Shaka Zulu

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 67 reviews

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The Stables,
Chalk Farm Road,
Camden,
London,
NW1 8AB

(020) 3376 9911

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Reviewer n_farah
28/05/2012
I have never wrote a review before, but since reading so many bad reviews that almost made me cancell my booking, i had to write one.I took my family from Denmark here using groupon voucher. The place looks amasing, had time to sit down and enjoy the hard work gone into this resturant with a drink,before taking us down to eat. Our food arriaved quickly, it was cooked very well and tasted beautiful. It is quility size food. The service was good too, we will go back. I would give more stars if i could.
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Reviewer Em2012
03/04/2012
The only positive thing about this place is the decor, which is fantastic.

For the rest of it, especially if you are on a groupon or other discount voucher - it's extremely bad.

The main portion size was extremely poor, and the waiter openly admitted that it was much smaller than if we had paid full price for it. Service was very oppressive. The waiter wasn't attentive but hovering. We felt as though we couldn't linger over the meal, or chat, or soak up the atmposphere at all. We actually ended up eating a three course meal in under an hour, which is ridiculous.

All in all, very poor value for money, even with the 3 course meal and cocktail (a very poor caipirinha) for 2 for £39 deal that I got with Groupon. Including service and an extra two drinks, for £60 we got a meal that wasn't even worth half that.

