The Rum Kitchen

Went during a busy time of year, just after Christmas and before new year’s. They were busy, tables were heaving and totally under staffed!
Took a chance, managed to get a table. Was looking forward to it as I’ve heard so many reviews.
Took about 20 minutes for someone to get our drink orders and a further 30 minutes for food, which in the end wasn’t even worth paying for.
The jerk wings are probably the only starter I’d have again. The fish fritters were too big and very very bland, think the chef had a bad day and forgot all the seasoning, won’t be having that again. The calamari was ok, kind of tastes the same everywhere you go. The jalapeño poppers, the cheese is meant to me oozing out and well served hot too, it came out cold. Sweet potato fries are standard everywhere you go too.
Drinks were ok, the mains actually looked a whole lot better, so will probably go back just for that. Maybe I wouldn’t go back to carnaby street as the staff just looked so miserable and unpleasant. I might try the Notting Hill branch next time instead.
If it’s like this during a busy period, I’d hate to see what a slow period is like for them. Maybe they need to get backup temporary staff.

I came here every weekend either Friday or Saturday night during June, July and August. I became some what of a regular. The food is amazing and so authentic. My friend who is West Indian absolutely loved this place. Between us both, we have tried quite a few things on the menu. For starters we have had Jerk Chicken Wings with scotch bonnet swamp sauce. The jerk marinade was spot on, the chicken wings, were so moist and well cooked but not over cooked. I found the scotch bonnet swamp sauce a bit too spicy for me so only tried a little bit. The jerk fried chicken thighs with bajan hot pepper sauce, again the jerk marinade was spot on and the chicken thighs again were so moist and well cooked. From the mains we have had Jerk Chicken Supreme with grilled chicken breast, sweet potato & yam mash or rice & peas, sautéed callaloo & spinach, jerk gravy. We have tried both variations from the menu and the one we liked the most was sweet potato & yam mash. This tasted very similar to what my Jamaican neighbour would make, but her one is slightly more spicier, so it is authentic which was good to see and quite rare nowadays. We have also tried the Curried Mutton with rice, peas & slaw. My friend absolutely loved this, I liked it but was not too keen on it. The mutton was cooked just how I like it and was so tender, the rice and peas were again cooked just how I like it. I did like the slaw a lot and would quite happily order that next time. We haven’t tried any of the burgers as we weren’t too keen on them as they were not authentic West Indian food. We have tried all the sides and were impressed with them all. As for the alcohol, I have had quite a few myself and tried a fair few my friend ordered. I have had the Wray Cobbler which has my favourite rum Wray and Nephew with Bergamot, Fino Sherry, Lime and Sugar. This is my favourite cocktail as the flavours just complemented each other really well and the fact it has my favourite rum makes me slightly biased. I have also had the Trader Vic’s Mai Tai which has Appleton VX, Appleton 12, Wray and Nephew, Agricole, Curaçao, Orgeat, Sugar syrup & Lime. I do like Mai Tai so I just got this to see how they make it and I was thoroughly impressed, it didn’t taste very alcoholic which is not a good thing for me as if it doesn’t taste alcoholic then I tend to drink them very quickly and get very drunk very quickly as a result. I got the Romero Zombie which I got strictly because it came in a coconut shell and just looked amazing, it had some rums and was quite fruity. I really liked this one and have had it numerous times now. I also enjoy the dark and stormy, that was really full bodied and best I’ve ever had. As I have spent a good amount of time here, I know for sure I will be back and have many more nights here as well as drinks after shopping in Oxford Street. If you want authentic West Indian food then definitely come here. If you want a rum filled night then come here, It is truly my favourite place and out of the two Rum Kitchen’s, I prefer this one over the first one in Notting Hill. Also if you have managed to read this whole review then well done to you as I have just realised how long this review is!

Jerk chicken and beer!
Nice setting, buzzing part of town and not too expensive. What more could you ask for.

Better than I expected it to be! If you’ve read any of my reviews, you probably already know how I feel about chains. Why do I keep going to some of them? Probably because London is BESIEGED by them.
Kingly Court is quite close to my job so it’s often a good source of food destinations but sadly due to rental prices in Carnaby Street that means all of them are chains because who else can afford to open there. We were intending to go to Dirty Bones but The Rum Kitchen caught my eye instead. At least Kingly Court does have some novel and interesting chains as opposed to the usual.
It looked rather quiet inside but as soon as we stepped in the music was booming! There was a bit of a confusion in seating us but we eventually got a table at 6pm. There had a been a lot of empty tables but these quickly filled. We decided to go for the happy hour £5 cocktails. Bit of a rookie mistake, my daiquiri and ‘the universe’ cocktail came in very small glasses, tasted exactly the same and were very sweet.
On initial look at the menu, I was surprised at how pricey it was considering none of the dishes came with anything. I opted for the ribs and the sweet potatoes fries. With two happy hour cocktails, my meal came to £25. Yeesh. Still hungry.
You get two big ribs in the bowl, it was supposed to come with some pickle watermelon but I saw none of this. The ribs were good, in my opinion, but not that much sauce. A tablespoon across all of them maybe. Extortionately priced at £8.50.
I was glad I went for the sweet potato fries instead of the wedges, as they were a decent size for £4.50. You seemed to get three wedges and a scoop of browned avocado for £5. Unimpressed.
Unless you order a full main course and a side, you’ll still be hungry. I would have probably ordered dessert but they came over to give us the bill and tell us to vacate the table as there was a booking. Nice. They never told us this when we sat down.

