Shaka Zulu

In all my experience in eating out I have never come across food which I would not even have the heart to feed my pet.I went with a group of 10 people for the Sunday buffet which was supposed to be a selection of 20 exotic dishes - how misleading!!

The 'exotic' buffet was simply salad, frozen samosas and dried rubbery bits of meat which was no doubt from the day before. As for the main courses, well there only 4 to choose from which were all as bland and tasteless as each other and most definitely not fresh. My wife was so disheartened by the lack of taste and variety which the website promised that she went to the chef and questioned him about this. Of course the chef didn't have much to say so my wife asked him to grill her a piece of chicken, but surprise surprise when it arrived it was not even cooked inside as it had just so blatantly been defrosted and then cooked in a rush. Now we come to the dessert- rock hard brownies, sour creme brulees, defrosted berries and a tub of vanilla ice-cream on a bucket of ice with no scoop.

Lastly there was a delightful experience of hard bits of bread and dried up cheese that had been sitting there for hours on end. Even the presentation of the buffet was awful and with no labels to actually say what we were eating.

For £20 pounds per head you would think that the management would actually care about what the customers were putting in their stomachs and make an effort rather than making money by feeding people yesterday's leftovers and disgusting tasteless food. If anything it was like armed robbery! Please do not waste your money!
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Mohamed Ali - View all reviews by this user
2 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 0
Sunday, December 04, 2011

Fantastic food but one of the worst dining experiences of my life. Having booked and pre-ordered our meals we were made to queue twice before we were sat down. Our table wasnt ready so we were made to wait in the bar where we, as a group of twenty, were made to sit at a table for ten. We were then taken to our table and it took over an hour for our starters to arrive - apparently the kitchen was totally unaware of our order - and having entered at 9pm we left at midnight. The staff were rude and unprofessional throughout and the 12% 'service' charge was the cherry on top of one of the worst dining experiences I have ever encountered. Avoid like the plague.
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Tom Love
3 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 1
Sunday, November 27, 2011

One of the worst restaurant experiences I've every had. We weren't seated until an hour and a half after we originally booked. When I complained, the station manager initially insisted that I had spoken to the wrong member of staff about the delay and then tried to blame Transport For London (TFL) for the previous table's occupants not vacating on time!

The decor is good, but the ridiculously loud music spoilt the evening for us as I couldn't make myself heard to friends only 1.5m away. Everywhere I looked, couples were straining across the tables to hear each other. Why? This restaurant needs to make its mind up whether it's serving food or a nightclub.

When the food finally arrived, it was on the whole tasteless. I've had better school dinners than this! To add insult to injury, the food (and wine) is massively overpriced.

If you're looking for ambience, good food, a conversation over dinner with friends or value for money, steer well clear!
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Steve Butler
1 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 1
Sunday, November 20, 2011

What can I say that would sum up our experience of Shaka Zulu ? POOR, POOR, POOR. What a disappointing experience not to be repeated. It started off with the confused message my nephew got when booking (should have rung alarm bells). He was told when first booking that Bruno Mars was performing and our table was situated near the band would that be a problem. Must admit I thought this was a bonus until the second phone call that advised us that we would have to pay £17.50 to see Bruno Mars. As this was a family birthday celebration with age ranging from 18 to nearly 80 we didn't feel that this was something we wanted to do as we were unsure how long we would stay. By the third call my nephew was told that if we didn't pay we would be asked to leave the restaurant by 9:30pm. As our booking was for 7:45 I didn't feel this gave us enough time and not forgetting they took our booking to start with. I decided to call the restaurant as it was turning into a bitter expirance for my nephew. I finally got through to one of the managers and explained my disappointment. He apologise and said that he would talk to the staff and we would not be asked to leave at 9:30 instead we could stay until 10pm - how generous when there voice message and web site say they are open until 2am. He said we could call and ask for him if there were any other issues or inquires (shame they didn't answer their phone on the day). Once at the restaurant things didn't improve. It took them a long time to seat us which was an issue as we were on a restricted time scale. This was followed by a bouncer being very rude to my nephew and poor quality food (the saving grace was a really nice waiter).  

