Poor Boys in Kingston upon Thames

Poor Boys Restaurant definitely lives up to the hype when it comes to food. The portions were incredibly generous, and the dishes were bursting with lovely, complex flavours. It's clear the chefs put a lot of care into their food, and I was thoroughly impressed with the quality. The staff were also very friendly and welcoming, which added to the overall positive atmosphere. However, there's one significant factor that unfortunately dampened the experience: the wait. We had to queue outside for a full 90 minutes in the cold, which was a real test of endurance. While the food was ultimately worth it, that long of a wait, especially in unpleasant weather, is a major deterrent. If Poor Boys could find a way to manage their queues more efficiently, it would significantly improve the dining experience. As it stands, be prepared to brave the elements if you're planning a visit, especially during peak hours.

Worth the wait in Queue. Amazing staffs and even more amazing food. Haven’t had anything like the Texan in my life. Big portions which I couldn’t finish so took it home to eat later

An Unforgettable Feast – 10/10! Went to Poor Boys with my partner on Saturday the 1st, and wow—this place exceeded all our expectations! From the moment we arrived, the atmosphere was buzzing, the service was top-tier, and the food… absolutely next level. We both ordered the beef brisket, which was melt-in-your-mouth tender and packed with rich, smoky flavor. My partner had the mac and cheese, and I went with the chips—both were an easy 10/10. The southern slaw? Another flawless 10/10. And then came the brisket doughnuts—hot, tasty, and simply mind-blowing! The onion rings were golden, crispy perfection. A special shoutout to RENZ, who was not only an amazing server but just an all-around great guy. His energy and hospitality made the experience even better. Poor Boys, you amazed us! If you haven’t been here yet, don’t wait—this place is incredible! Highly, highly recommend. 10/10!

Best best best place I have been to for a while. Location: beautiful spot near the water, though a cute alleyway, you can also sit outside where they have heating system Venue: it’s a small place however it gives cosy vibes Service: we had to call someone at first but then as soon as we got served it was good service Food: we had the surf and turn platter and honestly we couldn’t believe our eyes there was so much fooooooood. And the foood was super tasty. It is a mix of fry ups and salad at the bottom with pickles very nice. My all time fav is the corn ribs 😍😍 Drinks : they don’t have hot drinks, milkshakes were nice personally I didn’t like the vanilla it tasted just like mix. But strawberry and Oreo was good and not too sweet Overall we had the best time here with good food and you can take away the food

Came here with my friends! We ended up ordering both starters and mains together… and we didn’t realise how BIG their portion sizes are!! By the end of the meal, we were in FOOD COMA 😋 Since we were so tired of eating, we had to takeaway the rest of it on the go!

Awesome, super tasty, flavourful. And the atmosphere is great. Enjoyable experience

Had seen this on social media and been wanting to go for ages. The food in the photos looks amazing so I was really looking forward to it. Once we got the food it was all heavily battered (more the you would see in a fish and chip shop). All the food tasted the same and was very bland. The only taste was overly used herbs. I was also really unhappy with the lack of sauce in the buns. In the photos they make it look like the food has lots of sauce but it was all dry and I couldn’t even taste the hot sauce on my chicken and it had little mayo. Also ordered the fried pickles which tasted nothing like pickles just bland batter. Considering the amount of people outside I really thought it would be good. We also had to get our own cutlery and our drinks were served in plastic cups and no plates for food.Taking into account the high prices it’s not worth it at all. Better off going to KFC.

We had a fantastic meal for our son's birthday. Service was great - really helpful with everything. Thank you.

Maria was very helpful and always around to take any orders so brilliant service. And food never disappoints, soooooo good.

Brilliant food, great experience! We were served by Charlie who has outstanding customer service skills. He was very welcoming and pleasant to talk to. Please stop by if you’re in the area, solid 10/10 experience. You won’t regret it!

