Gourmet Burger Kitchen in Thurrock

Been here on several occasions and each time have turned me away due to the fact they’re closing early 7PM despite online hours showing 8PM

Whilst I can’t fault Busaba as a brand & the quality/taste of the food, the service at Lakeside is absolutely shocking & if you are looking for great service on a Saturday night, this is not the place. When we arrived at 8.30pm we were told the kitchen was shutting at 9pm, but not to worry as they close at 10pm. We ordered quite quickly and as our food was brought out to us, we were asked again 10 minutes before kitchen close if we wanted to order anything else, which we didn’t. Once the kitchen closed we witnessed them turn away several potential customers, much to their disappointment. 5 minutes later, a waiter came over with our bill whilst we were mid-eating & we questioned whether the restaurant shut at 10pm - to which he just looked at his watch confused by our question. It was evident that the team were trying to get away as quickly as possible. We carried on eating & then a few moments later a card reader was presented to us & we honestly couldn’t believe what was happening, so asked if we could at least finish our food first before paying - keeping in mind this was only 9.05pm & they close at 10pm. We finished our food around 9.20pm despite having eyes on us making us feel super uncomfortable & we asked to speak to the waitress who had initially seated us. Unfortunately she had gone home, but the person clearing our table said they were part of the management team. So we began to explain what had happened, but he didn’t seem to understand the poor customer service we had received & seemed to side with his rude colleague & kept insisting we could stay until 10pm if we wanted. We tried to explain that we had no desire to stay until close, but just wanted it known that had they just waited 15 minutes for us to finish our food, we would have paid and left 40 minutes before close! We honestly haven’t experienced this level of poor customer service for years & we will not be returning.

Lovely meal at GBK West Thurrock, it’s definitely my favourite burger restaurant. Served by a nice waiter called Henry. Tried their new Macho Burger, almost as good as the Rocketman they used to do.

Years ago my wife and I would go shopping at lakeside and our preferred place to eat was the Gourmet Burger Kitchen, located on the Boardwalk. As the years have passed by, kids, moving house, moving jobs etc etc we just stopped going. We recently sat looking through some photos and generally reminiscing when we remembered GBK. We have a holiday booked in May and so a shopping trip to lakeside was already on the cards. Whilst there, we decided to eat at GBK. Most of these types of establishments serve cardboard food and from the moment you walk through the door you’re greeted with company catchphrases and placed on a conveyor belt. But I’m pleased to say not in GBK. The first impressions of the restaurant are it’s very clean and tidy. Upon being shown to our table, within 30 seconds of walking through the door, this too was tidy. No food under the table, no sticky knives and forks or condiment bottles. And one thing that really annoys me in all restaurants is when the menu has someone else’s food on, I’m pleased to say the menus here are clean. The loos were clean, all were working and all well stocked. Then there is the staff, in most places like this a grunt is acknowledging us sitting there and between received text messages or using their phone for something else, you might get served. In GBK the staff open their mouths when they talk. They are polite, offer a speedy service and no phones. You know when you go somewhere and you like to think you have found the jewel in the crown or an aladdins cave & you cannot wait to write a review or find something negative. I could not fault GBK. We read some reviews when we googled GBK & some were negative. In the moment of sitting there and looking at some of the negative comments made, you could see the types of people that had written these reviews & all were way off the mark. The service was really good and upon ordering our food with refill drinks the staff refilled them. The staff used a clean glass each time and at no point did I have to reorder or put my hand up to ask for a refill. They didn’t even ask what I was drinking before a refill arrived , just as I finished the last drink. Food was reasonably priced and we took full advantage of two smashed burgers with chips and the refills as stated above for £9.95 each. When the food arrived it resembled the picture on the menu and clearly had not been thrown together by a clown in the kitchen. I’ve been fortunate enough to eat in some top hotels and top restaurants and being honest, the service received in these establishments, was not as good as GBK. Honestly give it a go, we cannot wait to go back and will be going with the kids and friends next time we visit. I realise your idea of a nice evening out will be different to mine but GBK was the best restaurant we have visited in a long while. The staff were fantastic. The food was really nice and we were left to our own devices, no hassle, no conveyor belt and as I say looking forward to returning. Thanks to all

The food was good with friendly staff

Service: the server (Mohan) was really great and very attentive. That's the main positive. Atmosphere: quite dead. No music on at all. Food: the downfall. The appetizers (spring rolls and satay chicken) were fine, but my God were the (chicken) pad thais my friend and I ordered a strange combination of bland and wayyyy too sweet (I honestly wanted to bin it, but I felt bad and just asked for it to-go) and whilst the noodles were hot, the chicken felt cold? The peanuts offset that sweetness a bit but the texture became strange. My other friend got a sort of noodle dish with steak; the noodles were congealed and she asked for medium rare but it was more on the rare side. We then ordered desserts; two mango sticky rices for two of my friends, which they did not enjoy and I personally ordered a chocolate fondant dessert with ice cream (where you could taste the ice). We ordered some pineapple mocktails which were pleasant. Overall, the atmosphere was very quiet, the food wasn't offensive but certainly not worth the wait (or the price!! the total bill was £160; my chicken pad thai, drink and dessert was £36.49) and kind of lacklustre. Great service though.

