The Bayou Soul in Camden

Our friend who has recently turned 50 was playing that night in the band and invited us for drinks and live music. The performance (5live acts) was superb and we had no problem to book table on the same day for a delightful dinner with one vegetarian and one chicken main course (okra was the star of the dishes and cooked superb) followed by really scrumptious desert. We paid £50 for 2 people with 2 alcoholic drinks. It was easy to find and parking on street after 7pm is not an issue.

Enjoyed the experience. Waiter was very friendly and professional. Food was fresh and being local I am definitely going back.

Recientemente tuvimos una experiencia estupenda en el Bayou alma. El personal era extremadamente amable y para nosotros de manera pronta aunque estaba concurrido, sábado por la noche. Mi marido y mi suegro tenía las costillas. Aunque la porción era un poco pequeña y el precio un poco caro, eran divinas para comer. Tuve la fajitas de pollo. Estos también eran divinos, pero mi parte era sumamente generoso y muy buena relación calidad-precio. Toda la comida estaba muy bien presentada. La Bud de barril era encantadora y fresca. Había música en vivo mientras tomamos nuestra comida y bebidas, y fue realmente divertido. En general, buena comida, un buen ambiente y una excelente ubicación.

Leer otras críticas como lo hizo después de que comimos allí.

Le personnel est accueillant et souriant , et la cuisine y est tres bonne !

Our friends had been here before and recommended that we go, but it was really horrible. It took us an hour to get our food, and we didn't get our appetizers until they brought out the entrees--and there were the wrong toppings on the nachos and we were given crab cakes instead of calamari. The corn bread was dry, the chicken was dry; it all tasted pretty bad. It was very overpriced for the poor quality. And the service was unforgivably bad (an hour wait, waiter seemed completely clueless using the card machine, chose to process my card with an unnecessary international fee that could have been avoided if he had chosen to charge in £ instead of $)

Es la primera vez mi novio y yo hemos ido de comida el alma y no nos decepcionó. La comida era deliciosa y las porciones eran de un buen tamaño, incluso no pudimos terminar nuestras cenas. El personal era acogedor y amable y Si son fan de Jazz te encantará la música. Sin duda volveremos. La única cosa era que estábamos evisceración a probar los postres jaja.

Good food, good people, good ambiance and concert, great time, will be back. We were in the corner very well placed. Fun place to go for a Christmas party with colleagues. Missing seasoning on the stew.

Simple ,cheerful ,effective Perfect for a quick warm up before the evening frolics after the hard day work

I booked a table through the app and when we arrived discovered it was closed!

Esta era mi primera visita y no creo que volveré. La comida es regular. Tuve un mojito y yo hemos tenido mucho mejores mojitos elsewehere. Mi marido tenía el jamabalaya con pollo y salchicha picante. Bueno, pero en el lado seco. Tuve el bagre ennegrecido y estaba bien. Las porciones son grandes. Yo tenía una porción de maíz y era enorme, parecía un trozo considerable de pastel de Madeira en mi plato. Amigos que estaban con nosotros el pollo y tengo que decir que parecía delicioso. El restaurante tiene buena decoración sabio y había música más tarde por la noche. Como estábamos llenos nos negamos postre excepto por mi amigo que el pastel de chocolate con helado. orden La crema fue artificial y el pastel de chocolate no tenía sabor!!!

Es un buen espacio suficiente, el ambiente es bueno, el servicio atento y amable, pero... la comida es todo el lugar. El menú es desenfoncada (nunca encontraría Mac y queso listado en un menú en un restaurante cajún de Louisiana), y en general todo parece un poco artificiosa. Siento decirlo, porque el personal era muy agradable.

Starters were ok but both heavily deep fried. Main I had salmon with guacamole. The guacamole was from a bottle so not impressed. Partner had the burger. Both mains were too big and we felt quite sickly afterwards. Choice of cocktails was limited on the deal. We love amaretto sours but their coffee version didn't work for our taste. I wouldn't go back.

Esta fue mi primera visita a la Bayou, Camden y me quedé muy impresionado con el lugar. La comida era buena, el personal era atento y música genial - disfrutamos de una velada encantadora y sin duda recomendaría. Sólo dos críticas pequeña, sin necesidad de tener grandes pantallas jugando películas que uno no puede escuchar música (porque), muy molesto y ruinas conmovedores, en un ambiente relajado,! Y, habiendo mesa impugnada reservó tres (confirmado en correo electrónico), camarero que sentaron adujeron sólo reservado para dos, así que mesa sería restringido.

Solía ir aquí cuando fue un bar de cócteles algunos años atrás, era actualmente sorprendidos de encontrar fue un establecimiento diferente ahora. No comer, pero la comida olía y parecía increíble. El personal era muy amable. Los cócteles eran encantadores y que resultó ser un ambiente encantador con un saxofonista y piano en vivo. Me encantó la decoración.

El Bayou es un lugar fresco es innegable. Está en una ubicación fantástica, con interiores moderno mobiliario y divertida música en vivo pero tengo que ser sincero y decir que la comida es inconsistente. He estado aquí tres veces y disfrutamos de algunos de los platos como las costillas, el pollo y gofres y las tostadas francesas pero estaba impresionado con el escalope de pollo que tenía y los baingetts fueron decepcionantes. Sin embargo, el personal de aquí es excelente, así como lo es el concepto, pero la ejecución sólo necesita algunas finessing.

Went on a sunday early evening, restaurant was quiet. Food, drinks and service great! Relaxed atmosphere. Great little find walking distance from london zoo.

