongue is burning! I thought my waiter Robert was polite and smiley. Good gesture. They're just so polite there. Even the runner would make sure I sit well to make sure I know he's ready to place the food whenever I'm ready. I ordered prawn chili with rice and water. The portion size was small to medium, enough to keep me energized for the afternoon. The prawn chili was delicious. I recommend this dish if you like seafood. The lunch bill was reasonable. Unlike in NY, most Thai restaurants offer lunch specials so the dish comes with either spring roll or soup or salad. I don't remember seeing lunch menu. I think they have the same menu for dinner too. Funny story... While eating I kept hearing 2 women talking in the background. They spoke Thai. I thought there were 2 employees behind me not doing their job but doing the talking instead. After paying the bill I got up and turned and saw the 2 women sitting at the table enjoying their meals and talking. Language! Why can't I master them all so I know not to assume? Hey! I'm in Thai restaurant. I thought that's funny. Btw I didn't see any Thai employees here. Maybe they work night shift? Whatever the case is I just want to say I had a very good lunch at this place. read more

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Not too bad but servings aren't very substantial and prices are fairly stiff. Better options in Shoreditch. If you are a single diner, they'll face you to a window so it's a rather solitary experience. read more

A rather pleasant place around this area [Old Street] but i can't say I was impressed with their food. The place looks nice, I find the big windows slightly too intrusive as all the pass-byers are too much of a distraction,. It doesn't feel like a quality dining place, it's more of a canteen feel in my opinion. The staff didn't seem to be very willing to help in terms of the menu and options. It's was more of a 'eat and leave' feel. I wasn't impressed. I would definitely not say that the food is that great, though i must also mention that it may be a matter of taste. Also half way through the meal i was having, my stomach had a rather weird reaction to what I was eating, it was bad. Stomach ache and all that... I am very unimpressed with this place. I do hope others will have better experiences there than mine. ps: the restroom is lush. i must give credit to that. the sign on the door for men and women's toilet is great! hehe read more

Busaba Hoxton Square - Thai Near Me - London, XGL

This Busaba has well trained staff which pay attention to their customer and offer genuine Thai food. They serve quite fast and always keep me informed which I called good services. The food are also tasty and pimping hot. Will definitely come again. read more

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Busaba eYuck - in case you were wondering how I reeeeally feel. I can understand liking the scene. And the swish layout. And the incense. And the design forward elements. But none of those frilly factors trump good food for a fair price and attentive service - none of which were present in our recent dining experience. After receiving our two pint-sized main dishes, we decided to call it a night and asked for the bill. 10 minutes later we asked again. 10 minutes later we asked again. 10 minutes later we stood up... just stood up, put our coats on and waited for our server to bring us the bill. 45 minutes after finishing our meals and asking for the bill we walked out, flanked on both sides by a line snaking out the door. Go for it. Enjoy. Sorry for taking up those seats for so long. read more

Thai food is one of my favorites, so I was excited to try a restaurant near where I live to, maybe, find my new favorite spot and since this place is always packed I thought the chances are good! BUT I have to say I really did not like the food they served. My friend got the duck curry and I got the pad thai, because I heard the pad thai is the best thing on their menu. If the pad thai really is the best thing i don't know how this restaurant is so packed! I thought the pad thai was awful, granted I lived in San Francisco and have high standards, but even at a bad restaurant in San Francisco the pad thai is better than here! and the curry looked more like a broth than actual curry! I would not recommend this place! They also don't have any deserts on their menu! read more

For me, ethnic food shouldn't be about a scene, but a food. I am officially lifting my "I only write if I like" mantra for the duration of my living in London. There simply aren't enough yelp reviews here to merit only writing about things that I like. I need to just add to the general pool. In San Fran, even the smallest joints have at least a couple hundred reviews... Anyhow, the atmosphere was nice and I like communal eating, but the food was decidedly mediocre. We had: Jungle Curry (not at all what I think of with thai curry... the sauce was thin, like a broth) and was not that spicy, though marked spicy on the menu. Pad Thai (best dish we had here, but still not even near the best I've had) Chicken Satay was fine, nothing special. Chicken and Squash stir fry. Tasty, I liked this one. Considering how trendy this place it, I am surprised people put up with such soso Thai food. Wagamama is much better as far as communal eating chain Asian places go. read more

