Karpo

Small restaurant with an equally small menu.
Came for dinner, although the lunch special seems to be excellent value.
I ordered the scallops to start (£12). Delicious but I felt a little hard done by with only 3!
I ordered the rib eye (£22) which again was great. You have to order sides separately — I ordered the salad which, at £4 for some spinach tossed in olive oil, was a bit steep but nonetheless tasty.
In all, the food was great. The service wasn’t poor (although our waiter was a little blunt). The décor was nice. I would recommend if you were in the area as a solid choice but I wouldn’t go out of my way.

Great place, enjoyed it a lot!

Wanted a somewhat early and light but healthy dinner. Were intrigued by earlier reviews of décor, stunning mains, and sides which were emphatically «JUST potatoes». Found truth in all and had the perfect, for us, meal. We loved the chic industrial look; copper lights, tree trunk tables, and artistic chain link fence were standouts; and the fabulous growing wall. We are still suffering jet lag and only ordered a main each and tap water. The waiter was fine with this but did try a few translations to ensure he had actually understood then made sure we didn’t run out of water. Mr j had the duck breast. It was cooked to perfection, pink and juicy, and nicely arranged with small onions. As it had been obvious when ordering that it was just duck he also asked for a side of the minted Jersey Royals. They were exactly as expected; small, boiled potatoes; very nice. I ordered the chicken breast which had a smoky taste and lovely crispy skin. It was accompanied by a slice of potato scallop and kale which was delicious flavour and texture.

Had to go here for breakfast while waiting for train at Kings Cross. Good place to stop off as nearby. Good flat white coffee and very good eggs benedict with perfect sauce I must say!

Nous avons testé Karpo quelques heures avant de prendre le train à St. Pancras. Quoi de mieux que de passer les dernières heures de son séjour à remplir son estomac ?
Pour fêter le départ comme il se doit, j’ai commandé un jus d’orange (malheureusement industriel), un smoothie banane-​chocolat, des pancakes compote de pommes-​crème vanille et des oeufs Benedict.
Le plat et l’entrée sont arrivés en même temps. Heureusement que les pancakes n’étaient pas recouverts d’une boule de glacé à la vanille (ce que j’ai cru en voyant l’assiette arriver). A part ça, rien de particulier à signaler. Les œufs étaient parfaitement cuits, pas trop noyés sous la sauce hollandaise, c’était bien exécuté. J’ai plus apprécié les pancakes qui étaient légers et très agréables. L’association compote de pomme crème de vanille est gourmande. Le smoothie était un peu déroutants au début mais bon.
Une adresse pratique car idéalement située, mais rien de bluffant non plus. Le Wi-​Fi est gratuit et le service, attentif. La note n’est pas trop salée.

Good but very uneven — delicious and reasonably priced mains, nice but ineffective service, small portion sizes for the relatively expensive appetizers. Overall 3.5 stars, but marking as 4 to be charitable, because the host made every effort to give us a good experience.
I booked a table for 4 at Karpo to have dinner with some friends this past Friday and found it to be a mixed bag. First I had a cocktail in their downstairs bar, which was quite good. Then I got our table, which was upstairs on the 1^st floor/​mezzanine in an awkward space away from other diners. I requested a different table if possible, and the host graciously made an effort and eventually accommodated me when another party moved. The space is modern and funky, no complaints there. So far so good.
My wife and friends arrived, and we ordered various drinks. My house wheat beer was basically equivalent to Hoegaarden, nothing to write home about. My wife’s glass of Italian white was nice and dry, but warm. And our friends ordered two cocktails, which arrived half an hour apart.
Wait, what?
Yes, it took 35 minutes for one of our friends to get a cocktail. The host, again graciously, removed it from our bill, but none of us were very impressed. Fortunately, the bottle of white wine we ordered in the meantime arrived appropriately chilled.
Our waiter was a bit odd — he was nice enough, but a bit scattered, and he got us as confused as he appeared to be. He finally got our order written down and confirmed after 4 trips to the table, but he was not always around when we wanted something, and we found it more productive to interact with the host.
Our appetizers were okay — two medium-​sized scallops for £13, a portion of beef tartare that had an inordinate number of capers and two pieces of toast, and artichokes that may have come from a jar. Not for sharing and not all that highly recommended.
Then, shockingly enough, our mains were phenomenal. Lamb chops with mint, whole sea bream taken off the bone (which the waiter did well, to his credit), and two orders of crispy pork belly, and all were stellar. Everything was cooked flawlessly, seasoned very nicely, and delicious. The pork belly was honestly the very best I’ve had in London. And all were fairly reasonably priced, between £17 and £24.
For dessert we split a forgettable apple crumble with an interesting and tasty scoop of stout ice cream, but again, the waiter put us off a bit by arguing with us over whether we could get the stout ice cream instead of the standard vanilla. I think he was concerned it wouldn’t pair well, but if we’re requesting it, just let us do it, man! Plus the ice cream was far better than the crumble.
So all in all, an uneven experience. If the host had done everything and we had only ordered mains, it would have been 5 stars for sure, but as it was, they barely scraped by with 4.

