Bodean’s

My go to spot for American Sports and beer. The food is good. Burgers, hot dogs, ribs, wings and the standard BBQ faire. All come piping hot. Good TV’s, overall this place is great at what it does.

I was recently in London for a week and found myself roaming around Soho one evening. I stumbled across Bodean’s and was instantly intrigued. An American BBQ place in the heart of London town. Heck yeah! The place looked pretty friendly from the outside and had some picnic tables out front which beckoned me however there were some random smokers who thought those tables would make a great perch. This made my decision to sit inside pretty easy.
I picked a place at the bar along the windows to people watch given that I was alone. The hostess and waitress were both very friendly and brought me a menu right away. I looked it over and immediately my mouth started watering.
What caught my eye was the «Soho Special,» a mix of burnt ends and pulled pork, and how it was named the «best sandwich in London» by someone at Capital Radio. Do they know anything about BBQ? Maybe. Either way, it sounded delicious. Then I saw the «KC Brisket Special» and was a little shocked. Why on earth would you put cheese and onion rings on a brisket sandwich? Brisket is a delicious cut of meat smoked low and slow for hours. If you need to add «extra flavour,» as the menu put it, to your brisket I question the quality of your brisket and/​or your cooking. This would get you shot in both Kansas City and Texas, two places famous for their brisket and where the art of BBQ might as well be a religion.
I settled on the «Soho Special» with chips and a coke. While waiting I couldn’t help but notice a TV playing with a replay of the previous night’s MLB game and my hometown Chicago Cubs! Nothing makes me happier than seeing my Cubbies on the telly half way around the world…
When my food arrived it looked good however the taste didn’t live up to the menu’s hype. For starters, there were supposed to be two different meats on my sandwich and I couldn’t discern one from the other. Burnt ends are the ends off a rack of ribs and generally have a bit of char. Pulled pork, on the other hand, is finally chopped pork which tends to be more succulent. My sandwich seemed to have an amalgamation of the two which was quite disappointing. Making matters worse, the meat was incredibly salty! I proceeded to cover the sandwich with the smokey hickory BBQ and finished it off however I could have done without so much salt. As for the sauce, it was actually really good and I would have bottled it up and brought it home with me if I could. Too bad I had to use it to mask the saltiness of the sandwich.
I wanted so very much to love this place but my American BBQ tour of Europe (had BBQ a week earlier in Dublin) continued on it’s disappointing course. The atmosphere of this place was great and I’d come back for that alone but the food left me wishing I’d gone elsewhere. The staff were great, as was the sauce, but the centerpiece of my meal, the meat, was pretty lackluster. 2 stars for the food 4 or 5 stars for everything else… 3 stars overall.

Oh my!!! Finally it happened! After losing count of the amount of people who recommended this place to me, I finally made it to the home of barbecue chicken!
So did it live up to the hype, I hear you ask?! Too damn right it did! Mmm hmm mmm! The chicken was grilled to perfection with sweet bbq and so tender! Pure deliciousness! I changed my coleslaw for a side salad, slightly more expensive, but it was drizzled with some insanely nice dressing! Under 10 pounds for chicken, fries and salad! What is this?!! Cannot be central London can I?! Too right it is!
I saw a new beer on the menu, so obviously washed the feast down with a beer. It was a Mexican lager, which was kinda average, but I’m sucker for trying new things. No regrets!
The fact that this has a more formal down satirise restaurant and the deli makes it even more appealing. It’s basically my go to place now for chicken when I’m feeling the craving!

Pulled power Sandwich is the best! Couldn’t move after it.
Good selection of beers too!

5 STAR?
GUILTYYYYYYYYYY,
Honestly, this place gets a 5 star from me… WHY OH WHY? I hear you say? Because it was the cheapest and tastiest BBQ food in London that I have ever witnessed!
This is how it all began!
After a few drinks (don’t judge me) last night my sister and I knew we had to tend to our empty stomachs … I had seen Bodeans many times before but always assumed they only did pork lol. Yesterday I looked at their menu! I was impressed! Their restaurant downstairs has a different menu with Mexican and seafood options but there was over an hour’s wait for seats and this princess does not wait that long for food so we sat upstairs.
I kid you not its soooooo resonably priced I felt I should’ve paid more! The quarter of a chicken I had was only £7.94!!! And it came with chips and slaw! It was a huge portion and I barely made a dent in it!
Flavour wise?! We are talking flavour town, flavourville, flavour capital! Soooooo delicious it’s unreal and for that price? Are you kidding me?! I wanted to kiss the cook just to show how much I loved it!
Oh and if you’re there also try the thunder thighs in bourbon! Omgggggggggg critical stuff!
Will I be going? Don’t ask stupid questions! ;)