I first came here just weeks after Bayou Soul had opened and, following a superbly authentic meal and slick but friendly service, we talked at length with the original owner about the restaurant dream he was only now beginning to realise. I was really happy that, at last, London had an authentic Cajun/Creole eaterie that didn't think Cajun just meant over-spicing and burning food! This was my fourth visit here and it's clear the 'guy with the dream' has since moved on, and this has had a serious impact on the food and service we experienced here on our initial visit. Myself and my husband have been to New Orleans/Louisiana many times, plenty enough to know what authentic Cajun and Creole dishes should look and taste like, and what Bayou Soul are now dishing up is nowhere near the real thing.We booked an early table (as we were going to a gig afterwards) but, despite placing our orders at around 6:45pm, the kitchen had already run out of a lot of things. What was available to us was a thorough disappointment ... two of our party ordered the jambalaya which, on our previous visits, had been an incredibly flavourful rice dish with lots of the 'good stuff' (shrimp, chicken etc) in evidence. What we got this night was a bland, stodgy and seriously over-spiced mess with very little of that 'good stuff', making the £13 price tag an additional insult.Much of everything else we ordered was equally as unappealing, and the fact we had taken friends there that night (following our repeated insistence that they have to try Bayou Soul and its fantastically authentic food) meant we left feeling embarrassed as well as disappointed and ripped-off. We won't be returning.

I was disappointed the mud cake wasn't on the menu anymore and they had no ice cream for shakes so I only had a main this time. The chilli wasn't how I pictured it, no beans just chilli beef in one pot, salad in another and some tortilla chips. My two friend swent for ribs and they siad they were good though

A nice place to have catch up with friends.

From the minute we arrived we felt very welcomed by the staff. They gave their full attention and were incredibly friendly. The food was speedy and was exactly as the menu described. Very tasty! The best part was having a saxophonist playing throughout the evening - he was very good and we enjoyed the ambiance!

We had a really nice meal at the Bayou Soul. The food was typical American style and american size portion too! good value for money, i had to bring some home in a doggy bag the plate was so big and the food so tasty.

We had a really good time, the food is very good and the place is cool. The music is not bad but it is not really soul music.

me and my partner ordered 2 cocktails from the happy hour menu we were given (selected cocktails £5) but my partner was given 1 that wasn't even on the menu?? when we asked what cocktail it was, the waiter said "the 1 we ordered which was a chocolate martini"? I said how can we order something that isn't even on the menu?? Head waiter or manager then came over and served us with the correct cocktail. We wasn't charged for the error. I originally ordered chicken and waffles as per their menu and a side of biscuits and gravy for my partner to taste. we were then told that they had no waffles and that the only biscuits they serve were oreo's and they even bought us 2 oreo's on a plate??? like really? I probably stood more of a chance of ordering Chinese from this place as they didn't seem to have or know what was on their menu. They clearly don't know what chicken and biscuits is despite them having it on their menu. I was then told that they had 1 waffle left and they would give that to me with the fried chicken and my partner ordered a Texan burger. our food came out and my chicken and waffles was awful but I was so hungry, I had no other choice. Instead of fried chicken as per their menu, it was grilled chicken wings and 2 cold crispy waffles and maple syrup!!! nothing like as stated on their menu and no where near the Southern food I was looking forward and used to. My partners Texan burger on the other hand was nice but instead of burger and bbq brisket, it was more mince on top of the burger and the chips were soooo salty we couldn't eat it. The cocktails we ordered were nice and the head waiter/manager seemed nice, but the waiter needs a lot more training on taking orders. would I come here again?? Maybe but definitely not in a hurry

Went here for my birthday weekend with my wife my friend and his partner. The place looks nice but we were seated in an awful position where two of us couldn't see the stage and the same two were on high up chairs with dangling feet. This upset my friend immensely. We had gone there to eat and it felt like we were not in the restaurant area. We asked about moving but was told there was no other space. Following this no one returned to us for any orders so we had a drink from the bar and left. Went to I love brasil. My friend was able to sit with his feet on the floor and was incredibly happy and even smiled.

Brilliant meal for valentines day, great food and superb service and ambiencel. Would go agai

If I could write a review without giving this restaurant a star rating I would! I am writing this after visiting with my partner last night-Valentines Day which also happens to be my birthday. On arrival I was confronted by a less than enthusiastic host who suggested we sit in a dark corner of the restaurant. Ok, romantic perhaps. Not at all. We were given menus and left momentarily before we made our drinks order. I ordered a banana pecan rum which I actually pointed to within the menu for clarity purposes but I got the non alcoholic version! After this we waited over 10 minutes for someone to take our food order even though it was empty my partner actually got up to go and order from the bar, as she did this a waiter rushed over. He then asked if the menu had been explained to us, again perplexed I thought oh perhaps there was a special however it was to clarify that half the menu was no longer available (this was 8pm on Valentine's Day). No Mac n Cheese, no this no that and this is after being in the restaurant for at least 30 minutes. Unacceptable. We ordered and waited what seemed a lifetime (over 20 minutes) for our food. When the waiter brought out the 12 wings my partner ordered he stated they only had 6 left so that's what she got!! No apologies, nothing. So we waited all that time without being given the option to amend our order!!! Not even a complimentary cocktail or appetiser. Disgusting! The food was sub standard. My pasta dish was barely warm and stale tasting far too much Parmesan and if that was a 'spicy' sauce I wouldn't like to know what mild is as it was a very sickly cheesy tomato sauce. As we ate in this dark corner tortured by a very loud speaker billowing the sounds of a performer, we were joined by staff cleaning and polishing cutlery at a table beside us and what seemed to be the manager browsing Facebook. Not the romantic atmosphere I expected I felt like I was in a workplace canteen!! My experience ruined the end of my birthday!

På vårt lørdagsbesøk i Camden fant vi dette hyggelige stedet. Vi ble tatt godt i mot av en oppmerksom og blid serveringsdame. Maten var rikelig og smakfull, og pesielt løkringene var utrolig gode. Vi var begge fornøyde med litt Southern matopplevelse i tjukkeste London. Dette er et sted vi gjerne kommer tilbake til!

Visited on a Saturday afternoon. First impression was poor: a friendly waitress, having offered us whichever table we wanted in the empty restaurant, was given a stern look by an overbearing manager, who gestured that we should be sat on no table other than a two. This made for an uncomfortable start, and his interventions, indicative of an apparent lack of confidence in his colleagues' abilities, continued throughout the meal.We were ultimately sat in nose shot of the toilets, whose smell saw two arriving parties depart before even ordering even a glass of water.Food was remarkably average; nothing special, but not unpleasant. Service was haphazard throughout, a result of there being too many staff on shift. We had about thirteen different staff members visit our tables throughout, which made for uncomfortable eating.The Bayou Soul has potential, but needs to be better organised.

