Bab al-Yemen | London — Restaurant in London

I’ve been dieting for a full year, and today was meant to be a rare treat... a proper meal out. Instead, I left frustrated, disappointed, and £80 poorer. From the moment we sat down, it was chaos. I asked for grilled chicken.. they didn’t have it. I asked for chicken with yoghurt ....also unavailable. The waitress came back THREE separate times just to tell me they didn’t have what I wanted. Why even hand out a menu if most of it is off limits? I made it clear I didn’t want steamed chicken, yet she kept insisting, “You’ll love it.” Really? Don't tell me what I’ll love!!! I know my own taste. We asked for ketchup for the kids and were given sachets. In a supposedly "proper" restaurant. Only when we asked again did they finally bring out a bottle. Even the rice... just one type available. What kind of menu is this? There was so many options but only one actually available. Laughable. Then came the kicker: customers who arrived 20 minutes after us were served food within minutes. The exact same dishes. The waitress approached them all smiles, recommending things as if this was some five star dining experience. The reality? They’re clearly just reheating premade steamed chicken at the back and serving it with a straight face. It's laughable. Drinks? Cans. No glasses!! We were served soup at the start.. only two of us drank it... and we asked politely to have the rest packed away for space for when the food came. The waitress brushed it off repeatedly, saying she'd do it later. Guess what? When the mains arrived (the bland, soggy, forced steamed chicken), there was zero space on the table. And of course, the soup was never packed. To top it all off, we were charged on some random SumUp machine rather than a proper card terminal LOL. the whole setup felt bizarre and unprofessional. Oh, and let’s not forget the ants crawling on the floor. Yes, ants!!!! in a place with fancy tables pretending to be high end!

This place looks the part, but the service, food, and overall experience are anything but. For £80, I expected at least basic decency, not to be treated like we’d stumbled into a fast food chain that lost its way. I do not recommend this place to anyone. Save your money. Go somewhere that actually values customers.. and serves food that’s fresh and...

Giving 5 stars not completely based on our experience but also on what I believe Bab al-Yemen can deliver on.

Not their fault but arrived after 8pm in a busy Thursday evening so Greeted by "sorry no lamb".

Both a good sign and threw us off.... Good that the lamb is so good thats its the most popular item and everyone wants a piece of that action!!!! Threw us off a little by thinking.....huh run out or didn't have enough!!? We'll go with the popular option.

Service was very good, we asked to sit at a bigger table, cleared it for us as soon as possible and sat us down.

Brought us the most amazing Yemeni soup as an appetiser and was so good had to get more.

Ordered the Motabag, stuffed bread item. Very nice. Order chutney on the side.

The waiter was so nice he said he will see if he can arrange lamb dish that will be nice, cane back with the most loveliest biryani style rice dish with the most tenderest of lamb pieces that the other half (wife/boss), an amazing cook of yemeni descent approved of highly!!!

Again had with chutney spicy fresh salsa style side dish condiment.

The other items sounded amazing, desert items sound unusual but very tempting but the main dish Madfoon I think was such a generous portion had no space.

Go early, keep space, pace yourself, order a variety and be prepared to take away your leftovers definitely big portions.

Will go again for sure. Table and authentic style floor seating.

Plan ahead for parking too. Location can get busy.

Price for quality portion taste and service very well set.

Thank you to the restaurant team, we will be back (earlier next time).... warning, don't fill up too much on the soup. Its...

2406 First time trying Yemeni restaurant! Wonderful food as it was said on the textbook :

Lamb Haneeth tastes heavenly. Wow. The lamb is perfectly cooked, so succulent and tasty. With less seasoning the beautiful lamb aroma really shines. Even the bombs are chewable. And there’s a little marrow too. I’d definitely come back for it. (We were debating whether to get the similar and spicier Mandi, but salta is expected to be more strongly seasoned too.)

Lamb Saltah comes in a sizzling stone pot and bursting with flavors. Lamb mince, creamy potato soaked with broth, tangy funugreek and tomato… The egg is the highlight when it becomes solidifies on the pot.

Rashoosh (and Maluj) delivery is late so we’ll have to do with normal (Lebanese) bread. 😿 the photo looks so lush. I’m not against flat flatbread but I do prefer fluffier or thicker bread with more bite. Maybe next time!

Adeni tea smalls and tastes heart warming. Love the ginger and cardamom. Rich and silky. Not too sweet especially from the top half.

The soup and salad are appetizing.

We cleared all the plates ^^

Seriously everything on the menu sounds and looks fabulous, and the desert too! Looking forward to trying more dishes!

Very empty around 13:30 on Monday. A little scary but the people are nice. The place is bright and very clean. Surprised that more customers are coming at around 2-3pm :3

Service is friendly and not rushed at all. Food may take relatively long but it totally deserves the wait.

I’ve only heard about Yemini food on my Arabic textbook (where every Arab country has food “أطيب في العالم/من الأكل الذي أكلت”). The claim is legit. Really wish I can visit Yemen...