Such a shame, because if the service and food matched the decor, it would be raking it in.
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02/04/2012
Last weekend, I had friends visiting me in London to celebrate a Birthday. As girls who don’t often come to the Big Smoke, I needed to impress them with a stellar night out, so after much deliberation I decided that a SINTILLATE Night at Shaka Zulu was the way forward.Located in the heart of the Camden Lock, Shaka Zulu has an instant impact on you. From the escalators taking you into the two-floor club, to the tacky-yet-totally-brilliant African décor, all of my friends agreed that this place was totally unbelievable! We headed up the escalator and to the carved wooden bar, where we were served instantly. I bought myself and a friend a Mai Tai each, and at £21 they weren’t cheap. However they were absolutely delicious and decorated nicely, so I didn’t mind paying that at all.The music was phenomenal – the DJ had the crowd eating out of his hand, playing a mixture of House and RnB Music. Having been to another SINTILLATE Club Night, I wouldn’t expect anything less. They definitely know how to please a crowd. All in all, it was a brilliant night - we just wish the club would have been open later! We’ll definitely head back there, but make sure to also book a table as that would have made the night even better.
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Reviewer alfieblueeyes
15/03/2012
I went to Shaka Zulu last Saturday and must say I had one of the best nights of my life! I was a little apprehensive as I headed up to Camden as I usually stay WestEnd, however, knowing SINTILLATE were hosting the night made it well worth the journey!The club is awesome and the music was amazing! Me and my friends had the time of our lives (so many beautiful women!) and the atmosphere was unusually friendly! We'll definitely be back this week as there were a few faces we certainly like to see again and we liked the look of the food that we enviously saw some of the guests eating! The only downside was the queue at the bar for a drink but was told that we can get a table this week so hopefully that'll solve that!
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Reviewer taycoutts
09/03/2012
Went here for the first time, last Saturday night for a friends birthday and had one of my best nights out since arriving in London. The venue's interior is very unique, based around Africa as the name suggests!! The DJ kept us dancing all night long with an amazing mix of house music!My only regret was that we didn't book a table in club, as they were all sold out. We have already booked a table to go back in a couple of weeks time. Top Top Night!!
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26/02/2012
I went last night for a birthday dinner with a party of 20 and it was one of the worst restaurant experiences I have ever had. We booked a table over 2 months in advance (fair enough given the large group) and had to pre-order all of our food weeks before. Our table was booked for 9.30pm, we were made to wait at the bar for over 1 hour before getting to our table. The restaurant was not busy at this stage and there were plenty of empty tables including the one we were seated at later. We finally sat down and no wait staff was to be seen for another 20 minutes. Our pre-ordered food finally arrived at midnight, 2.5 hours after our table booking. Again the 1 waiter who was serving 20 people had no clue what was going on and my friend who organised the dinner ended up serving people their food herself. The food was cold and not very nice. Throughout the whole evening no one from Shaka Zulu spoke to us to apologise, update on why everything was taking so long. Needless to say the whole evening was a write off, my friend who was celebrating his birthday was horrified and embarrassed and everyone had a terrible evening. I will never, ever go back and strongly advise: do not go there! Absolute shambles, over priced, non existent service and staff does not care about customers at all. Appalling!! The owner should be ashamed.
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Reviewer CYorkies
19/02/2012
An amazing place but so disappointing! We booked for the valentines deal. They called me the night before asking that we be on time as they were fully booked and would give our table away if we were 15mins late, fair enough. We arrived at 17:05 and was asked to wait in the lounge area. Had lovely happy hour cocktails. They forgot about us and I had to ask the staff (@17:45) whether we should go down ourselves or what?! We paid extra for 2 glasses of champagne and a rose which i confirmed with the lady at the front desk as we arrived but had to ask again when we were seated at our table. The staff were really really friendly and lovely but everything in that place was just soooo disorganised!! We had our food, which by the way was AMAZING!! The lamb was done to perfection!!! melting like butter in my mouth! Champagne sorbet was sooo yummy and the dessert..... just delicious! Our deal included coffee with our dessert but my husband & I asked if it would be ok to have a single espresso instead of a cup of coffee. The other waiter came back mins later saying 'sorry but your deal only includes instant coffee'! WHAT?? INSTANT COFFEE??!! Fine, we will pay for the espresso's!! We have instant coffee at home thanks! 15mins later, way after our deserts were finished our waiter came back and said 'oh sorry but our coffee machine is broken'. OK then, you want to tell me you only have ONE coffee machine in that massive double storey restaurant. OK. But in all fairness they offered us a complementary drink of our choice. Our waiter was very nice but in general, very disorganised place! The cherry on top.... We were only given the option to book our table at 17:30 but at 19:30 the place was still SOOOO EMPTY! We were told they were fully booked!! Overall valentine experience.... disappointing! Friendly staff and really good food made it bearable.
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Reviewer Puffetta73
07/02/2012
I had to post a review as I have been twice in the last two months and have seen a huge and disappointing deterioration during my last visit. Each time we went with a KGB voucher, costing the same. In January, we had a quite amazing "Taste of Africa" menu, with a wide choice of really unusual and tasty dishes, and some delicious cocktails to choose (we ended up having three each!). In February, we were presented with a "KGB Menu" - one or two choices per course, with such African delicacies as steak and chips or, for the lucky vegetarian (me) soggy ravioli and tomato ketchup, straight from the bottle (I swear). Cocktail this time was chosen for us - a watered down Caipirinha (that well known African classic). Disgusting. Service was crap both times, despite the place being nearly empty, but I can ignore that if food and venue are stunning. Venus still is, but the food needs to improve drastically before we go back in March with our South African friends (wonder if I can get a refund on the voucher?).
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Reviewer Caz84
18/12/2011
After reading so much about this venue I finally went last night with a friend for the first time. First impressions were WOW! This place really does stand out from the usual london bars/ clubs. Everything is hand carved and on a massive scale, with giant statues and even an escalator in the middle of the club to take you down to the lovely eating area. Had got in there before about 8:30pm so obviously was a bonus as was not charged an entrance fee - think after about 10pm you have to pay to get in.

Was expecting to pay ridiculous amounts of money for single malibu & coke but thought £5 was ok for such a high end venue. Cocktails were overpriced at £11 upwards. The only downside for us was the music and the fact hardly anyone danced the whole night. Perhaps a different night of the week is better ? Overall I would go back but would say its more of a very stylish lounge dining experience with the added bonus of dj.
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Reviewer Lucy_08
06/12/2011
Last weekend I went out with three of my girlfriends to Shaka Zulu. It was my first visit to the venue and I will definitely be revisiting. It is the perfect venue as we had everything under one roof. We started with a few pre dinner drinks at the gorgeous bar, where the cocktails were absolutely divine. We then moved to the restaurant area where we had a few bottles of South African wine and I had Seabass, which was cooked to perfection. The atmosphere was amazing!
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Reviewer Happy_Diner
06/12/2011
I was recommend Shaka Zulu by a friend and I am happy to say I was not disappointed. The food was exceptional. I sampled a whole host of different foods in a truly stunning environment. The staff were also incredibly friendly and really eager to please.