Really shouldn't have trusted Time Out London on this one! I was a little hesitant to try Thai food in London, since we have pretty great stuff here in Toronto and it seemed a little strange that Shoreditch was littered with them. We trusted some decent web reviews and peeked inside and thought that it looked like a version of Guu Izakaya in Toronto, but Thai! Unfortuately appearances can be deceiving! Busaba has literally the sweetest pad thai I've ever had. It was filling, but even with the liberal circles of sriracha I felt like I was eating a microwave dinner full of sugar and preservatives. The midpriced sake was subpar for the price, it took us two tries to get water after our server decided to go flirt with a chef and have a smoke. As nice as the host was who sat us, it felt like they were more concerned with decor and ambiance and getting you in the door than the food. We should've gone to Brick Lane instead! read more

Amazing thai food! So good I went back the next day to another location to try different dish... Will definitely come back! read more

We came here mainly because we couldn't find another restaurant in Shoreditch that can seat 7 people right away. The restaurant was fairly empty as it was early in the night and we made it in time for the dinner special (2 course meal for 11 quid). I had the beef stir fry and it is probably one of the blandest things I've ever eaten. I asked for extra spicy but the dish was not spicy at all. I guess not much should be expected from a chain restaurant but I was disappointed nonetheless. read more

Busaba Hoxton Square - Thai Near Me - London, XGL

I do worry that it's getting a little too thin on the ground. A new Busaba seems to open every other month. Soon enough, the above average prices for, what will inevitably be but isn't yet, identikit food, might just tip the balance. But in the meantime, whilst they tiptoe the fine line between successful restaurant venture and all-out chain blandness, they're just about getting it right. With more chains come less interested staff. Just there to make their dollar and get out of there. Felt some of that attitude when visiting here, but with waitstaff it's often pot luck. But the thai calimari is still one of my favourite dishes in London, doesn't matter which Busaba I have it at. So damn good. read more

Went here for a friend's birthday. Great choice of food on the menu. I must say, it is rather daunting to go there by yourself if you've never been before as the menu doesn't give much off by way of help. I had the Tom kha chicken as my main dish. But their side dishes are perfect. They offer a great variety of dishes, which all have their very own distinct flavour. I cannot get enough of the Thai Calamari and the Chicken Satay. Those dishes are a must have when you go. The only bad thing about this place is the fact that they don't take reservations. It is very annoying having to line up outside waiting for a table, especially during the dinner service. But it is definitely worth the wait. Enjoy. N.B.: As they do not take reservations, you might want to get there earlier and be prepared to wait until a table is ready for you. This is especially important when you're with a large group. read more

I don't know why I keep on returning there, it's not that good. I've had maybe 6 meals there, all very average, and kinda expensive for the quality (£8 - £13 a dish) but I guess the setting is nice, square communal table, cool decoration. Actually, I know why i go back: its next to my office. Practical but not yummy place. read more

It's fine, but there's better. We've gotten takeaway from this Busaba a couple times, and it's varied a little. The service has been very efficient, even in the face of an online ordering snafu from DineIn, so that's a plus. But the food is just not amazing. Admittedly, we've only had pad thai, pad seiuw, panang curry, and tom yum from these guys, but none of those dishes would score above a 6 out of 10 on my scale. The last time, our pad thais were very bland and the chicken was chewy - probably closer to a 4 than a 6. I'll be sticking to Thai Thai up the street despite their weird and erratic discounts and occasional breakdowns in service, because their curries and soups are just much better. Still looking for a good Thai noodle place. read more

Great atmosphere and delicious food. The chinese broccoli, fish curry, pepper chicken, and fried calamari were full of flavors and notably fresh. This would be a good spot for celebrating a minor accomplishment, say, wrapping up a project, welcoming a coworker, having a birthday with a couple of friends. Missing a star for value. I thought the prices were a bit high for the portion sizes. Don't arrive starving unless you're there to celebrate a raise. read more

