Guanabana

Sloooow service — at times we were wondering if they were actually doing something. Don’t go here if you’re in a hurry. Food is decent, though.
I had a bun-​less pulled beef. Tasted very sweet but good. Somehow they also removed all my sides as well as the bun, so I had to ask for it specifically. Got it in the end. The creamy homeslaw was good.
The borrito tomatillo was good, according to my partner.
You will probably get better Caribbean somewhere else in the city, but this is an OK spot before a concert at The Forum.

Enjoy the garden at the rear of this restaurant.
Enjoy the staff who greet with a smile and will fuss over you.
Enjoy the mojitos.
The food though is ok and not that exciting.
The space and service alone make this a place worth visiting.

Tiny cramped seating area, food menu looked good, but was a different story once it arrived onto the table. Too much salt in everything, literally felt like I had a sack of salt in one sitting. I’ve been to Jamaica and this food isn’t that. It’s mediocre, and suitable for those who like it bland! Think the owner needs to rethink how they design the menu! And bright pink chicken which they thought was cooked to perfection, won’t be returning again. There are far more other true Caribbean restaurants in shoreditch, ealing, harlesden, just to name a few!

We attempted to eat here on a Saturday night without a reservation, big mistake. Do not expect a table on a weekend without a reservation.
So we booked in for a Thursday night.
The food options are quite large, and I had troubles deciding what to get. My friend and I ordered so much food I’m pretty sure the waitress thought we were fatties, lol.
I ordered the jerk chicken with a side of slaw and plantains, and it was really delicious. Super large portion that I took half of it home. My friend ordered spicy wings, 3 cheese mac and cheese, pulled pork burger, and a peanut butter milkshake. He said it all tasted amazing, though the mac and cheese got a bit sickly towards the end.
He surprised even me and finished it all, lol. I love that they let you take your left overs home. And I would go back.

I hate to love Guanabana.
The food, when cooked as it should be, is so delicious.
The flavors are wonderful and its BYOB, how could you say no? MANAGEMENT
Because of the management at Guanabana, its a moral dilemma for me going back.
I’ve been here quite a few times, and Im more surprised when things go right.
The things Ive seen go on here are endless;
— Waitresses belittled/​crying because of manager in front of the whole restaurant
–Usually slow service, ive never seen the same wait staff
–No cups
–After asking a server for advice he told me to «ask siri»
— Ordered my favorite dish with two ingredients: mushroom and halloumi, there were about 4 slices of mushroom in the dish. When I complained, a man returned said he is ‘a’ chef and can verify that my dish was made properly. The customer is rarely right here
— Made reservations on website, but they didnt have it despite my reference code.
Its quite shocking how things can go so wrong when the manager has been there every time I have, granite hes just lurking creepily in the background.
Guanabana has really great food, you just have to overlook the poor management and pray you came on a good night.

Worst restaurant ive experienced in my life–
Sat us down next to a back door that kept opening and letting the cold in.
waiter came after 15 minutes and took our order.
had to ask the waiter after half and hour for the drinks
then 15 minutes later the starter comes out.
burnt as if it was refried–
and this was whilst the guys next to us, who came 20 minutes after us where having their meal–
Had no choice but to leave and and went for a kebab instead–
Disgusted!

It’s interesting the mixed reviews here but I will say I was quite happy with my meal. A friend made reservations for 645 same day, which was awesome and we then realized the BYOB option here which I have to say was a welcome change.
Décor was a bit funky and reminded me of the height ashbury or Berkeley. Food really isn’t Caribbean but taste great nonetheless. My hubby had the jerk burger which he said was OK but the jerk chicken was yumm-​o! We ordered sides of rice and fries /​chips. Rice was great but I would skip the fries. Total came to 13 a person. Possibly the cheapest meal I’ve had in London. When in Camden I would be happy to come back.

As an update to the food poisoning issue, I tried in every way to speak to someone and sadly have come out of this with a bad taste in my mouth. I have never heard back from anyone regarding the emails/​messages left regarding the food making me violently ill.