I had a wonderful time and will definitely be revisiting soon!
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Reviewer Davidlodge
30/11/2011
Great night out, I held my birthday party here last Saturday, once you get over the amazing interior , its breathtaking, the food and service were to the same high standard. They even dress your birthday cake up for you with fireworks etc.... nice touch. We booked a table in the Kings Club after our meal , recommended, as it is very hectic and the bar gets busy so table service at the booth makes your party even better. Only criticism , closes at 2am we could have stayed all night.
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Reviewer Mouette
28/11/2011
One of my friend highly recommended me to go to Shaka Zuku and I wasn't disappointed!! As soon as you get in you are transported in completely different world; the decor is absolutely stunning and looks like no other places in London! The food was fantastic and unusual and the staff was really nice and helpful. We had an amazing night and I would recommend everyone looking for a great dinning experience to go to Shaka Zulu.
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Reviewer Treenie
28/11/2011
I had the most incredible experience recently at Shaka Zulu. From the moment we entered we were transported to an exotic wonderland with truly spectacular statues and handcarving-awe-inspiring. The food we were served was absolutely delicious and I would recommend the ostrich to anyone going and the fruit plate after was the perfect palate cleaner with a great selection of unusual and mouthwatering fruits. The service was absolutely fantastic and we happened to be there on one of their Music Box Live nights so were treated to some incredible live music. A truly unforgettable and wonderful evening.
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Reviewer holliedolly
28/11/2011
Had a brilliant evening at Shaka Zulu, the food was delicious and really unusal..I love to try new things so i had the Ostrich fillet. The staff were very attentive and friendly they also helped explain the menu. Atmosphere was also great i will definitely be coming back and taking all my friends!
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Reviewer Rabinder
19/11/2011
went recently to Shaka Zulu and had one of THE best nights ever! the club had been recommended by a friend and it was well worth it. music was amazing all night long and they even played my request (thank you dj rich stone), am now a big sintillate fan! the fabulous party atmosphere was encouraged by the amazing female "zebra" dancers who really got the party going and the guys playing bongo drums were great fun! highly recommend this place for anyone looking for a great place to party and lots of fun
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Reviewer pecan68
12/11/2011
Went there last Tuesday supposedly, as advertised, to an event hosted by Bruno Mars it turned out to be an absolute fiasco. We ended up waiting around for four & a half hours to see him, drinking over priced drinks whilst being lied to the whole time by the staff & bouncers that he would be 'performing' shortly. He finally turned up at gone 12 promptly ignored everyone there whilst he sat with his mates drinking & then left after about 20 mins. Shaka Zulu are now treating everyone who has complained about the evening terribly. Awful place with rude aggressive staff, definitely not recommended
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Reviewer snapper1976
12/11/2011
WHAT A PLACE!

Was lucky enough to go there last night with a group of friends and enjoy some excellent food and drinks.

The venue is basically a restaurant, bar and club and boy does it deliver.

Our waiter was spot on, interactive and attentive in service without being intrusive. Recommended some great wine which went with the meal well.