Busaba Eathai at Old Street is definitely the type of place you would see next to the definition of "Hit and Miss"... Especially when it comes down to service. Every time I have been, the food has ranged from OK to delicious, but the service has ranged from totally rude to just acceptable. For me, Thai food is all about flavour, spice and aroma - but the experience is not about a cool brand - it's about friendly service and a great atmosphere; something that Busaba Eathai lacks. It seems that this is another company guilty of being successful, making too much money and not caring about what they do any more as they will always do well. Shame. Great marketing maketh not a great company. I also find companies who do not respond to negative social media comments lack the basic foundations of what customer service is all about...! *Cough* Twitter *Cough* Don't get me wrong, I have had delicious meals here, but I have on more than one occasion left feeling underwhelmed and ripped of. As I said... Hit and miss. read more

The usual yummy squid, I got the coconut curry which had quite a few things in it I couldn't/didn't want to eat, like hard bits of lemongrass (I think) and whole green chilli, but overall I enjoyed it. I got the impression prices were higher than last time I visited but I might be mistaken. Service generally friendly and good although they do need to be attentive in the lunchtime period to people needing to pay the bill and get back to work - I delayed my friend by so long! read more

I'm going to go ahead and just shrug at the screen right now. You can't see me doing it, but just imagine me wearing a cute outfit with my hair haphazardly thrown into a lopsided bun, yawning and shrugging. Anyways, we ended up here the other night because the queue at Pizza East was stupid and we were drunk and needed immediate foodstuffs. We sat down right away. It was described to me as a Wagamama's but with Thai food, and that's a pretty apt description. I think Wagamama's is actually more delicious, and I'm not even a huge fan. The food was instantly forgettable and I wish I had spent my £15 somewhere else. It wasn't BAD, so if you need something to eat, by all means. One person in our party had good food - it was the pumpkin and sweet potato (I think?) curry, and it was really good. I was jealous. Oh, also, the waitress tried to warn me off the jungle chicken, saying it was very spicy. If you like spicy food, you will be totally fine. It was not that hot. read more

It's a good Busaba restaurant. The food is as good as any other Busaba Eathai (Musaman Duck is still one of the best curries I've ever had !), and unlike other critics, I really thought the Pad Thai was of comparable quality as what you find in other good thai restaurants. However, when the menu mentions "Spicy", you can be sure it's really hot, so be careful ! In addition, there is more space in-between the tables, so you don't feel like you're in a school canteen like in the Soho restaurant. Waiters are friendly as usual. read more

Expect good food, but a bad dining experience. I have tried this place twice several years apart, and let me say that the food is great. I would be close to four stars for the food, but the atmosphere is horrible when the place is full. The room is nicely decorated and the fact that you sit on benches around tables with other people is not a poblem as such, but the tables are so close to each other that the waiters and other guests keep bumping into you while you are sitting in your seat. On top of that, the noice level is extremely high. If you are more than three people it will be almost impossible to have a normal conversation. read more

So let us suppose that you work around Liverpool Street. On a sunny Friday, you decide to explore the area around Shoreditch with your mates to find a place to have lunch. You start at 11:45 and get in a quiet restaurant, so calm and peaceful that you thought you were at a Buddhist temple. But then, by 13:00, the temple turned into a party zone. The place got so full that we had to wait 20 minutes to get our bill. We even cancelled our second order of lemonade as we were tired of waiting. I must say they are probably understaffed at busy times. Apart from that, the food was decent. I will definitely give them a better rating once they decide to hire enough waiters to serve the number of people that come in at lunch time. read more

I wasn't planning on going to this branch, but they lucked out because East London was easier to get to in the snow than any of the Central branches. And it was the perfect choice. The food is the same as you'd expect in any of the branches (I went straight to the squid and beef with ginger - I've tried a lot of the menu but those are my absolute favourites). I also got to try the monkfish curry, which was tasty, but not my favourite (always too much sauce, but that's handy for roti dipping). The staff were friendly, and we even stuck around for an extra portion of squid at the end of our meal. Yummy yummy yummy. Well worth trekking across London in the snow for. Really. Thing I like about Busaba (aside from the squid) is that you don't feel like you're intruding in someone's space, even with the communal seating. It's busy, but you can still have your own conversation. This branch was quiet, so we didn't feel rushed at all. It's not the kind of place you want to linger in, but you'll come out full, happy, not that much poorer (dinner for two with drinks £40) and maybe even with a takeaway box for another portion of squid. Go. read more