Excellent drinks, but the food was not particularly good. I would recommend grabbing drinks here while putting your name in for one of the many other delicious restaurants nearby (dishoom, shoryu, senior ceviche, pizza pilgrims).

I’ve been here a couple of times and I thorough enjoy. Ok it’s a bit noisy so not the place if you want to have a quiet meaningful chat. However if you want a lively environment where you can get some good food a vibe and some cocktails then this is a place well worth a visit.
Ok the menu may not be as extensive as some places but what it does it does well to recreate the Caribbean vibe in its food. In my opinion some options could use a little more spice on some, but I get it they have to cater for the masses.
The service tries to be Caribbean but it’s a good thing it’s not otherwise you may never eat! The waiting staff are good not to intrusive and helpful. The drinks menu is a decent one they have a range of cocktails some quite inventive, try the Ting Wray Cocktail, not my favourite but worth a try to experience it!
When I was there they were re-​doing their desert menu, which is good as it was limited. What they did have was the caramelised banana cake and ice cream which hits the spot. That is if you have any space left which needs filling in your stomach.
I suggest booking a table as it gets busy of an evening time but they certainly do take walk ups.
The bar is small so it’s not the place to go if you just want a drink and hang out.
I will definitely be going back as I like the vibe and the staff during when week are a little more Caribbean then the weekend shift.

Important Tip: Download the Cake app, use your own referral code for your friends (not the waiter’s) and you’ll be taking £15 (£10 free + £5 per referral) off the bill per person.
Now, that hopefully done, order a round of Zombies and get sloshed! The Zombie packs a hell of a punch, and is very worth the pricey tag of neatly £13 each.
Dinner Rush hits hardest Thurs-​Sat 6pm-​8/​9pm, so beware if casually dropping in! Also Happy Hour runs here (I think till 7pm) early in the week, so be clever and get in early.
+ Food is awesome. The chicken burger was Deceptively delicious, and very filling. I almost didn’t need the tasty sweet potatoe fries. My mate had the jerk chicken main dish and wasn’t enough for him, so definitely order sides!
+ Cocktails are all generally quite good quality. Order away!
+ Décor is good, and if possible try sit at the window ledge and watch all the action in Kingley Square.
+ Staff are good fun and jovial! Definitely a lot less uppity than the Rum Kitchen in my back yard of Portabello.
If any negatives, it’s not the cheapest eats, but it’s a solid spot. Pop down to Cahoots after for some vintage Tube-​themed cocktails after.

Delicious, fun vibe, friendly staff. My husband is from Jamaica and we are always looking for good Caribbean food. Husband had the jerk chicken burger and I had the soft shell crab burger, as well as a side of sweet potato fries. Everything was delicious. We went for lunch but I bet this place would be great for drinks after work or when going out with friends. Recommend.

Love both these locations — the manager Chris is a dream -‘great salt fish fritters and excellent Rum options (even some dirty Wray and Nephews for some unwelcome Jamaican headaches!) — a little corner of the caribbean in London. We love this place.

This is soul food! Spicy, traditional and from the heart of the kitchen. From the classic to curried mutton, you won’t be disappointed!
Their cocktail selection was also inspirational, nothing like a rum punch with spices to set off the evening!

Wow was the food and more specifically the flavours good! I will definitely be returning!
I can’t wait to try the curried mutton or veggie curry however was not in the mood after warm day! Salad also looks really good. Really enjoyed my jerk chicken although beware it is quite hot. I needed a few glasses of water. Wish I’d gonna for yam and sweet pot mash rather than rice and peas as they were a bit dry.
Cocktails also good! Really tasty and pretty glasses — they have happy hour from 5 – 7 with 5 cocktails each for £5. Quite varied choice so make most of that.
Get the plantain — they are sooo yum! My friend who had crab burger also highly rated it!
Staff were also very friendly and I loved the décor and the location of the restaurant in kingly court
I personally think the price for the mains is a bit steep — £13 for a curry or some chicken and rice?! And was nearly going to give it 3* because of this but it doesn’t do the food and service justice.
Highly recommended! Might try the Notting Hill branch next time!