Had heard they did live music here which is often a great time to come down so may try it out earlier in the week for our next visit. Great find.
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Reviewer blondie1970
11/11/2011
Went to the so called Bruno Mars event on 8th November...I really want a full refund for our tickets and £500 VIP table, but forget the money it is a total scandal that they can get away with promoting an event that Bruno Mars is hosting the night and even confirming on their facebook page that this will be his last and ONLY UK performance before he leave for the US ..totally misleading and false advertisement... People were herded into a tiny area, and they stood for over FOUR hours waiting for Bruno to turn up. I did get a fleeting glance at Bruno Mars with his party and all they did was drinking Rose champagne and having a good time on their sofa and his bodyguards kept flashing me in my face with their torches when I tried to take a photo. No hosting no singing no nothing!!!On another note the staff at Shaka Zulu were not great, we did not get the exclusive vibe we had expected from their service and the food was not that good either, very dry meat and a freezing cold dry doughnut for dessert...not exclusive at all. One girl in particular from their reception was hard work right from our arrival very abrupt not listening and when we were leaving we asked politely for the managers name, she accused me for being rude and offensive right in my face, which was actually her behavior... I was totally taken back by her aggressiveness and just left and will never set my foot in their restaurant again.
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Reviewer HappyPerson
10/11/2011
Went to see Bruno Mars at Shaka Zulu, place and staff were absolutely horrible snotty and up themselves, Bruno Mars didn't arrive until after 12, looked like night was going to be complete disaster until Bruno's bodyguard invited me and my friend into VIP to sit with them, spent the whole night drinking Bruno Mars's alcohol and chilling with his band, made the whole night worth it - then got dropped home by the DJ who we made great friends with - feel soooo sorry for all the people who paid the money and didn't even get to see him, must of been such a waste, for me was an experience of a lifetime.
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Reviewer tessma
10/11/2011
I attended a Music Box night at Shaka Zulu where they advertised that Bruno Mars would be hosting.

We were treated abominably by Shaka Zulu. The event was supposed to start at 9pm.

Everyone was crowded around the escalators at eight-thirty because we were told we weren't allowed downstairs, where the stage was. The servers and customers had a hard time getting through and we were uncomfortably packed together - security did nothing to organise the situation.

After that, while we were all packed behind the VIP area from nine o'clock onwards, security personnel and performers on stage kept reassuring us every half an hour that Bruno Mars would be on stage soon. If anyone at Shaka Zulu had made an effort to keep us correctly informed (that Bruno Mars would not arrive until after twelve a.m., that he would not be going on stage and was simply going to have his own table inside the VIP area) then we would have left early enough not to have to be standing there for three hours straight, unable to move from our spots, get a drink or a bite to eat, dance, or go home at a decent time.

However, the case was that we stood there from 9pm to 12.30 am. Bruno Mars arrived at 12 and headed straight for his table and only sat there drinking as the crowd of 100+ people looked on. There was no live performance from him as they stated on their Facebook page ("Shaka Zulu: This is his last and ONLY performance in the UK before flying back to the US on Wednesday evening!")

The way that Shaka Zulu dealt with the negative feedback the day after this was horrendous as well. After deleting evidence of their having stated Bruno Mars would be singing and performance and only reinstating the original posts after criticism about their ignoring the situation, they sent out a mass email to dissatisfied customers (and there were a LOT, just look at their Facebook page to see the complaints!) offering a voucher as a 'gesture of goodwill', as well as repeatedly emphasising that Bruno
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Reviewer tessma
10/11/2011
Mars was only 'hosting', and that he did 'host' at his table. I replied and said that they stated he would be singing on their Facebook page, and that I would like a refund of my tickets, as I would not have attended if they hadn't falsely advertised that Bruno Mars would be performing on stage. All I got as a reply was that my comment would be passed on and no acknowledgement of my complaints.

