Butlers Wharf Chop House

We went to the Chop House for my partners birthday. The service was first class from the moment we walked in and the food was fantastic. The only slight downside was the price - quite expensive and a bit of a shock when we got the bill for just two courses and a couple of drinks, but worth it for a special occasion. I think that possibly as we live outside of London and were visiting we just weren't used to London prices.

I would recommend the Chop House for its food and service definitely. Our meal was delivered quickly and was hot, delicious and well prepared. The waiting staff couldn't do enough and made my partners birthday treat very special. Just remember to take a credit card with plenty of credit on it and you'll have a great time!
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Sonia Gale
8 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 3
Monday, January 16, 2012

This was my first visit and my last. I love steak, so with that in mind ordered a 350 gram rib eye at £32 for lunch. I asked for it medium rare. It arrived medium well, and was dry and tough. I didn't make a fuss - I was with a client.

There are so many better places to get a vastly better steak in London and at lower prices. Hawksmoor, for my money the best steak house in London - 400 gram rib eye at £26, Gaucho, a great Argentinian restaurant 400 gram rib eye at £25.25, and even Gordon Ramsay's Maze Grill is cheaper - 12 oz (340 grams) rib eye at £30. And to emphasise, this isn't so much about price as quality. All three of the above restaurants are in a different league to the Chop House.

The Chop House is a prime example of a restaurant resting on its laurels and serving mediocre food at sky high prices. Why do people keep coming? Location, location, location.
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Michael Palmer
3 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 0
Tuesday, August 16, 2011

I have never been so embarrassed in all my life! I have a Spanish friend that came over to the UK and after being treated in Barcelona I decided to take her to London to see the sights and we ended up in the Butlers Wharf Chop House by the Tower of London for something to eat. We went there as the Evening Standard was running a promotion to eat 3 courses for 15 pounds. I thought this was good . However we were put in the restuarant where there was not the same deal but the Evening Standard was supposedly doing a 3 course meal for £25 each. However all vegetables were extra at £3.75 each including sautee potatoes and after an hour and a half we only ate the poor starter. After prompting the waiter we finally finished the small portions two and a half hours after we sat down only to be confronted with a bill that made me fall off my chair! They had charged us £4 for water, £4 for a small fruit juice and £2.90 for half a lager. Then on top of this they had added 12.5% service charge. I paid.

Had I not been with my Spanish friend I would have told them the food was poor, cold, small portioned and extremely expensive and the service rubbish plus I feel they robbed me. AVOID

Beware -if a deal looks too good to be true it probably is and it certainly was here.
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2 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 0
Sunday, August 14, 2011

You pay for the location. Perfectly placed on the river and great to watch the world go by. We stopped by for a Sunday lunch at the weekend and there were a couple of things that I felt left me dissapointed. Firstly no toilet paper in the ladies toilet...which I think smacks of lack of attention to the details. Also, we ordered beef; one rare and the other medium rare. When the waitress delievered them to our table we asked which was which....she didn't know! - her solution? why don't you cut into it and see!!!!!
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Helen
6 Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 5
Monday, July 25, 2011

With a friend, we decided to try the Chop House , Butlers Wharf London.

What a fantastic luncheon experience, the attentive waiting staff were excellent , when the plates were cleared it was done with such finesse that we did not notice the plates had been removed , there was plenty of room for the comfort of customers and for the waiting staff to manoeuvre . The food was brilliant to say the least and the waiter explained not only what the ingredients were used but how it was prepared. I had the ox tongue for a starter a little salty but still can't really fault it. My friend had a pig trotter for a starter, the first time she had tried it and loved it, it had been cooked slowly for four hours, shredded and deep fried . For the main course we both chose the rib eye steak medium rare, we were given steak knives but we didn't really need it as the steaks were so tender a butter knife would have sliced through the meat.. We both had bread and when we were offered more bread the butter knives were changed swiftly, we did not have to ask for anything apart from our choice of wine, food and water, it was absolutely brilliant, we both ordered the same dessert, sticky toffee pudding, and wow what more can I say just wow again.

As far as I can say this restaurant so far is my favourite and the bill was not a shocker either .

I would love for Michell Roux to visit this restaurant if he has not done so all ready because his televised program "Michel Roux's Service ' showed exactly what front of staff should be and the Chop House is just that.
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LILLIAN WILLIAMSON
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, March 24, 2011

We visited BWCH because it looked good on the web, and the menu suited the 4 of us

We had a good day out, show, beer , shopping with a good meal to finish with, well that was the plan.

As this was a 60th birthday , we asked for a table by the window to take in the wonderful view, we were told we would get some chocolate's which I thought was a nice touch,,,,,,,,,, we got neither!

Not much in the way of conversation with the staff, except to say can we be out by 8:00 , which we had previously agreed.

We ordered , got some bread which was OK, got the wine again OK, mains arrived. Two steaks, although given a big build on the web, were ordinary beyond belief , we sent the sole back uncooked in the middle, again little conversation, the other meal ,fish and chips was OK. Sole came back ( new one) cooked was OK

Based on the above we dispensed with sweets, asked for the bill, which came instantly, still no conversation, good for them the service charge was not based on words, they would owe us. We paid the bill, and left

Although there were a plethora of " managers in suits" no one asked us if we had enjoyed the food, ambiance , service and would we like to come again.