Awful, I have never eaten such a horrid burger, I will never visit it again, which is a shame as I had eaten there in the past.

I’m sitting in the restaurant at 18:30 on a Sunday, as we walked in the member of staff who looks like he is the manager tells us that they shut 19:00, we walked in at 17:55. As we are eating our diner more customers come in who had booked online for 18:15 and another member of staff tells them that the restaurant is closing at 19:00, they walked out to another more welcoming restaurant I assume. Then there is a table of young women about 6-7 in a group being told that the restaurant is closing at 19:00, the time of this is at 18:30. The owner needs to know that this is happening as they are losing money from the greeting from the staff members.

Re training, reeducating at the very least !! The worst service and treatment to say the least !! A known common occurrence for fast food restaurants Is to be sloppy uninterested etc However in this day and age certain discriminations are unacceptable!! Manager - Danika is one of those individuals, we were refused seating !! Imagine due to fire hazards that a pushchair may cause !!!!!!!!! Gourmet burger should be ashamed !!!!!!

Food was good for a chain. Good level of heat in both our dishes. Weird atmosphere, staff seem to be at war with each other. One male waiter and the manager literally barking at each other as they walked past each other. Big gap between being sat getting a drink another big gap for our order to be taken and so on.. Kids eating free in half term is a nice touch.

Cold rice, over cooked chicken, mango salad with no mango, over priced, poor quality, avoid

Anil was super friendly, helpful and welcoming. He was a bubbly and polite. He was very attentive and quick on his feet

Had a lovely meal at Busaba the food tasted great and was served quickly as I got the lunch deal. Anil was serving me and was very attentive.

Very pleased considering unknown establishment. Food very tasty and cooked fresh - staff very good will definitely return!

Anil was very helpful and the food was phenomenal

Had a great experience, great service from Babor, really friendly staff.

Food was delicious and served quickly

Absolutely terrible food. Watery curry and shockingly awful service. Not worth the money.

I think you can call this place a scam. The sharing plater is a joke. And service is way too bad. 20 min waiting for order the drinks. And the food is nothing special. Anyway never come back again.

A place for your family and friends. Not too pricey and very spacious.

Great service by Anil, friendly and always available to help. Thanks again my good man.

Very nice lunch friendly staff, good experience

Had a smashing time this weekend, staff really friendly and great food.

Great food, great service. Thanks Anil and Busaba

We had a very good time at Busaba restaurant and Anil was very nice with us

Very peaceful place to go and have a lash meal, both me and my partner enjoyed the whole experiences.... also have to mention that the staffs were very well mannered and friendly.

Food was delicious and staff are very friendly

The food here is absolutely delicious and the staff were so attentive and friendly. Anil was our server and he was amazing! Definitely recommend.

Food was terrible, the kids get packet noodles (although their meal is free) and our main meals were pretty basic, my katsu chicken was super hard and dry. Me and my wife fell in love with Busaba when we went to their oxford street branch. Now this one is completely different and underwhelming.

Thank you for your service Anil. Spot on

Best place to spend some quality time with your family and like the service

Food and service was absolutely amazing

Good food, Great Service will definitely come back with my family

Came here the other night i ordered the songkhla beef something must of been wrong with the beef cos i ended up with food poisoning , I’ve came here a few times now but after this I won’t be returning here again

Food was fast, maybe too fast for some. My only gripe was we ask for a bay seat and was told these had been reserved, this was a lie, it was because we were a 2. However the food saved them from my misery, lovely food and plentiful

We ordered chicken satay as starter and red Thai curry and chicken pad Thai. Saty came with red sauce which was a tomato sauce base. Very odd as it lacked peanut flavour. Chicken pad Thai was alright but red Thai curry was very bad. It was thin curry as jungle curry with sweet flavour again very different from typical Thai flavour.

Consistently good food, and always great service by Mario!