False advertising and misrepresentation, as well as unprofessional customer service and way of handling a situation that resulted from their irresponsible advertising and actions. All they are after is a quick way to make money, with no regards for integrity or customer satisfaction.
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Reviewer MACCA23
09/11/2011
My friends and I bought tickets to watch Bruno Mars (yes you heard right BRUNO MARS) host the event. Instead, we got a no name band that seemed to play the same endless tune for 4 hours and then a DJ. (I could have sat at home and played music from Itunes had I known this would be the case) But alas, no, when we heard that BRUNO MARS would be hosting, a bunch of us got together, spent £20.00 entry and planned on having a good night out (albeit, it was a Tuesday and every single one of us had work at 6 the next morning) but again, we thought, BRUNO MARS would be worth it.Not only did we have to suffer through the mind numbing opening act but we were shoved and pushed constantly by everyone and anyone including the doormen and bouncers. This entire evening made Shaka Zulu and its staff look completely Brain Dead…(and that’s a nice way to put it) The set up was terrible, the space was limited and NO ONE knew what was going on.It makes absolutely no sense that Shaka Zulu allowed people to spend £20.00 to watch Bruno Mars Host when they "weren't even sure" he was going to be there. In the end, we left at 1 and he still hadnt pitched (the place closed at 2) What a complete and utter waste of time I would have gone to the bar to drown my sorrows but I don’t take kindly to watered down drinks…(classy)And as for Bruno Mars...after being so excited I really cant believe what an A*hole he is...how sad!
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Reviewer nrossini
17/10/2011
Looking for a fun and unique night out this weekend, my girlfriends and I decided to go to Shaka Zulu. What a great decision! The interior was stunning! Giant wood carvings decorate the entire restaurant, which really set the mood for the South African meal. I ordered the Ostrich Fillet. I was nervous since I had never tried ostrich meat before, but was pleasantly surprised. It was great! The meat was tender and the flavour was amazing. Definitely worth the price. Afterwards we stayed for drinks and dancing. Overall, it was a great night out. I would definitely come back here again!!
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Reviewer Londonaa
09/10/2011
This is NOT the Place to go for dancing. There is no dance floor! Well the is a small space between the tables people are eating at to dance and that is about it. 15 quid to get in and you have to wait 30mins for a drink at the bar. Unbelievably bad service at the bar too small for the number of people inside.

No phone reception inside so people got caught outside because they made a mistake with the guest-list and couldn't contact anyone.

