Review: Latin American Restaurant Zuaya in Kensington High Street

Zuaya, found on Kensington High Street opposite Kensington Palace, and serves Latin American food and delicious cocktails and definitely makes a statement.

It's owned by Spanish brothers Arian and Alberto Zandi, who are the duo behind Como Gardens, also in Kensington, Spanish restaurant El Norte in Mayfair, and the soon to open Riviera which looks set to be a colossal and extravagant restaurant opening in Mayfair.

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The restaurants’ chic and exotic interiors feature three distinct ambiences - including an outside terrace - which provides as great escape from London's bustle for lunch, drinks or dinner. 

Dishes are pan-Latin American (Image: Zuaya)

I sat in the downstairs area for dinner, and as I headed down I was met with a sign  reading ‘welcome to the jungle’.

Sure enough, as I headed downstairs I became immersed in the jungle theme of the restaurant, covered in greenery and leaves which make the place look beautiful.

I was sat in a cool corner embellished with a mirror on the wall and illuminated by the glow of a lamp. It felt intimate, private and also very upmarket.

We wanted some small bites to start with, so chose from the starter tapas section of the menu.

My boyfriend and I shared a tuna avocado taco and the burrata on Peruvian corn cake.

Zuaya's tuna and avocado taco (Image: Zuaya)

While I've eaten my fair share of burrata in my time, I've never tried it with corn. I really enjoyed it. 

We paired these each with one of Zuaya’s signature cocktails.

I chose the Black Forest that came with a tequila. With wild berries, apple, lychees and grenadine, it was sweet enough to satiate my extreme sweet tooth.

For mains I had the tuna tiradito with yuzu and mango, and this was divine.

Not only taste-wise, but it was so beautifully presented with each aspect of the poke bowl chopped up into small bits.

The jungle themed restaurant was covered greenery and leaves (Image: Zuaya)

It was genuinely yummy, and I enjoyed every bite.

I added to this the wok of vegetables, which was a huge dish, and delicious.

My boyfriend had the milk-fed lamp chops with the patatas bravas, which he also absolutely loved.

I must admit, I am usually an Italian or Japanese cuisine type of girl, but I really enjoyed trying something new and I will definitely branch out more often.

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Despite being full, I couldn't resist dessert and ordered the chocolate fondant.

It’s made to serve, so took around 15 minutes, but every single bite was worth the wait.

Address: 35B Kensington High Street W8 5EB

Website: zuaya.co.uk