Last year, I had the pleasure of visiting New Orleans and trying a Po'boy sandwich at a restaurant called Mother's. It was the most delicious sandwich I've ever had. Therefore, I anticipated a similar experience when I visited a restaurant called Poor Boys in Kingston, UK. Unfortunately, I was quite disappointed. I believe the restaurant's name is misleading, as the food did not reflect authentic New Orleans cuisine. The bread, meat, and overall flavors were not comparable to what I experienced in New Orleans. This is an honest review from someone familiar with genuine New Orleans food.

Banging,100%recomended we will be back to try more things for sure

Service with a smile and serenity are amongst the great qualities of a meal at Poor Boys!! it was a joy to nip in to the restaurant for a quick lunch while passing through, and be greeted and immediately seated by Milly, who was able to accommodate my needs for a non descript seating area in the vibrant restaurant for me to get on with my work and phone call with a friend. Charlie was especially cheerful and informative on the various menu options and the suitability of my choices for future visits, as well as the quick service from both the kitchen and Sergio's swift and precise service at the bar. Loved it before this visit and will absolutely be returning!

There’s a lady who works here who goes beyond to make sure you are well catered to and happy with your food! Give her a raise!

Food was incredible, atmosphere was amazing but the staff and especially Renz was incredible. What an asset to Poor boys he is. We were a large table celebrating a birthday yet, Renz was super friendly, organised our orders perfectly and clearly knew every item on the menu which was great for us 1st timers!. Massive thank you from us, and we will definitely be back. Thank you again Renz.

Was there today and the food and the vibe are amazing and above all, the waitress Mateelda who was very lovely and welcoming

Excellent food. Been wanting to try here for a while and it did not disappoint. The beef short rib po boy…! Great service from Maria too who explained the menu and how it all worked.

What an incredible restaurant!! Visited for lunch, sat upstairs was a little bit cramped but was very clean. Masie H served us and the customer service was brilliant. They couldn't do enough to help whenever we needed. Looking forward to seeing poorboys at wingfest this summer!

Had this place bookmarked due to the good reviews. Came around for dinner, portions are generous, I'd say 3 different menu items are more than enough for 2 people We were recommended the following: beef brisket donuts & mac & cheese balls. Also ordered the southern fried chicken dirty boy (comes with fries). I'd say out of the 3 things, the beef brisket donuts were the best by far and the most unique. The mac & cheese balls were pretty heavy but my boyfriend liked them. The southern fried chicken was okay but nothing mind blowing. The fries that came with it were too oily and soggy. The sauces were lovely, a good touch for each dish - had bourbon bbq, gravy mayo & Cajun mayo The service was lovely and the restaurant has a nice decor inside

The food is so delicious and love all the sauces! Our waiter was so lovely and friendly. The only downside is everything’s in takeaway dishes makes it awkward to eat

The food was nice and the portions were big. Our experience was good but the queues are big at most times of the day and in all weathers.

Absolutely worth all the hype. If you are near Kingston and you get the chance make the time to visit, you will not be disappointed

The food was so bland just all covered in the same oily batter that has no flavour whatsoever. The cocktails that come in a can were flat and had no fizz and my partners Diet Coke was flat as well. The seafood didn’t taste fresh and it had a bad smell to it so I’m assuming that was another sign of how unfresh it was. Everything was just gross tasting we left really disappointed after spending £70 for bland greasy food. The mac and cheese doesn’t taste cheesy at all, it’s not awful but I wouldn’t call it mac and cheese. The service was great I can’t fault the staff there. Ended up giving most of our food to the pigeons outside atleast they seemed to like it.

The most incredible food you will ever give your tastebuds the honour of enjoying. Truly a one of a kind spot. I think I’d marry the food if I could

Delicious food, especially the grilled and fried chicken, has that comfort feel about it!

