The Blues Kitchen

Rarely write reviews - but felt compelled after some really fantastic food. Had some special dietary requirements and for once didn't feel like we were annoying the chef by daring to enquire what things had in them. The pork was proper good, as was the really friendly and amazingly helpful staff. Well worth a visit. We did it as a post gig dinner and the prices and location worked perfectly... Highly recommended.
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Wonder... FULL. - View all reviews by this user
9 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Had a pretty wicked night there a few days ago. Great selection of Bourbon and some cool ales/lagers. Food overall was v. good, apart from the Gumbo which was inedibly spicy. Great atmosphere and friendly staff
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8 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Tuesday, April 02, 2013

This had been my first time in the Blues Kitchen, I liked the look of it from outside and it looked spacious so I thought it would be the perfect place for a relaxing dinner.

First impressions were that there was an awful smell of mould when you first enter, like the place hadn't been cleaned for the past 2 weeks. This wears off the closer you get to the bar so we decided to sit adjacent to the bar, although it was very dark and I could hardly read the menu, this type of lighting I would expect in a club not a so called restaurant, I like to see the food i'm eating.

Having ordered the New Orleans gumbo, famous Blues Kitchen chilli and the pork ribs.

a) The gumbo was not what I expected. First of all the presentation wasn't what you would expect from a restaurant, it looked messy and the colour of the sauce was strange, knowing well what the gumbo should taste and look like having eaten similar food in America.

b) The Chilli con carne was dry and not as spicy as it should have been, the only thing I could taste was tomato juice, it was more like a poorly made Bolognese Sauce. I sincerely doubt any spice was used in making this dish.

c) The Ribs were the worst thing I have eaten in a restaurant for a while. They weren't tender and succulent as described, they were dry, tasteless and even the colour of the BBQ sauce was not what it should be, without a trace of hickory.

Having requested several times to talk to one of the managers about the food the waitress said she would get back to us, nothing came out of it and I did not want to spend the rest of my evening waiting for someone to apologise for the disgraceful food and the lack of service provided. I promptly paid the bill, which I now regret having wasted my money and time in a place not worth the credit it's given.

All in all a very disappointing experience, I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone.
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D
1 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Saturday, February 23, 2013

I have never written a bad review before but after going for lunch here I felt I had to as the service was schockingly bad and the food was disappointing, especially comparing it to how it was last year, I used to love coming to listen to the music but the atmoshpere isn't what it was and when you first enter there's a stench of dampness and beer surely this is an important thing for the managers to address.

There's plenty of other jazz bars in Camden that may not be as big , but offer a much more inviting environment and where you aren't ignored by the staff for half an hour.
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Petra
1 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Friday, February 08, 2013

The Blues Kitchen is located a short walk from Camden tube. It is dark and artfully lit inside with dramatic light fittings and well presented bar. Painted images of blues and jazz legends adorn the walls that lead you into the deep recess that accommodates the small stage. Surrounding bar seats with places to stand and jive make his place not your average gig venue.

By the entrance is a raised area housing about 8 cushioned booths, where we made ourselves comfortable, as we were there for the food!

The bar displays an impressive array of American whisky and Bourbon, a cocktail list to match and a short succinct and solid wine list. Beers are a mixture of the local Camden brewery bottles and a few Americans, with the regulars on tap.

The menu is exciting and enticing and well placed with American and Creole familiar fair, including quesadillas, pardon peppers, burgers and Buffalo wings, with good vegetarian options in most sections. There’s gumbo and jambalaya and even a soft shell crab burger!

We go crazy and order a meat- sharing platter, Cajun blackened shrimp and pardon peppers to get our taste buds going. It was perfect for four people and we got to have a taste of most things from the BBQ. The chilli was the stand out, excellently constructed with large tender chunks of brisket beef. The dry marinade on the pork ribs had a fantastic flavour, the ribs themselves generously meaty and bone yielding, providing good opportunity for enthusiastic munching. The padron peppers provided balancing piquancy to the ensemble and the prawns just tickled our fancy.

The salt beef Ruben sandwich had deliciously melting beef in good large slices and there were many of them. We had to have the soft shell crab burger. Of course! Deep fried and crabby. It was great! The sweet potato fries has made me vow never to make sweet potato wedges at home ever again ‘cos they will just be a disappointment.