MY GOSH.
MY GOOLY GOOLY GANDER GOSH NOW IM JUST MAKING THIS UP!
This place is it.
I know that barely explains it but trust me, go there and you’ll see that my words suffice!
ive seen this place so many times and because of the glowing pig on the outside, I assumed they only did pork.
I was wrong. Its the the first time since 1991.
The chicken options are really good. and whats weird is how cheap it is. I Had the BBQ quarter chicken which was 7.95, and it came with slaw and fries. I KNOW RIGHT?!
The chicken was ridiculously tender, the fries were well seasoned, the slaw was nice, nothing to right home about but you know.
It has an American vibe, its relaxed atmosphere, although not relaxed enough to make you take off your shoes and ask for the remote so you can change the channel.
This might be my new spot.
BODEANS BODEANS!

If you like meat (in the way that you like eating it. Lots of it) this is the place for you. Every time I have family in town I bring them here and every time it’s a spot on hit!
Since it’s a very popular place and they don’t take reservations, it can build up a quite long queue though, especially on fri-​sun nights. Luckily they have a system so you put your name down, and then you can go to the pub across the street and enjoy a pint or two until they text you and say your table is ready!
They also have an entire selections of sauces on each table, everything from hot bbq to mustard, which I enjoy quite a lot. I like sauces.

Me and the missus met up with some out of town friends and there was only one place to eat. Seriously, they didn’t want to eat anywhere else!
I’ve now discovered that I have a limit at Bodeans. Beer and diablo hot wings fills me up just right. And anything less than diablo and you’re a wimp, IMHO ;) The hot wings at the Poland Street restaurant are particularly good.
As with every visit to Bodeans, the food was great and the staff were friendly. They managed to fit the four of us in to a massive table which was booked 90+ minutes after we got there so we had loads of time to eat and chill out!
We tend to go to one of two of the restaurants, this one and the one at Tower Hill. Tower Hill is my favourite because it’s more spacious and has beer on tap but Soho wins for convenient location.
If you’re never been, go. It may not be the most authentic or even the best in London but it’s ALWAYS good.

Bodean, is a mini American BBQ chain spreading across London, while the food are not exquisite or somewhere you would take on a date, the BBQ items are generally at a very decent level. My pulled pork sandwich was such a lunch treat, finely seasoned and marinated moist meat sandwiched between a soft bun, couldn’t fault it, far cheaper than Big Easy but quality wise for me was just the same if not better.

I think Bodeans has jumped the shark. When it first arrived it was great but after a few disappointing visits we’ve pretty much written it off. The service and quality of the food is so inconsistent and that’s what puts me off. But! If you are going to go I would recommend the burnt ends. When they’re good they’re really good!

I’ll be the first to stand up and admit I have a slight (big) Bodeans addiction.
Sure, I always order the same food every time I visit — the jerk chicken burger is incredible — but friends I’ve visited with have always praised their pulled pork sandwiches and the ribs too.
Served with perfectly cooked fries and their wicked spicy bbq sauce, along with fresh salad in your burgers, this place can do little wrong. It’s a great take on good old fashioned American BBQ joints, and if you’re into your American sports, you can find baseball and football games playing on the tv screens dotted around the table and comfy booths.
Expect to wait on an evening for a seat downstairs in the resturant, this place gets busy really quickly! If you can’t wait, or simply want a quick bite to eat, they have a cool deli upstairs where you can get food to go or sit on the communal tables instead.
Don’t forget to ask for a Bodeans Q card too, you can use this throughout all their locations to get great deals during the week like 2 for 1 or discounted drinks and free deserts.

We went here for National Burger Day, and ordered, guess what, the burger.
It comes in 8oz or 16oz, the 8oz is quite big.
Service was good though several waiters came up to us to ask for our order after we already ordered.
Appearance: large patty in a soft tasty looking bun with a side of fries in a basket. Lots of sauce options.
The burger looked too industrial (perfectly round, sharp edges).
Flavour: sadly, there wasn’t any. The meat tasted dry and bland. It left a heavy feeling in the stomach afterwards. I asked for medium rare but it same all cooked through, which added to the dryness.
There are so many great burger options in soho so, while this place may b great for ribs and other things (not tried), avoid the burger there.

