Love the Pad Thai! Since I’m a Pad Thai fanatic, it’s basically all I eat here… Pretty sure the rest is also great.
Roger B.
Rating des Ortes: 3 London, United Kingdom
Went there a few months ago a couple of times after deciding it was a decent place to watch football, as well as the great Thai food. I was blown away however by the rudeness of the manageress, while remarking in a lighthearted way to who I think was the manager that the sound on a particular area was not working the previous day, yet all that was needed was someone to use the remote. The manageress in passing rudely said to me, I told you yesterday the speaker is not working! I had no conversation with her the previous day. I told the guy how rude she is and it’s the last time I wood be there. He apologised and said that she does get a bit uptight!
Ronald T.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Crystal Palace, London, United Kingdom
Good street seating, but if it is a warm sunny evening you will have to get here early to get one. I have only ever popped in here for a quick drink and for that purpose it has been fine. They have a TV which has been on the times I have popped in and they have been tuned to the sporting events. Given that this has covered the World Cup and Wimbledon I have to say there were still more people outside than in. Which was good as it meant I could get served easily and find a seat. It is a loud pub but again I have only ever been in here at that afterwork time so perhaps during the day it is a bit quieter? They also serve food there which looks nice but having not eaten any of it I can only comment on the look and smell of it. Price wise the it falls into line with the other bars in the area. They have a small area at the back of the pub which you can reserve.
Daniel P.
Rating des Ortes: 3 London, United Kingdom
So I only came here with some friends for a quick afternoon drink earlier today, but the place seemed rather nice indeed. We did that spontaneous ‘lets had a Sunday afternoon pint’ and I picked baker St to check out — pretty central but I don’t it well enough yet. I love the idea that this is a pub with Thai food as well! Casual pad Thai pub snack would be so good, it’s on the list to try! Who knows, star update may be needed afterwards? Good for outside seats, great quiet location
Paula M.
Rating des Ortes: 3 London, United Kingdom
I have come here for just drinks in the evening but also lunch. There are nice little corners to sit and have a drink with a friend. It isn’t a’bar’ as I would call it but a small pub. At lunchtime, a little confusing as you have to order and pay for food at one end of the bar and order and pay for drinks at another. Food is Thai. The first time I had the pad thai I was not very impressed however, as a fan of pad thai(but who isn’t?) I tried it again the next time I went at it tasted better. It is not a loud bar and so easy to have a business lunch here. If you get their early you can get a more private booth areas however, wherever you sit you don’t really feel exposed or worried about people overhearing you.
Lenza M.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Seattle, WA
This is a very solid 4 stars. Might upgrade to 5 stars upon future visits. I definitely will be back. What can I say? I ordered Thai food from an Thai lade and then 30 seconds later order a pint from an Englishman. I then proceeded to watch some football with my beer as I waited for me food, and the crowd was fun. All the while I’m salivating at tasty looking Thai dishes around me. It turns out the food more than looks good, it is very good. I have eaten way more than my share of Thai food in my life, and while this is not the best it certainly holds its own. This was the best food I have had in my short time in London — The panang curry was actually a little spicy! The pricing was very reasonable. And while the food alone is enough for 4 stars, you have to consider the fact that it is BARFOOD — at a good bar. Just the shear unusualness of this combination is probably worth another star. Well, I definitely see myself becoming a regular here. We’ll see if they earn that last star.
Josephine B.
Rating des Ortes: 3 London, United Kingdom
After being persuaded to return, I opted for something different this time, and I have to say that the noodle dishes are made rather well. A little oily for my taste but still very tasty and the vegetable are bight in colour, which is always a good sign. I was also impressed that when I asked for my dish to be «extra spicy», boy did it have a kick! Overall a good spot to a pick up a hearty portion of grub, that won’t break the bank. What a funny term, «break the bank». I wonder what it’s origins are. Hahaha!
