Porters English Restaurant

We dined at Porters last Friday before the theatre as part of a show and dinner package; I have to say how pleasantly surprised we both were. The package included a main course and starter or dessert, of which there was a good choice. I have bought packages before and I can't remember ever being offered a choice of 8 or 9 main courses that are on the normal menu before.

Anyway, we plumped for sharing the chicken live pâté starter, lovely and smooth; our waiter brought us extra bread before being asked, a nice touch seeing as the place was really busy. I had the beer battered cod, really crispy, and no skin, lovely. My wife had steak and kidney pudding, which looked great, and according to her was, I confess I can't guarantee this though as I'm not a fan and didn't try it. To finish we shared a syrup sponge pudding; hot, light and very syrupy; delicious.

We were served by Greg, I think, but when he was busy we were checked on by another waiter and a young lady, who I believe was the manager. 

We sat downstairs and on the way out other staff, the greeter at the door and a barman all said goodbye or thanks or enjoy your show, a nice touch. We will return.
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nickdoris - View all reviews by this user
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Thursday, October 11, 2012

I visited Porters on Monday night, thinking it would be quiet, far from it. The place was full; there seemed to be some big parties enjoying themselves. I was with two friends who had dined here previously and thought we'd be in for a long wait, nope. I had braised lamb (rich, tasty and massive), one friend the cod and chips (light, crispy batter and well sized), the other game pie (he couldn't have been happier, and the waiter warning about the chance of shot, although slim, was great). We shared a lovely oaty crumble and then a well proportioned cheeseboard, that wasn't even on the menu. Our bill was adjusted to include a deal as one of us had inadvertently had items from it even though we had a la carte, making it very reasonable for central London. Needless to say I loved the place and they both said it was even better than a year ago. We will return.
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jamesduncan - View all reviews by this user
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Last night a few friends and myself went for dinner to this restaurant. Let me first say that the interior is just taking you back in time and it is such a nice and relaxed atmosphere. Many details and memorabilia on the walls. You'll really feel like you’re in an old traditional English bar / restaurant.

Staff are so kind, helpful, very welcoming and so nice. Excellent service!

And the food. OMG! Just beautiful. We all had different things, starting with lamb, steak, fish and chips and pies. Portions are very generous, the taste is just fab and presentation is really well done.

It is a perfect place to have 1-2-1 dinner or get together with friends or even a private party (they have very big downstairs area).

I so recommend this place to everyone and location wise you can't do better than that. Not even 2 minutes’ walk from Covent Garden Market.

I'm definitely be returning here, maybe next time it'll be lamb on the menu for me :-)
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Elizabeth Tokarska
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Friday, September 14, 2012

Underwhelming. Started okay (Fish goujons with tartare pleasant, deep fried mushrooms okay). Mains less so (Steak served a la plancha thinnish, lukewarm, pie - poor - think Wetherspoons). Accompanying chips were pretty good.

Nice atmosphere although the lower floor didn't appeal. Staff nice enough.

Pricing - most mains come in at £15 or a shade under - not worth it. Drinks mark up okay. It's like a West End outpost of a Harvester without the salad bar.

Edited to add: Since submitting my review Porter's have sent an email pointing out something that I'd missed on their menu - you can get two courses (some restrictions) for £14 at any time. This certainly represents a couple of extra points on the value for money mark - I've asked that it my original mark be upgraded to 6/10. They also pointed out that unlike a Harvester or Wetherspoon outlet - they prepare all of their dishes from fresh ingredients which also merits a mention.
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Rex - View all reviews by this user
6 Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 6
Friday, August 03, 2012

Went here for a birthday dinner before the theatre. Pre-booked via their website- v good, no problems. The food was EXCELLENT, with something for everyone. Great service and reasonably priced. Will def go back and would highly recommend.
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10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Sunday, June 10, 2012

Quite literally fell across this place after seeing Shrek last Friday night on our office 'big night out.'

We'd already had pre theatre dinner elsewhere which was equally as good as Porter's. The boss had promised cocktails afterwards and Porter's looked like a decent enough place to help him spend his money in.

Well cocktails by Mike, the rather lovely barman (mike if you ever read this I'll wager that you'll remember our oh so well behaved group) led onto feeling a bit peckish.

Our table for supper was quickly arranged and whilst most were happy with just a starter and a pudding others went for the whole lot, the lamb and apricot pie with big chips was good to excellent, steaks were brilliant and came with their own mini fryer basket of chips, nice touch.

The people looking after us did exactly that, despite the lateness of the hour and despite our best efforts Mike's number remains a secret.

The boss has said that if we hit target next month we can do it all again. And we will, see you in April Mike X
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JJ - View all reviews by this user
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Friday, March 16, 2012

A friend and I recently visited Porters for lunch. We were not disappointed!

We picked the restaurant as we had a hankering for good old English fodder, which is exactly what we got!

My Steak and Mushroom Pie was very tasty, nice chunks of steak in a rich gravy. My friend had Fish and Chips, 'proper' chips and crispy beer batter.

The service was also friendly and professional.

Thank you Porters for a lovely lunch!!!
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9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Saturday, February 25, 2012

Incredibly disappointing meal, especially as I was taking Chinese friends to sample English food.

Food all felt like it was factory made or pre-prepared. Nothing tasted fresh. Even the butter given for the bread was obviously just taken out of the fridge and was still hard and in a perfect, artificial shape (hard to explain).

Service was good though, and I actually quite like the interior design of the restaurant.
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Alec
5 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 2
Thursday, February 09, 2012

Ate at Porters for our office Xmas lunch on 14 December. I never expected "haute cuisine" when catering for such large numbers but this must rank as one of the worst Xmas lunches I have ever experienced. The food generally arrived cold. the turkey was processed slices (at least that's what it looked like) of a rubbery consistency. The gravy was cold. The Xmas pudding was made of plastic and the wine was expensive. It was poor value for money. I would not eat here again.
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John
3 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 1
Tuesday, January 31, 2012

I visited this place last month and had a poor dining experience. The food was below average and the service was uninspiring, but given the fairly shabby appearance of the restaurant (both inside and out) I wasn't surprised.

I didn't complain at the time because you get what you pay for.
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2 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 2
Sunday, December 18, 2011