Speedboat Bar in City of London, Westminster

I can't believe the comments aren't more glowing about this place. Admittedly, one might need a little jump of adventure to enjoy. It's also a more basic dining experience compared to much of what you might get in London - it's not a bland Gordon Ramsay environment. But by golly, it's a taste sensation. It's also bloody fun. I thought the waiting staff were attentive, well-mannered, and swift with service. From reviews below, it seems they might not take nonsense from pompous patrons who expect to be fawned over - and it's all the better for it. If you have a sense of fun, a sprinkling of imagination, and a love of taste, then get here at the double. If you're a pompous, small-minded moaner, then keep away and get yourself to a Gaucho. You won't get it.

The worst service I’ve ever experienced and rip off prices where they couldn’t even give me some noodles on the side - clearly all frozen food and someone rolled their eyes when I told them I had an allergy. AVOID AT ALL COSTS TOURIST TIK TOK TRAP

We visited for dinner on a Friday night. If you’ve been to sister restaurant Plaza Khao Gaeng, the decor will feel quite similar here, but perhaps taken up a notch with the inclusion of a pool table and bar area upstairs. The larger seated section is downstairs however. The place was quite busy and a few walk-ins were quoted lengthy waiting times for a table. The 3 of us ordered the chicken skins, sweetcorn fritters, chicken matches salad, morning glory, naem fried rice (x2), black pepper sea bream, and beef tongue and tendon curry. For dessert we tried the only option which was a pineapple pie with ice cream. The food was generally decent, but not much really stood out. The fried rice and black pepper sea bream were probably our top picks. It was a first time trying beef tongue which required some courage, but in the end it tasted pretty much like regular beef, despite its appearance. We also came in expecting some punchy spice levels, but found the food relatively mild (this is of course all relative as the table next to us had broken out into a sweat!). Still, definitely not as spicy as what we experienced at Plaza Khao Gaeng. Our primary server was very friendly, but most others were indifferent and it was sometimes difficult to get their attention. The bill for our meal came to £168, of which £44 was spent on drinks. For the sizeable meal we had I felt this was great value for money, and this nudges them towards a 4 star overall rating.

WORST RESTAURANT EVER! Food was rubbish badly presented and tasted awful actually a pile of rubbish, Service was non-existent, Price was a complete and utter rip-off, wanted to leave within ten minutes of being there. AVOID AT ALL COSTS!

I was in the West End today for a meeting and I fancied a bite to eat. It was pouring with rain, like Noah’s Ark proportions. Not having a place in mind, I sheltered under an awning while looking at my phone to find somewhere… when I realised I was under the awning of Speedboat. A great Thai/Chinese fusion restaurant. I loved the vibe in this place, the uniforms are cool and different. It felt like the embryo of a cool chain idea being tested, at the same time as feeling like a true independently owned Thai place with a good location. After backpacking through Thailand, I love Thai food. You cannot get Nam Prik Ong in the UK, and I often find Thai food around the country to be lacklustre. This place nailed a great Thai curry! I ordered the Crispy Pork & Black Pepper Curry with rice, accompanied by a snack of Chicken Skins with Zaep Seasoning. My server Charlotte did warn me that this was the hottest curry they had…. But I thought I could take it. I need to tell you. It was a hot curry. A very hot curry. However, not hot enough that you couldn’t enjoy it and taste the flavours. The chicken skins in themselves were not that spicy, but in combination they kicked everything off on my tongue. I called Charlotte over. I needed help. She recommended the Cha Yen iced Thai tea. I needed two glasses of it, but it soothed my taste buds and went well with the curry. This was a day time lunch and it was great. Charlotte was an amazing server who looked after me, and even recommended a dish to try on my next visit. I would love to come here at night. I think it would be a cracking spot for food and drinks with friends and chosen family. I aim to do this, and yes Charlotte, I shall be trying the Beef Tongue & Tendon Curry.