Pad Thai was fab especially with the Chicken Satay and the Guava Collins drink suggested by our server. Our server was Mario. He definitely made our experience very pleasant and relaxed. I look forward to returning!

If I could give Zero I would! Our experience at Busaba was incredibly disappointing. Despite having a reservation, we waited over an hour for food and drinks, which never came, while others who arrived after us were served and even finished eating. When we complained, supported by other customers, management’s response was indifferent, and we felt completely ignored. To make matters worse, the tables next to us also complained about cold food. Both tables who came after us finished eating before we even got our drinks—let alone food. We didn’t even end up eating and left without a meal. We won’t be returning. We went to Coco Asia across the road, and the difference was night and day. Great service, quick drinks, and warm, delicious food—a total turnaround.

A most terrible representation of thai food. Chef needs firing. Unbalanced flavours. Poor variety in food and drinks menus. Dried out chicken satay. Bland green curry. Not busy for a friday Night....food kinda explains why. I guess its a nice quiet place for people looking just for that.

I took my family there this evening hoping to have a decent meal. But on arrival I went up to a blonde lady and asked if she had a table for 6 of us. Which she replied you'll have to sit here by the door. Which we didn't have a problem with at all. We then went a head and ordered some beers and food. Me and my nan had chicken pad Thai, mix starter for 2. My mum and brother had chilli basil mince beef rice bowl. And my kids had something off the kids menu which were chicken fried rice and bangkok noodles. When I ordered the drinks I asked the same lady for some water for the table. And not receiving any even when the food came I still waited patiently and asked again if I could get some water. I will understand if the restaurant was super busy but there were only a couple of tables occupied. We started eating and with the first bite it was just nothing but disappointment. I'm not expecting like an authentic Thai food as it's a chain restaurant but I thought it would still taste a little like Thai food. The food has no flavors what so ever. The pad Thais were so plain like it was just mixed with oil in the wok. The chili beef was so salty, even you mixed in all the rice. Bangkok noodles was plain noodles mixed with oil in beansprouts. The most shocking is my 4 year olds fried rice. It was like eating rice covered in salt. Normally my son loves his fried rice but he refused to eat even 1 spoon after I gave him a little to try. I tasted it and it was disgusting how much salt they put in. The same blonde lady who looked like she really doesn't want to be there at all walked by so I stopped her and asked her for water for the 3rd time because my son was literally desperate for it after eating their salty food. Whilst she was there my mum then explained to her that just to let you know your food is really salty. And pointed out that they didn't really touch their food at all. And she went and defended that the dish is supposed to be salty. So we said actually we are Thai so the food is not supposed to be this salty. She then said well pointing at my mums food you ate half of your bowl so can't get you a new one. Which in fact she put half of it in another plate for my eldest son to try some as he didn't like his food but after trying 1 spoon he didn't touch it again. But we weren't after more food just wanted her to know. She then said If we wanted more rice to mix in the food so it's less salty 🤣🤣 we obviously said no, we didn't want any more food from them. And I just asked for the bill. After waiting another 10minutes. She's still walking past us and going around the restaurant and went to sit outside for her smoke but still no bill. Until the gentleman came over and took some plates away, i had to asked him once again for the bill. I paid and quickly left, they also charge 10% service charge which i wasn't happy to pay cause I didn't enjoy the service or the food at all. Waste of my time and money I just couldn't be quick enough to leave the place. NEVER AGAIN !!!

What happened to Busaba? The food, service & atmos used to be great. I don’t usually leave reviews but really disappointed

Food was great along with the atmosphere and the service (from Anil)

excellent service by Anil and food was superb

Mario our server was very professional as well as his colleagues. Our food was hot and fresh and tasty.

Anil was so attentive and explained the menu to my elderly mother who was very satisfied with her meal- which is a true surprise as she’s very picky The food was great

Always a great experience at Busaba, Lakeside. Good food, good service!

Fantastic food and great service by waiter Anil Probably the best Thai in and around Thurrock. And to top that, kids eat free!

I found a bone in the pad thai that my daughter was eating, talked to the manager and said that they are using boneless thighs and cannot explain how it ended there, the food used to be good years ago but continued to deteriorate with same recipes continously changing. Not good value for money

Couldn't give a table for 2 for an hour, even though there was no one waiting and 50 percent of tables still empty.....when we did get seated, tbey could wait to serve us and get us out.... Stopped serving food at 930....couldnt get us out the door quick enough.... Food was bland and not hot.... Very poor for money tbey charge.... Will not be returning

Our server Mario was fantastic, the food was delicious!

