The London Checklist was due for a “don’t”, so here’s one that’s short, but not so sweet. 

Located in the bustling Kingly Court is where you will find Shoryu Ramen. It has a prime location, and in an area that is often packed, you may find yourself eating there by default. That’s what happened to us. After an amazing experience at Cahoots, we found ourselves starving in an area that was fully booked. We bellied up to the community table at Shoryu simply because it was the only place that would take us.

Now the experience wasn’t horrible, but there was not one aspect of this ramen chain that warranted a repeat visit. The decor was all right, I’ll give it that, but the actual atmosphere was all wrong. The community table was very awkward and impossible to move in and out of when you are pushed against the window on a high bench with multiple people on either side of you. The air was filled with kitchen smoke due to horrible ventilation. And it was way too noisy. Clearly, I wasn’t super comfortable. 

Once I got past the environment, I recognized how incompetent the service was. Our primary server seemed to have no idea about the menu. Even something as simple as decaf tea. She said they didn’t carry it, but halfway through our experience I noticed it clearly on their menu. Little things like that. Our food came so staggered that all three of us were never eating at the same time, not even two of us managed to dine together, actually, which was just annoying. And when it came to the end of our Shoryu journey, in true London fashion, it seemed impossible to flag down a server and get out of dodge. 

 
The food was not impressive at all. The ramen was pretty bland.  The edamame was awful with a bizarre powder on top. And the milk buns were just okay (which was unfortunate since their two-for-one milk bun special forced more on us than we wanted.)

Overall, nothing about Shoryu left us wanting to go back for more. Steer clear of a mediocre restaurant experience in an area with so many better options! So check out the rest of the London Checklist to learn about Soho must-dos instead! 

Shoryu Ramen-Carnaby
G3-5, Kingly Court
Tension Ct 
Carnaby
London W1B 5PJ