Brinda A.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Brooklyn, NY
This place is unexpectedly tasty, a bit bizarre, and has cheeky Polish bartenders. Hence, it is great. Hailed by said barman himself as a «traditional English pub that happens to have a Thai kitchen,» The Bok Bar really does have the best of both worlds — copious amounts of alcohol, and spicy, savory, hot and fresh Thai food. Really, there is only one dilemma one faces when arriving here: to eat or drink first? Went for a lunch meeting here this afternoon, by recommendation of one of the members of our group, and was initially very skeptical about the potentially awkward pairing of Thai cuisine and beery goodness(due to one too many Wetherspoons mishaps). Are pubs even authorized to prepare fish outside of a deep fryer?, I thought to myself. As usual, I was forced to eat my words(and LOTS of delicious pineapple fried rice with veggies and tofu, which is what I ordered, and which I subsequently received an Everest-sized portion of on my plate), because I was completely wrong in doubting Bok Bar. The restaurant menu is extensive, the food is well-flavored and plentiful, and the bartenders are very good at their job(not so subtly encouraging me to add vodka to my cranberry juice… at 1pm on a Wednesday. I suppose it’s 5 o’clock somewhere). I think half of the place’s charm lies in the surprise factor that they do Thai food, and they do it well. The one thing that could be improved, I think, is to integrate the foodie bit of the pub with the rest of it – there’s only one, small area that’s designated as the restaurant, and hence the space is overcrowded and requires some acrobatic/gymnastic skill to get in and out of one’s seat. I don’t always eat Thai food in an English pub, but when I do, it will be at Bok Bar.
Colleen C.
Rating des Ortes: 4 London, United Kingdom
An absolutely delightful(and unexpected) Thai lunch in Marylebone… cheap! Our group of 4 was wandering a bit aimlessly… wanting something neither too casual nor too fancy(read: long) for a quick lunch out. Someone suggested Bok Bar — and thankfully we were all feeling open-minded. I’ve been to this locale for a pint a few months back, but didn’t realize it was doubling as an inn and a Thai Restaurant. Multi-faceted joint, eh? Here’s the drill: *arrive *order and pay at counter(cards accepted) *order drinks(pay separately, I believe) at bar. *Plastic cups for water: decidedly unfancy. *find your seat *food is brought out. *enjoy! A bit of advice if you’re cutting on rice? Just tell them«no rice» and they’ll supplement with more protein/veggies and skip the waste. Not always the case and I will definitely be making that adjustment on my(sure to be) next visit. For under 7 quid I had a piping hot chicken asparagus veggie dish in oyster sauce. My dining companions indulged in various curries, prawns and rice noodles — all to rounds of «mmmmms» and«how have we not been to this place?» In a sea of chains and/or expensive sit-down forever restaurants in Marylebone/Baker Street… Bok Bar is great for a tasty, quick bite that won’t cost you a fortune. Hold the rice!
Blair D.
Rating des Ortes: 5 London, United Kingdom
I did what everyone else said and ordered the singapore noodles. Let’s just say that they were BANGIN’. A little on the crowded side, but that may be because I went on a Friday. All in all, come here and your wallet/stomach will love you.
Brian g.
Rating des Ortes: 5 London, United Kingdom
Tasty food despite being located on a street called«Blandford»! Take Note: The restaurant is inside of a pub, not a traditional sit down restaurant, so if you are relying on waiter service or large tables, you might want to go elsewhere However, if you are looking for great Thai food, then you’ve found the place. The Singapore noodles were excellent. The curry was tasty. Overall, excellent ‘craveable’ Thai. I actually prefer the bar service restaurant, as opposed to waiter service, because when you’re done with your meal you can get up and leave instead of waiting half an hour for the waiter to come around with the card machine.
JR H.
Rating des Ortes: 5 San Francisco, CA
I gotta admit, I was a little hesitant when I saw a sign for a bar in London that does Thai food. My friends warned me about pub fare in England, and the pub down the street from my flat sells gross nachos for like 15 pounds, so I wasn’t much of a believer about the concept of a bar doing decent Thai food. Oh man was I ever completely in the wrong! The ladies who make the Thai food here are awesome and friendly, and the food they make is delicious. It’s easy to become a regular here, both because the ladies learn your favorite order really fast and also because the food they make is so good that if your office is nearby, there’s basically no reason to not go here for lunch every day. The singapore noodle is insane and delicious and extremely plentiful. The green curry is killer too. If you’re like me and enjoy going to bars with quiet alcoves in them where you can enjoy a beer and a book in peace and quiet, this is also the place for you. This place has got a surprisingly large amount of alcoves. This place is awesome.
