St John

26 St John Street, Clerkenwell, London, EC1M 4AY - View on a map
Telephone: 020 3301 8069

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St John Restaurant In London
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Overall 8.5
Food 8.8
Service 8.8
Atmosphere 8.5
Value 8.0
Based on 4 reviews

your comments review this restaurant and win a bottle of champagne

friends of mine went here the other week and got serious abuse from a staff member for not tipping. things were said by the waiter that are not repeatable on this site.. i myself on a previous visit found the staff to be arrogant beyond belief whilst the food was really just ok. you have been warned.
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Overall rating 4 stars
Food 5 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 5
Monday, November 16, 2009

I took one look at the menu when I was roped into coming to eat here and the only thing I could eat was Welsh Rarebit!!! I like meat, do not mistake me, but do not want to be subjected to food that is pretty much the animal equivalent of Jeffrey Dahmer's basement!!!
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Cath
Overall rating 1 stars
Food 0 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 0
Friday, November 13, 2009

Spent literally 6 weeks ruminating on, choosing, planning, booking and un-booking restaurants to take my brother to - he rarely gets a night out in London and is a huge foodie. Money no object and he loves eating strange parts of offal and the like. I eventually plumped for St John - thought is was the perfect choice. What a huge disappointment. The food was bland beyond belief. After 2 courses of such mediocrity we decided not to bother with dessert and instead chose very expensive calvados to try and cheer ourselves up. Left over a hundred pounds out of pocket, fairly hungry and a bit gutted.
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SE - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating 2 stars
Food 0 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 0
Wednesday, November 04, 2009

I've visted St John several times now and am neither a 'lady who lunches' nor a 'city banker needing to get a taste of the authentic'. I've eaten in the restaurant on a number of occasions and, when short of time (or having failed to make a booking) have eaten on the bar with a few drinks. On every occasion I have been made to feel welcome, abley advised on wine choices and have received service second to none. I have eaten meat, fish offal and some of the vegetarian options and have never been disappointed.

The highlight of one of my visits, when advised that a dish I wanted on the bar menu was now sold out, was to be told that I could have something from the restaurant menu prepared and brought out for me if I preferred, even though this is not the norm. It is this sort of service that makes St John a regular visit for me.

My only complaint (if this is indeed a complaint) is that sometimes the portions are a little too large for me!
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Overall rating 10 stars
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Monday, October 26, 2009

I love this restaurant. Even though it has a Michelin star it is not at all 'square platey'. There are no jelly cubes or foams just honest, flavoursome food from good provenance. Food is seasonal and the atmosphere is fairly casual. The restaurant has great flair and I recommend you end your meal with an order of madeleines, warm from the oven.
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Fanny Rowland - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating 8 stars
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Sunday, October 04, 2009

I had heard a lot about this place and was very excited at the prospect. I left slightly disappointed, having expecting more.

The food was good, the bone marrow in particular an unusual dish which works well, albeit that four bones is perhaps a little too much but that cannot be a critisism of the restaurant - only my lack of stamina. The eccles cake and cheese was excellent and well worth having.

The wine was good and the wine list is decent.

The service was infuriating - just far too slow, indifferent, no apologies. They all looked like they had other days jobs and came to earn a few quid as robotic waiting staff at night.

The atmosphere is wierd - definitely not one would expect - but in that regard it makes it rather unique. That is not to say it is a great place to sit for hours on end enjoying your meal though. Quite the opposite I would say: bright lighting, slightly uncomfortable chairs, tables close together, poor accoustics, abatoir look - presumably all of which they intend given the focus on offal and cuts of meat?!
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Rick Brown
Overall rating 6 stars
Food 7 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 6
Monday, June 22, 2009


what the bloggers say

Pig Pig's Corner

Pig Pig's Corner

Friday, December 11, 2009 - Roast Bone Marrow & Parsley Salad. This is probably THE most famous dish of St John's (as epitomised by Jay Rayner way back in 2007). The idea is simple, four pieces of beef bone roasted till there is a slightly crispy crust to the marrow, to be smeared across toast. The highly fatty marrow provides such a rich gelatinous texture that you actually need the parsley salad with the sharp vinaigrette to cut across the fat (something we found ourselves but echoed by the maitre d at the end of the meal when he came to enquire how we found dinner). A superbly brilliant simple but highly effective dish.

Gourmet Chick

Gourmet Chick - 9/10

Monday, February 16, 2009 - Our waiter expertly carves the pig at the table putting all who have hesitated before a leg of lamb for a Sunday roast to serious shame. Huge platters are filled with mounds of mouth watering pork meat, crispy skin and stuffing soaking with the juices from the meat. The pig is accompanied by simple bowls of boiled potatoes and cabbage. It has to be the best pork that I have ever tasted. It is so moist and flavoursome. The bone marrow may have been an interesting, perhaps one off experience but the whole pig is something you wish you could repeat on a weekly basis.

World Foodie Guide

World Foodie Guide - 8.5/10

Friday, January 23, 2009 - As you probably know, St John is famous for its ‘nose to tail’ menu, utilising all parts of the animal. However, there are a surprising number of options for those not so keen on this, or eating meat in general… I was surprised that I liked the roast bone marrow quite as much as I did. Our waiter instructed us to use the long metal pick, scoop the marrow out onto the toast, add some coarse salt and top with the parsley and caper salad. It was a messy affair, with marrow running down my fingers, but the combination of flavours was delicious.

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