Cabana

Cabana offer 241 cocktails until 7pm so we quickly ordered in a round before even looking at the food menus then did a bit of a switcheroo so we could each try two different ones. Jasmin and I each had a Carlos the Godfather — Gin, elderflower, lemon & lime — each (I’ve always been adamant that I don’t like gin but actually that’s not true, I don’t like the tonic that it’s so often served with, in a cocktail it goes down rather too well!) and classic caipirinha’s which was nice but I sucked up a sharp piece of plastic from it at one point which kind of put me off the rest of the drink. We had some guacamole and tortilla chips to start — y’all know my feelings about guac already so I won’t wax lyrical on this except to say this one had and excellent kick to it. Always the one with food envy I decided to opt for a couple of small plates to eat rather than a starter, main and dessert. I went for the spicy malagueta prawns, cheesy baked doughballs and crispy squid and split a side of sweet potato fries with someone else. The prawns were far spicier than I was expecting (yeah clue is in the name right?) to the point where I didn’t quite enjoy them and I needed a ton of water to wash them down with. The doughballs were also underwhelming as they were quite heavy and dry but the squid was to die for (not quite as good as the offering at Ceru mind you) and the sweet potato fries were basically perfection! Oh and if you go, don’t forget to check out the bathrooms. They’re super sweet.

This was as an ok restaurant. The staff is quite too relaxed though and the food was not exactly hot. My corn on the cob was cold.

It was pretty quiet — came here on a weeknight. The décor was beautiful and the service was great. I had the vegetarian option, which was a good portion of food and had a lot of great flavor. Would recommend!

We went to this place with a big group including a few Brasilian friends, who wanted to introduce us to their cuisine. I’ll drop the bomb right away: It didn’t seem authentic to anybody and the Brasilians didn’t feel very proud of the flavours that were delivered.
Positives: The interior looks amazing — very spacious, light, and colourful. They serve meet on huuuge skewers that they theatrically stip off at the table. Most dishes were quite yummy but just not proper Brasilian. I’d describe it as too «clean».
Go there if you wanna have fun eating some meat… but it’s nothing for gourmets.

The menu is brief and straightforward. I had a grilled pork chop encrusted with Parmesan. It was cooked perfectly and removed from the skewer at the table which was a nice presentation. Tender and juicy, and reasonably priced as was the wine.

We decided to eat here due to the proximity of theatres and other places, such as Oxford Street, being a walk away.
By the far greatest feature of the restaurant is the atmosphere. The quiet music and quirky art and décor really make the place.
The service was extremely quick, almost worrying so… And the servers were very polite, fun, and helpful.
Unfortunately, the food was average at best. This was the shortfall of the restaurant, in my opinion. The starters were quite nice, however the chicken dish was not even up to the quality of somewhere like Nandos (which isn’t exactly world class as it is).
All-​in-​all, still recommended. Stunning atmosphere, with good service.

I usually dislike chain restaurants. I try to avoid them. I know there are several other Cabana restaurants around London, so this was never really a place I wanted to go. However, it was included on a deal with theatre tickets, so me and three friends came here for dinner before a show.
The menu for this is quite limited. I wasn’t really surprised given the cost of the deal. I mean for £24 for a meal and a show? I was expecting kind of terrible food and very small portions. I ordered the pulled pork sliders and the spicy chicken for a main. I also got a side of Feijoada fries. Basically like chili cheese fries in the US, but with the Brazilian staple Feijoada. I’ve had it before so I knew it was mostly beans with some slow cooked pork in the beans. Others ordered the garlic chicken, the vegioada and the pork tenderloin. One person got the fried rice balls for a starter and another ordered the sundae for dessert.
The presentation of the sliders wasn’t that great, but they were really tasty. I thoroughly enjoyed them. The spicy chicken was really tasty. I love the sauce they have there (I may have to get some for home as I saw they sell it). The feijoada fries were on sweet potato fries, and they were extra tasty as well.
The sundae looked amazing too. I did have one cocktail, and I wasn’t overly impressed with it and the wine list was a bit sad too. The service was fine, although the server had a bit of a too-​friendly American attitude that I am not at all used to in the UK.
But I think I’d go back and give it another try and try some of the food on the real menu.

Looking at the starter of pulled pork sliders reminded me of why I am not a fan of chain restaurants. I dined at cabana as part of a theatre and dinner package so did not choose the venue.
Not only were the sliders unappetising lumps of undercooked dough balls, they were presented in such a haphazard way as if they had been thrown onto the plate after the waiter had kicked them around like mini footballs.
The other starter of crunchy rice balls was slightly more edible so I would recommend selecting that if you must dine at cabana. My main course of spicy chicken was smothered in sauce and served almost cold.
Service was on the same level as the standard of food. The server had difficulty understanding clearly spoken English. When ordering the main course I asked for the spicy malagueta chicken, he replied the ‘the lime & garlic chicken’. No I replied I would like the 1^st one spicy chicken and pointed at the relevant line on the menu. Still he said ‘the 2^nd one?, the lime & garlic chicken?.’ Did he really want to hard sell the 2^nd main of lime & garlic chicken or how could he possibly not understand that I wanted the spicy chicken I was pointing at thd 1^st line afterall??? Finally he got my order right, but appeared to be irritated at this encounter, hence the comment about playing football with the pulled pork sliders!