Maybe it was an off night, but I had the lobster which was pretty average. Very fishy (moreso than regular lobster) and the pasta was not al dente enough.
Steak was good, chips slightly undercooked (they should be golden and crisps, not yellow and wan).
Not super cheap (£20−25 a main) so I expect a little more precision for that.
Really lovely staff though, and the space it lovely.

Walk by too quickly and you’ll miss it! If my friend hadn’t picked it, I would’ve never noticed it.
Had a girl’s night dinner here last week and it was pretty fabulous. Booked a reservation which was good because while it wasn’t overcrowded and I don’t think there was ever a queue, all the tables seemed to be occupied the entire night. Service was prompt and the food was delish. My friend mentioned that the menu changes frequently, which puts her off because she tends to be a picky eater, but I don’t mind.
Looking forward to going back and trying more of their menu.

This was a convenient stop for us since we weren’t staying too far from it. We went for breakfast and it wasn’t overly crowded which was a surprise considering it’s proximity to the international train station.
Service was excellent. We were told we could sit in one spot (which was a bit cramped but fine) or if we waited one min we could have a café style table along the wall with greenery. We didn’t want to be a pain so we sat at the first table. Service was relatively quick and food was good. My pancakes were slightly under-​cooked but the flavor of maple bacon made up for it. My husband got the eggs Benedict and loved them.
Even when we were done and plates gone, the lady asked if we wanted any water. Since we now live in Amsterdam this caught us off guard since you pretty much always pay for water there. She let us linger which was nice since they had free wifi! No rushing.
Definitely Recommended!

Surprising find. I probably walked past it countless times, but this time a friend of mine invited me for lunch and initially I couldn’t believe she picked a place right across King’s Cross (what a place must that be, I thought!). Once we got in, the atmosphere was much quieter than the hustle and bustle of the neighbouring area. Quick service and tasty food — quite sophisticated as well (I had a single courgette flower filled with goat cheese and covered with truffle and honey — which was very tasty). I’ll definitely be back!

The green wall of plants was really cool! We sat right next to it and it’s actually real stuff! Impressive…
But the food… not so much. What a bad decision for our first real meal in London. We were both extremely hungry and walked into the first place we saw that had good Unilocal reviews. This was the most expensive meal I had during my trip to London and Paris. The exchange rate was atrocious!
My boyfriend had the rump steak, I had the fillet of plaice and we shared a side of jersey royals which are just potatoes. The steak was nothing to write home about… as was the fish. I didn’t like the sauce and little dried shrimp that came with it because it was EXTREMELY salty. The potatoes were just potatoes… Not a very good first culinary experience!
Oh well! You win some, you lose some.

I do like this place. I’ve been here twice for book club now and the staff are lovely. I think it’s a hotel bar/​restaurant, though it’s equally welcoming to walk-​ins. I like that it’s so close to Kings Cross and not crazy busy. The food is a little pricey for my tastes but I did order the beetroot salad last time and it was flavourful and fresh. My friends mostly ordered the side of mac and cheese which was universally devoured! I especially like the fun and funky décor!

Totally enjoyed this. Staff was very nice and accommodating. Took family including 3 teenagers and everyone found several things they loved. Highlights were the rabbit pie, the Crispy Roosevelt’s, and the mussels. Best was the cod cheeks.
Be sure to ask for some bread to go with the mussels. It’s good on its own with the accompanying butter and pumpkin seeds, but you need it for to enjoy every bit of the mussels broth.

After five days of a love-​hate relationship with London, I am glad that the last place we visited before heading to the airport was this restaurant, on Euston Road, directly across the street from King’s Cross/​St. Pancras. It was a recommendation from our guidebook, and I am glad we listened to it this time.
We wanted lunch, and so we went in. I loved the décor, and the overall interior arrangement of this place. It feels like it’s a renovated industrial room of some sort, complete with bare concrete, but at the same time, made homely with wall plants and vines.
I ordered the sausage and mash, which came out wonderful. My companion on the other hand had the duck confit, which was also a good choice. The staff was more than willing to provide alterations, as spinach was supposed to come with the duck, and spinach is a big no no for us.
The one thing they could improve is perhaps repeating the orders one last time before they go away from the table, as I ordered a side dish yet it didn’t arrive at all. Never mind, I just stole some from my companion’s plate and that made my day.
Overall, it was a good dining experience. They make good coffee. They have a great and friendly vibe. I’d go here again if I were in town.

