St. John

Featured reviews

• G

  Google user

  ·1 month ago

  “This is one of the ‘head to toe’ pioneering restaurants in London that needs no introduction. I was there a few times including the main restaurant as well as the bar / cafe area in front. The main restaurant has everything I like about an authentic good restaurant which stamps its own mark in the culinary world - their choice of ingredients, their take to cooking as well as their own interpretation of what’s best. Last time we went we had their bone marrow, grilled Jerusalem artichoke, quail, crispy pig’s cheek & ginger loaf. Having tried a number of highly popular restaurants in the city, I have to say St. John is still one of my absolute favourites. The dishes seem to appear effortlessly, in their best state & tastes, but without appearing too earnest. It is, no doubt, really English cuisine at its best. Deco is minimalist but tables lined with white linen. The par down atmosphere goes well with the original bacon smoked house architecture which we adore.”

• G

  Google user

  ·2 months ago

  “Delicious, really well portioned and decently priced food with very interesting ingredients. The atmosphere and the decor is very minimalistic and simple, which I found very pleasant. The parchment paper covering the tables could be skipped though. The service was pretty good, although could have been a bit more welcoming. All together really something different, definitely worth a visit.”

• G

  Google user

  ·2 months ago

  “St. John is a restaurant for those that really enjoy food and understand what they represent and what Henderson has done as a pioneer of nose to tail cooking. A real food nerd's destination and an open mind is needed to be able to order and experience the offal and off cuts that reclaim some English, classic dishes. It's important to do a little research because the dishes served are not things often seen on menus, especially American menus. The bone marrow and welsh rarebit are classics and a must. The crab on toast is another menu mainstay; the whole brown crab is the alternative for those willing to put more work in. The green sauce is also ever present with the a daily fish. Our table went offal with the gizzard salad (wow, so tender and the dressing had good zing), rissole (mince meat croquet that packed intense meat flavor), roasted heart special (the cut was packed with umami and had a nice balance of toothsome and tenderness), and the cockles bacon and samphire (wonderfully smoke from the bacon and grass and salt in the sea beans). Service was pleasant and straightforward, but it was the food that really shined for us. A wonderful meal with the madelines being a nice finishing touch.”

• G

  Google user

  ·2 months ago

  “I was so prepared to love this place. There were some stand out dishes like the fried pig snout, tongue and tail with ketchup. The mint ice cream I loved. But the prevailing flavor throughout nearly all the dishes we tried was mustard. I love mustard, but it was a lot of mustard. The biggest let down was the mangalitza ham, which I had imagined to be succulent and tender and pink, but instead it came out gray, super dry and tough. There was no sauce on the plate, just a watery liquid from the mustard drenched super salty chard. Needless to say, this dish did not justify costing £35, or justify being on the menu at all. It was actually baffling why they would think anyone would want to eat that. I still have respect for what they do, maybe it’s just the inevitable disappointment after so much hype. Maybe just an off day.”

• G

  Google user

  ·3 months ago

  “St. John is not just a restaurant—it is an institution. Few places have had such a profound influence on modern British dining, yet what strikes me every time I visit is how honest and unpretentious it remains. The room is simple, the service is understated, and the focus is entirely on the food. The cooking is a masterclass in restraint. There is nowhere to hide when dishes are built around a handful of ingredients, and St. John consistently demonstrates how extraordinary simplicity can be when executed perfectly. Whether it’s one of their iconic nose-to-tail dishes, a seasonal vegetable preparation, or one of the famous desserts, everything reflects a deep respect for ingredients and craftsmanship. There are trendier restaurants in London and certainly more luxurious ones, but very few have the soul, influence, and enduring excellence of St. John. A place every serious food lover should experience at least once, and probably many more times after that.”

