The Palomar in City of London

3.5/5 Heard people raving about this place for a long time so thought I’d give it a try finally - I’d come again for bread/dips & cocktails as a ‘casual yet refined late night snack’ hangout but not for main meals.Particulary underwhelmed by main dishes, they were certainly interesting with middle-eastern flavour yet not worth the price and portion. There was simply no ‘wow’ from any of dishes (We had octupus and crabcake dishes as well, apart from the dishes in the pics)I liked the starter though, brioche-type textured bread was beautiful and the hummus dips were fresh and nice enough with interesting flavours. Staffs were attentive and kind.

Great restaurant, used to be better.Used to have such a fun vibe specially sitting on the bar. Also food used to kick your tastebuds in so many ways that will leave you speechless.Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t to die for. There aren’t dishes that making you wanna come back like the Polenta and Shakshukit back in the day. Over all was great value for money and we did enjoy it.

Extravagantly refreshing food with great music and vibe. Extremely sociable and easy going staff.Shared food, tapas like system. A fusion between Yemeni and Israeli cuisine with an overall infusion of Middle East..

The best meal I’ve had in London, without a doubt. An authentic gem! The pictures do not make justice. I went there with a friend on a Sunday eve before a show. The place was buzzing. It’s small but really cozy and warm. Staff were extremely nice. We shared the bread with some dips (do try the bread!). It was sooo good. Then we had the radicchio and the aubergine and they were both AMAZING. The radicchio was particularly exquisite. Not a big fan of desserts in general but this was lighter than expected. The wine list was interesting and I had an orange wine from Italy which was a very good recommendation. I’ll definitely go back next time I’m in London!

A phenomenal place, one of my absolute favourites in London. When it first landed it had an unbelievable freshness and energy that haven't gone away over the years. This is a buzzing, exciting restaurant, a small theatre almost. And the food is spectacular. Fresh and original Eastern Mediterranean specials. Every single item on the menu is worth it. All in all, highly recommended. Definitely sit at the counter.

AVOID AVOID AVOID3,5 starters, two mains (one of them the size of a starter (chicken skewer) and two cocktails for £100?? Seriously guys? What a rip off! Yes it was tasty, yes service was attentive and yes it was a rip off!!! But wait…you get complimentary water!! Wohoooo!!! Go to Dishoom people!!!

overall: everything was extremely delish & finger-licking. dishes are made for sharing & quite small, hence would recommend going in small groups.kubaneh 🍞: extremely fluffy & buttery, look at that beautiful aerated dough! i prefer to enjoy it by itself as the sauces makes it slightly soggy.white bean m’sabacha 🥚: a spin-off of hummus. love the extra beans on top that adds texture to the grainy texture of the dip. not a fan of the pickled egg though (but that’s just i personally don’t like pickled foods)zucchini tahini 🥒: another amazing dip packed full of umami flavours. to my surprise, this taste very different to the normal tahini served with kubanehpita : as per description ‘handmade with love’. comes in 4 cute light fluffy buns.metugan bream 🐟: striking presentation of the fish literally looking at you. the texture of fish is firm (i prefer it) & since the fish is ‘standing up’, both sides are fried crispy, unlike others where the bottom side is soggy. the freshness of the green harissa balances the greasiness of the fried fish.glazed octopus 🐙: super tender juicy tentacles. love the sweet molasses coating the octopus. first time trying kohlrabi as well, texture similar to radish but has a more prominent flavour.beef tartare 🥩: layers of texture, chewiness of the beef, popping tapioca crisps, crunchy sunflower seeds. perfect balance of herbs & spices.josperised aubergine 🍆: aubergines are soft & moist inside, with a grilled exterior. the yogurt just adds an extra creamy texture but light feel.malabi 🥥: thick layer of berries couli but i can still taste the strong coconut.sumac & lemon tart 🍋: a normal lemon tart, couldnt really taste the sumac.

Fantastic food and the service is exceptional. My friend is vegan and the lady serving us made notes on the menu about all the options and what they could substitute to accommodate for her. I’ll definitely be returning!

📍@palomarsoho🍞Kubaneh with tomato and tahini - Traditional pull-apart bread with nutty undertones.Zucchini Tahini - A nice change to my usual tahini with candied walnuts.🍆Josperised Aubergine - Sadly I felt my aubergine had been slightly over grilled but the cucumber yoghurt and cherry tomatoes made a nice topping.🐙Glazed Octopus - Paired with Kohlrabi (German turnip). I’m unable to comment on the following as I’m not a fan of this fish.⭐️Google rating - 4.6🙋🏻‍♀️My rating - 3.9Overall pleasant experience, however, I did think the food was overpriced for what we had. It didn’t quite match the chef table experience I have previously enjoyed. Sadly, I didn’t feel much warmth from the staff either.Not worth the hype in my opinion☹️

I’m going to give an unpopular opinion and not rave about the Palomar. Not terrible, but I wasn’t swept off my feet (like at ROVI for example).One might argue that with great expectations, comes great potential to disappoint. Yes, it’s partially that. I had been to the Palomar only once before 5 years ago, and it was a magical evening, with good food, great ambiance, but mostly the excitement of having just moved to London. And so maybe that experience stuck in my memory. Then I kept hearing about it left and right, but had never managed to get a table there. So yes, my expectations were as inflated as a hot air balloon in Cappadocia.But also.. putting that aside, there was something off on the evening were I made my second visit to the restaurant, walking in after a workout class in soho. The music first off… was out of place. I wanted Mediterranean or middle eastern turns, to fit with the identify of the place and transport us in time and place, but instead some 80’s disco tunes were blasting. At a high volume.Second the food. Not bad. I would even say generally good. But there was no blockbuster, no dish that makes you close your eyes while you slowly chew each magical bite, or that makes you re-focus the conversation on it. Maybe the crab kafta played slightly that role.. but only slightly. The dips were ok. The spicy one was… spicy so we couldn’t really grasp the full flavor. The handmade pitas with love, I’m sorry to say, had nothing special. Just some pitas to use for dipping. I wanted to feel more love. Then the lemon cake was fine. A sweet treat but nothing extraordinary.The other element that played a part in the less than ideal impression is the fact that the service staff seemed distracted. Our order took a while to be captured, the cake order was forgotten, and just generally… call me emotional, but we did not feel the love.