Actually great spot for Brazilian meat dishes. I had their steak medallions (flank) which was not over cooked. The drink specials were also great. It’s a spacious restaurant in Angel that provides a relaxing but fun interior.
As a note: if you don’t want to smell like bbq, definitely ask to sit in the back!

No major problems. Just a bit underwhelming. I went here as part of a theatre-​meal deal. Pre-​theatre selection was limited– I chose the salmon ceviche. I feel the portion was too big for a starter so by the time my main course came I was already full. I had half «zingy lime chicken” — it was a bit too acidic– and half spicy chicken. It was ok. The table next to us said her meat was under cooked. Yet she happily ate it all and only mentioned it at bill time?
Again, it was fine. No problems. Not sure if I would go again.

It’s rare to visit a London restaurant that fails on so many counts.
Myself and some friends gave it a shot, which was the first mistake. After ignoring us, the host deigned to finally seat us in what can only be described as a manner more befititng an arsey greasy spoon in Crawley. We were unceremoniously seated next to the pass, and when we asked to be moved to an empty window table, apparently it wasn’t possible because it was reserved. We watched throughout the entire meal as the table sat empty with the heat of the pass on our necks.
Food was meagre and very cynically dished out for the money; my fiejoada was perfunctory and uninteresting, and for £12.95 a total ripoff. It’s pork and beans guys. You can afford to throw in a little more meat for the money. El Camion’s carne asada does a much better version of a similar dish, except you’ve tons of steak to plough through; hell, even Tortilla’s naked burrito is a hell of a lot better and half the price. To make matters worse, our waiter — an Italian chap with a shaved eyebrow — was a total prick. I can forgive and forget the food — but service that directly insults customers is completely unforgiveable.
I’d rather shoot myself in the face than go back here.

Very cool place to have some share plates in a relax Brazilian atmosphere !
Food is really good and the decoration really takes you to Copa Cabana ! Woop woop !
Not too expensive and very quality tasting !
Thwy have also lots of space outside to sit which must be very cool during summer.
The staff is lovely, smiley, well … If you’re around, I strongly recommend that you come and test (taste) that plaaaaaaaace !!!

I loved the chicken skewer (white meat) and the grilled red peppers. Fun having it served table side in a casual and comfortable environment. I enjoyed the black beans and the mango slaw was good. Friendly service, fun drink list. Great for lunch or a low-​key dinner.

Cabana is a nice brazillian tapas type restaurant, that looks the part. The cocktails are decent enough and the food is quite tasty. The only real downsides are the prices which I reckon are slightly on the higher side for the portion size. A nice touch is that meats are served like rodizio at your table.
We were here on a free meal up to £100. There were 3 of us and we spent just under that amount and I still felt a little hungry. At around £33 per head you’d expect to leave full.
The best items are definitely the bbq meats.

I have been to this branch of Cabana twice now and both times I found it somewhat disappointing. At my first visit the chicken was quite burnt and dry and now at my second visit there was too much ice in their lemon refresher drink, the biro biro rice was a bit too hard and the ice cream was not given the attention it required. What attention does ice cream need you may ask? Well it’s quite simple, don’t let it freeze to the point that you feel and taste ice as you bite into it. However, I am mostly disappointed because on 2 other occasions I’ve been to Cabana (at other branches, of which I recommend the Westfield Stratford branch), the setting and food was much better. I think overall Cabana’s Malagueta sauce and their acai ice cream (which unfortunately is not part of their summer menu) are their best highlights and is what keeps me going to Cabana but now that the acai ice cream is not available and at this branch they don’t seem to care much for the food and drink, I am truly disappointed. Nevertheless I do recommend Cabana in general for their Malagueta sauce, their crunchy rice bolinhos, cassava chips and their chocolate cake. I might just have to avoid this branch in future, or shall I see if «third time’s a charm» will work? We’ll see lol.

Food was really good, chicken was just great, sweet potato fries and fresh fruit juice just makes it great for me. Love the interior design and staff was friendly. Would definately go again when in London