I’ve been to Karpo a handful of times since it opened.
Generally, it’s been ok at lunch /​dinner, but I do like the vibe and food around breakfast — eggs benedict on english muffins with piped hollandaise sauce is a winner, as are the various concoctions of juices.
Great tip for the winter is to sit on the second table on the right — a sharing table that’s also warmed!
Free wifi is also great.
For business users — they provide VAT receipts without asking. Seriously, never understood why some places do NOT do this?

I hate it when people use the term ‘literally’ all wrong.
«I literally laughed my head off».
Oh did you now? Well what’s that stupid looking thing teetering on top of your neck then?
«He played so well he was literally on fire.»
On fire was he? My god. Who put it out? Is he in hospital?
Well here we go. Here’s a use of the word that literally means what it means.
Karpo is quite literally serving the best value food I have had the pleasure of eating in London.
Literally.
I’ve had some wonderful bowls of Vietnamese soup for £3.50. I had a simply heavenly dish at Hedone which wasn’t cheap but I would have paid three times the price for. I’ve enjoyed loads of great food in London that represented great quality and great value.
But the two course set menu they have started serving at Karpo, for £12, is literally the best value I can remember.
So good I have been back for lunch three times in the last three days.
I have now tasted everything on offer, starters and main, through my choices and through dipping in on my eating companions’ plates. And all of it is fantastic.
The dishes are inventive but comforting. A scotch egg starter comes on a bed of delicious celeriac and mustard seed. Egg inside perfectly unset. Sausage meat beautifully seasoned and crispy on the outside.
The mackerel comes with burnished skin but ever so moist flesh. That’s the way to do it.
The mushroom soup is not only creamily divine but comes with a slab of toasted sourdough and generous topping of quality melted cheese. The basil oil accompanies perfectly.
These starters are perfectly proportioned. I mentioned in an earlier review that the portions were lovely but tiny and that’s why the prices were low. Now they seem to have made the portions much healthier (as in larger. Is that healthier? It is in my book) but the prices have gone lower. How does that work?
Mains just get better. Venison with berries and a gentle chocolate sauce underneath was perfectly cooked and felt very Finnish. Lovely. And accompanied by a light and fluffy cheese croquette. Boom.
The salmon fishcake is a light ball of divineness, and the leek and mussels in foam sauce really simple and tasty.
The cottage pie comes with a huge beef bone protruding from the middle full of marrow, surrounded by expertly piped potato. And the inside is a rich sauce with chunks of short rib. No mince here.
The pork belly I had today was melt in the mouth and came with separate crunchy crackling and good apple sauce.
I sound like I work there or I’m best mates with the management. I’m not, honest. I’m just astounded that they are knocking out such high quality food for so little money.
There is no pressure to drink expensive beers or wines. In fact they are only too happy to keep the bottled, chilled tap water coming. The service is charming.
We have also ordered a side of potatoes a couple of times and what comes are new potatoes, skins on, deep fried and totally unctuous. Evil in fact. A big old bowl. £3. Not needed but ordered out of greed anyway.
As I’ve stated in earlier reviews, there are drawbacks to Karpo. The shitty location (just across the road from Kings Cross station slap bang on the Euston Rd), the hotel residents that wander through constantly to get to their rooms. But frankly, these are ridiculously picky things to talk about when they have got it together to serve such wonderful food at such low prices.
Blimey, I went to Sheekey’s the other day and had a starter that was nearly twice the price of my whole meal at Karpo. It was delicious, granted. But this is what we’re dealing with here. Quite LITERALLY the best value fine food in London.
My advice would be get in while you can. I’ve walked in every day and today five of us easily got a table. I can’t believe that will be the case for too long.

Lovely food and very friendly staff — will come again.

A ‘tad’ bit overpriced for what they deliver.
Maybe it’s me having lived in the United States for far too long, but when I order a main course for my dinner, I expect a little more than what I got at Karpo. The quality and creativity were there, true, but at what price? I am not expecting oodles of food; I am not expecting large portions; but I am also not expecting to still be hungry after the main course is through. My main course was best described as ‘cute’ when I took the first look at it because of how tiny it looked on the oversized plate. The price of it was not so cute, however.
You’d think that for the exorbitant prices they charge, and the mediocre amounts of food they serve, they would compensate with an outstanding service. You’d be wrong. Service is, at best, a-​okey.
Needless to say, this was not a satisfactory experience — on any level. The only saving grace was the company of friends I was with. But then, again, Karpo is not responsible for that, so I cannot put this as their credit.