Perhaps living and eating out in the Canterbury area , where the experience is valued by pubs and michelin starred restaurants alike, we are spoiled. Or could it be that we are just day tripping punters and the likes of BWCH really don't care what you think,

The show was good , the beer was good and the shopping was good, 3 out of 4 will have to do!
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5 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 4
Saturday, March 12, 2011

well....lets start off on the good points. there was a good atmosphere. sorry there shoudnt have been an s on the end of point.

i visited this resturant on a saturday night in a group of 4. we were politely greeted and seated and our orders where taken. i ordered roast beef. so, it came up. one very fine slice of beef with a yorkshire pudding on top with half a semi roasted potato. 3 of us had ordered the beef so there were some bemused faces as to who had taken the rest of our dinner.

the other diner had ordered the chicken pie. up her plate came. and there it was a chicken pie in the middle of her plate, nothing else just a chicken pie. £16 for a chicken pie. no veg on the side. no potato. nothing just a pie. id expect this if id ordered a pie at a football match. but not a restaurant. so obviously not very happy and with no waiter to ask for side orders we ate what we had (which didnt take very long).

when a lady came to take the plates she made a big mistake. we werent going to say anything. this is england after all and we're all used to being ripped off. she asked how was your meal. meal meal you say, id like to tell you but i only got half of it.

she got another lady to come over. she asked what was wrong. we informed her it was our first time visiting the resturant and we didnt know we were meant to order sides we thought we would be getting veg with our roast beef. she went well it does say what you get in the menu. a statement i loved. you're right i said so wheres the other half to my roast potato!

so we asked for the bill. it came, and the cheeky buggers thought they were worth a 14.5% tip. which we made them remove
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3 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 0
Monday, January 24, 2011

Soooo, not a great review here.

I had the unfortunate experience of having the waitress splash red wine from a carafe on my paper menu, hair on the back of my head, back of my jumper (enough to seep through to stain my shirt) and on my jacket collar which was on the back of the chair.

My issue wasn't the fact that she split the wine (accidents happen after all - although I could have done without having to go on to my next event of the evening without wine blobs on my back - not the impression I was trying to give!) My beef was the fact that she actually realised what she had done, but made a quick assessment behind me that she could get away with it without me noticing and just carried on about her business. I thought it was a bit odd as she sort of hesitated behind me and the carafe was dripping when she put it back on the table. She claimed she didn't realise (which perhaps says even more about her attention to service if she "didn't realise" she had done all that!)

She apologised - and produced a form for me to bring back in with a dry cleaning receipt so that I could be re-reimbursed. So I now had to go to all the trouble of getting them cleaned and then return back to the restaurant (which was not near where I lived) with the receipt and form to get the cleaning costs back? Yes, she said impertinently, otherwise how will we know how much it cost. So I asked to speak to the Manager - I asked her why I had to come back in and suggested it might be less hassle if I could post in the receipt and she agreed that I could. So I'm thinking I have now had my evening ruined, I have to go to all this hassle to correct their mistake, surely she will make a token offer to compensate me - thinking they would say the wine is on us or your meal is on us… no … nothing. Her response was that "she couldn't turn back time…" … (perhaps a management course on how not to patronise customers might help) - if only I could turn back time I would never have set foot in the place.

I've been to lots of DandD restaurants and this really does highlight the weakest link - there is no way they would have responded like that at Quaglino's or Skylon.

Rubbish service, Rubbish food, Rubbish restaurant - AVOID.
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0 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Monday, January 17, 2011

Some of the reviews of this restaurant surprise me. Four of us went to the Chop House on Sunday. We hadn't booked but easily got a table(although not near the window). We decided on the £22 two course menu and I have to say my food was superb. I had venison which was perfectly cooked on a delicious bed of mushrooms and lentils in a flavoursome jus.The sticky toffee pudding was one of the best I have had.We decided on a glass of house wine each which was a mistake as it was so good we needed another and should have had a bottle ! Our mistake. Water came immediately when asked for.

Service was efficient and pleasant and we didn't have to wait long. One small gripe is that vegetables were extra. I really think they should be included-especially with a roast-who doesn't have vegetables ?,

OK, the meal was expensive but one expects to pay this in such a lovely location in London. I'd go again. Perhaps I was just lucky with my choices but others in our party of four were happy. Look forward to my next visit.
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Francie - View all reviews by this user
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 7
Friday, October 15, 2010

I visited the restaurant with a guest from abroad on Sunday 19th September.

Having been to many other restaurants in the group I was most disappointed.

Firstly to find a chop house without chops on the menu.

The service was less than friendly; having ordered vegetable side dishes these only arrived sometime after the meal and in a less than busy restaurant it took time toattract the waiters attention to order additional drinks

We certainly will not be returning
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3 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 3
Tuesday, September 21, 2010