I really, really like the food and the whole experience here. I can definitely recommend the jungle curry and brown rice the rice even comes in a little wooden tub. The seating is set out on large tables so it's quite likely you'll be sharing with strangers. This makes it better as somewhere to go on the way to or from somewhere else rather than as an intimate meal. This branch gets very busy with queues out the door so I'd suggest you get there early. read more

Consistently the best Thai food in the area. They don't pretend to be the most authentic Thai restaurant as there is not such a thing as Thai cuisine - each region of Thailand differ and the same dish is served differently - however, Busaba is always awesome and Old Street branch is my favorite. read more

Let me start by saying I loved the food I had... my fiance and I both did. The three star rating is due to the poor service.... but let's start with the food! We eat thai all over the world, so I feel like we have a pretty good understanding of good/not good :] We split the following: Tom Kha soup, chinese broccoli, vegetable spring rolls, sticky rice and red lamb curry. I have to say - all were outstanding. I can't speak to the noodle dishes, but these were great. They really lost us on the service though. We asked for water & the bill many times and didn't get either until 20 minutes had passed and my fiance finally stood up with the credit card in his hand (side note - we are very patient patrons as we were both servers, so we do anything to keep from being rude to the wait staff). The food I would give 5 stars; the service 2... so we meet in the middle(ish). Maybe you'll have more luck! read more

Busaba Eathai at Hoxton Place came highly recommended when I was visiting the Old Street area for work recently. I ate there on a Thursday night and had no wait for a seat, which was one at a table of eight. I had the coconut water with raspberry and the pad thai, which I thought was a bit odd in comparison to the pad thai I've had in the US. There were fried shrimp in it, which was a tad like eating fish food. The seating took some getting used to, especially for someone there alone, but the food came out quickly and the service was good. read more

A lovely place to eat but overpriced. It's something different and the atmosphere is great but it could be greatly improved by being a little less pretentious. There are no desserts on the menu. Meh. Sometimes the portions are ungenerous. The chicken wings gets smaller every time I go. read more

Nope. Appetizers were good. Tasty and fresh and came out quickly. Got the sweet and sour chicken with jasmine rice. Took a while to get out on a Thursday night. Underwhelming presentation and the taste was meh. The dish had four (4) pieces of chicken, around 10 pineapple chunks and a boatload of onions. The taste was boring and the meal was lukewarm. If it weren't for the hot rice I dropped on top, I think the plate would have been much colder. With a whopping four pieces of chicken, I left after eating and had to pick up dinner #2 as I was still hungry. On a side note, it was loud as f_ck in the restaurant as well. Won't be going back. read more

Amazing food and amazing staff!! After being turned away by the Shoreditch location (who conveniently decided to close 30 mins early), this particular location happily welcomed us and you can tell that they pride themselves on their service as everyone worked as a team and consistently checked on us, making sure that we were ok. Highly recommend the Hoxton location. Don't go to Shoreditch. The shrimp here was amazing! read more

Delicious menu, bottomless prosecco (2 hour max sitting) and great (ish) service. The food was fresh and extremely tasty, try the calamari for a starter and the massaman curry roti with sweet potato fries for a main. Our server was lovely and catered to our needs. However her manager took over our table as she has to go on a break and she was less accommodating. Felt like we were being naughty school kids and were told off for being given an extra glass of prosecco! Aside from her unnecessarily authoritative demeanour overall experience was great! read more

Busaba Hoxton Square - long liquid lunch !!!! - Thai Near Me - London, XGL

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Love busaba since they opened but i must admit the Old Street one is the best one as it was the main original one if i remember rightly. 3 Stir fry chilli prawn is my winner of a dish. In and out in 1 hour. read more

Great food and well presented for our group of 9 people. We sat around their square tables, which were large enough to fit the group but not so large you couldn't chat across the table. Large assortment of Thai food, including sticky rice - all of it delicious. We had meat and veggie orders and not a complaint amongst us. read more

Im a regular at Busaba, absolutely looove to deep fried squid and the Pad Thai. Atmosphere is chilled, you'll have to share a table but its not that bad once you sit down. Only thing I think they could improve is to have an ambience music on. apart from that its great! read more