Would gladly give the service more stars if I could. Would like to thank Alieah or Arria (I’m so sorry if I have got the spelling of your name wrong!) absolute fantastic waitress and advised on what sauces to have with our mains. A credit to the company. All the staff was extremely polite and friendly. Food was unreal, Couldn’t stop eating but even if you can’t finish it you can take it home with you. Glad we got to the restaurant at 11.30ss am to queue as come 11.45 the queue was massive even for the first week in January! A great experience all round and even more so considering it was mine and my friends first time….

Everything, 5* apart from Renz, who was a solid 10*. Brilliant service and amazing food. Thank you!!

It is a one of a kind resturant, my go to place for seafood. The taste is amazing, the staff is super friendly. I visit at least once a month. SEAFOOD SHARERS a must try.

I would not recommend dining at this establishment due to the poor service I experienced. The waiter was rude, and the service felt rushed, especially considering it was later in the day. I was forced to order quickly, which made the dining experience uncomfortable. Additionally, the chair was wobbly and dangerous, and the auto sphere was subpar. The food was not particularly good, averaging only mediocrity. It could have been better experienced had I received appropriate customer service.

Very disappointed. Ordered 2 x surf n turf , everything came out in Batter, really thick and crispy. Could not taste the fish, chicken . Only the beef was of seasoning. Very dry, no seasoning. Spent 150£ for 4 people.

This was a great find, excellent food, very reasonably priced and fantastic cocktails. Had a frozen long Island ice tea, Cajun fries and a shrimp po boy with Louisiana hot sauce. The bread was soft, the shrimp was crispy, the hot sauce was delicious and the Cajun fries were excellent. It all came very quickly, cooked fresh and the service was friendly and jovial.

The queue for the restaurant was 40 mins+, we returned a few hours later and the queue was just as long if not longer. However, it’s understandable given the restaurants popularity etc. We ended up taking away which had a 45 min wait for collection. When we opened our order, our Po boys were falling apart, the bottom part of the bun was completely soaked through, the Po boys look like they were made rushed and well before the collection time. All rather disappointing as we were really looking forward to our meal, and was the main reason we had gone to Kingston. Not sure if we’d return here again.

Loved it. There are no bookings, so you might have to wait to be seated, but we went on a Saturday evening and didn't queue at all. Firstly, let's not pretend this is anywhere near healthy. Its fried food served in bread with sauce, so those complaining that it's unhealthy clearly haven't understood the assignment. You choose you base - bread, fries, mac and cheese or salad, they choose your topping and finish with your sauce- the whole meal us pick and mix. We ordered 2 po boys, which is the bread version, one buttermilk chicken, and one prawn, which we shared with louisianna hot sauce and blue cheese on the side. Also added one portion of cajun fries to share. The portions are huge, so this was more than enough for 2 people - starters definitely not needed. The chicken sandwich had 4 large tenders in it, while the prawn version contained 8 massive sweet prawns. Each came with lettuce, tomato and gherkins (pickles) Both were super crispy, succulent, and truly delicious, served in a pillowy soft bun. The fries were crispy and spicy with a lovely dirty sauce over the top. All the food was fresh and really hot. Also had 2 pints of goose ipa. I wasn't a fan of the disposable food containers or plastic cups and think this needs addressing, but it makes it very easy for takeaway if you've got leftovers as they just bring you bags and lids and you can request a plate it you want to. There is upstairs seating, too, but it is a spiral staircase, so it's not suitable for everyone, but there is an accessible loo downstairs. I'm really not sure how people are spending £100+ for a meal for 2 unless they seriously over order, ours was a very reasonable £48 for the 2 sandwiches, fries and drinks including 12.5% service - mains are between £13 and £21 each depending on the filling/topping (the short rib is the most expensive with cauliflower being the cheapest), sides start at £4 for plain fries and the beers were £7 a pint. The platters easily serve 4 if not 6 people, so per person, it's really good value (less than £10 per person). I'll definitely return.