DJ was awful and made so many mistakes it was laughable

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Reviewer mandeepSandhu
03/09/2011
We went there for my husband's birthday dinner. Got a deal out of lastminute. Com for £25 for 3 course meal per person. It was an amazing romantic experience. The staff were ok, just doing their jobs well and the food was great. I don't know why many people don't have good comments on the food but basically the food is full of flavours, exotic spices. And I guess some people can find it different and not seem to understand much about the cuisine. However, the only problem I would say is a problem was that the food gets cold quite quickly. I guess the tables are made of marble and the food is not served on heated plates, so the heat disperse rather quickly. I am a slow eater and my mains which was the ostrich fillet gone cold half way thru. The ambience was great, the decor was great and the food was great. Would definetly go there again and perhaps with a group of friends this time.
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Reviewer didianddexter
26/08/2011
Restaurant looks nice but that's all. I took my boyfriend yesterday for his birthday there. I mentioned 3 times its his birthday and none didn't do anything about it. We had expensive A La Card Menu and i got a hair in my dish. They just cleaned it and sent it back. None found important to apologize at all. If you want to pay £200 for a dinner and wine and be treated as a number not a guest than this is good place.
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Reviewer sammyuk
16/08/2011
Decor is absolutely incredible! staff were freindly but not so attentive once it got busy but thats understandable and food was tasty.
Danced the night away and had a great night!
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Reviewer PartP
15/08/2011
We found Shaka Zulu in Camden Town to be as inflexible as the wood carvings on it's walls. If you have a groupon voucher, do use it there but don't sit with friends who don't have one. We were told it is company policy that everyone at the table has to order from the same menu and what's worth about £20 is not worth over £40. We could have had a better food experience at Shaka Zulu, had we been allowed to try some of the strange dishes on the ala carte. We pleaded with the waiter and even spoke with the manager but we were not allowed to do this unless everyone went ala carte. Probably best to take your money somewhere which values it's customers.
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Reviewer girlieflea
07/08/2011
Do not go to Shaka Zulu! We thought it would be amazing, and to be fair the actual restaurant was amazing - wood carvings everywhere. The welcome, service and food was awful. Trumped up girls on the door with no idea what is going on - we arrived slightly early for our table and were left to sit in the bar, while other people were seated before us in a somewhat empty restaurant. We ended up being seated 10 minutes after the time we had booked for. They obviously wanted us in the bar to spend money on drinks while we waited, even though we had stressed how hungry we were when we arrived. The food arrived insanely quickly so obviously none of it was fresh - this happened for every course. The soft shelled crab to start was appalling. A mass of soggy, grease leaking liquefied crab meat that didn't fit on the plate it was served on. Absolutely awful,. The house cocktails was so small and even though we both had the same one, couldn't have tasted more different. To be fair the main course was ok, spit roasted beef and ships. It was also the only course that arrived at the same time and was correct. Good job we were both women as the chip portion was pathetically small. No meal for a man at all! We had a donut thing for dessert which was stone cold and oozing fat. Not exactly what we were expecting. When we got up to leave (we had already paid through groupon - no wonder it needs to do the deals) we were chased into the ladies toilets for not paying the discretionary service charge we weren't even aware of. If you like food and nice staff do not go to Shaka Zulu, you will be sorely disappointed. Macdonalds tastes better and fills you up. We eat in nice restaurants regularly and I'm beyond relieved we had a voucher and did not pay full price. Awful.
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Reviewer jrwinter
20/06/2011
We went to Shaka last weekend and the décor was AMAZING! The details in the carvings and lighting added to a beautiful atmosphere. I’ve never seen such a beautiful South African venue or heard of another place serving Zebra or Ostrich. They def went all out on creating a very memorable experience. Although the food was expensive, we used a groupon voucher and found it was quite affordable. After dinner we stayed for drinks to experience the night club. We enjoyed the diversity in music and I got my girlfriend to actually dance with me. (a rare event I must say) Def worth experiencing and had a great time! A must see!
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Reviewer jrwinter
20/06/2011
We went to Shaka last weekend and the décor was AMAZING! The details in the carvings and lighting added to a beautiful atmosphere. I’ve never seen such a beautiful South African venue or heard of another place serving Zebra or Ostrich. They def went all out on creating a very memorable experience. Although the food was expensive, we used a groupon voucher and found it was quite affordable. After dinner we stayed for drinks to experience the night club. We enjoyed the diversity in music and got my girlfriend to actually dance with me. (a rare event I must say) Def worth experiencing and had a great time! A must see!
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Reviewer jrwinter
20/06/2011
We went to Shaka last weekend and the décor was amazing! The details in the carvings and lighting added to a beautiful atmosphere. I’ve never seen such a beautiful South African venue or heard of another place serving Zebra or Ostrich. They def went all out on creating a very memorable experience. Although the food was expensive, we used a groupon voucher and found it was quite affordable. After dinner we stayed for drinks to experience the night club. We enjoyed the diversity in music and got my girlfriend to actually dance with me. (a rare event I must say) Def worth experiencing and had a great time! A must see!
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Reviewer princessb
09/06/2011
From entry the staff was rude, we ended up paying more than was stated on the website. The club looks great so big and the interior really nice. As its a members club the vibe was very snobby, people hardly danced and if they did they were sluppy and all other the place. For most of the evening never danced because the music wasnt great. Happy to experience it but would never go again unless it a friends choice for their birthday do.
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Reviewer Lilush1
17/04/2011
Shaka Zulu is such a disappointing dining experience that I felt the need to review it at 9am on a Sunday (the morning after I dined here with my girlfriend). I bought the Groupon voucher which entitled me chose from the limited 'Taste of Africa' menu. For starters, we both chose the deep Fried soft shell crab...mistake! This dish was so horrendously greasy (think KFC if they did crab) that you couldn't even taste the crab meat. For our mains we had one trout and one beef. The trout which was surprisingly OK, however, the beef came as a lone slab of meat on a vacant plate, served with a small bucket of chips. We didn't have an option to order any greens (or any sides) as a supplement. Presentation was poor and so was the taste. Nice! For desert we had the coconut creme brûlée and passionfruit with didn't sit well together at all, a complete messy mush of food. 