I'm going to start with the positive, the atmosphere was great - I don't think the images on Opentable really capture the ambience so don't be put of by that - look at the restaurants own site. The service was attentive and friendly, although at one point I think we had 4 different people asking if everything was ok! The drinks were good and well priced and it would be a great venue for drinks, music and light starters etc. All that being said our booking god lost in the ether, which they managed to rectify, the food was greasy (yes I know it's southern and that's the idea but this was excessive - the chicken basically resorted to a gooey mess instead of being crisp) and for a Friday night there was minimal provision for things you'd expect to have in abundance like sweet potato wedges. All in all it's great as a bar but not as a restaurant.

Tucked away in a quieter side of Camden (if that's possible), this restaurant was a pleasant surprise! Excellent deal with a kilo of wings for a tenner on Tuesday, and the yummy cake definitely lived up to its name. The best part, however, was the service! I'll definitely be back.

My girlfriend and I met up with a pair of old friends (also a couple) for a drink and a catch up. We decided to have dinner at the bayou because none of us had been there before and felt like something new. On the walk there, we found out via a phone call that one of our party had become an uncle! The staff at the bayou were amazing and polite. The food is incredible and the ambiance was electric. The perfect mix of jazz and relaxation. I would recommend to anyone in need of a relaxed evening with staff who make you feel as if you have been friends for life.

Walking through Camden Town in London, these two Louisiana natives were surprised to see a place called "Bayou Soul". We simply had to come back to try it out.We returned for dinner with a friend and were seated immediately. The service throughout the evening was exemplary. We never waited long to receive anything and the staff was very friendly. The atmosphere was first-rate, with classic rock and r&b playing over the speakers.We were encouraged to try the gator bites. They were, unfortunately, disappointing--very overcooked, dry, and so small that the gator got lost in the breading. We did, however, enjoy the tempura-style onion rings.We had three entrees, two of which were very good and one was not so great. The Mac and Cheese with bacon and sausage was terrific, the Louisiana chicken pasta was delicious, but the jambalaya was undercooked (the rice had not "popped").Portion sizes were large, and all three of us had takeaway boxes. We can't wait to go back for Mardi Gras as well as their Sunday brunch with shrimp and grits.

We decided to stop here for Lunch in December after seeing an advertisement for the place in Camden tube station so it was a bit of a last minute idea.The food was great and it was the first time I have actually seen a place in the UK advertise traditional American food and actually serve traditional American food without any UK influences. From the gravy to the biscuits everything was what I expected it taste like in the US.I personally had the Steak sandwich (I was going to order off the BBQ menu but it didn't open until 1pm) and it was very nice. We also ordered the biscuits between us to taste and while the rest of the table agreed it wasn't their thing I loved it.The only downside was the service. There was only 1 waiter and 1 barman on and you would think that would be fine with only 3 tables eating but they were both very very slow. From bringing drinks to the bill everything took double the time you would expect.Overall if you are not in a rush its definitely a place to try in Camden

The cocktails were delicately made and absolutely delicious! Charming and welcoming atmosphere, with excellent staff.

We meet every other month to try a different cuisine; this time it was Cajun. Online booking was straightforward and after meeting for pre-dinner drinks at The World's End it was a just a couple of minutes walk to The Bayou. The ambience was perfect, not too many tables with plenty of space, light background music (live music is apparently coming soon) and a well decorated and clean restaurant. There was a good selection of interesting starters, some of which I'd never heard of; we decided to select different ones and swap them, all of which were extremely tasty and not too much. There weren't too many authentic Cajun choices for the main course on the menu but there were sufficient that all four of us had something different. I went for the fried catfish which was delicious but so enormous that I couldn't finish it. It would have been nicer to have had chunky chips with it rather than French fries. The manager came over to chat to us towards the end of the meal which was good timing as we were able to enjoy our meal without being interrupted. We shared a nice bottle of red wine, it was the cheapest on the menu but was still £20 which was a bit pricey. Despite not finishing my fish I still elected to sample a dessert and chose well with a nice tasty chocolate dish. The bill included service and came to £142 which was pretty reasonable for the four of us.

Went here on a Sunday early evening for drinks as we'd seen a sign on the main street advertising a happy hour. There's a good, extensive cocktail list, all £7.50 I think, and a shortened list of £5 happy hour cocktails, all still good. The place itself is really nice looking, good music and decor etc. Staff were really nice and friendly. Didn't get any food so can't comment on that but based on drinks and service I'd definitely go again!

The restaurant looked nice enough and the menu was what you would expect for this cuisine. The starters were fine (deep fried whatever). The main however was awful. I had the seafood jambalaya, which was incredibly bland. It was under seasoned, no flavour coming through from any of the ingredients, and over cooked to the point that the texture was like porridge. My partner had the gumbo which was just about passable. They refused to take the jambalaya off the bill even though it was inedible and I sent it back. They let me pick an alternative meal (Mac n cheese, a bit blah but edible) which was cheaper, but they still charged us for the more expensive meal. I would avoid.

Had a great time at The Bayou. The food was excellent (Meat loaf), staff friendly, and the live music entertainment was top quality. Would recommend to those who enjoy quality entertainment with their dining.

Fantastic live music brilliant food and great service. Was here as part of a work Christmas party and all had a great time highly recommend

The surrounding is lovely and the staff are great, really friendly, approachable and keep you comfortable. We came for a 4.45pm booking, dinner menu starts at 5pm but our first choice options were not ready yet. It was nice and still quiet so we got to choose where we sat. I had the ghoulash. I misread it and thought it came with mac and cheese on the side but it was actually macaroni in the ghoulash. Well you would have never have known, the macaroni was cooked beyond recognition and the meal of ?blended meat tasted like baby food. Very disappointing, I couldn't finish my meal which is not me at all. My partner had pork cubes which equally just did not have flavour even post salt/pepper and tobasco. They were very kind and offered me a free dessert and apologised. Perhaps I just met them on a bad day as this restaurant comes recommended by a friend. The starter was fine - meat loaf, popcorn prawns and ribs and I had the passion fruit colada which was lovely. Will only go back to see what it feels like with music but will only order a snack and a drink and eat my main elsewhere.

