Harden's says
Arabica's new branch can be found in the ground floor corner of the Aga Khan Centre building, a stone's throw from Coal Drops Yard.
Harden's survey result
Summary
One of the success stories of Borough Market – this Levantine operation with an “interesting mix of Middle Eastern food” started out as a simple stall before trading up to a permanent restaurant that gets “very busy at lunchtime”. It has a similarly well-rated offshoot in King’s Cross.
Summary
“The food is always a delight” at this “consistently high-quality” Levantine specialist “with an emphasis on inventive veg”. Originally a market stall, it graduated to a restaurant inside a Borough railway arch, with a second branch in King’s Cross. Top Menu Tips – “the stand-out cod dish with chunky flakes cooked just perfectly” and “the toasted flatbread that comes hot in rustling bags”.
Summary
“Excellent” Middle Eastern food – “lots of very tasty dishes, with the veggie plates taking the crown” – wins solid ratings for this former festival stall that has moved steadily upmarket over two decades, and now has a glass-fronted flagship at Borough Market, a restaurant in King’s Cross and an outlet in Selfridges’ food hall. For regulars, its revised menu inspires mixed feelings (“an improvement” to some, “a step back” for others).
Summary
“Very good quality food” from across the Middle East – along with “especially great spiced cocktails” – is on the menu at this permanent Borough Market venue and its two-year-old King’s Cross offshoot in the Aga Khan Centre building, a stone’s throw from Coal Drops Yard. Self-taught chef James Walters has developed the business gradually over 20 years, from a stall selling Levantine snacks at markets and festivals via a regular Borough Market presence that graduated to a glass-fronted sit-down restaurant in 2014. He is looking to expand further.
For 33 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
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