So first time eating here as a veggie, back in my meat eating days I’ve been here a few times.
It was a group of 5 of us and as my friend was fasting we were late diners, it’s a little annoying that we cannot book so when we rocked up at 9pm and were told it would be an hour wait, it wasn’t the most convenient (we were at the Soho one), we left up to my fasting friend to make a decision so he decided to grab a snack from Yo Sushi and we would wait, all good. When we were seated about 10pm they were prompt with the service, there was a little bit of confusion when my friend asked for grapefruit juice and was told they don’t serve it, despite him visiting the restaurant regularly and knowing they did so that was a bit of kerfuffle.
Now the food, I had the grilled veggie sandwich, sweet potato fries, coleslaw and creamed corn, the sandwich was really good although the tomato wasn’t actually grilled and goats cheese is always a staple veggie item (but it was good especially after a bottle and a half of wine), by far better were the sweet potato fries, they were actually crispy (so many times I have had sweet potato fries and they are just soggy roasted sweet potato), the creamed corn was also delicious. Three of us ordered the White Zinfandel bottle to split, it wasn’t the greatest wine it was quite cloyingly sweet, but I figure Bodean’s doesn’t sell itself on the wine so… Overall the mains were good, there were no complaints from anyone, my friends beef brisket sandwich looked met in your mouth amazing and another one of our group had a HUGE burger that looked epic.
What was really disappointing was that when we came to order desserts we were told the kitchen shuts at 11pm and it’s 11.25pm so we couldn’t, overall I don’t actually have a problem with that, if the kitchen is closed then, it’s closed, staff need to go home too. What I was annoyed with was, at NO point did the waiter tell us during our meal or when we first ordered that the kitchen would close at 11pm and therefore if we wanted to order desserts or anything else we should do so before 11pm. He halfheartedly suggested cocktails but since 2 people weren’t drinking… Yes we were late diners because of my friend fasting but we couldn’t book in advance, we waited an hour for a table, where was the kitchen closing warning? We spent nearly £100 which would have been more if we could have ordered desserts, we may have even ordered further drinks, as it was we paid up and left.
Overall the food was great, the service needs work.

We came here for a friend’s leaving dinner Sunday night and I heard the food here was supposed to be superb. For a BBQ joint, I was quite disappointed by the quality of the meat and they way it was cooked.
My friend who’s been a few times only gets the pulled pork because she said the ribs were too dry. My boyfriend and I got the BBQ sharing platter so we could try all the meats. My friend was completely right, the ribs were way too dry and burned in a bad way, and the chicken was okay. The only good option was the pulled pork.
If it wasn’t for my friend’s 10% off card, I would have found Bodean’s to be overpriced, when the only decent thing on the menu is pulled pork. They really need to improve their ribs!

I was a bit sceptic about this place as it’s famous for its American/​football/​sportsy vibe. The classic place where you go get the real American experience, stuff your face with BBQ delicacies & watching football. Alas, sports and I just don’t match. But the food was DELICIOUS.
We were a party of 7, it was an impromptu birthday lunch on a Thursday and we were seated immediately in one of their cave-​like booths. Really low ceiling but spacious table and benches, and they even managed to squeeze in a small flat screen (as they do).
I’ve had a strawberry milkshake (YUM) and one of their combo plates that included a quarter of BBQ baby back ribs slab, ¼ chicken, pulled pork, slaw and fries. About £16 if I’m not mistaken.
I’m getting hungry just thinking about it, everything was spot-​on. AND I DON’T EVEN LIKE BBQ STUFF (usually). People with me ordered a variety of plates that included a full slab of baby back ribs, creamy corn (which looks yucky but hey, don’t judge by the cover), beautiful sandwiches and even a massive Caesar salad with added chicken, of which glories were praised. I’m honestly so hungry right now, writing this review is torture.
If you like BBQ stuff, you’ll love this place. Hell, I’m not a fan of BBQ sauce and I can’t wait to go back. I can see how people would want to come back here for lunch every day of their life until an obesity-​induced heart disease knocks on the door.
Only keeping one star because I don’t really have tried a lot of different BBQ places so I don’t have much to compare it with, and because there was a weird leaking coming from the light fixture that didn’t scream ‘safety’ to me.

We were wandering around Soho (and in our 7^th hour of walking around London). Kids were hitting a wall and none of my usual ethnic faves were going to cut it. Was hoping they didn’t see the Chipotle (love me some Chipotle, but wanted table service)…so we plied them with meat… good olé American BBQ at that! What a pleasant surprise… it was tasty and plentiful, our server left our teen daughter swooning and the drink list was extensive. The downstairs dining room was dark in a good way, and the background music was a great mix of rock n roll. We left with full bellies and enough energy to make our way back to the apartment.

Having known about Bodean’s for years and years, I’d never been til earlier this year when friends in town wanted to go. So we did. And I was wondering why I’d not gone earlier.
So much deliciousness. Even though the cornbread doesn’t seem quite right to my American tastebuds, everything else is delicious. Plus they have A&W Root Beer! Do come here and do get an assortment platter to try allofthemeat. It’s worth it. YUM.

Restaurant assez prometteur au vue de la carte, mais assez déçue une fois le plat mangé, l’hamburger était bon mais pas exceptionnel, j’en ai mangé des largement meilleur. Cependant mes amies ont toutes apprécié leur plat!