LOVED the food and the atmosphere! Really great. The sweet potato chips are heaven, somehow better than other sweet potato chips (apparently its possible!)
Staff are good as well and the location is easy but also slightly hidden which adds to the fun! GO GO GO!

Sencillamente muy mal eficados, servicio pauperrimo, caro y sinceramente bastante pobre en lo que viene siendo el menu. Tipico restaurante que pronete y que luego decepciona. Todo fachada… Nada de cocina.

Nothing will relieve the burning sensation of this sensual trip to the Caribbean! The stingray drink was BLUE! And the tuna jerk on the rainbow salad was probablybthe best tuna I ave ever had. I mean, really. When you eat a salad and you finish the greens before the tuna that is an oddity. A rare find indeed. Not to mention my saltfish fritters were possibly the best appetizer I have ever tasted. Other than everyone I ate with saying our drinks were prompt, our drinks perfect enough so to get a ssecond round of them, the food came so much later. Ans to complain about the speed, I guess you cannot rush supreme Excellency! Because I just want to come back here and order more food. Slow yes. But alas worth the wait!

Happy and friendly staff (although very overstretched), yummy food, and I am such a fan of Kingly Court as a location in general.
This place is ideal for an after-​work catch-​up with friends, although I am not sure how authentic the Caribbean food is itself. another thing of note is that the cocktails were very alcoholic — quite a rarity in London!

Decided to eat here based on a tasty sounding menu and the setting in the square is fantastic.
Seated quick enough, but took an age to get service, then another for drinks. Food was tasty, but the service was lacking.
Worth a try if you don’t mind the wait!

This place is packed with promise. From the beautiful setting, to the queue spilling out the door and the delicious aromas luring you in — but unfortunately it fell short of my expectations in a few ways.
Now I’m not ignorant to city centre food prices but this place is too expensive. I’m happy to pay over £9 for their perfectly crafted cocktails but £13.50 for a jerk chicken meal with next to no veg is extortionate, especially seeing as it doesn’t taste very authentic. Real Caribbean portions are generous with sides of veg and hard food (plantain or festival) as standard.
The friendly staff, joyful atmosphere and great selection of tunes is what saves this place.

For Caribbean food in the London area, this is my go-​to spot. The jerk chicken is the best. Just the right amount of spice. The soft shell crab burger and the pulled pork bun, as well, are two of my favourites.
The staff are some of the most fun and friendly in the area. The service is prompt and I was never made to feel like anything I would have asked was any bother.
It’s simply a very fun place to have delicious food and refreshing cocktails.

I have been to the Rum Kitchen in Notting Hill multiple times for brunch and always enjoyed it. I went to the new one in Soho expecting the same sort of experience.
The location is really cool and the interior décor is very nice. The music is loud, but not distractingly so. I had the soft shell crab burger with sweet potato fries. It was good; I’d order it again, but nothing worth raving about. The sauces they have to offer are a nice addition that allows you to pick how much spice you want. Everyone else at my table enjoyed their meals, no food was left on any of our plates.
The staff were friendly enough but, definitely not the friendliest. They also weirdly don’t offer cheese with anything, so you can’t get cheese on any of your meals. It is a bit pricy for sandwiches; the food and drinks do begin to add up. I would go back because the atmosphere is so cool and it is usually a good experience.

Really decent cocktails here. They are über strong. So you’ve been warned!
Food wise, the soft shell crab burger is stunning. The sweet potato fries are the perfect must accompaniment.
The sauces and dips are excellent and a different twist on what you normally get in burger joints. The BBQ Rum and Scotch Bonnet Mayo awesome I wanted to take the bottle home with me.
The staff are super friendly and up for a little banter. Despite the place being really busy, they didn’t forget about us or our small requests for things like sauces.
The place is quite hip and noisy, so not everyone’s cup of tea. But honestly, you need to come here for the soft shell crab burger and sweet potato fries. You won’t regret it!
One cool thing is that when paying the bill they use an ipad app with one of those card readers that can email you the receipt. It can also evenly split the bill depending on the number in your party. That is cool to see.

Randomly stumbled upon Kingly Court the other night while out with two girlfriends. We were looking for a place for a good drink and just so happen to love rum. Saw the sign for The Rum Kitchen and practically ran up the stairs.
Once inside, it had such a cool vibe. Dim lighting, cool beachy-​esque décor, and fantastic music playing. Went up to the bar and I picked the first thing on the menu that I laid my eyes on. «Rattle skull punch.» The bartender was great, tossing around the bottles quite swiftly and chatting to us while he made our drinks. The drink I ordered was served in a mug, which I loved and garnished with mint and an orange slice. The taste was extremely unique, but absolutely delicious and quite strong (all make a great combination!).
I highly recommend this place for a chill drink prior to going out or just to socialize with friends! Definitely will be back.