Great spot for barbecued meats, huge portions and great drinks

A couple months ago my friend and I came to poor boys and not only was the food fantastic, the service was amazing! Scarlet who was so sweet and lovely provided us with incredible service! <3

Charlie was absolutely amazing, so nice and friendly. Would be better if food is halal. More customers.

Food quality is always great. Can never fault poor boys. I’ve been multiple times and they never fail! Whether it’s takeaway or eat in.

The food was lovely and the waitress that served us was very kind, even let me keep the poor boys cup at the end!!

Arla was an amazing host, it’s been so long since I received hospitality like this. Working in this industry for 25+ years I must say you have a little gem in Arla.. This was a great way to spend my son’s 15th birthday..( party of 7 ) Great food also… Belly FULL😊… Not just a Instagram hype, taste better than it looks👌🏽 Will definitely come back🫡

The food was great ! The atmosphere was great ! Arla made the best recommendations. 10/10 would definitely recommend!!

This was my second time visiting, music really good nice atmosphere and service was amazing. I ordered the chicken sandwich but not fried by accident. Definitely recommend the southern po boy over the second one. The mac and cheese balls were really good (huge) and so were the Philly fries.

Oh dear lord have mercy, I need to go back. The food was so good and the service was great, annoyingly you can't book tables you have to queue, but it's worth it.

Great music followed by delicious food! I would definitely recommend this place.

As always, great food, good portions and friendly staff.

10/10. Charlotte was lovely. Shall definitely be back!

Mediocre american food. Expensive for the quality. Not bad by any means but nothing special like the tik tok'ers say

As an American, I felt like the food was good and the service was good. I would recommend trying it yourself to make a decision.

Dropped in for lunch, small wait que, but food was great.

Had to queue to get in despite arriving 5 mins after opening however well worth the wait. Service was very quick and portions size was good. Would definitely go again.

Food was unreal. The brisket donuts are a big recommendation for sure. Staff were super friendly and welcoming. Defo a place to visit! The frozen cocktails are nice too!

Great food, you wont be disappointed. You also wont need to eat for a week afterwards!

Once again poor boys overdeliver. Food was incredible, the short rib mac and cheese was a personal favourite. My only issue is the cajun seasoning seems to be on alot of different things leading them to taste similar. But the quality of the food is top notch.

Arla was so amazing, the service was great and the food was amazing as always.

Charlotte is a credit to the restaurant, best waitress I've had this year! The food is insane, thanks for having us

Thank you, will always come back here 😊 Thank you Natalie for being accommodating and friendly!

Queuing isn't that bad and it's so worth the wait. They give you umbrellas if it's raining and the queue goes down fairly fast. There was 5 of us waiting for a table inside for about 30 minutes. We got the meat sharer and a main each and a few sides and had so much food. The frozen cocktails are unreal too. I will 100% be going back for more. The shortrib dirty boy was so tasty and the chicken in the meat sharer is incredible.

Food is absolutely delicious. I would have given 5 stars but they really let themselves down with single use cups and serving boxes. Come on poor boys, be better than that.

Really lovely food and Charlie as a host is a gem! Super friendly and very accommodating.

You can pick anything on this menu and it will be delicious, the service is fun and friendly and the restaurant provides a type of cuisine you can’t get much in London.

Was told kitchen closes at 9 sucks. And it says on their website closes at 10

The sharer platter is easily shareable by 4 people. Huge portions. A bit too many deep fried options. Beef donuts, chicken,fries and corn ribs quite delicious plus the milkshakes are good

Big shout out to Isaias for giving us such great service! The food was amazing and we will definitely be returning. We got there at about 8:30pm on a Friday, and the queue was minimal 👍

Average, and the fries below average

Always a nice happy chilled vibe. Great portions, delicious food, and so uniquely different to all other local brands!

The place was quite small and there were a lot of tables. Shrimp was delicious, and the choices of how your food came weren't clever, but sadly, there were no disabled toilets

Amazing food, friendly staff and a great atmosphere.