My favorite thing about Bodeans is that they charge you reasonable prices for what they’re serving, making it feel even more authentic. It’s chilled out, welcoming, and friendly with a good beer selection. The food is really good. Not the best bbq, but it hits the spot if you’re in the mood.
They’ll take your name and text you when your table is ready. No stupid queuing here!

L’ambiance est pas mal. Bruyante, mais vous profitez de la vie londonienne dans toute sa splendeur. A l’étage, vous pouvez boire un verre, manger comme dans tous les pubs à Londres.
Le restau est au sous-​sol, il y a pas mal d’attente, grande salle, service moyen… il né faut pas s’attendre à grand chose.
J’ai déjà testé des restaus «BBQ» 10 fois meilleurs.
Les plats sont bons, mais estomacs fragiles, évitez. Les hamburgers sont peut-​être ok, le pulled pork quant à lui (porc cuit pendant des heures et des heures) né doit pas être super bien conservé après sa cuisson.
Bön souvenir mais malade après. Je n’y retournerai pas.

Amazingly meaty. What else should one say about Bodeans?
We snuck out of work early and went for a cheeky afternoon feast.
The nachos were loaded and delicious, onion rings plentiful and crispy, the ribs to die for and pulled pork amazing.
We were over excited and over ordered. We didn’t need nachos before our mains, they were huge enough on their own!
There’s a great range of cocktails — I indulged in quite a few.
Not a fan of the beers in cans costing £5 though — stick to imaginative cocktails.
A little pricey when drinking too, but huge, filling portions make it worth it.

Wir (mein Frau und ich) sind bei unserem Trip durch London immer wieder in Soho gelandet um etwas zu essen. Und letztendlich auch im Bodean’s. Da wir aus unseren USA Trips BBQ bis zum abwinken zelebrierten, waren wir natürlich scharf auf das pulled pork und die Rippchen. Viel haben wir nicht erwartet, aber wir wurden angenehm überrascht. Das pork war fantastisch und zart. Die Rippchen waren zusammen mit der selbstgemachten BBQ Sauce einfach genial. Sogar der Kohlsalat hat geschmeckt, und den lasse ich sonst lieber aus. Auch die Menge war reichlich und jeder ist satt geworden. Positiv zu erwähnen ist dir reichhaltige Auswahl an internationalen Bieren (ja auch britisches Bier!), bei den meisten Restaurants hör bekommt man nur noch das grüné Fischwasser aus Bremen ;o).
Alles in allem so gut, dass wir in unserem Urlaub gleich nochmal hierher sind. Klare Empfehlung!

Needed a rib fix — Pitt Cue was busy so popped round the corner to Bodeans.
Sat in deli where you order at the counter. Service was prompt — was in and out in less than 30mins.
Went for Ribs with Burnt Ends and Fries. Ribs were gorgeous and the Burnt Ends juicy. Although didn’t wow.
Personally will try to visit Bodeans at Tower Hill in future as it’s a better set up (can sit at the bar, no deli etc).

So gut wie jeder, der an «Bodean’s Soho» vorbeiläuft, dürfte erst mal annehmen, dass der Untertitel «London’s Original BBQ Smoke House» ein Marketing-​Trick ist. Ein Werbeslogan, der ignorante US-​Touristen mit Heimweh ansprechen soll, die bereit sind, für eine kleine Illusion von Heimat jeden Preis zu zahlen.
Das Vorurteil, das auch ich hatte, ist in diesem Fall jedoch nicht berechtigt. Das perfekt marinierte und frisch gegrillte Barbecue-​Huhn, das ich genoss, war nicht schlechter als meine Referenz-​Grillhühner, die ich in den BBQ-​Zentren Tennessee, Texas und Louisiana probieren durfte.
Im Erdgeschoss des Soho-Bodean’s (das ich besucht habe) befindet sich der Schnell-​Grill mit hohen Tischen und Barhockern, im Keller ist ein richtiges Restaurant angesiedelt. Laut Time Out hat man dort ohne Reservierung (und manchmal auch mit) schlechte Karten, die Qualität der Speisen (z. B. die Chicken Gumbo) soll aber mögliche anfängliche Unbill mehr als ausgleichen.
Bodean’s ist übrigens eine Mini-​Kette. Neben dem Restaurant in Soho gibt es auch noch Filialen in Clapham, Fulham und Westbourne.
(Beim Schreiben dieses Beitrags höre ich den perfekten Soundtrack — nämlich die texanische Western-​Swing-​Band Asleep at the Wheel und die Alternative-​Country-​Kombo Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen. Auch wenn ich sonst eher Funk, Soul, HipHop, Blues und Rhythm’n’Blues bevorzuge, passen die erwähnten Gruppen gut zu Grillwürsten und –hühnern … ;-))