20% off Pitaya Thai street food in London’s Covent Garden

We visited the first UK site of the hugely successful Thai fast-casual brand from France, Pitaya, in London’s Covent Garden.

Located on the Strand, the restaurant confirmed with FtLion that “our meat is certified Halal” , with its website stating: “Pitaya restaurants are indeed Halals [sic]. You can ask for certifications at the cash desk.”

The company boasts 12 sites in Bordeaux and 44 franchise stores in France and Spain, and made its UK debut in 2021.

While a small yellow tuk-tuk with seating for two is strategically situated near the entrance, the spacious 56-cover venue offers limited kitchen-side seats, with plenty more tables available downstairs in the basement.

‘From Bankok to London’… plenty of seating downstairs

Whilst the franchisee behind this site is hoping to open 40 more Pitayas across the country, another bit of trivia that might interest some is that the owner also happens to be the man behind The Burger Club (rated 4/5) in Surrey’s Banstead.

Tom Yum Soup (Chicken) – Tom Yum paste, bamboo, minced lemongrass, red & green peppers, fresh chilli & coriander, £6.95

In our experience, Tom Yum Soups can be a hit and miss affair. Not on this occassion though.

This soup was defined by its rich buttery broth, which managed to achieve a good balance between the mellow citrusiness and the gentle spicy heat.

With the fragrance of the lemongrass coasting through in the background, as well as plenty of tender chicken and peppers to boot, we were left pleasantly surprised.

Dynamite Prawns – Batter-fried prawns coated in homemade dynamite sauce, £7.95

Plenty of good things about this small bowl of Dynamite Prawns which, while having that tender chewiness of well-cooked crustaceans, was drizzled in a flavourous dynamite sauce, and presented on a bed of fresh lettuce leaves.

Our only complaint would be the lack of that deliciously zingy sauce. When you order dynamite prawns, you expect plenty of it.

Dynamite Chicken – Batter-fried chicken coated in homemade dynamite sauce, £7.95

Here again, while everything was perfectly well-done, with the battered chicken being both juicy and moist on the in and crispy on the out, the ratio of the sauce just wasn’t enough in our opinion to make it sing those high notes.

Prawn Skewers – Two prawn skewers served with sriracha sauce, £7.95

We enjoyed both the charring on the outside, as well as the marination of these large and bouncy prawns, which appeared to be based in a chilli oil of sorts, with a hint of sour to ’em.

Chicken Satay Skewers – Two skewers of marinated chicken served with peanut sauce, £6.95

Beautifully executed Chicken Satay Skewers, which had some good charring to them while managing to retain their tenderness.

We only realised later that, as per the menu, these were supposed to be “served with peanut sauce”, which, of course, turned out to be our collective complaint after the fact.

Nua Kao – Sliced beef, prawns, Thai white rice, wok-fried bean sprouts, carrots, fried onions & Thai chives, £11.95

“Wow” was our immediate reaction when met by the deep smokiness of these gorgeously chewy strips of succulent beef.

Add to that the aromatic rice and lots of salad, and we were left surprised by how good this large Nua Kao bowl was. Recommended all the way.

Green Curry – Sliced chicken, green curry with coconut milk, Thai white rice, wok-fried peppers, courgettes, bamboo shoots & Thai chives, £11.95

With enough heat throughout to maintain interest, the tender strips of chicken in this large bowl were complimented by red and green peppers, textured bamboo shoots, and a wonderfully aromatic curry that was served with fragrant sticky white rice.

And though our initial description of this soothingly satisfying Green Curry included “clean” and “fresh”, by the end, we realised that this could have been more punchier in flavour (perhaps the option of chilli would have done the trick).

Sie Yai – Sliced beef, Udon wheat noodles, bean sprouts, carrots wok-fried, Thai chives & fried onions

As with the Nua Kao above, the smoky sliced beef coupled with the thick, al dente udon noodles – superbly glistening in the beef sauce – were the stars of the show in this Sie Yai.

Pad Thai – Shrimp, flat rice noodles, bean sprouts, soy sauce, chopped chives, roasted peanuts & lime juice

A very well made Pad Thai, whose silky strands of flat rice noodles turned out to be addictively good.

Add to that all the condiments that make up this classic Thai dish, including a generous sprinkling of crushed peanuts, and we thoroughly enjoyed its robust flavours.

Beef Loc Lac – Wok-fried sliced beef, sautéed white rice with tomato, chopped salad, tomatoes, cucumber, red onions & Thai chives

Whatever they’re doing with this beef, keep it going, because we couldn’t get enough of that delightfully smoky taste and aroma.

In the case of this Beef Loc Lac, the rice was positively saturated by the rich sauce, adding that extra layer of flavour.

Garlic & Pepper Prawns – Prawns, white Thai rice, wok-fried garlic & pepper, sliced tomatoes, cucumbers & Thai chives

This Garlic & Pepper Prawns dish simply did not do it for us, overpowered as it was by all that coarse pepper. Granted the point behind the seasoning would have been to add some heat; but not to the point of dominating everything within the vicinity, including the garlic.

A pity really, because the large, plump and succulent prawns, enhanced again by that barbecue flavour meandering in the background, deserved better.

Macarons – Mango Sticky Rice • Jasmin • Citronelle • Kalamansi • Thai Tea • Pandan

For the purposes of this review, and the fact that they looked so darn good, we opted for all half-a-dozen flavours: Mango Sticky Rice, Jasmin, Citronelle, Kalamansi, Thai Tea, Pandan.

Each one was, flavour-wise, different and distinct from the other; and all of them boasted a shiny, light crispy exterior which, when bitten into, gave way to a soft and chewy centre.

If we had to choose our top three, it would be: Kalamansi, Mango Sticky Rice, and the Citronelle.

Cookie Milk chocolate banana

This chocolate banana cookie had a soft and crumbly texture, offered plenty of chocolatey satisfaction, and was somewhat pleasantly chewy on the inside. As for the two drinks, then the pomegranate green tea is a must.

Good range of exotic bottled & canned beverages to consider

Despite their beverages being bottled, we did enjoy the lychee Mogu Mogu, with tapioca pearls therein.