Some restaurants consider coffee or a mint to be the appropriate ending to a meal. Guanabana reckons the ideal digestif is twenty minutes of arguing over the bill. The customer is always right, eh? Not in Kentish Town.
So, my friend contacted the restaurant, which is BYOB, via email to book a table for 14 people. They recommended the set menu and said that if she paid a deposit, they would waive the corkage charge. She replied to say that we would rather have the a la carte menu, but that she was happy to pay the deposit and thanked them for waiving the corkage. Deposit paid, table booked,
Fast forward a fortnight and since two people dropped out, 12 of us turned up and discovered that the 14-​person table was not available. Instead, we were seated at a table barely big enough for 10, with the promise that they’d move us in 20 minutes. Bad start. 20 minutes later, we had our drinks out and had settled down, so obviously we didn’t want to move. We then ordered nine starters between us: seven turned up. Another friend and the waitress (who had taken the original order) had the following conversation:
Friend: We ordered some nachos too, are they coming?
Waitress: Are what coming?
Friend: The nachos.
Waitress: Oh, did you order some?
Christ. When we’d finally finished our meal and the bill arrived, we were surprised to see that they had added corkage of £2.50 per head (for 14 people, incidentally, not the 12 who had actually turned up and been seated at a table for ten). We queried it. The waiter explained that this came with the a la carte menu. No, we said, our friend agreed to pay the deposit on the understanding that they would waive the corkage. No, he said, that was only if we ate off the set menu. No, we said, this condition was never specified. But that’s how it is, he said. That’s as may be, we replied, but the fact is that we have it in writing that you will waive the corkage and now you’re reneging on your agreement. We got out an iPhone (bless technology) and showed him the chain of emails. He called the manager. We showed her. After repeating the exact same discussion — in its entirety — she still refused to remove the corkage, despite us spending well over £200 on food alone. She claimed that the woman who had sent the emails to my friend no longer worked there, as if this negated the entire discussion. She said it was illegal for her not to charge it (which begs the question why it’s ok not to charge it on the set menu). She offered to reduce it by £10. We steadfastly refused to back down. 20 minutes later, she finally removed it, we paid our bill, and left.
The worst part about this whole event is that the food is pretty good. The unusual stuff, at least; the «flying adobo» chicken wings and beef ribs were absolutely delicious. The nachos and fajitas were relatively average. Prices are fair and the décor is funky. And people who’ve been there in pairs tell me that they’ve had great experiences. So why offer service to large groups if you’re simply unable to handle it? My food was lovely, but the service left a sour taste in my mouth. You can get equally good Latin American food elsewhere in London for significantly less hassle. AVOID.

The restaurant was a bit empty on arrival but at the back of the restaurant, someone was holding a birthday party so we knew this is going to serve good food.
My jerk burger was amazing! It looks tiny but it’s very filling. The milkshake was thick and delicious. We also tried the cactus fries. VERY strange… I wouldn’t have it again but I’m glad I tried it and I would recommend others if they like to try if they are the adventurous type.
A bit expensive for its location & type of food but I would go again just because they do amazing burgers. Service is slow… one waiter handed us the bill and another took our card transaction… but the first waiter kept on looking at us to see if we were going to pay as we still sat there finishing off our drinks. So we had to tell him that we have paid by card, taken by the other waitress and he apologised.
When we were leaving, the restaurant began to fill up with local families. So we were happy that we’ve tried this place out.

Guanabana was a nice surprise. A bunch of my friends and I went there to celebrate my return to London and I couldn’t have picked a nicer place. The food was delightful, the seating outside was perfect for smokers, roof over our heads and all. The price is quite alright for a semi-​special night out. The food in the vegetarian department was extremely limited, although the haloumi was excellent and almost made up for the 11 or so quid that it cost. But the BYOB policy in this restaurant was the real kicker, especially since they provide the ice bucket for your wine bottles! The staff was pleasant and didnt mind at all when we had wrapped up the eating session and stayed on for the drinks part of the evening.
I wouldn’t consider going here on a regular basis since i’m a student and I would be skint very very soon, but if you have a birthday coming up and would like a night out in camden, drinks and dinner here are a fair deal!

Great food — SHOCKING service.
Arrived here on time had to wait around while being totally ignored by the staff who were run off their feet. However once they realised we were waiting we were shown promptly to our awaiting table.
The place is quite cramped and there were a lot of people here that evening so it has a very cosy feel to it. In fact so cosy that almost every dish visited our neighbouring table first. It happened so often we started joking about about them receiving our bill at the end of the night. So at the end of the night… that’s actually what happened. WHAT!!! I couldn’t believe what I was seeing!
Why give them so many stars I hear you say. Well To be honest the food was sensational!!! I don’t know who’s running the kitchen its definitely someone who knows what they’re doing its just the front of house that needs a real kick up the back side!
I have no qualms in having to put up with that service to get to the food.
Will be back.