• G

  Google user

  ·3 months ago

  “Visiting from Canada, been to London several times. This was a bucket list place for us after seeing Anthony Bourdain here. We also have a huge respect for the 'snout to tail' concept of cuisine. Our server, Ash, was exceptional. Great sense of humour, knowledge of the menu and he even surprised us with a birthday candle on our dessert. We were a party of 4, and we shared our meals. Loved the ox tongue and bath chaps. Go for the food and the experience. Worth it! Thank you so much.”

• G

  Google user

  ·3 months ago

  “1/5 ⭐️ We visited St. John to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary with our son after hearing so many people recommend this iconic British restaurant. The host at the entrance was lovely and welcoming, and the food itself was good. The dishes may not look particularly appealing, but the flavors were excellent, and I can understand why this restaurant has such a loyal following. Unfortunately, our experience was overshadowed by the service from our waitress (she had straight bangs). We only managed to book a 2:45 pm reservation, and knowing it was near the end of lunch service, we didn’t want to keep the staff working longer than necessary. We ordered several signature dishes, but she rather bluntly told us it wouldn’t be enough and insisted we order side dishes. The sides didn’t interest us, so we added two more starters instead. She then seemed irritated again and told us we were ordering too much. It felt like whatever decision we made was wrong. Throughout the meal, she was impatient and unfriendly. Since we were celebrating our anniversary, even a simple “Happy Anniversary” would have been a thoughtful gesture, but there was no acknowledgment at all. At the end of the meal, the bill was brought to our table. We placed our credit card on the tray and waited for quite a while before anyone came back to process the payment. The food was genuinely good, and I would have happily recommended St. John based on the cooking alone. Sadly, one staff member’s attitude completely changed the experience for our family and turned what should have been a special celebration into a disappointing one.”

• G

  Google user

  ·4 months ago

  “A legendary London restaurant I’ve long wanted to visit: St. John. Located right next to London’s largest meat wholesale market, it’s famous for its exceptional offal dishes and lesser-known cuts, especially its iconic beef offal. Today’s daily special was ox heart, and it was absolutely stunning—so delicious and perfectly executed. The bone marrow was also fantastic and well worth trying. The whole atmosphere is wonderfully comfortable, and the staff are excellent and incredibly welcoming, taking the time to explain so many dishes to us. We had a truly lovely lunch. Highly recommended.”

• G

  Google user

  ·5 months ago

  “Starting off with the service everyone working there was super nice, friendly and helpful. I really couldn’t fault the people working there they were excellent. However, from my perspective the food left a lot to be desired. Overall the starter (pate, toast and prune) and main courses me and my boyfriend had were very bland and just tasted like butter. I had a pork dish for my main course but when you pay over £30 on a dish and it comes with two slices of dry pork and three carrots and the only taste is butter it’s surprising but not in a positive way. My boyfriend had rabbit and a side of potatoes which were quite literally plain boiled potatoes with butter on top (no seasoning). On the other hand each dish came with something pickled which did at least offer a different flavour and the desserts we had (madeleines and crumble) were excellent.”

• G

  Google user

  ·7 months ago

  “I visited St Johns because I volunteer at the Spitalfields City Farm, where I know the restaurant sources some of its produce from. I had also read lots of good reviews about their food, and I can happily say that all the positive reviewer are correct. The food here is incredible! The dishes are simple but you can tell the care and intention that has gone into sourcing quality ingredients and cooking them with precision. Their vegetarian menu is not expansive but we tried pretty much all the veggie dishes they had, and I loved every single one of them. All the dishes look to celebrate the flavour and texture of the vegetables so the seasoning is light and designed very much to complement the produce, rather than overpower it. My favorite was their side cabbage greens - it was cooked to perfection, with the most subtle but delectable buttery dressing. Their desert menu was very impressive. We had their chocolate cake which was very delicious - perhaps one of the best ones I’ve had. They also brought out complimentary madeleines which we had with some coffees To finish it all off, the service was also very good. All the staff were friendly, kind and precessional. I would very much like to come here again, and also try the other branches of St Johns.”