Bubala, everyone’s favourite so-good-you-probably-wouldn’t-realise-it-was-vegetarian-unless-someone-pointed-it-out restaurant, has officially opened a third site.
It’s landed in King’s Cross, in a striking two-floor space with an expansive outdoor terrace.
And the venue itself is pretty dramatic. Guests enter through a six-metre-high arched entrance (yes, really), before arriving in a 65-cover dining room, with 25 more seats upstairs and another 30 on the alfresco terrace. A large halo light installation marks that towering entrance, leading into a space that’s distinctly Bubala-y: warm, inviting, and modern in a way that doesn’t make you feel like you’ve wandered into a furniture showroom. The open kitchen—with its wood-fired oven and charcoal grill—sits at the heart of the action, while the ‘backless’ bar faces the dining room to keep things sociable.
Building on the blinding success of their Spitalfields & Soho spots, founder Marc Summers and Executive Chef Ben Rand have mixed in some fresh ideas with the hits. So yes, the oyster mushroom skewer with tamari & coriander seeds is here. So are the confit latkes with garlic toum & Aleppo chilli. But so too are newcomers like charred cucumber tzatziki and fava bean with vadouvan-braised broad beans.
The wood-fired oven is working overtime, churning out dishes like mujadara (a fragrant lentil and rice dish with tahini, zhoug and amba) and a golden, crackly spanakopita börek stuffed with spinach and cheese. For dessert, there’s something called Bubala’s Big Pud—a shareable dessert of chocolate mousse, brûléed bananas, coconut caramel, tahini and sesame snaps that sounds like it should probably come with a waiver.
To drink, you’ll find their usual offering of natural wine (some of it on tap), UK-brewed beer, and Gazoz house sodas—lightly sparkling drinks infused with ferments, herbs, spices, and local fruit.
Bubala indeed.
NOTE: Bubala King’s Cross is open now, seven days a week. You can find out more at the Bubala website.
Bubala King’s Cross | Unit 1, Cadence Court, 4 Tapper Walk, N1C 4ED
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