 The decor of this place looks like a Vegas themed restaurant gone wrong, it does have character but it lacks any originality ( please visit the female toilets for the 'watering hole experience). The service was also poor, we waited 30 mins for our mains and they didn't clear our greasy starters until I flagged the waiter. I hope that you stay behind after dinner for their 'club' which looked like a scene from 'The only way it Essex' , chavtastic!! 
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Reviewer alex$
06/07/2011
I am gutted to read that review as I am going there Monday to use my Groupon voucher and was planning ordering what you said :(
I have been to this restaurant before and thought the food was okay
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Reviewer Businesssman
01/04/2011
Vhhhv
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Reviewer Strawbsy
26/03/2011
Food poisoning!
Place was quite spectacular but overpriced even with voucher.
Can't say I enjoyed my food or cocktail and the resulting vomit really didn't help matters. I could have overlooked the fact the chef yelled abuse to staff right next to us, or even the sneaky additions to the bill, but to lose a day because of contaminated food is too much. I would call the restaurant to warn them that something went wrong with their food hygiene, but the last thing I'd want is money off another visit!
South African food is amazing, the biltong was good and I do hear the Bobotie is pretty decent here, but I don't think I'll be back anytime soon.
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Reviewer Candy29
20/03/2011
Believe the poor ratings! A group of six of us went to sz for drinks on Fri 18 Mar 2011. arrival - the door staff weren't particularly welcoming. On arrival I explained twice that I was meeting some friends but we didn't have a reservation and would like a drinks table for six. Twice - the gentleman (not) who had barely looked up from his computer screen while I was talking, looked at me like I was an idiot and asked me for the name the reservation was under - not a great start. thankfully one of our group had already arrived, spotted me and came to the rescue. Note- one of our group had contacted Shaka Zulu in advance to reserve a drinks table and was asked for a £250 minimum spend. Very glad we didn't take this up as a) we had our pick of at least fifteen massive tables - it wasn't at all busy and b) given the service there was no way we'd have spent that much on drinks. Musicupstairs - really good chilled music, a bit funky hotel lobby like. Downstairs - a more upbeat vibe but still relatively chilled earlier in the evening. As the dance floor opened up the music picked up - pretty mainstream, some great tracks but rather random selections skipping from genre to genre. A fair number of people on the dance floor having a good time. Decor absolutely wonderful! The venue is gorgeous. Would definitely hire it for a private party if I could bring my own staff. Drinks the top floor is a drinks only service area (with bar nibbles) while the lower floor is for dinner service and also has a dancefloor. Service on the drinks floor was awful:20 minute wait for a drinks menu10 minute wait for a second menu (and why so stingy with the menus?)20 plus minute wait for drinks once ordereda margarita served with ice and in a tumbler instead of a cocktail glass - when we sent this back asking for a real margarita it took another 20 or so minutes for a rather poor imitation to arrive. And all this when the venue wasn't visibly busy.
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Reviewer hulio2011
06/03/2011
Nice decor, good music but terribly busy, very understaffed and odd layout. Bar downstairs not serving, highly inconvenient, you have to go upstairs. Would not recommend this place. Needs to improve its service, make it more accessible especially with the bars and staffing as people like fast and efficient service and the staff could be better trained.
I go to this club only when invited by people on their birthdays and never by choice and unless it improves, I don't see myself coming here by choice.
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Reviewer EYY
25/02/2011
The decor was the only good thing about this restaurant.

First of all the place was very hard to find. The service was terrible, mains came an hour after starters, the zebra was very oily and they stuffed up the bill. I was startled to find a male staff talking to a female staff in the women's toilets. To top this all off I got food poisoning from either the oyster or lobster and threw up in the middle of Camden!! It is very rare that I get food poisoning. I emailed the restaurant about this and have had no reply.

Spend your money else where.
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Reviewer jnl444
25/02/2011
Can't say I'm surprised to see so many low ratings.

This review is a little late as I thought I'd give them the benefit of the doubt.

I took 9 guests to Shaka Zulu for New Years Eve. The set menu at over £70 per head was a joke. Tiny portions. Cold food. Serving time of 2 hours. When complained EVERY table was brought out mountains of chips. Classy!

I wrote a complaint and the Operations Director got back to me personally to offer myself and my party of 9 a complimentary meal and first round of drinks to try and restore our faith in Shaka Zulu.

With more than 2 weeks notice i requested that they honour this at a requested date (although very flexible) in early Feb.

After many emails, phone calls and left messages, no one even bothered to reply. Customer service at its finest.

Mistakes happen but there is no excuse for bad customer service.

If I could give 'zero' stars I would
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