We booked a table for Friday night .What can I say the food was great but then that's what we have come to expect from Their Chef since we first tried his food at another venue .Yes we are great fans of this chef you could say we are his stalkers .The music was great the venue Decore is really good. On the down side the service was not that great our waiter was not the least bit untreated in serving us first thing he took 30 mins to take our Drinks order then another 20 mins for our food order which he got wrong we ordered chicken fried steak ,cheese stuffed burger ,BBQ wings ,deep fried pickle and popcorn shrimp.The starters we're amazing and the Chicken Fried Steak is still the best in London when we finally got our correct burger it was just as I remembered full of hot ozzing cheese topped with more cheese .We will defently be back just for the food .The service needs a lot of work.

Found this place by chance hidden away at the top of inverness street .Went there with some friends .We had wings pickle creole meat loaf and the shrimp as starter, Best wings I have ever had and you get them in 4 flavours plain smoked ,Bbq, Hot, and lemon and herb we went for the bbq and the hot .we had mamas meatloaf this had a nice smoke taste and a great sausage gravy, also had the chicken gumbo, ribs and a cowboy burger, The gumbo was just to die for. and the lightest corn bread I have had in London..the only thing that let this down was the service our waiter did not know anything about the food and spent all his time chatting to the person behind the bar.will defiantly be back for the brunch

We visited before 5pm and had the brunch menu. They offered some food from the evening menu also. I had chicken and waffles. Delicious! Thank you x

Nice place thoroughly enjoyed with friends

This lively restaurant, often featuring live music, serves delicious Cajun food! With good cocktails too. The space is a little cramped, they don't seat many, but it can be described as cosy!

Really great food if you fancy some southern American food... Lots of food but very quiet as was there for an early dinner and where the only ones in the restaurant.

The only redeeming part of our evening was the music. The food itself wasn't too bad, but the service was appalling. Even though we were one of the first people in for dinner, our food was more than an hour late after a "computer error" with our order. Everyone else was served before us, which was awful. The waiter apologised but didn't offer us the meals complimentary or even discounted. When our food finally came, I found a SHARP PIECE OF PLASTIC in my gumbo! I could have choked on it and was shocked when I found it. Immediately I reported this to the waiter and my meal was complimentary, but then I had to wait for another dish to be prepared. At the end of the meal, we were surprised to find that while my dish had been removed from the bill, there were no other discounts. We discussed how dissatisfied we were that our food had been so late and the service so poor, and our waiter didn't seem to acknowledge the gravity of there being a dangerous object in my food! We finally got 50% off out bill but it was such an awful experience, I can't believe we were made to pay for the privilege.

It's a nice restaurant with a good menu if you like food from the American South. The old fashioned with bacon was unexpected and the Jambalaya was good. The staff were very good without being overbearing.

Had the nicest time today in The Bayou Soul with good friends. The cocktails were magic even though it was still happy hour and the food was delicious. We'll definitely be back :)

We were here last Saturday it was so good we are going back with friends this Saturday. Great menu, great service and fantastic live band. It's definitely a great find in the heart of Camden

We visited the Bayou for an evening meal and had good expectations from the reviews and menus. Sadly our experience fell a little short. On ordering drinks we were told there were no milkshakes which was a real shame as they sounded great from the menu.We ordered our appetisers and before we could order our mains our waitress walked away. This became an ongoing theme of the evening. We called her back and asked if we could order our mains too. The appetisers arrived and were well received; nachos, sharing platter and wings. We thought they were great. Some time passed so we tried to order more drinks; again we called our waitress over placed and order for a drink and she walked off before anyone else on the table could order! So we called her back ordered some more and again she walked away before the whole table could order. Really bizarre service!!Our mains arrived and these were a mixed bag sadly. A few ordered the southern beef & andouille sausage goulash and were impressed. The jambalaya was also well received. The bourbon smoked ribs were a massive disappointment-quoted as 'famous melt in the mouth'. These were tough; impossible to cut and fought to get meat off the bones. I ate two then gave up. The sweet potato fries were also sub-standard very soggy and the portion was tiny. We were not asked how our meal was whilst we were eating so sadly it was only when they cleared plates that I could take the opportunity to ask for the ribs to be removed from the bill due to their quality. My final observation was we really enjoyed the southern soul music that was played; but the Dj who came on at 9pm playing ska & soul didn't really seem in keeping with the theme of the restaurant. So in summary this restaurant shows promise but is inconsistent with service & food.

We visited the Bayou for an evening meal and had good expectations from the reviews and menus. Sadly our experience fell a little short. On ordering drinks we were told there were no milkshakes which was a real shame as they sounded great from the menu.We ordered our appetisers and before we could order our mains our waitress walked away. This became an ongoing theme of the evening. We called her back and asked if we could order our mains too. The appetisers arrived and were well received; nachos, sharing platter and wings. We thought they were great. Some time passed so we tried to order more drinks; again we called our waitress over placed and order for a drink and she walked off before anyone else on the table could order! So we called her back ordered some more and again she walked away before the whole table could order. Really bizarre service!!Our mains arrived and these were a mixed bag sadly. A few ordered the southern beef & andouille sausage goulash and were impressed. The jambalaya was also well received. The bourbon smoked ribs were a massive disappointment-quoted as 'famous melt in the mouth'. These were tough; impossible to cut and fought to get meat off the bones. I ate two then gave up. The sweet potato fries were also sub-standard very soggy and the portion was tiny. We were not asked how our meal was whilst we were eating so sadly it was only when they cleared plates that I could take the opportunity to ask for the ribs to be removed from the bill due to their quality. My final observation was we really enjoyed the southern soul music that was played; but the Dj who came on at 9pm playing ska & soul didn't really seem in keeping with the theme of the restaurant. So in summary this restaurant shows promise but is inconsistent with service & food.

