Last Updated on September 27, 2024
Bringing the Big Apple to London, BEASY offers great cocktails and casual dining.
In the heart of Soho, on the famous Greek Street, founder Gabriel Iliopoulos has sought to put Beasy on the map as the go-to location for drinks, creative fast food, and private social events in the bustling centre of London’s night-life district, since opening in early 2022. Seeking to add a new twist to Soho’s many bars and eateries, Iliopoulos took inspiration from the other side of the Atlantic, travelling to New York to find inspiration for both the décor and the cuisine offered at Beasy.
Downstairs, there is a fully decked-out speakeasy bar with record players, magazines, and a DJ booth. Upstairs, bright neon lights and creative murals create a party ambience. The speakeasy bar is only available for private hire and usually accommodates around 40 guests. We were excited to take up the invitation to visit Beasy and experience the cocktail bar for ourselves.
The ubiquitous chips or French fries, found on menus across the land are nowhere to be found at Beasy. Rather, they have been replaced by ‘tater tots’, small balls of deep-fried potato which whilst similar in composition to the classic wedge cut style popular in the UK may be unfamiliar to many British visitors. The ‘tater tot’ section of the menu offers tater tots with a variety of different toppings such as paprika, melted cheese with either sweet chilli or crispy bacon, or with chilli con carne, cheese sauce and handmade salsa with parsley. We were lucky to try an off-menu topping of pulled pork, chives, feta and cheese which was an excellent side dish, with a generous topping of soft and tasty pulled pork sinking into the piping hot and moreish tater tots below.
Further inspiration which founder Gabriel Iliopoulos took from his American travels was to centre the food offering around hotdogs, both in their conventional sausage format and as ‘specials’ for which a variety of fast-food favourites fill the steamed buns. Starting with the hot dog section, the ‘Fresh’ hotdog with turkey sausage, handmade salsa, Beasy sweet chilli sauce, avocado, and crispy onions was excellent and made good use of a particularly well-made sausage. The BBQ hot dog with beef sausage, caramelised onions, mayo, BBQ sauce, lettuce and crispy bacon bits was as luxurious, with smoky flavours. The options on the ‘specials’ section suit a variety of tastes, with the Cheeseburger dog, the Chilli dog and the Chicky dog. All menu items at Beasy can also be made as vegetarian or vegan options by request. From the ‘Nibbles’ section of sides, we enjoyed the chicken chunks with honey mustard glaze and sesame. Beasy’s hotdog creativity does not end just with the savoury section of the menu, with the dessert menu featuring the ‘The Munchies’ dog with banana, Nutella and crushed biscuits.
The cheeseburger dog with smashed beef burger, cheese sauce, Beasy Sriracha sauce, lettuce, pickled cucumber, and crispy onion was well executed with plenty of cheese to make this an exciting combination of American classics for a late night out. The Chilli dog with chilli con carne, cheese sauce, Beasy Sriracha sauce, avocado, handmade salsa and parsley was a hotter alternative and also conveniently served, as all the hot dogs were, being sliced in two in the kitchen for easy sharing. All sauces at Beasy are made in-house. Fitting with the informal style of the bar, visitors ordering food would be best off ordering a selection from the menu to share, with all food intended to be eaten with one’s hands, or with the small wooden forks on each table.
The cocktails at Beasy were excellent with close attention to detail and tidy presentation. The pina colada was fragrant with the right level of sweetness, and a complementary coconut undertone. The dark ruby negroni was similarly smart with an orange peel slice. Another cocktail classic, the pornstar martini was nicely sour, served with a passionfruit wedge.
Whether to begin or end a night out in London’s party centre, Beasy offers an excellent cocktail selection and a well-considered blend of American fast food classics across its menu. The informal and quirky offering provides something quite different in the Soho cocktail and fast food scene. Beasy is well worth a look when you are next in the area.
58 Greek St
Soho
London
W1D 3DY
07930008464
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