Had a great experience eating here! The food was served quickly and tasted very nice! Whilst waiting they had some educational drawing activities for the kids to do which kept them entertained and preoccupied whilst learning - and when the food arrived it was served hot and tasted very nice and fresh! The staff are friendly and accommodating, plus know the menu and dishes, as within our group there were some with allergies, to which they reassured us which dishes we could have and which ones to avoid. Highly recommend and look forwards to eating here again soon!

Was meant to be going to wagamma's but it was so busy and I'm so glad it was because we discovered Busaba!! The food was fantastic and service was great. Thankyou Mario for your food choice recommendation it was lovely and service was just right. Thankyou

Busaba served delicious food and had a great atmosphere. Mario was an excellent and attentive waiter which made our experience even better

Anil our waiter served us well. The food was also lovely. However we found our table a little sticky

Staff are super friendly and nice. Food is really nice too.

Wonderful service and food . Thank you so much Mario for your service

Our server was absolutely amazing. Ieva did a great job

Stay away £48 for 2 slices of paper and a bun . No flavour cokes and still had the cheek to charge a service charge Haha 1st and last time coming here !!

Busuba Thai exceeded my expectations! The food was full of flavor, with authentic Thai spices and perfectly balanced sweetness, heat, and tang. My Pad Thai was both savory and rich, while the Tom Yum soup had the perfect level of heat. The ambience is cozy with warm lighting and traditional Thai decor that sets the mood perfectly for a relaxed evening. Service was quick and the staff were incredibly friendly, making the whole dining experience seamless.

A wonderful dining experience! The Som Tum was zesty and refreshing, while the red curry had the perfect heat level, making it a favorite. The restaurant has a warm and inviting ambience, with calming music and a beautifully decorated interior that feels very authentic. The service was quick and efficient, and the staff checked in regularly to ensure everything was perfect.

Boooked a table on line . Turned up and restaurant was closed . Turned lights out and was shouted at through the door we are shut 😡

I have been to busaba a few times now and each time, their customer service improves! Although my family are a loud & messy (x3 children) the waiters have always been soo considerate, in particular Ozan, he has been attentive to our needs and most importantly kind.

Great service and great food! The food was served quick and good portions. The gentlemen named Onur Deniz served us and was fast, kind, polite at all times and very attentive.

Love the place and the vibe! The staff are very friendly and the food is so filling! I always have to take the food home with me and eat it later because it’s so good! The manager is super nice and friendly and the waiters are really nice.

The food was absolutely amazing! I love the staff and the manager as they are super polite and always willing to help. The music is so astoundingly comforting and the food is always dripping with flavour!!!! 🤪

OVERPRICED BASIC FREEZER FOOD. Took my wife and son to this restaurant. As we'd not been there before for a treat, I really wish we hadn't The only thing that was okay was the calamari. The spring rolls were overcooked. Brittle and crispy. My son and I had duck with noodles, which were the instant type that you get in a packet that you add boiling water to for about 65p. The duck was also overcooked and chewy. My wife had the lamb shank and she was disappointed.The shank itself was small and the meat was chewy.There was a small amount of potatoes like hash brown rolled in a ball, and as with the Asian Mixed Greens all of the vegetables seemed to be mostly pakchoi stem. We also had the pork skewers, which were mostly pork fat and cereal. Not very tasty and small as well. Topping off this farce was my wife's glass of wine, which cost £12... They also automatically add a 10% service charge to your bill. There are no pictures of the food on the menu or in the restaurant, now I know why. It seems like the owners are trying to make as much money as they can. By serving the cheapest food they're able to get away with. I'd never go back there again and my honest advice is stay away. Save your money and eat elsewhere.

Beautiful food, honestly delicious but huge portion of rice, I couldn't eat it all. Food was really fast to come out and server even offered to keep it under the lamp till my partner came back from the bathroom. Would come again when in the area.

Overall, we had a good experience and enjoyed the food. We tried cocktails, started and Jasmine rice which was served with a fried egg. I accidentally bit into a small piece of eggshell before realizing it was there, which was a bit of a turn-off. It would have been even better without the unexpected crunch!

We arrived at 8:35 pm on Tuesday and the hostess asked us that we can only sit and order if we can do eat and leave in 20 minutes! As the restaurant was closing at 9pm. We left and ate at Nando’s which (along with all other restaurants in that section) was open till 10pm. The hostess was assertive and we got the vibe that they are encouraging us not to sit down as it was impossible to order and eat within 20 minutes! She was firm that we must leave by 9pm. I found it odd considering you are part of a big mall and every other restaurant was open till 10pm.