Katie B.
Rating des Ortes: 2 London, United Kingdom
The Bok Bar was more The Bok Blah for me to be honest. I ordered the tempura squid and dumplings to start and a Tom Kha with prawns as a main. The dumplings were actually great — large and generously filled, with a tasty dipping sauce. Four of the buggers too! That made me happy. The tempura squid… hmm… well, it wasn’t battered, it was breaded and I’ll take their word for it that it was squid inside. Anyway, moving swiftly onto the main. It. Was. Dreadful. I usually LOVE Tom Kha but this soup was extremely bland. It was as if they had just up-ended a tin of coconut milk into a bowl, heated it up and stuck in some prawns. Oh, and the prawns were so overcooked it was like eating rubber. JB pinched the jars of sauces from somewhere and I chucked a bunch of chilli in the soup before the jars were snatched back(please get one per table so people can enjoy the sauces at their leisure). I saw the Pad Thai go past and have to say it did look great. Perhaps I just went for a bad choice of main. I think I could be persuaded to go back and try the Pad Thai, should the mood take me. My advice — beware the Tom Kha and order the dumplings to start!
Robert L.
Rating des Ortes: 4 London, United Kingdom
Decent pub with tasty, though not gourmet, Thai food. Good for a cheap lunch.
Lea K.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Round Rock, TX
Amazing thai food Outside sitting available GREAT bartenders
Streng
Rating des Ortes: 3 London, United Kingdom
Good place for watching sport, yesterday I was able to watch England Wales if I turned left and Ireland Scotland if I turned right. From previous experience the food is pretty good, but the place can get rammed on Thursday and Friday nights and the bar frontage is actually quite small given the number of people that can cram in to the pub and their outside spaces(including the pavement)
Mike L.
Rating des Ortes: 5 London, United Kingdom
Tastiest Thai food I’ve had since I was in Bangkok, almost as cheap too! It’s quickly turning into our new Friday lunchtime haunt!
Steve H.
Rating des Ortes: 3 London, United Kingdom
We used to have the Bok as our after work local where I would spend almost every Friday night drinking more than was good for me before staggering home. The prices then started rising and the barmaid with the most amazing cleavage I have ever seen left, and we followed suit. Have been back a couple of times recently, and now they have a bit of ale on(Greene King IPA and Bombardier, I think) and it seems ok. Not the kind of place you’d want to take a date(unless she’s wearing a tracksuit) but ok for a few beers with mates. Lots of tv screens show all the sports, and the thai food is pretty good for the price. Smells like varnish too at the minute, I think they raided an MFI showroom for the furniture.
Erika S.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Oak Park, IL
A really odd place, as it’s a combination South African pub and Thai restaurant, but really good! I ate here at least once a week with a friend when I was in London after we kind of stumbled upon it by accident one night. Thai food is available for eating in or take-away. Order from the Thai guy standing at the end of the bar, and take a seat in the jungle-decored back dining room, and they’ll bring the food around. Food is surprisingly delicious for such a strange locale, and the chicken pad thai is extremely well done. We usually got wine as well with the food, with a cheap(but decent) Chenin Blanc running around £4 a glass. On weekends, the bar is full of people watching rugby matches, so good luck staking out a spot to sit in the bar area. Bartenders were usually very nice and helpful — I only encountered one slightly surly bartender during my many visits. I love the Bok Bar for a casual dinner.
Giselle F.
Rating des Ortes: 3 London, United Kingdom
Nice pub atmosphere, very good Thai food. Not a lot of space to sit inside but they’ve got quite a few beergarden style tables outside for smokers and those braving the colder weather. Complete with at least one umbrella. No space heaters(that’s a recommendation in my book, blasted environmentally unfriendly things!) I seem to remember that they’ve got TV screens in there as well but I can’t remember what was on, I wasn’t paying attention so it can’t have been a big sports match, thankfully.