Wouldn’t recommend this place at all. No wine list, the service was slow, and the whole place seems totally disjointed and confused, is it south american, Caribbean or asian, who knows! The portions are small and the quality is poor. Would not recommend this place at all!

I discovered Guanabana on the internet after returning from a trip to Colombia, where Guanabana had fast became my favourite fruit… it tunrs out this place is only round the corner from my house…“ah, it’s fate”, I thought!
I went for dinner there that night and I wasn’t disappointed… I even ended up booking my 30^th Birthday party there straight away.
I love this venue, a cosy, comfortable and friendly restaurant with a great garden for those warm summer nights. There’s no pretentiousness, the décor is haphazard and I love it for that.
My birthday was a great success and everyone loved the food… as well as the BYO alcohol situation — it really does suit every budget. The staff were happy to make their Mocktails into the real thing with what we brought with us and people still talk about the place.
I’ve been back a few times and will continue to do so… OK, so the music is a bit hit and miss and yes, the food could sometimes be better but you just cannot beat a Guanabana milkshake — a joy to find in London!

I HEART Guanabana!
Guanabana cater Carribean and Latin cuisine, which I never had tried before until I came here for my sister’s birthday dinner. Now I’m hooked… and there’s no shaking me off!
It is a medium sized restaurant based in Camden with shabby chic décor and a homely atmosphere. The service were prompt and very friendly. I’d recommend booking a table as there were no available seats when I came on a Saturday night. I ordered jerk chicken with rice and OMG it was absolutely delicious!
Definitely had a good vibe and would be ideal for a meal with the other half, good friends, or family.

For me Guanabana is a perfect place to chill out in Camden. I have a thing for antique furniture being used in restaurants, so you’ll see a few on display. They have a nice and cosey outdoor heating area which you can book for private events. On the menu they serve a variety of Caribbean and Latin food (halal), so you are spoiled for choice. They organise special events, so do check their website.
Staff were absolutely friendly! Thank you Guanabana, I will visit again soon.

So I went here for Valentine’s Day. uh oh! We were one of the first couples to be seated, however, the LAST to get served! We were NOT mpressed at all, and other couples had waited over two hours for their meal– us included.
I would go back here again, but not on a day like Valentine’s. I thought it was slightly pricy for the amount of food put on the plate, but there is a good selection of dishes and I recommend for it to anyone who likes Latino cusine and caribbean meals.

A rarity! They do HALAL Steak and Mash! Try it with mushroom sauce. Mine cost around £13 and was delicous. They have a Garden at the back and for those that want thier beers its bring your own. My one gripe is the ServiceSlow!
I’m defenitely going again.

Guanabana, a place which attracted me to it’s speciality in Caribbean and South American cuisine, a good-​looking menu with a blast of colourful attractive food and drinks, and a personal thought of a fun Latin/​Caribbean ambience.
Unfortunately I found only that the place did not at all look like a restaurant however like someone’s back room, the decorations looked more like clutter, the food was really not worth writing home about.
To anyone who knows about Caribbean or Latin cuisine this is not a place for you, I’m sure your Granny/​Abuela cooks better. The roti was only slightly softer than cookies, and the curry goat was not even worth the price tag, portions were reasonable enough.
It did however have a decking with an outdoor dining area, like a bamboo garden, but even that looked like the back yard of someone who cares nothing for their plants, and the presentation of the garden did scare me off from even wanting to eat out there
The staff on the other hand are very attentive and well presented if thats one of very few good points it has, the atmosphere is not what you’d expect from a place that serves Latin and Caribbean food, more like being at home in your own dining room. I did leave the restaurant unsatisfied with the food, and ‘Guanabanas’ general appearance it did not look like a clean place to dine.
I’d say that Timeout’s three out of six stars were a bit generous, one star out of five would be perhaps a little too harsh, however I do not intend in going there anytime soon. Maybe when it is better established.

I came here here this week to celebrate Thanksgiving with some American pals. It was my friends third time there that week and she was raving on about it so I was really looking forward to sampling the food.
The interior is filled with candle light, exposed brickwork, chesterfield sofas, wooden tables, french doors which open up to a lovely bamboo garden.
The waiters are very friendly, helpful and good looking.
I ordered the Sea Bass with feta cheese mash which was out of this world, the Sea Bass was cooked to perfection. Two of my friends are vegetarians so one had the Chick Pea and Green Mango stew which was amazing and the other had the the avocado salad which looked delicious as well.
It’s BYO (Bring your own wine) which cuts down on costs.
I will be back very soon.