Great atmosphere delicious food thanks Ozan

Excellent food and service. Would highly recommend and plan to come back again soon. My favourite was calamari. Probably best calamari in London.

Lovely lunch for two with amazing food and good service. The manager, Ozan, was amazing and made us feel like home. He was patient and talked us through the menu, as it was our first time in the restaurant. Price is really acceptable for the food quality. Good to find this little gem locally. Will definitely be on my favorite list for my next shopping spree. Thank you Ozan and team!

The food was good, we were given a pineapple mockolada, it was too sweet to drink. We sent back and the blonde female that served us was not very understanding and she was very dismissive and abruptly took the drink, throughout our time dining she was very had a bad attitude. We won’t be back. The Asian man that served us was polite and I just can’t believe this woman actually has a job her customer service is atrocious! Her name is Ieva.

Deboraj was a excellent waiter and gave us good service along with amazing food. Will return again

The service was awesome especially being served by Mario who was so professional and friendly.

mario made our day! great service and great atmosphere

Mario is simply the best server. He is always so helpful, knowledgable and friendly and one of the reasons we always return.

Food was good, cooked and served fast. 👍

Fantastic food, great service, nice atmosphere

vik and ieva were super helpful and attentive will be coming back loved the experience

Had a really bad experience today with a brand that I love, me and my wife came for lunch with our little one and ordered the regular items and was astonished with what got served. We had the Thai green chicken curry which was flavourless and watery like soup, when we asked the waitress if this was the new norm to which we got a reply yes. Not only that but the tempura was rock hard and burnt. Our little one had the pad Thai which she regularly loves, however she did not like one bit and we ended up wasting the dish aswell. Had to go to elsewhere instead!

Lovely food and atmosphere. Julia, our server was very friendly, kind and patient. Good service.

Had a great experience dining in. I was served by Julia. She was so friendly, had a smile on her face always and was so helpful and magnanimous.

Nothing like a real Thai.... the noodle soup came with sloppy spaghetti in it. Absolute rubbish really.

The atmosphere was great, and the place looked clean and inviting. I visited on a Sunday afternoon when it wasn't busy, allowing me to choose my preferred seating. The service was excellent, and the food arrived quickly. Now, let's discuss the food. I ordered the peppered beef noodles, a mojito cocktail, and the calamari. Unfortunately, the cocktail had too much ice, although it was still drinkable. The calamari wasn't my favorite but was still edible. However, the beef was quite unappetizing; it tasted expired and the dish was excessively seasoned. I've never encountered anything like it and couldn't finish the meal. The only thing I enjoyed was the prawn crackers, but you can't visit a restaurant just for prawn crackers. Overall, I would definitely avoid this restaurant in the future.

Had a lunch here..great food and great service. Nik served us and he was very professional and welcoming staff. Thank you.

Amazing food, cocktails and service even though they were run off their feet. Special mention to Mario the server who was very friendly.

Very disappointed. Food arrived cold. I ordered Chicken Green Curry. It arrived in a small bowl. Rice arrived in a plastic bag! No flavour whatsoever. The curry was neon green in colour. My partner ordered Crispy duck noodles. Very bland and dry no sauce to go with it. All in all we left unhappy 🙁 won't be going there again. Sorry.

Mario and Evva were amazing and took very good care of our table

I have been here with my family and we really loved this place. Mario and Eva served us and take care of our table. I really recommend this place.

Mario and Evva were our waiters and were very kind

Gergana was our waitress and the level of service was high. Will come again me and my girlfriend!!!!

I had a wonderful time at the restaurant! Had one of the best service. The person who served me, Gergana, was very lovely, kind and patient. And was answering and explaining to every question i asked her about the menu.

We had a delicious pad Thai and pepper beef noodles, on the sunny terrace. The children's menu is lovely as well: curries, stir fried rice etc no nuggets and fries but actual food! The terrace music is not too loud and the lake is lovely.

Good food and service by Gergana.

Good food and nice location. Perfect service. The waitress Gergana is super friendly. Recommend

Went for lunch. Setting and decor is very nice. Mango lassi was delicious. The food was a little disappointing. We had the seafood Pad Thai and the Bang Kapil rice bowl. The Pad Thai was lacking in flavour but the rice bowl was very disappointing, chicken was totally over cooked to the point it was crispy and chewy. We told the waitress who offered to redo it but was likely to come out the same. For the price I think the quality of food was well below par I'm afraid.

Great food and workers! They’re very accommodating and kind. Special thanks to Mario who served us!

We have a great time celebrating my daughter’s birthday . Great food , service and warm welcoming smile .