Kua ‘Aina: Burgers with A Slice of Hawaii in London

Last updated on October 3rd, 2023 at 08:36 pm

Kua ‘Aina London: 26 Foubert’s Place, London, W1F 7PP (just off Carnaby Street)

You know what it’s like, you’re desperately fancying a fat burger for dinner, but come 4pm on a Friday everywhere in Central London is either fully booked, or charging silly amounts for a fancy burger PLUS fries. You want something a bit more special than a chain restaurant or pop up market, but don’t fancy swapping your trainers for heels at the end of the working day. Well, the Kua ‘Aina menu has you covered.

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Cue a great discovery just off of Carnaby Street; Kua ‘Aina London. On walking past you may assume it’s just takeaway, as from the front it doesn’t look huge. Don’t let the first come, first served seating put you off; we were sat immediately at 8pm on a Friday.

Kua ‘Aina, or “Koo-a eye-na”, means “back country”, but is more often used to describe a country bumpkin in Hawaii. For native Hawaiians it can mean those who actively live Hawaiian culture and keep the spirit of the land alive”

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The Kua ‘Aina menu: drinks

Of course, we had to begin with a cocktail, and can confirm that the Mojito and the Mango Daiquiri were great. At £6.95 the cocktails are such a reasonable price for London; hands up if you no longer bat an eyelid at paying that for a single gin (sadly). Also on the Kua ‘Aina menu are beers, wine, hot drinks, smoothies and milkshakes, which would make a great lighter alternative to dessert. There’s also the option to add rum to the milkshakes; you Sir are my kind of restaurant.

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After more restaurant ideas? Check out our A-Z guide of places to eat in London here

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The Kua ‘Aina menu: food

The Kua ‘Aina menu covers everything that you could want from a burger restaurant. Lava-grilled beef burgers with a multitude of toppings, chicken or fish burgers or sandwiches, and meat free alternatives. Choose from six different options of fries as well as slaw, wings, onion rings and veggies; there’s no going short of sides here. We opted for a burger each then spicy buffalo wings and chilli cheese fries to share. (The ‘Magnum PI’; and ‘The Big Chilli’ burgers if you’re interested, both were banging). If you’re big eaters, although listed as ‘to share’, the chilli cheese fries were a little on the smaller side for two people. Maybe get them and a portion of normal fries as well. 

In the name of “research”, and definitely not because I’m a little piglet, I then topped it all off with the Triple Choc Chips Fluffy American Pancakes. Not gonna lie, when they came I thought the pancakes may have been a little dry. However the pancakes were still so hot that the chips all melted into a milk and white chocolate sauce. Drool. 

Top tip: order a couple of sides to share if you’re going to have dessert, or at least one side each if you’re not a dessert person. 

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The overall verdict

Kua ‘Aina London was such a great discovery: great food, great service and great prices. The burgers were £9.95 each, chilli cheese fries £6.95 and pancakes £4.95 which makes a whole meal great value for the quality. We’ll definitely be going back, and it should definitely go on your list of restaurants to try too. Word on the street is that the original branch in Hawaii is Barack Obama’s favourite place to grab a burger when he’s home. If it’s good enough for Obama…

Top tip: head to Be At One on Greek Street for happy hour 2-for-1 cocktails first! 

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Location: 26 Foubert’s Place, London, W1F 7PP
Website: https://www.kua-aina.co.uk
Vibe: Casual, somewhere you’d pop to after work or after a day of wandering

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