Myself and Partner ate here, we both had Chicken wings for starters, my partner the BBQ and I had a the spicy, both were absolutely gorgeous! Then as a main, she had the Salmon and I had the Goulash.The Salmon was overcooked, The Beef in my Goulash was undercooked and Chewy, also the pasta in it was overcooked! As a chef I may be picky, however I was expecting better! As far as the service and Ambience go, both were good.

We visited the Bayou for an evening meal and had good expectations from the reviews and menus. Sadly our experience fell a little short. On ordering drinks we were told there were no milkshakes which was a real shame as they sounded great from the menu. We ordered our appetisers and before we could order our mains our waitress walked away. This became an ongoing theme of the evening. We called her back and asked if we could order our mains too. The appetisers arrived and were well received; nachos, sharing platter and wings. We thought they were great. Some time passed so we tried to order more drinks; again we called our waitress over placed and order for a drink and she walked off before anyone else on the table could order! So we called her back ordered some more and again she walked away before the whole table could order. Really bizarre service!! Our mains arrived and these were a mixed bag sadly. A few ordered the southern beef & andouille sausage goulash and were impressed. The jambalaya was also well received. The bourbon smoked ribs were a massive disappointment-quoted as 'famous melt in the mouth'. These were tough; impossible to cut and fought to get meat off the bones. I ate two then gave up. The sweet potato fries were also sub-standard very soggy and the portion was tiny. We were not asked how our meal was whilst we were eating so sadly it was only when they cleared plates that I could take the opportunity to ask for the ribs to be removed from the bill due to their quality. My final observation was we really enjoyed the southern soul music that was played; but the Dj who came on at 9pm playing ska & soul didn't really seem in keeping with the theme of the restaurant. So in summary this restaurant shows promise but is inconsistent with service & food.

I had a very pleasant few hours in here with a freind on a visit to London last week. Young friendly staff A tasty meal and great value Live music was an added bonus

After searching high and low for somewhere to go for my friends birthday dinner I stumbled across this place.I am so glad I did and so was she.I had pre booked a table and we were seated as soon as all the guests arrived. During that time we ordered some beautiful cocktails at the bar. The barman was super friendly and made us laugh.We had a waitress called Caroline who gave us 10/10 service. The best service I think any of us have received in any restaurant. She made sure we had everything we need and was so assertive. Nothing was too much for her. She needs to be praised for her outstanding service!The manager was also on hand to help and also gave us great customer service from the moment that we walked through the door.The food was delicious! As a pescetarian I did not struggle at all to find something I wanted to eat. As a matter of fact we all got so much food we couldn't finish it and we ALL took doggy bags home with us (which is always a good thing).Around 10pm on Friday they have a DJ and it really livens up more. With people dancing and drinking, just having a good time.I will definitely be back and would like to thank a the staff for making it a fantastic evening!

We came here last weekend for a friend's birthday and there ended up being a very large group of us. With big group meals etc, I never really keep my hopes up to enjoy the meal to be honest. This restaurant impressed me - it was Saturday night and busy. Despite that the service was excellent, the food was really nice - I had the nicest pulled pork burger! Cocktails were not bad and the calamari was cooked to perfection. We all really enjoyed the food and the drinks and the staff were so friendly and helpful. However, a if you are Vegetarian/Vegans just be mindful when you go. There are some options for vegetarians, but not a lot. My husband mainly eats vegetarian food and went for a vegetable gumbo, which he really enjoyed, but was not sure if it was cooked in meat stock. He was fine with it, but I would say it is best to check first.

The restaurant did not open on time the only person to arrive before me was someone who had not worked at the restaurant before and it was his first day! The drinks waiter did not arrive while I was there and only bottled beer was available to me or soft drinks but not milkshakes for some reason. The food was reheated leftovers probably from the previous day, over cooked and dry. The manager when he did arrive berated the new start, probably because the landlord had given him grief for not opening on time and he lashed out at the new guy who had clearly no idea how the restaurant was usually set up and did not know where the lights were nor some of the other items. A poor experience all round. The new guy should have noted how things were arranged when he came for the interview for the job, but I expect he thought that there would have been someone there to show him the ropes on his first day.

It looked like not a huge menu to choose from, but excellent food and the most delicious cocktails.Between the four of us we tried ribs, buttermilk chicken with gravy and buttermilk chicken steak - which is beef not chicken.All were really generous portions and tasted brilliant. Would love to go there again.Brilliant atmosphere and very friendly staff.

I love the concept of this place and I wish we could see more of it in London! I will be back for the live music, cocktails and mac & cheese, but for pity's sake, can you please do something with the interior design?! READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE: http://thetrusocial.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/from-camden-to-sringfield-by-way-of.html

Es un pequeño restaurante situado en Inverness St, a un paso de la parada de metro de Camden Town.La carta no es demasiado variada, pero los platos en general estan ricos, aunque su tamaño sean un poco escaso.Fuimos a cenar 4 amigos un viernes y llegamos un poco tarde para el horario local, a eso de las 21.00 horas. Nos dieron de cenar por los pelos. De hecho ya estaba el DJ poniendo música alta para el horario de las copas.Quizá esto fue lo que menos nos gustó, que el ambiente a estas horas es más de bar de copas que de restaurante, por lo que recomiendo ir a la hora de la comida o sobre las 19.00 horas en el caso de que quieras cenar tranquilo. Por cierto, la música a la hora de las copas no tiene nada que ver con el Soul o el Blues.Después de preguntar sobre el tamaño de las raciones a la camarera (muy amable) decidimos compartir todos los platos para probar todos, toda la comida. Pedimos una ración de calamares fritos creole style (7 pounds), muy tiernos y con una salsita muy rica a base de chipotle y lima. Un versión de nuestras rabas pero aliñadas al estilo sureño. Tamaño escaso. También pedimos unas crab cakes (7 pounds) que venían con una salsita de mango, cilantro y aguacate. Este plato más anodino, quizá el cangrejo no estaba lo fresco que debería, además cantidad justita, justita.Para terminar tomamos un gumbo de pez gato (13 pounds), que estaba muy intenso y rico de sabor, pero la ración también fue poco generosa; y un bayou platter (19 pounds) que consistió en 3 alitas de pollo a la barbacoa (deliciosas), medio costillar con salsa de bourbon (también ricas), patatas fritas y una ensalada de col (muy, muy rica y refrescante).Todo esto con 4 cervezas, corona y miller (a 4 pounds el tercio) y 2 Brooklyn lager magníficas pero muy caras ( a 5.75 pounds el tercio, que nos pareció una clavada). Al final, sin incluir el 12.5% que te piden por el servicio, la cuenta ascendió a 65.50 pounds. Nos quedamos cortos de comida, pero el ambiente discotequero y la cocina cerrada no impidió pedir más platos.En resumen, la carta es un poco escasa, el tamaño de las raciones también. La comida rica, pero me parece un restaurante algo caro para lo que comes.Justificaría su precio si por lo menos hubieramos disfrutado de una actuación en directo de música soul, pero en nuestro caso sufrimos un DJ con música machacona comercial y con efectos de discoteca tipo humo o luces intermitentes, que nos molestaron un poco mientras intentábamos cenar.

