Review of Leicester Square Kitchen, London, England

Located right off of Leicester Square within the Radisson Blu Edwardian, Hampshire, Leicester Square Kitchen needs to be on your London restaurant list. One of our favorite restaurants is its sister restaurant, Monmouth Kitchen (read my review here), so we knew we had to try Leicester Square Kitchen. The main difference between the two is that Monmouth Kitchen is a fusion of Italian and Peruvian, whereas Leicester Square Kitchen is a fusion of Mexican and Peruvian.

Leicester Square Kitchen, London, England

D E C O R

When you walk into the Radisson Blu, the restaurant is to your right. You will be greeted with French glass doors and jamming beats from the live DJ. The interiors are classy yet chic, using the minimalist BGW pallets. They make one large room feel more intimate with creative brick walls and hanging lanterns. After sitting the windows looking out, we picked up the food menu and the drink menu to see what was in store.

Leicester Square Kitchen, London, England Leicester Square Kitchen, London, England Leicester Square Kitchen, London, England

T A S T E

What I ordered:
Homemade nachos and signature guacamole 6
Chilli lime veggie chicken 4
Grilled aubergine with margarita chilli salsa 6
Grilled corn on the cob, chilli lime, cayenne pepper and Mexican cream cheese 6
Esfera de Chocolate 5
Cucumber & Mint Margarita 9
Aztec Negroni 9
Frescura de Mango 6

The homemade nachos and signature guacamole: The nachos are a bit spicy and have flavorful seasoning on them. The guacamole is made fresh to order. As a Texan, I like my nachos a little less spice filled so that the guacamole (aka the star) can have the spotlight. It felt like the chips were competing with the guacamole here, probably to supply non-guacamole lovers with punches of taste. I think next time, delicious house-made chips without an abundance of spice will do the trick. The guacamole is fantastic. We make our own at home all the time, but we were definitely tempted to make ten orders of Leicester Square Kitchen takeaway guacamole at the end of our meal.

Leicester Square Kitchen, London, England

Like I mentioned before, we are Texans. And Texans love themselves some darn fresh margaritas. The cucumber mint margarita is absolutely incredible. It looked so beautiful that I didn’t even want to drink it. But then of course, I did. The refreshing, light, and sharp taste reminded me of those classic Texas margaritas. I had the the Aztec Negroni for my second drink, and man was that a fun drink to watch being poured. This drink has Maestro Dobel Humito tequila, Amaro di Angostura, Antica Formula and orange bitters, and is bottled with cherry wood smoke. If you look closely you can see the smoke in the drink below.

Leicester Square Kitchen, London, England Leicester Square Kitchen, London, England

The eggplant (aubergine to you Brits) is a surprisingly large portion. I will say that the mixture the chefs at Leicester Square Kitchen put on top of the grilled eggplant is absolutely delicious. With eggplant, if you don’t cook it enough, it feels like you’re biting into a brick; if you cook it too much, it tastes like porridge. Thankfully, this eggplant is roasted to perfection.

Leicester Square Kitchen, London, England

The artichokes are delicious, and the teriyaki-like sauce on top gives them a nice sweet and sour flavoring. The corn in the light cheddar cheese is toasted really well, and I will definitely order this again.

Leicester Square Kitchen, London, England

Although skeptical about eating chicken imitations, the spices are on point, the veggies are grilled well, and the seasoning is delicious. Plus, my husband said that it really does taste like chicken. If you know my husband, then you know he definitely knows his meats. Don’t worry, there’s a carnivore’s corner coming up soon.

Leicester Square Kitchen, London, England

For dessert we enjoyed the chocolate-filled donuts with Dulce de Leche ice cream, and lime sorbet, fresh mango, black sesame and mango coulis. The dessert is absolutely the best part of dinner. Plus they give guests an extra dessert for birthdays! Yes, we went on my birthday!

Leicester Square Kitchen, London, England Leicester Square Kitchen, London, England

C A R N I V O R E ‘ S   C O R N E R   (What my husband ordered)

Cacao Rum Old Fashioned 9
28-day-aged 10oz rib-eye with cumin, garlic and cilantro 18
Smoked tuna with tequila lime mustard 6
Crispy duck and pomegranate ensalada 8
Dry-rubbed short rib with smoked chilli mayo 5

I will say that the ribeye is good, well-seasoned and perfectly cooked. But it isn’t particularly tender–resembling fajita meat more than a fine-dining steak. Leicester Square Kitchen, London, EnglandThe Ribs, like the Ribeye are tasty and well-seasoned, but were perhaps cooked at too high a heat, missing out on the tenderness that comes in slow-cooked ribs. But this is coming from a foodie from Texas, where fall-off-the-bone rib tenderness is the norm. Leicester Square Kitchen, London, EnglandThe duck is tasty, flavorful, and well-paired with the salad. The meat itself is a little bit dry, but absolutely delicious. The crown jewel of the carnivore choices is the black lime and cilantro chicken skewers chicken. Their chicken is the absolute most tender, well-seasoned, perfectly balanced option on the menu. I might come back every single day to have this heavenly mouthful. Leicester Square Kitchen, London, EnglandThe tuna tostada is also delicious, with a generous portion of sushi-grade tuna and perfectly married sauces and spices. General consensus: while the red meat is well seasoned and spicy, the fish and chicken are the way to go.

D E T A I L S

Cost: $$ – I believe for the quality of food, exceptional service, and prime location, the prices are appropriate. If you are in the area to catch a show, I think it makes sense to stop by here for drinks beforehand or after.

Leicester Square Kitchen, London, England

Wait Time: 0 minutes thanks to hubstar’s mad reservation skills. Go ahead and make a reservation here.

Restroom: Clean and accessible

Service: The service is great. The head waiter, Antonio, is great with suggestions and knows the menu inside and out. He recommended tasty vegetarian dishes (for me) and directed my carnivorous husband toward the best meaty plates on the menu.

Leicester Square Kitchen, London, England

Busyness: Medium. Even on a Monday, tables are full, but there are some empty tables as well. Probably not a seat to spare come Friday or Saturday.

Leicester Square Kitchen, London, England

So have you ever been to Leicester Square Kitchen?

Cheers,
thehonestshruth signature

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