The Rum Kitchen occupies the entire first floor of Kingly Court, the Carnaby Street courtyard a block off Regent Street. The room is a Caribbean beach-shack interpretation of a Soho restaurant-bar: timber cladding, woven pendant shades, a 70-cover floor with the bar at one end and a hidden rum cellar of more than 100 bottles below. Time Out London's Soho bars guide describes the soundtrack as "reggae loud enough to dance to without anyone insisting you dance."
The right visitor wants Caribbean food and a long rum list at Soho money rather than Soho cocktail-bar money — cocktails sit at £12–14, plates £8–18. The wrong visitor wants quiet conversation or a serious mixology programme. The Notting Hill, Brixton and Shoreditch sister sites all closed in April 2024, per Bar Magazine; Kingly Court is the surviving location and the original. Best as the start of a Carnaby night rather than a destination.
The first floor of Kingly Court reads as a beach-themed restaurant with the bar as the focal point, not the other way round. Timber cladding, rattan light fittings, palm planting, and a long counter facing the courtyard. DesignMyNight's review describes the energy as "Caribbean party rather than cocktail-lab," which is accurate. The hidden rum cellar — not open to walk-in guests — sits below the floor with the working back-stock of 100+ rums; bartenders will pull bottles to order on request.
Order the Rattle Skull Punch (£13) — the house signature, rum punch with spices and fruits, served by the glass or as a sharing jug for two. The Rumbustion (coconut, spices, rum) and the Calypso Cola also turn up on most published menus from OpenTable and Rum Cask. Ask the bartender for an off-list rum recommendation from the cellar if you want a single pour rather than a cocktail; flights start at £24 for three.
Skip the off-menu cocktail builds — the strength is the listed punches and house serves, not seasonal mixology. Reviews on Yelp and Tripadvisor consistently flag the service speed under weekend pressure, so allow time on Friday and Saturday evenings.
Lunch and early evening pull a Soho work crowd from the Carnaby and Liberty side of Regent Street. The room shifts after 21:00 on Fridays and Saturdays into a louder, younger group treating it as a pre-club start, per Time Out's Soho coverage. Sunday is the easiest sitting; the Caribbean brunch menu runs until 16:00 and the room is at its calmest. Birthdays and small groups dominate weekend bookings.