We were looking for a restaurant in the Camden area to come in and enjoy some dinner. When we were passing by, a girl approached us and gave us a 25% off of mains leaflet. Good start!We were actually considering three neighbouring restaurants and I am so happy we ended up choosing The Bayou! (the leaflet might have something to do with our initial choice,ha. Good marketing)Everything works extremely well together- the decor of the place, the menu and the music. We were lucky enough to get there in time for a Happy Hour - the cocktails were very good and quickly served by a lovely barman. If in doubt - I do recommend a 'Suffering Bast@rd' - hopefully, I won't be suffering too much tomorrow!We have ordered a catfish and crawfish Gumbo and a pulled pork burger - both delivered fresh and hot and just in time as we were getting hungry and tipsy (the Happy Hour was indeed very happy as the cocktails were just 5 £! ) The food was rich and full of flavour and portions more than generous. Definitely worth the price which by the way, was not too extravagant for the quality and quantity. If I have to moan about anything, I'd say it could do with a little bit less salt as we both ended up quite thirsty afterwards ;).The staff was very attentive and helpful, even when they got a bit busy. All in all, very positive experience, we left just before some live music which could be a good entertainment, however, we needed to get a move on and walk off the food coma.Definitely worth a visit!

Beautiful sunny day, great service, delicious bloody Mary's...and excellent food too. Was a chance find, zero research but by the time we left the place was full. Always a positive sign.Would definitely return and recommend for brunch. Generous portion sizes and veggie options.Go take a look.

Vi var innom her både for frokost og for lunch. Vi ble tatt godt vare på av en skjønn vertinne/servitør. Dette stedet har en fristende meny, med retter som er veldig typisk for de amerikanske sørstatene . Fantastisk milkshake både med og uten alkohol. Levende musikk, og hele stedet har en veldig god atmosfære! Jeg kommer garantert tilbake :-)

Went on a Saturday at noon, nice terrace a lot of options for a great brunch. Great option if you want to recharge before deep diving in Camden market.

Visited yesterday while in Camden, we had cocktails which were very good. Service was also friendly and efficient. Toilets clean - maybe because it was early lunchtime, regardless - it's a plus point for me!Cocktail price was good at £7.50 each.Didn't eat but the menu looked good, American style food, big plates of it too.Situated just off the main drag, at Inverness Street Market, ideal place to get away from it a little.

Went here with my 14 year old daughter and we both really enjoyed the food, she had the chicken burger & fries&i had a few starters which were enough as a main. I had the prawns which came with a corn bread roll very succulent. Plus the pork ribs which fell off the bone yummy.

We visited with a large group of friends, and had booked a table in advance. The service was friendly and quick, and the food was served mainly at the same time, which is nicely done for a group of ten people. Good fun and atmosphere, a great way to start the weekend.

Decided to pop in as I received a flyer in the street offering cocktails at £3.50. On arrival we were shown the options by a lovely staff member and have to say they were the best cocktails we had during our stay in London.We were seated outside and found the staff to be attentive and friendly, without being interfering.We ended up chatting with a small group nearby and joining tables- the fact that we stayed until 9.30pm after 'popping in' at 3pm is credit to the atmosphere and drinks at this bar.

We were very excited to see this restaurant on a recent visit to Camden and our first impressions were very good, the drinks were excellent and prices we thought were very reasonable, the food varied, we ate from the Brunch Menu and would make the following coments, the Fish Po'Boy was very good but Tartar sauce? come on guys hardly Creole and the bun wasn't authentic it should have a fluffy centre and crisp outside what was served was more like Ciabatta. The Buttermilk Chicken was excellent but the tiny amount of Gravy was just not enough. The Blue Bayou Corned Beef hash was excellent but should have had a bit more of a kick to it the Grits cake accompanyment was just tasteless and again the tiny amount of Gravy was laughable. Finally, the Biscuits and Gravy were terrible, American Biscuits are meant to be light and fluffy (similar to an English Muffin but more so) these were tiny, hard as rock, didn't look as though they had been made with any raising agent what so ever, again the tiny amount of Gravy was totaly inadequate (normally the biscuits would be slathered in gravy) the Sausage we chose to accompany them was the nearest thing to spicy that we had but for the price, this dish was very dissapointing. The decor was hardly in keeping with a Creole Bar more a contempory Cafe and the choice of music? Where was the Jazz and Blues if your trying to create a N'Orleans vibe, get the ambience right first.Overall this place has great potential the food needs zinging up a bit (Creole food is noted for it's spicy flavours) and the decor and atmospehere need a good dose of grungeAs my Teachers used to say, "has potential but must try harder"

Good food but be prepared for ridiculously slow service even if the place is empty.

