Harden's survey result
Summary
Ben Chapman’s epic BBQ Thai in Soho has racked up phenomenal ratings in our annual diners’ poll since it opened in 2016 and packing into a perch at its counter to savour the electrifying tastes of its spicy, smoke-infused meats has become a mainstay of ‘Top London Eateries Right Now’ lists online. But while it’s “always been a bit too cool for school”, this year saw a dip in ratings. No harsh critiques, just less buzz and wow-factor! (“OK, we are a bit old, but where lies the fun in spending quite a lot of money to sit in cramped surroundings, crammed up against others and eating the same old? I’m giving up on Time Out lists I think!”)
Summary
“Addictive! Watching the chefs fire the meat whets the appetite” at Ben Chapman’s “boundary-pushing classic” in Soho: a “unique and amazing” Thai BBQ whose “visceral cooking over flames provides a sensory experience, with food that’s also exceptional”. “And it’s such a cool place”, if “crowded” – “lovely sitting at the bar, enjoying the ordered chaos of the kitchen, having a drink and sampling all the different dishes; and the committed front of house team make this a very special meal”. Food quality is “holding up well: they don’t seem to have downgraded their offerings to make them more ‘accessible’”; although they are “able to satisfy a chilli-phobe as well as a spice seeker”. Top Menu Tips – “their pork chop haunts me with its fatty char and savoury flesh”; and “the Chicken & Soy is still an all-time favourite”.
Summary
“So cool, but with amazing food!” – Ben Chapman’s “bustling” Thai BBQ in Soho continues to deliver exceptional value. With a “cramped but lovely vibe”, “the best seats in the house are at the back where you can sit and watch the chefs cook over charcoal” (although “your clothes may be smelly afterwards due to the smoke from the open kitchen”). “Knowledgeable staff” provide a “menu full of things you never see at your average Thai restaurant, with stunning flavours” (and with “spice levels just on the right side of incendiary”).
Summary
“Exciting”, “astonishingly good” and “incredible value” Thai-inspired BBQ fuels nothing but adulatory reviews for Ben Chapman’s “incomparable” Soho destination (“we licked the plates clean and bemoaned the fact Manchester has nothing like this!”). This is “casual, bar-counter eating at its best”, but the “buzzy, loud atmosphere is not conducive to a leisurely meal”. Sitting upstairs “at the grill, watching the chefs cooking over the open flames is the highlight”; “downstairs is a bit grim and windowless” by comparison. “It’s too good to be an occasional place, but the queues make it impossible for frequent visits” (and “with no booking, you have to chance it; and it can be a long queue, glaring at people to hurry up!)”. Top Menu Tips – “the glass noodles, sausage, chicken glazing, larb squid and Cornish greens are exceptional”.
For 34 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
Have you eaten at Kiln?
58 Brewer Street, London, W1F 9TL
Restaurant details
Kiln Restaurant Diner Reviews
"Possibly now my favorite restaurant in London. Stunningly flavoured dishes, turned out at good pace by the open kitchen. Service might seem laid back but they are totally on it. "
Prices
 Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £25.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £6.50 |
 Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Bread | £0.00 |
| Service | 10.00% |
58 Brewer Street, London, W1F 9TL
Opening hours
| Monday | 12 pm‑11 pm |
| Tuesday | 12 pm‑11 pm |
| Wednesday | 12 pm‑11 pm |
| Thursday | 12 pm‑11 pm |
| Friday | 12 pm‑11 pm |
| Saturday | 12 pm‑11 pm |
| Sunday | 12 pm‑9 pm |
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