Reviews Beach Blanket Babylon - Shoreditch

In love with this place. Very cosy and nice ambience with a very nice atmosphere with delicious freshly made and served at reasonable prices and prompt and punctual service top.

Dining with unlimited bubbly is fast becoming an entirely acceptable way to spend a weekend and with so many places to choose from, competition to provide the hottest brunch spot is heating up. For us, we have high expectations of Beach Blanket Babylon because it’s the first stop of my sister’s hen do! We’ve got a full day lined up and everyone knows that you have to start off as you mean to continue, so of course we’ll be having unlimited bubbly with our brunch.

Beach Blanket Babylon Shoreditch is rather unassuming  with an all-black exterior, meaning that we completely walked past the restaurant on our first visit. There is a small statue with a plaque on the outside but it's very easily missed. However once we were inside this all changed and we were greeted by an opulent décor and were seated in fine surroundings.

Beach Blanket Babylon Shoreditch is rather unassuming  with an all-black exterior, meaning that we completely walked past the restaurant on our first visit. There is a small statue with a plaque on the outside but it's very easily missed. However once we were inside this all changed and we were greeted by an opulent décor and were seated in fine surroundings.

Beach Blanket Babylon Shoreditch is rather unassuming with an all-black exterior, meaning that we completely walked past the restaurant on our first visit. There is a small statue with a plaque on the outside but it's very easily missed. However once we were inside this all changed and we were greeted by an opulent décor and were seated in fine surroundings.

But I also found myself comparing it to the Notting Hill branch where I was seated in what seemed to be a romantically intimate cave. This Shoreditch branch is slightly more laid back and could equally be a contender for your Sunday lunch as well as a special occasion.

Would I Want Seconds?

When we arrived, we were checked in and coats taken as we were sat in some comfy chairs for pre-dinner cocktails. we ordered the Bee Bee Bee and A Walk in Shoreditch and they were fruity and delicious and presented beautifully. We were then served complimentary bread with butter and olive oil on the side was served as we waited for our starters, with explanations/descriptions and recommendations from our waiter.

To start, I tried the quinoa, fennel, avocado and pomegranate (£9). I very rarely eat quinoa so this was a nice change and it's always better when someone else prepared a dish you are less familiar with. I couldn't stop eating the soft fresh avocado and diced chunks of cucumber and crunching the bright juicy pomegranates. The quinoa was light but surprisingly filling however the dish was delicious.

My guest ordered the squid, cuttlefish and prawns crispy fried with harissa Mayo (£8), it was lightly battered and the dish was a rather large helping. The prawns and cuttlefish tasted fresh beneath the batter and the squid was particularly chewy. I would say this dish is better for sharing or for those with a large appetite.

In fact both our starter portions were both quite large and I wasn't able to finish it as I was afraid I wouldn't be able to eat my main, although starting with the bread was probably not the best idea.

For my main course I chose the lamb cutlets with Jersey royal potatoes, broad beans and shallots (£17) the lamb is usually served pink but I asked to have it a little more medium. The lamb was so tender it fell off the bone and was a pleasure to eat. The presentation was also wonderful and as the jersey potatoes were cut into small chunks I almost forgot I wasn't so fond of them. I also ordered a side of spiced kale (all healthy choices today right?) but I was underwhelmed by the spices and especially the cumin it was seasoned with.

My guest selected the 45-day aged fillet (200g), fries, bernaise sauce (£30). The steak looked like it had been chargrilled and was served medium and was very flavourful and chewy.

After all this food we were still able to manage dessert! My guest ordered the blueberry meringue pie with black currant sorbet and caramel crunch (£8.50). The meringue was sweet and tasty and the texture was soft rather than the hard crunchy traditional kind I know.

I had the apple turnover as there were limited dairy free dessert options. This came with honey, kafir lime, vanilla ice cream (£8.50) .

Could I Afford Seconds?

The starters here range from £6 for soup of the day to £13.50 for the king prawns.

The main courses here sit at mid-range prices but I do believe that these prices are reflected in the quality of the food. A vegetarian main course of falafel salad and tortilla is £12 but they also have some much more expensive options such as the seafood plate for two at £75.

The desserts are all priced between £6 - £7. This means that BBB would be a treat rather than a regular weekly visit.

Overall: 4/5

Just a short walk from Shoreditch overground station BBB is in a prime spot amongst one of the trendiest areas in London and I had great tasting healthy food and wonderful customer service. It is for these reasons that I will return.

Additionally BBB is ope just drinks as well as dinner and they also boast private function rooms for hire. I went on a slightly quieter day just after Easter but I'm told the restaurant usually has a buzzing atmosphere and I am excited to see their next opening in Hampstead!

Came across this place walking on Friday night browsing London as a tourust with a friend. Place was packed however hostess was kind enough to give as a table with no reservation . Classic decor mixed with young and hip crowd and music . Scalops were absolutely fantastic so was rissoto and pear salad with walnuts! Service was attentive !

I went to Beach Blanket Babylon last night for a hen party. Although we had a private room, we had to walk through the main restaurant which was absolutely buzzing and had a great atmosphere. The private room upstairs was pretty huge with its own dedicated bar.

The food was not bad but, in my view, not worth going back for. I started with artichokes followed by lemon sole. Dessert was profiteroles which were dry and unexciting.

If I go back to BBB it will be for the atmosphere more than the food!

Somewhat pretentious and schmoozy, it is a great place to feel like you’re treating yourself without punishing your wallet.

I met a friend there on a Wednesday night and it was a nice level of busy, with couples and groups dotted around in various corners yet was not overwhelmingly busy. We perched at the bar overlooking their impressive selection of booze, but there are plush sofas and corners for couples or larger groups.

They have a happy hour; 2 cocktails and a choice of one bar food dish for £15, which is a great deal considering cocktails are a tenner each alone, but this was not overly broadcast (despite the waiter being so overly chatty!) and I did have to ask if it was on before he suddenly remembered it existed!

All in all, good service, delicious drinks, a well-varied and original menu and a glamorous-feeling atmosphere. Not one to come to in gym trainers or for a quick pint, but nice to doll up and feel glam. If you don't mind a bit of pretention, give the Shoreditch or Notting Hill branch a go.

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This was my second visit here and I have to see both my experience and the company I was keeping were a vast improvement. During my first visit I thought the service was pretty slow and also the drinks were ridiculously priced for what it was. Luckily this time when I arrived it was during happy hour which was a pleasant surprise. The bartender explained what the deal was and we decided on 2 cocktails and a snack from the bar menu for the princely sum of £15. The tempura jumbo prawns were good and there were 5 good sized prawns in the portion although the accompanying sauces were a little bit uninspiring. The 2 cocktails we got were pretty much a hit and an almost. We both went for a rum option and they packed a punch . The Walk in Shoreditch is the one I would recommend. The only reason we didn't work our way through the menu was because we had a dinner reservation we had to get to otherwise my memory of the drinks may have been a little bit more hazy! The service was absolutely fantastic with our bartender chatty and knowledgeable even though she was a little bit rushed. The whole establishment is maybe a little pretentious however nothing that hindered my night either time. Overall I'd say it was well worth a trip during happy hour however maybe best avoided outside of those times.

This was decent in my experience. We came here for a pre drink and dinner to start my friends hen weekend. We spent a lot of time drinking and playing games that we had missed last orders for food. Service was ok just do check the bill as they overcharged us for items that were sold out and didn’t have. The bar nibbles were ok.