I went with my wife and son to this restaurant as my birthday lunch. I visited NOLA a few years back and I really got hooked to cajun and creole food. Not easy to find this food out of the US so I was looking forward to my visit to Bayou. We started with cocktails. My wife had a Mardi Gras with was very nice and I had a Hurricane which was not bad either. We shared the Louisiana Crab Cakes and Crawfish beignets which were OK. Then to the mains. My wife ordered the crawfish and catfish jambalaya and I ordered the Shrimp Etoufee, a dish I loved. Ordered Mississippi slaw and corn bread as sides. After a really long time the food arrived. My wife´s jambalaya was chicken and shrimp instead of the requested crawfish and catfish but she could not be bothered of sending it back and having to wait even more. My Etoufee was alright but not as good as what I had several times in the past. My wife´s jambalaya was just OK. Unfortunately, none of the dishes were spicy at all. A bit like asking for a Vindaloo and receiving a Korma...We both love spicy food and I never eat creole/cajun food this bland before. Fortunately I spotted some home made hot sauce circulating in the restaurant and I requested some to get a bit of a kick in the dishes. Dessert was Mississippi mud pie, which was rich and nice and a good portion though the base of the cake was quite hard.Staff were nice and really polite, but service was extremely slow to be late lunch time and with only three tables to serve. Bill was not cheap at 35 pounds and 12.5% is added to your bill whatever the size of the party which I thought a bit steep.In all, the experience was not bad, but I was disappointed on the food and I do not think I will be running back to the place any time soon.

I really liked this place! Food and drinks were reasonable and great friendly service.There was also live music when we visited. Would recommend!

Good Ambiance and Good American Soul Food. Service from Waitress was fantastic and very attentive.

Really good location in Camden. Invernes St is just by tube station. Plenty of good eating places/bars nearby. We grabbed some food early ish (8.30pm-9pm) was about the last of the diners before it turns into a club. Food is decent. Typical modern American based menu. Decent music playing. Very good staff, both waiting and at bar. Friendly. Not amazing but worth a visit. Will check out the Sundays as it looks like some good Ska events coming up.

Came for drinks few weeks ago. Lovely atmosphere and very polite staff. Very attentive waitress looked after us through out the evening. Cannot wait to come back to try some food next time.

First off, £5.75 for a bottle of Brooklyn IPA is shocking (obviously I only got told the price after it was opened). Second, handing over £6 and not receiving any change!? I'm sorry but if you feel that bending over to get a bottle from the fridge and opening It deserves a tip then you need a dose of reality! Plus, I decide if you get a tip! Don't just pocket the change!Finally, a flat half pint of Bud that was clearly mixed with pipe cleaner to finish. Complete failure in less than 30 minutes. Well done.

Delicious milkshakes and lovely live music. Really enjoyed the lobster Mac and cheese and staff were very friendly!

i booked this restaurant for something different as the menu looked really nice. There were only 2 of us and the restaurant wasn't that busy. My partner got his meal first which was steak and mine didn't arrive. They came and apologise for the delay and said it would be a few minutes. This ended up being about 30 minutes late, by that time my partner had his meal. So I eat alone. By this time the restaurant got fully with people drinking ready for live entertainment, so I ended up eating alone with load music and with the lights turned down. The food tasted good but unable to finish it due to the atmosphere and lateness. The waiter and waitress were very apologetic. Wouldn't go again.

Very nice inside and actually a bit more upmarket then i was expecting. I was expecting something a bit more like you get in the French Quarter, but this was the likes of something in the Garden District.Ordered the blackened catfish and coleslaw. The slaw was the best thing about it. The catfish wasn't what I was expecting and didn't have the taste I was expecting. More like something I'd expect at a fish restaurant, while not bad, was not unique.Having eaten in cajun and creole cuisine a lot in Louisiana, this was a disappointment, even though I wasn't expecting the real thing.Really could do with showing images on their menu as well.

Wonderful friendly and welcoming staff, made me feel warm. The food was incredible, such fantastic choice on dishes, you can't go wrong either anything you order from that menu with be superb. Love the decor also. Everything about this place, the entertainment on a Sunday, food,people, atmosphere....everything is spot on.

We are from SE Texas, very near the Louisiana border, and we know real Cajun and creole cooking. This was not that, nor was it any reasonable facsimile thereof. The cooking was so dissimilar to the style the proprietors claim to emulate that we could not recognize this as anything based upon Louisiana cooking. Nevertheless, it wasn't all bad. The service was very slow - the restaurant is insufficiently wait-staffed. The lobster mac and cheese and the "barbecue" is good.

We started with cocktails which were very tasty and there is a wide range so you are bound to find something you like. The food we had was great. We order the chicken wings as a starter (although they are only served as a main) and they were delicious, we didn't realise they were full wings so got more than we bargained for but that did not matter as we scoffed the whole lot. We would recommend The Bayou also add the option of wings as a starter not just as a main. Our mains were also tasty but that did not stop us from eyeing up the next table's meat platters as well. Staff were very friendly and welcoming. Service was a bit slow when we immediately sat down and it took a while to get drinks but after this they were very attentive and happy to talk through any aspect of the menu. Unfortunately I cannot say anything about desserts as we were so full from our starters an mains. But WHEN i go back I will be testing them as well.

Went on a quiet Monday evening and had the slowest service. We got seated quickly and brought drinks fast but then couldn't find the person to order food from. Once we ordered the food took an age to come and then once we finished we sat around waiting. We took a look at the dessert menu but by the time the server came back it was so long we couldn't be bothered waiting for it. The food was good but just make sure you have lots of time to spare!

We happened upon this place by accident, thought the menu looked good and went inside. The drinks and food menu were both full of delicious looking things and we ordered a main and a couple of starters to share. The atmosphere of the place was really nice and we hadn't even realised that it had been over an hour since we had ordered our food and still no show. It ended up being over an hour and 20 minutes from ordering to getting our food but the waiting staff were very apologetic and when it came the food was absolutely to die for. Judging from these past reviews I think we just arrived on an off night.

Really enjoyable food. Cannot fault it. I can however fault the bar staff, when we ordered our second round of cocktails mine was wrong, they had made me what my partner had previously had. I told one of the bar staff who said it was right, i knew it wasn't so asked another member of staff to try it, he straight away said it was wrong and would make another. Was made to feel rather silly and dismissed by the first bar man, not what i want when out.