Cabana is one of those restaurants that you have to know what is good and stick to that if you want a decent meal.
Of course on our first visit we didn’t know better so everything was like a test and trail. We ordered quite a few starters to start off with but sadly most were disappointing.
The Passarinho which were fried chicken in breadcrumbs were a bit dry. The meat could have been a lot more moist with more flavour.
The Chicken Coxinhas were a lot better. The crunchiness of the breadcrumb batter was nicely balanced with the juicy shredded chicken and was a lot more flavoursome although quite standard tasting. It was also harshly portioned with only three in each serving.
The crunchy rice bolinho’s were average. It had a nice thin crispy breadcrumb coating into a cheesy filling of risotto. Sadly it was bland and needed more depth in there but the accompanying chilli mayo sauce did it favour and added a bit of creamy sweetness.
The tortillas and guacomole were probably the most disappointing. The guacamole tasted mass produced from a bottle or something, no zing in there and really bland. The tortilla itself were poor and lost it’s crunch as if it’s been out the air too long.
But thankfully we discovered this amazing Malagueta sauce that was available on every table and made everything 10 times tastier. It added a citrusy kick to everything and went well with most of the starters. I advise everyone to look out for this sauce and use it for everything that lacks taste.
It was no wonder why when it came to the mains the Spicy Malagueta chicken skewer was one of the highlight dish, most likely to be made using the same sauce. Excellent tender pieces of chicken taken off the skewer in front of you with a real depth of flavour. It tasted fresh and juicy and we saw the chef making it behind us so it was piping hot.
The zingy lime and garlic chicken couldn’t match it. It was quite weak as if it wasn’t seasoned long enough for the flavour to seep through. However we did enjoy the tenderness and with a bit of that spicy malagueta sauce it was saved.
The Beirut was my favourite– lovely toasted flatbread filled generously with more of that juicy spicy malagueta chicken. But it was the layers of extra ingredients such as the avocado, tomatoes and chilli mayo that wrapped things up nicely adding more than just flavour.
The most pricey dish on the menu were the ribs which were good. They weren’t as impressive as the chicken but still very enjoyed. I would recommend this dish to those who love their meat falling of the bone as this was exactly what this was. Except this one still maintain some of it’s flavour and sweetness although tasted mostly of the sweet smoky BBQ sauce it was smothered in.
The prawn moqueca the flavour was quite one noted. It was just sweet and creamy so nothing not to like but not worth £12.95. The extra compliment that included some crispy bits and ferofa gave it a nice varied texture. The prawbs were fresh too which meant they were bouncy and sweet. They could have been more generous with the portion of rice though.
We completed the meal with a few sides. The sweet potato fries were probably the worse I’ve had it as they lacked seasoning and somehow lost most of it’s sweetness. The fried cassava were even more disappointing. It wasn’t fluffy at all but instead hard and dense with a really weird texture as if it was still raw. I’ve had fried cassava before and I usually love it.
Best were the tomato palm heart salad. I have never had heart of palm before but they were incredibly soft and delicate, light in flavour and tasted very much like artichokes. They went well with the tomatoes.
We were too full for desserts but still I went to satisfy my sweet tooth with a hot chocolate and rich and sweet it was, it was very powdery. Better was my friend’s mocha — less chocolate meant less powder. It was a fine smooth coffee too,
I don’t know who was on that night but the cocktails were made poorly too. We decided to stick with the Brazilian theme and ordered the Cabana Colada and the Dream Team 1970 both lacking in flavour and fruitness where the Colada was more cream than anything and the Dream Team wasn’t fruity at all. The latter was like it was just for novelty as it was served with a flamed passionfruit. Should have stuck with the soft drinks as I really enjoyed my friend’s Fresh Limo Nada Suissa– fresh lemon and lime with soda water and sugar to crush in.
Altogether the meal was a mixed bag although I better mention that meal was free as we won a competition. If we had to pay we would have been more disappointed as we don’t feel it represented Brazilian cuisine at all which is known for it’s spices. Pricing doesn’t justify this either. In the end it’s just a chain that splashes out more on it’s funky colourful décor than food quality.
But if you do find yourself in this restaurant I would advise to stick with the grilled items and you should be fine.

Traditional Brazilian food? No. Clean, okay service, good cocktails. That being said if you’re looking for real Brazilian food — you’ll have to continue looking elsewhere. The meat is fine, but not excellent.

The food here is fantastic with a helpful and simple menu. I’ve had The Beruit and the full rack of ribs. Both have gone down well and those ribs were soft and light best in London I’ve had. Probably because they are cooked on a real grill/​barbecue that has real fire!!!
The interior is kind of funky now with a lot of denim and jeans everywhere, I don’t really get it but it’s kind of cool.
But the service let us down, after paying she just kept the money and assumed there was a tip, otherwise this would be the only chain I would give 5 stars

Cabana is a new twist on a Brazilian Churrascaria but instead of one price for all you can eat meat, you pay per skewer. Yes this means if you value quantity over quality, you will likely be disappointed as the price per skewer is rather high (each skewer is color coded with prices ranging from 3.35 — 5.95/skewer). Waiters come by and stamp your menu as you select skewers.
Although prices are a bit high, the quality of meat is better than I’ve had at any other Brazilian restaurant in London. The chimichurri rump steak is melt in you mouth good as are the baby back ribs. I’d skip the spicy chicken… it was more spicy than tasty and possibly undercooked. Of course there is also a wide selection of cocktails available, but when you’re dining at a Churrascaria, you surely would only order caipirinhas.
Overall this is a solid 3 star place, and much like a Yo Sushi you need to watch what you eat as those color coded skewers can add up quickly!