The Blues Kitchen is a great place for casual, meet-for-drinks and have a bite to eat socialising. The live music element brings the place to life and offers a little bit of True Blood atmosphere to North London by way of Southern States Americana, not in the un-dead vampire way….
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Birds&Bats - View all reviews by this user
7 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Saturday, February 02, 2013

Had a friend recommend the blues kitchen as a great place to eat with authentic American food, So today i tried it. From outside it did not give me faith in the food but as we were there we went in and it was well worth it. We had the prawns and wings for a starter. the prawns were great and the wings well what can i say if you want wings then this is the place. We had smoked chicken, pork ribs as a main. They both came with a K.C bbq SAUCE the ribs were meaty and juicy the chicken was just unbelievable and the sauce they should bottle it and sell it..

We shared a brownie which i wish i had not as it was too nice to share.

we will definitely be going back.
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heena finch
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Friday, January 18, 2013

I hate giving a bad review, but this here website begs for honesty and the restaurant's receipt itself urges customers to let them have it.

Upon my discovery of a Southern food restaurant in London, I was over the moon! I've spent a month travelling around the South and I fell in love. I've also began researching its food culture more deeply, which means that I had certain expectations. Unfortunately, these were not met.

First of all, walking in the door, the air is clinical and dry - not comfortable. It is too dark, although I understand the aesthetic they are trying to achieve, I couldn't but help thinking that maybe they don't really want the customers to have a real look at their food and actually like their food. Atmosphere is important in a restaurant, but light is really key in order for me to be comfortable.

The food - we ordered the erroneously called "New Orleans Gumbo" and the Pulled Pork Sandwich.

The gumbo was like a wet jambalaya to me. Very slight spicy kick as an aftertaste. Mostly sausage - chorizo-like - and pieces of chicken. It tasted nice enough, but nothing special. Certainly non-deserving of the name gumbo. I would like to know if they used okra, filé or roux to thicken it, because there was no taste of any thickening.

I ordered the pulled pork sandwich thinking It was going to take me back to Memphis, where I had my first pulled pork. I'm aware that there are different BBQ sauces depending of the state, but whatever sauce they put on it, it was subpar and just not done correctly.

I also ordered a sazerac - my only real issue being the glass it was served in. It should be a tall glass instead of the whiskey glass I got. For any cocktail drinker knows that the container cocktails - and any other drinks really - come in make a huge difference to the taste of the drink.

I'm just glad I did not pay the bill. I hope Blues Kitchen improves!
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moshimoshineko - View all reviews by this user
4 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 4
Wednesday, January 09, 2013

I must say i'm very disappointed with this restaurant. it had some good reviews but the "Southern " American food is a knock off and not worth the money i paid. the gumbo was decent but the pulled pork sandwich was not worth 13 pounds and didn't taste like a pulled pork sandwich. the atmosphere was very pub like, the room was really dark and when we asked for the bill they had added to extra drinks to the it by accident!!! I will not be visting again and would tell any friends to stay clear.
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4 Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 3
Wednesday, January 09, 2013

Having walked past this restaurant a couple of times I had always wondered how the food was as it looks like a nice spacious place to relax with friends and enjoy a meal. I should have done as I have before and walked past,

I have worked in catering before and understand that a smile and at least an acknowledgement of a guest is essential when working in a restaurant/bar. The staff was certainly not rushed off their feet, rather having a nice long chat, and it almost seemed as if they were intentionally ignoring anyone who came in. I had to proceed to the bar for a menu ( why not have them on the tables if the staff are to busy to bring them over?!? ) and after some hand waving to get some attention we were finally able to get our order in. I thought i'd go with the safe bet of BBQ pork ribs, an american classic that you would think an American restaurant would excel in. Wrong! the meat was dry and burnt in places, the supposed delicious sticky sauce was mediocre and though it looks like value for money, if its barely edible then whats the point?! quality not quantity, surely!

The only thing I enjoyed that evening was the sweet potato fries even the ice tea was, well not ice tea , tasted like a bit of orange juice mixed with sparkling water.

All in all a very disappointing experience and a place I will definitely avoid.
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Mary
1 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 0
Thursday, December 06, 2012

This place has great food - the pulled pork and BBQ ribs were really good! It's just a shame about the service! The waitresses seemed half asleep and spent most of their time chatting down near the bar. We were going to order dessert, but after waiting for 10 minutes for the waitress to come back after giving us the menus, we changed our minds.

We spent a few minutes trying to catch someone's eye just to get the bill. It came with service included, and we were sorely tempted to cross that out and only pay for the food! I guess having it included is the only way they get any tips.

Lovely food. They just need to impress on their staff that their job is to look after customers, not standing around talking.
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7 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Thursday, October 04, 2012