We found this place by accident, but we're really pleased we did. The staff were friendly and attentive the whole time we were there and gave us good advice about some items on the menu. We were seated in a nice comfy corner, with a settee, and the decor was different, interesting and made for a nice change. Our food was delicious, and I'm glad we tried the hush puppies, which were recommended to us. The cocktail menu is extensive and we both loved our choices. It was really nice to be in a restaurant which wasn't run by a huge corporate company. It had its own style, and you could tell the staff cared that customers were happy. I'd definitely recommend this place, and our only regret was that we had a train ticket booked so we had to leave before trying more cocktails!

We came across this place last night whilst looking for somewhere to eat in Camden . Very few people in so were seated immediately by pleasant wait staff. Ordered drinks while we looked down the menu. Now I am not a creole food expert but I did use to live in Texas, know a bit about Southern food and enjoyed it on a recent family visit to New Orleans in December . We ordered starters and mains and waited while the food was prepared, presentation good and the tastes also - we like sharing so we both sampled. The shrimp were very good although the sauce was distinctly unusual with a slight sweet taste, crawfish beignets and crab cakes were very nice. We chose two somewhat similar dishes for mains shrimp étouffée and the crawfish and catfish gumbo, both served with rice. Again nicely presented but we both found the dark rich sauce overpowering and too 'strong', sad because the overall taste was good, my gumbo was not like I remembered the last one I had in New Orleans - at all . Needing something sweet we scanned the desert menu. I ordered the Tennessee sugared beignets which were very good light and beautifully presented. My partner, who is a Texan and was brought up on Mississippi mud pie really fancied trying this, so ordered a serving. This is when it all went wrong - very large slab of 'cake' on a plate. Very hard and needed a knife and fork to cut and eat.... My partner struggled through about a third and left the rest. She explained to our waiter who returned it to the kitchen. We finished with a decent strong coffee each and asked for the bill.I was not impressed to be charged for the awful pie.One positive comment - the two young guys providing blues music, one playing guitar and singing, the other singing, were very good.Would I come again? - not sure, but would select different choices, would I recommend? I will think about that one.

Went here on a business trip to London on a whim for a drink as the pianist was playing and I love live music. After looking at the interesting menu I decided to eat and I wasn't disappointed.I had chilli squid for starters and buttermilk chicken for mains and both were out of this world. You can tell the chef had prepared them fresh. I couldn't finish mine as the portions were huge which I didn't expect in London given the reasonable price. I was very impressed.Definitely recommend

This is by far one of the best restaurants I have been to in London. Awesome flavoursome food, great little touches and a fantastic jazz pianist. Service was fab and could not recommend this place more highly. Wanted everything on the menu.

The food was good and it's lovely place, but it was somewhat ruined by the fact that the music playing was incredibly loud. I could barely hear my dinner companion, and he was sat right opposite me. The staff had to ask us to repeat ourselves when taking our order. Such a shame as just turning down the music would have benefited everyone! It would have been fine to have louder music playing later on when it was a bar/dance floor, but it was detrimental to have it so loud when people were eating.

My husband and I were so excited to try Bayou, unfortunately it was totally disappointing. The food was incredibly bland, no flavour to anything. We had chicken and prawn gumbo, buttermilk fried chicken and crab cakes. It all tasted of nothing, we actually wanted to go to KFC after just to eat something with some flavour! The restaurant had only 4 tables with people (including us) at 8:15 on a Friday night. Not a good sign!

The food was really delicious! We went on a sunday so it was rather quite we were able to enjoy ourselves have conversations. The cocktails were delicious especially the hardshakes. It was real soul food you felt like you are in new orleans. The staff are very friendly and you feel like your in a place people are happy to be in. We will be returning here.

I chose this restaurant for a much deserved night out with friends. The menu looked very appealing and we were not disappointed in the slightest. The food was divine! It was very lively but then it was a Saturday night In Camden. We will be going back very soon to try some more dishes off the menu.

Love the food and the ambiance- great portions and friendly staff- Great live music. Will go back.

We've run into this place after visiting the market. The interior design is great, made us feel good as soon as we've walked in. We tried their classic burger, it was fantastic. Staff was very nice, there was some live piano blues music as well. Highly recommended!

Went there this weekend for lunch with my Husband and a couple friends, and we had a really nice time. The food is fine, not amazing, but good enough, but the main thing was that two guys were playing live music, one the piano and the other one was playing guitar, and they were amazing! The waiters were nice and we got served quickly, but the restaurant was quite empty. I think they could have it better decorated, as the place looks a bit plain, and that would add to the ambience, but all in all a good experience.

A friend recommended this place to me, I pop by one Sunday afternoon. The service was good, the £5 cocktails are really good and yummy too. My and I enjoyed our time there I will be recommending it to other friends.

I must admit, I went with low expectations due to some of the reviews I read by fellow Americans. But, I wanted to be fair and try it out myself. It saddens me to say that the not so great reviews were pretty accurate. For starters, the decor was very generic. The floors were wood looking tiles or laminate, and the chairs and tables looked like they were picked out of a restaurant depot catalog. From the brick like vinyl on the bar wall to the African masks hanging throughout, I was a bit confused as to what the theme was supposed to be. There was no character in the ambiance much less anything that made me get a New Orleans feel. Secondly, having previously looked at the menu I knew I wanted to try one of the their milkshakes. To my huge disappointment, they were out of cream at 2pm! How could this be so early and on a holiday weekend...on Easter Sunday??!!! Fine. So I didn't get my milkshake. Maybe they can make up for it with a southern classic: Chicken and Waffles. Or maybe not. The waffles were thin and over cooked while the chicken was more batter that chicken. Then to top it off, the syrup was watered down and wasn't even enough for 1/4 of one of my thin waffles. In addition, I ordered a side of bacon which was also over cooked. At this point I was just over it. The only decent thing I had was the fresh squeezed OJ, and according to the rest of my party the cocktails were pretty good too. Definitely not an establishment that I will visit again. I would highly suggest that the chef and owner take a trip to New Orleans, and really do their homework. If they care at all about authenticity an extreme makeover is in order. Otherwise, they should be ashamed to call themselves a Cajun creole restaurant.