Americana London Restaurant. Enjoy Authentic Southern American Soul Food.

Natasha Blair enjoys great entertainment while eating soul food at Americana London Restaurant.

Southern American Soul Food has arrived in Central London at the Americana London Restaurant on London’s Haymarket and with it, entertainment. Background music can often be irritating and sometimes too loud or intrusive. Somehow live music is different, and when it’s good, it contributes to making your evening special.

The Americana fills both these criteria. Great food, and on the Tuesday when I visited, great jazz. The décor is that of an American diner with an open kitchen facing onto the tables so diners can see their food being cooked.

Apparently, the recipes originate from old recipes of Southern American cooking that have been passed down through the generations, using similar ingredients and cooking methods.

The menu is divided into a choice of sea, land and plant and includes small and large plates, Dixieland burgers and flamed steaks.

I started with one of Americana’s popular dishes Southern crab cakes, two very small crispy balls of crab which came with a creamy sauce. £19.00. Given the price, I would have been happier if they were a bit bigger as delicious.

My eating companion Shayne picked the slow spit roasted chicken and smoked pork sausage gumbo pot which included scallions, chillies and a dollop of sour cream. Served piping hot, and although he enjoyed it, he complained that he couldn’t find any sausage. Home-made cornbread which had just been freshly baked accompanied the pot. £14.00.

We had just settled in when the music started. The Greg Davis Trio, combining a saxophonist, double bass and piano plays recognisable jazz tunes with a standard certainly equal to any found in a jazz club. Although the music was quite loud somehow it was enjoyable rather than intrusive.

I didn’t have to think twice about my main course, barbequed Mesquite Black Gascony Ribs with Kentucky Straight Whisky. Really thick pork ribs coated in a delicious, black sticky, and very spicy sauce. £28.00. The meal came with a shot of “Woodford reserve” an extra £5.00. The ribs were enormous, and very meaty, accompanied with skin-on fries and home-made slaw, coleslaw without the mayonnaise. Had I known the amount of food in this dish, it would have been sufficient for me without a starter.

Our other mains, slow barbecued smoked lamb shoulder was coated in a rich sweet and hot, red currant and jalapenos syrup, served with a new potato and onion salad.

The wine list is small, and varied. I started with a Valdobbiadene Prosecco Doc £10.00 while Shayne had an El Supreme Cabernet Sauvignon £8.50 for 175 ml. £11.50 for 260ml.

Although perhaps the main reason for a visit is the authentic meat dishes, vegetarians are also catered for in their plant section. Plates include a hearty and creamy wild mushroom and roasted chestnut soup £12.00, and crispy smoked batter buffalo cauliflower florets £10.00.

Our food was very filling but somehow, however filling, there is always space for a dessert. We shared a very sweet Alabama pecan pie, a slice of tart served with a dollop of Jude’s raspberry ice cream. £9.50. Americana have paired with Jude’s, a family run ice-cream maker that promotes itself as ‘treading as lightly as they can on the planet” managing to reduce their carbon intensity by 21 percent since 2020.

Entertainment varies depending on the day. On Monday there is a magician, Tuesday Jazz, Wednesday Classic Pop Violin, while on Thursday it can be anything from Latin and Cuban to Mariachi. Friday and Saturday there are Afro-Latin tunes from their resident DJ, Jamy, and on Sunday, described as bottomless Sax Sunday, there is a saxophonist to serenade you while you eat.

Hidden away, the Backstage Bar is open at similar times to the restaurant, welcoming visitors who fancy a drink without having to eat. Above the Backstage Bar, an intimate raised area, is an overflow to the restaurant but available for private parties.