Delicious food and amazing service. The lovely Arla took great care of us with great recommendations with the food. If you’re looking for tasty food with good portions Poor boys is a shout!

Great food but please stop with the plastic 🙏 the amount of waste is crazy, every drink comes in a plastic cup, two people dining tap water + couple of drinks means up to 6 single use cups per table. Even for dine in. Suggestions: Paper cups rather than plastic. Refills of drinks on the same cup…(like subway?) customers next to me ordered several soft drinks and it was a new plastic cup every time Stainless steel cups for all dine/in customers (like the ones for the shakes can be easily re-used) Jugs of water on tables for ease of refill Recycling is not enough…given 10% ends up in landfill…please do better Poorboys 🙏

Arla was the best possible staff member to serve us our food. Very friendly and very good vibes, polite and kind looking after me and my cousin. Its my birthday tomorrow and she made nice conversation, down to earth and the whole shabang. Food and cocktails was top tier as always. Defo coming back x

Jesus Christ! This place is a must go if you like your BBQ! I've been here twice already with coworkers, and they're all impressed with the quality of food. Just remember the portions are huge but don't worry, if you can't finish your dish, they'll give you a lid and bag to take it home. It's a must go! Trust me! It's worth the hour and 10 minutes commute to get to Kingston.

Totally worth a visit! Everyone goes away with a takeaway bag because the portions are insane. Such high quality and tasty food. Loved the options! Our server, Arla, was incredible. So friendly, helped guide us on what to order and was good fun. Would recommend!

Lovely Amelia gave us excellent service!! The food was amazing and the service was exceptional🤩

Eating is believing. Whatever food is ordered it is banging. Sometimes I just get cravings for a poor boys. Pro tip: order the seafood platter it's 10/10 and can feed a group of four, or two fat people. Definitely good value for money. Pro tip 2: alcohol here will turn a £40 bill here to a £70 bill. Be careful. Service is usually quick. AVOID Saturday and Sunday - the word has spread like butter with how good the food is. The queues are HUGE, you'll be waiting a while just to get a seat. The atmosphere is decent, if pretty standard and nothing too special. Do the platter. You won't be disappointed.

Extremely tasty food that's also a large portion! The food taste like genuine new Orleans seasoning and is a great value for money. The staff is also very friendly and it's easy to get to from public transport.

Great food quality, chicken was tender, juicy, healthy portions, everything was tops. We were really impressed by the staff, in particular Charlotte who accommodated our requests, was always patient and friendly. I would definitely be coming back

Iziah was brilliant great customer service great food will be back!

Renz was amazing!!! The place is awesome!!! Fav in Kingston

Poor Boys was a fabulous experience. The food was great and the service was even better. Amelia our waitress was incredible and very approachable, she was so lovely and was very efficient throughout. She was amazing and was wonderful to talk to. I’ll return very soon. Thank you!

recently ate at Poor Boys, and while the food was nice, it was our waitress, Milly, who truly made the experience great.She was warm, attentive, and went above and beyond to make sure everything was perfect.

Spent the afternoon shopping in Kingston so I had to stop by Poor Boys for some lunch. As always, they didn’t disappoint. Amelia waited on us. She was really friendly, professional and clearly enjoying her work. She’s a real credit to the business. The food was amazing, as usual, it’s hard not to over order. I will say there’s usually a bit of a queue to get in but that’s a good sign in my books and the experience proves it was worth the wait. Will I be back again? Hell yes.

Iza, was a fantastic host and really looked after us. The food was great, definitely coming back again!

Food is great the only down side is the cueing for this place. I wish it was bigger that's all.

simply amazing. just as well i don’t live in kingston otherwise this place would kill me within 6 months

Loved the Chicken Cajun! The bbq burnt ends were very soft, but didn't have enough smokiness as we prefer.

Great food! Staff were very helpful and polite. Great choice of sauces.