I went here after I was kicked out of the British Library when they closed for the day. Karpo hadn’t started serving dinner yet, so I had a cheese plate while I waited and then ordered a small dinner. I enjoyed my experience; it’s nice and the food is expensive but delicious.

J’y ai bu un verre en guise de goûter/​réconfort après un shopping express sous la pluie… attablée avec mon ordinateur connecté au wifi, c’était très agréable pour travailler.
J’ai commencé par un smoothie banane+figue+miel assez bien bien que la figue né prédomine pas vraiment dans ce mélange.
Puis j’ai demandé un thé vert avec du citron délicieux. Et pourtant j’ai beaucoup de mal à boire du thé (malgré tous mes efforts) !
Ce bar/​restaurant est en fait relié à l’Hôtel Megaro mais il a son entrée indépendante. A l’intérieur les tabels sont en bois et il y a un mur végétal. C’est assez lumineux et coloré.
Le + c’est qu’il y avait une serveuse Française, petite pause linguistique donc au cœur d’un voyage multilingue !
Je pense que j’essayerai d’y manger la prochaine fois car si l’assiette est aussi fraiche que la déco, ça risqué d’être bien bon !

As a guest at the Megaro Hotel nearby, I spent some time at Karpo during my stay, Karpo being a separate name and address but being also the restaurant/​bar for the hotel, with a direct entrance from the inside of the hotel. I first enjoyed an English breakfast, then a risotto for lunch, then a few drinks at night, then a coffee and juice break with wifi, before leaving London.
All in all, the only thing that disappointed me slightly was the risotto, which I found quite bland and didn’t really enjoy totally. But all the rest was perfect: coffee, smoothie, English breakfast and drinks, in a very nice setting and with a very professionnal service. All the waiters and waitresses were nice and I enjoyed being able to work on my computer without being bothered! So, here you go, Karpo, 4 stars!

Dieser Beitrag bezieht sich auf die Karpo-​Bar, zu welcher die schmale Treppe im Karpo nach unten führt.
Zum Hotel Megaro gehörend sind natürlich Hotelgäste anzutreffen, aber nicht nur! auch locals kommen hierher.
Eine sehr nett eingerichtete Bar mit bequemen Sitzen und Sofas und gutem englischem Bier (Meantime in Flaschen, £3.50). Die Musik ist zwar ein bisschen Mainstream, aber die Lautstärke ist perfekt, es lässt sich prima quatschen.
Der Bär steppt hier nicht unbedingt, dafür ist es sehr gemütlich. Das Personal ist nicht das schnellste, dafür sehr freundlich. Vor allem weiterzuempfehlen falls man im Megaro schläft.
Free WiFi!

Usually, I turn my nose up at «hotel restaurants,» as my experience leads me to summarize them as overpriced steakhouses (and the like), cartoonish cafes, or boring and lacking character.
However, I must say in my two dining experiences at Karpo… I found none of the above to be true, and in fact quite the opposite.
First of all, its not REALLY a hotel restaurant. Yes it has an entrance from the Megaro Hotel and provides their in-​room dining, but it really seems much more of a «stand-​alone.»
Room Service: A pleasant gentlemen delivered me a spread including: hot tea, lam shank with asparagus and pea purée, mac ‘n cheese and a vegetable medley. I didn’t have any expectations much, just needed a warm meal on a Friday evening after a particularly exhausting week. And… there it was. It arrived within 20 minutes, fresh, hot and satisfying. I actually remarked to myself that the lamb was some of the best I’ve had. Certainly not typical «room service» fare.
I enjoyed it so much, I headed down for brunch the following morning before tackling all that is London. I perched myself at the bar, enjoyed a double espresso followed by an Americano (told you the week was long!) and then indulged in the eggs benedict. Its not usually my type of dish, but of the few brunch options this seemed to be the best bet for some protein to sustain me through the day. It arrived within 10 minutes, and was delicious.
Also, each interaction with the staff was delightful. Including when one of their «regulars» sat beside me and was blitzed out drunk at noon. Not an issue for me, but after being quizzed on the bio of the British Prime Minister (before coffee!) and then told to take a (expletive) taxi back to the States if I wasn’t going to learn the ins and outs of the British Parliament… the staff jumped into high gear, distracting the… errr…passionate gentlemen so that I could enjoy my breakfast. A nice gesture, and I was appreciative. Otherwise the service was also good… all smiles and quite warm and friendly, while staying efficient.
Cost of both meals (on my hotel bill): 43 GBP.
The colors are bright and I am glad I popped into Karpo… worth a try, and conveniently located near Kings Cross, and near many hotels/​hostels. Worth the splurge or even just for a pop in for a coffee and croissant to start your day. Skip the chains!