I’m on the hunt to find a quirky and fun restaurant to head to for an evening meal on my birthday. I already have afternoon tea at the Cat Cafe booked for that week but I’d also like to experience more of the foodie scene London has to offer. Over the last week I have been frantically searching the web for ideas of places to go. Some I’ve found are already booked up for the evening of April the 17th but others still have spaces. Problem is I’m struggling to decide where I want to go and what kind of experience I want to have. I don’t want to go somewhere too fancy I feel out of place (That happened in The Kitchin in Edinburgh). However I’d like to try somewhere unique to London in a bid to explore this city more.
Here are my options, which one would you choose? Or do you have another recommendation?
Sketch – Sketch is exciting for me because of the artist influences behind it. There are five different restaurants and bars here and each one is decorated differently. Looking online I think the gallery most appeals to me with the drawings and design influence from David Shirgley – it looks kind of like a posh and pink American diner. The drawback with this place is the menu looks quite pricey.
Circus – The idea of this place is that as you eat your dinner you are treated to a performance going on around and above you. They boast a Pan Asian menu and even the decor gets a mention. I think this place might be one of the best restaurants I have read about. However, I’m worried it is so big, that I’d spend the night worrying about how much I’m spending… They also only have early or late time slots left.
La Bodega Negra – Is a Mexican restaurant in London made quirky because it is hard to find and the entrance is illuminated by a seedy sex shop sign. Just looking at their quirky and fun website is persuading me to chose this little place and the menu looks fantastic.
Archipelago – This restaurant makes the list purely for its menu. Now I’m not a huge fan of everything on this menu but it has one of my favourite meats on the menu – Kangaroo. I haven’t been able to find it since I left Australia and would love to head here, so I can do so. Is the menu enough to make this a quirky and memorable dinner?
Inamo – This place is quirky and fun for a whole different reason. Each table is interactive and you use this system to order everything you want throughout the evening. For someone who likes technology this sounds like a new way of dining. However the menu is a oriental fusion and I’m never sure what to order or how much to order from these types of restaurant.
Beach Blanket Babylon – The thing about this place that makes it so special is the decor, both branches (Shoreditch and Notting Hill) look beautifully yet are completely different. The menu is seasonal and based on menu choices I would prefer a visit to the Notting Hill branch but both would be a quirky experience. My only worry would be is it too fancy?
Bob Bob Ricard – This place is basically on this list because it has a call for champagne button and it was the place that made me decide I wanted to find a quirky restaurant for my birthday. The interior also looks beautiful, but again is it too fancy for me?
And the one that is already booked…
Duck and Waffle – The highest restaurant in the UK and open 24/7, need I say any more after the above photo.
Thanks to The Nudge, Table Pouncer and Visit London’s great post about quirky restaurants in London for fuelling me with ideas.
I visited Duck & Waffle for breakfast – loved it! Well worth a visit. La Bodega Negra is fun and the food is good! Definitely not too fancy. Plus, tequila! Flesh & Buns is another fun one… it’s not fancy at all but the buns taste amazing, and if you order s’mores for dessert they’ll bring a big pit of fire to your table to melt them on 🙂
I’m hoping to visit Bob Bob ricard when I’m down in May, how good do their fancy melting puddings look? I’d quite like to go to Sketch too but mainly just to use the toilets – the menu doesn’t impress me at all!
Author
Thanks for the recommendations. I was definitely swaying towards La Bodega Negra 🙂
My pick is definitely Bob Bob Ricard – mostly because I dream of pushing that champagne button!
I’ve been to Inamo, and while the digital menus are cool I thought the food was pretty average. Same for La Bodega Negra – food is standard Mexican, the type of place you’d go to chill on a Fri night with mates rather than a special occasion.
Sketch is a cool option – if only for the toilets and circular bar you can sip on champagne afterwards. Yep – I’m all about the champagne!
Claire xx
Author
Champagne is always good and yes I’ve heard about the toilets in Sketch! Thanks for confirming what I thought about Inamo and La Bodega Negra.
Ooh lots of great choices but such a tough decision to make! I would go for something a bit more special seeing as it’s your birthday so don’t take the cost too much into consideration. The only places I’ve been to on your list are the Cat Café (which is totally awesome by the way) and Sketch but that was only in the café part of the restaurant.
I would go for Circus or Duck and Waffle because I’ve heard so much about both of these and Circus is somewhere I’ve wanted to try for ages. But also…a champagne button at Bob Bob Ricard?! I think you should have more than one birthday celebration 😉
Author
Thanks Ayla, I’m certainly liking the idea of more than one birthday celebration…
I know this isn’t an option, but definitely look into this for future exciting dinning! This was THE best dinning experience I had in London! Totally worth the wait to book…http://www.gingerline.co.uk
Author
Thanks Georgie, this sounds epic – I’ve signed up for the mailing list so hopefully I can go at some point 🙂
Depends how quirky you want to go! I’m with Georgie – my quirkiest experience is Gingerline > http://www.simonsjamjar.com/2015/03/lost-gardens-gingerline-london.html
In fact anything sensory and immersive floats my boat. You could also do the dining in the dark one!
http://london.danslenoir.com/idea.en.html
Author
I had looked at Dans Le Noir but I wasn’t sure if that was a step too quirky for me. Your Gingerline experience looks awesome 🙂
I’ve done a few of these Jodie. Bob Bob Ricard was very glamorous inside though I didn’t use the champagne button and I found the food to be OK but not necessarily quite up to the hype! I’ve also been to Archipelago and despite all those exotic meats on the menu, when I got there, I quite literally “chickened out” and ordered chicken!! 😀