Very nice place, next to the river, people helpful, the food was good.

the food, not the greatest in MY opinion. I think the concept is great but overall everything is fried in the same tasting batter, it’s really messy and quite overpowering with sauces. They have a load of options which people may love but personally the food made me feel a bit sick because of how fried and rich it was. Not giving them a bad review because this is a personal opinion however i probably wouldn’t go back. The service was great though can’t fault the waitress very very nice !

Arla was an amazing server, she made my daughter’s birthday extra special with her attentiveness and friendly nature. Thank you Arla ❤️🎉

Great time at poor bois as per , Millie and her amazing twam are juts great defo returning again food amazing atmosphere even better many thanks from Michael (pilot)

Gorgeous food, great atmosphere. Our waitress Milly was great too.

Amazing return visit as always, thanks to Amelia for looking after us and everyone else behind the scenes. We’ll be back again soon!

Friendly staff, nice ambience, reasonable queue … we had friend shrimp, wings and ribs sandwich… there were all good!

The food was overall fairly tasty. However I ordered the "Dirty Boy" with beef brisket. The brisket was perfectly cooked, however, it did not come with enough sauce as standard and it is a bit ridiculous with the prices they charge that additional sauce is charged extra. The brisket was served in a cardboard box on top of the fries which made them soggy and awful. The waitress was understanding and said that these items can be ordered separately. However, to order the items separately will cost extra, which leads to the bizarre scenario of being charged extra to ensure the fries aren't a disgusting soggy mess. On top of this as much as it is nicely decorated inside the tables are really cramped together. Not a place you'd want to be sitting too long. Service is great, food is overall fine, bit pricey. Not worth the hype. I would advise to come on a day that isn't too busy.

Whenever in Kingston. It's a must to try and get seated at poorboys.

great food always delivered on time and fresh

We had the sharer surf and turf platter and it did not disappoint! The food was amazing- so much for your money and you’ll defo be taking food home. The frozen cocktails were so tasty. The service was amazing. Arna/arla (so sorry if I am wrong) provided such high quality service, so friendly and helpful and overall a really great vibe and person to be served by. Service was so quick. Will defo be back!

Fantastic service at the table from Renz, welcoming and made us feel at home, give this man a raise! great food, enjoyed the surf and turf platter.

I couldn't tell you how many times I watched the Instagram reels of this place over 7 months. But when I finally had the chance to visit part of me expected it not to live up to expectations.. But let me tell you, Poor Boys didn't only live up to expectations, it absolutely blew them out of the water. Every single thing, from the interior design and atmosphere, to the servers, to the food... Was absolutely perfect! Our server Matilda was incredible, very patient with me and my indecisiveness (I wanted to order the entire menu) She was on hand to help whenever we needed anything (extra sauce and napkins 🤝) and had such an upbeat and enthusiastic energy which really made us feel welcome. We ordered chicken crackling, fried pickles, chicken tenders, mac and cheese balls and burnt ends poh sandwich. The chicken crackling came out straight away which gave us the perfect delicious snack to peck on whilst we sipped our drinks and awaited the food. Our food arrived very quickly even when it was really busy inside. The fried pickles 12/10 Chicken tenders 10/10 Mac and cheese balls 10/10 Burnt ends poh sandwich 7/10 The 7/10 rating is only because this did not work as a sandwich, the burnt ends slipping and sliding out the bread and sauces overflowing all over the shop. Buuuuut the burnt ends by themselves?? 11/10 Between the two of us we could not finish so we were given some great take away containers to take our feast home. The seconds we had the next day, heated up in the air fryer, was just as good, if not better. I encourage you all to visit here and order far more food than you can stomach, so you can take home and enjoy just as much the next day. Overall this place is my new favourite restaurant I have ever visited and I can't wait to return 💪💜

Amazing place. I really like the design with tasty food and delicious.

So amazing food so good get chicken with a frozen Fanta and bíscoff milk shake