Great location being right in the middle of Chinatown and close to Leicester Square. Food was decent although a limited menu. I guess they have just decided to minimise choice so they can focus on quality. Not cheap for what is basically street food. Two of us with two small glasses of wine (her) 2 beers (me) and no dessert and the bill should have been £80. I say ''should have'' because there was the attempt to charge us £11 for fried rice which we never ordered. So instead the bill was £91 and throw in their 12.5% service charge made it £103. That was until we pointed out their ''mistake'' . They refunded the £11 without so much as an apology but didn't alter the service charge. Just be wary of their ''creative accounting'' if you decide to visit and be prepared to be surprised by the cost of the food.

I absolutely love Speedboat Bar, previously having left glowing a review. Ad hoc I came in with my boyfriend at 5pm on a Wednesday as I wanted him to dry the delicious Thai tea drink. The restaurant only had one table in downstairs and I said to the Mattus on front of house that we were just after a drink. He said we could only use the bar. I’ve sat at the bar upstairs multiple times before and have no issue with this but once we climbed the stairs there were three people at the bar leaving only one stool. What remained is what could best be described as a shelf opposite with a few stools. There was also only one table in use upstairs leaving everything else free. I wondered whether we might be able to use a table quickly as I just wanted two Thai teas and a bowl of skins. I popped back downstairs to ask Mattus and again he said bar only. I said we’d be having a snack and we wouldn’t be long. I thought it very unlikely that the whole restaurant would fill up within the next half and hour. He said we could sit at a table only if were having snacks and if someone came in for dinner he would ask us to stand up again. I do appreciate this policy but it was the unkind and unpleasant manner in which he responded. We ended up leaving and are unlikely to return. A real shame as I think the food here is great.

OMG this place is awful! its over priced they send out portions that would even be too small for a child but charge a fortune for it! love thai food normally but this was just beyond awful! AVOID!!! the curry my husband had was disgusting you could still taste the grainy paste. menu is limited but way over priced and not good. the service was rude and sullen - plenty of other proper lovely Thai restaurants nearby -do not waste your money here!! i dont understand how anyone has given this more than 1 star?

Its about the most Thai place in the UK, slightly chaotic, stainless tables, all it needs is tiny plastic chairs and it to be 40C and it could be in Bangkok. (This is a good thing for avoidance of doubt.) Sala Red Lemonade, how cool is that ? Sadly I was driving or otherwise I might have had a sore head the next day. Great food, the Crispy Pork and black pepper was so good.

Went yesterday. Had beef tongue and tendon curry, probably the best curry I've had, I'm still dreaming about it a day later. Also had the chicken skin and aubergines, delicious. I highly recommend and will definitely return!

Average spend 45GBP each and portion is small Food is ok enough, but this is the only thing that good about this place. Firstly, the seating arrangement and booking system is not very well organised. Tried to book online and they only allow to book for certain group size and its not available for next 2 months. So have to take chance with walk-in. Even though we arrive super early and still have to wait for everyone to be here to get in. We were group of 5 adults with 1 child, there is no drinking option such as juice for child. And the child is not allowed to have anything that brought by the parents. And once you seat down, you only have 1 hour and 15 minutes for the table. Why should we feel presured to eat while we are here to spend money and enjoy our time?

Small restaurant. Great ambience. Great service. Great spicy food. Good value. Love the decor. Good place for an evening with friends.

Challenge anyone not to have a good time in this fun and vibrant 1980s style Bangkok cafe. Must have dishes: tongue and tendon curry, fried chicken skin, aubergine stir fry. ‘Authentic’ levels of spice - hardly a mild thing on the menu

Food was delicious, really tasty and felt very authentic (having never been to Thailand ;-) ), service was good until we got rushed off towards the end. I understand the importance of sticking to the time slots but we didn’t need to be reminded so many times. Would 100% come back and recommend

A mate had heard about this place from a local restaurant Michelin star/chef recommendation…. So we thought we would give it a go. Overall, the food was fantastic can’t fault, The taste and flavours. We were sat upstairs in the bar area which was quite busy although downstairs the tables looked very close together, so we were happy to be upstairs…. The service was a bit haphazard, perhaps because it was relatively busy this Thursday evening mid October… The massive negative however, was the inflated London prices £157, for the 2 of us…. 1/2 the price in Thailand 🇹🇭…. Worth the visit but overpriced