I asked to speak to the manager I spoke to on the phone which surprise, surprise was once again disappointing. Although he listened to my concerns his response when I said the food was below average he said " it not for everyone" - what is that  meant to mean? Odd, arrogant response. They served our deserts with the bill (which we hadn't asked for) and were very keen we left. My other concern was the amount of people they were packing into a very small area to see Bruno Mars - due to the amount of people you couldn't get off the escalators, causing a bit of a pile up - luckily there wasn't a emergency. In my opinion, as the manager said "it's not for everyone" , I think Shaka Zulu is all hype and no substance - what a shame.   
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Elpida - View all reviews by this user
2 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 0
Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Beautiful place. Mind-blowing! But it is let down BIG TIME by the service and food. The waiters were impersonal. The chefs (which we could see from our table) were speaking profanities every now and then - such a let down for such a classy place! All this can be forgiven...but not the food. Bland. Tasteless. Overpriced. Its saying alot that...even at nearly £50 per person...we left food uneaten on the plate. This place has so much potential...if only they listen and act on all the negative reviews they seem to be getting....
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Nick
4 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 2
Monday, October 24, 2011

This past week, my good friend from South Africa (who I haven’t seen in years!) finally came to visit me in London. I had heard about Shaka Zulu from a friend and decided it would be the perfect place for us to go for dinner. I was nervous about my friend’s reaction if the food wasn’t authentic, but thankfully she loved it! She had the traditional Bunny Chow dish and said it reminded her of home (such a relief!). I was thrilled that she enjoyed it so much. I had the Coconut Fried Halibut which was delicious as well. The waitstaff were so helpful and prompt. Although the prices are a bit high for students, I think it was definitely worth it to give my friend a proper South African meal here in London. I would highly recommend this restaurant to any South Africans or just those looking for a unique dining experience! You won’t regret it!
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- View all reviews by this user
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 8
Monday, October 17, 2011

i've just come in from a day out with my children and i from the shaka zulu the interiera deco was spectacular, huge statues and fine african art fun for the children downstairs even though i myself got a face paint. the two zebra ladies i took pictures with were very friendly and welcoming ,manager was so sweet and the buffet was filling only thing was meet just a little pink but enjoyed, my children had fun didnt want to leave and another thing they could do with just a little more lighting as we were taking pics and couldnt see clearly. i'll go again.
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michelle fynch - View all reviews by this user
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Sunday, October 16, 2011

I organised my friends birthday at Shaka Zulu in the Kings Club, having been to Gilgamesh I thought we would try this place as it looked very similar. I arranged for a table at the cost of £250 spend upfront it wasn't cheap but as it was a special occasion we didn't mind. As soon as we got there there was much confusion at the desk. I was informed if we arrive before 10pm it is free to get in. We arrive at 9.20pm and they asked us all to pay £10 entrance fee. I highlight I was informed when I called to confirmed reservation early that day that it's free before 10pm. Then the receptionist told us they had just changed the rule and they charge from 9.30pm I highlighted that it's only 9.20pm so again we shouldn't get charged. She got stroppy and then highlighted it's from 9pm they start charging!! It was a joke she was making the rule up as she went. We argued with her and then in he all 8 of paid £10 each as we wanted a good night and not spoil my friends birthday. Once we were in 2 more friends arrived after us and did not get charged at the door! They arrived at 10pm! It was ridiculous. Once at our table even before we could order drinks they requested £250 for the table upfront. The customer service is the worst I have ever experience they are rude and the drinks are over priced and taste rubbish. We will never go back. If you are looking for a good night please go Gilgamesh what ever you do don't waste your money here. It's a complete over price rip off! With the rudest worst customer service ever it simply doesn't have any!
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Ms Sudra
0 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 0
Sunday, October 16, 2011

the venue itself is very well set up, with attention to details and design.

Cocktails list is very rich and creative but very pricey.

Service is quite poor and we haven't really bee looked after.

Music is too loud and inappropriate to the type of restaurant.

But the worst part is the food. Very spicy starter, overcooked chewey meat and the dessert...we had to send it back! The only thing that we saved was the milktart.

It is extremely expensive and definitely not worth the money.
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Lamia - View all reviews by this user
3 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 2
Saturday, October 15, 2011

With excitement and longing for home went to Shaka Zulu in Camden town today. As a South African I don't like dissing anything South African. But.... What a complete disappointment! The restaurant is beautifully decorated but very dark which kills the atmosphere a bit. Service is slow and impersonal. The food is overpriced and bland. I had the boerewors which was supposed to be braaied (bbqed) but was a pale piece of wors with no flavour what so ever. The fries you get with resembles McDonald fries with a supposed chilli flavour which was sweet and did not fit with the dish at all. Mind you I had to ask twice where my fries are as they did not bring it out with the food. Poor service. My husband had the springbok which he said was tasty but the portion was rather small for the price tag! He also had fries with it but did not eat it as he said it spoilt the taste of the meal. Very disappointed! Food is totally overpriced for what you get!

Honestly in future if I feel home sick I would much rather pop to my local SAFFA store and pay a reasonable price for a boerewors roll which represents better value for money and gives the real taste of braai! Sorry Shaka Zulu but I will not grace you with my presence again nor recommend you to anyone!
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2 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 0
Saturday, October 01, 2011