our review
What can we say about Hawksmoor Seven Dials? A steakhouse so eagerly awaited that most of London's food bloggers (and a few well-known critics) had eaten there before the doors officially opened. Well, for starters - it's a stunner. Tucked away on a Covent Garden side street, it's housed in a former brewery with some of the original features - a vaulted brick ceiling and cast iron columns - still in tact. Diners descend from street level into the sleek subterranean bar, complete with chemistry lab tables, and then through into the handsome dining room. Everything from the parquet floor to the doors (salvaged from various hotels and train stations) has been carefully hand-picked to create a room that's casually good-looking, and less butch than its Spitalfields sibling.
If your date is late or, worse, dull, you can read the cocktail menu - an epic list of unusual tipples dating back as far as 1672, complete with a potted history of each one. There are twists on classic juleps, fizzes and fruity tiki numbers, as well as eccentric additions like 'anti-fogmatics' and 'bridging drinks', invented by the Victorians to fill the hours between lunch and dinner. If you try just one, let it be head bartender 'Shaky' Pete Jeary's Ginger Brew - a 'turbo-shandy for the discerning drinker' made from gin, homemade ginger syrup and lemon juice topped with London Pride. Incredibly refreshing and guaranteed to rouse you from your beef coma. There are wines too, of course, housed in a smart cellar room. Mark ups are fairly sensible and there's plenty of choice, especially if you're looking for, say, a full-bodied red to go with your steak.
Hawksmoor's larger cuts are listed by weight on blackboards dotted about the dining room and the smaller (cheaper) steaks are on the menu amongst a few non-beef alternatives and yes, even a veggie option or two. It's tempting to skip starters but it would be a shame to miss out on the plump scallop with indecently creamy mash or the Tamworth belly ribs that melt on the tongue with a satisfying porky sweetness.
And the steaks? Sourced from the acclaimed Ginger Pig butchers and cooked by head chef Richard Turner and his team on a proper charcoal grill, they're simply spot on. Both our bone-in sirloin and rib eye were cooked to a perfect medium, with smoky char giving way to flavoursome, tender flesh. With each bite smothered in rich Bearnaise, we battled on but soon found ourselves defeated by the sizeable slabs of beef. We fared even better on a previous visit where a shared Porterhouse somehow seemed more manageable, with meat so tender at the bone we would have happily gnawed on it had there been a dark corner to hide in.
Splendid sides refuse to play second fiddle, with iron-rich spring greens, garlicky roasted veg and flawless sauces proving as more-ish as the meat. Our only complaints were with the chips - the beef-dripping variety felt too heavy and a little greasy, while the triple-cooked version lacked their signature crunch.
On the bar menu, you'll find the burger made famous at their Spitalfields restaurant and a pared back version - the Burger Van Burger - which is 100% beef smothered in sticky slow-cooked onions and Ogleshield cheese. (A glorious burger, this one, though we found the cheese a little strong). There are Seven Dials specials too, like the fiery Korean-inspired kimchi burger and the decadent lobster roll, served warm and dripping with garlic and hazelnut butter. It's all impeccably sourced, full of flavour, and, better still, tastes like someone in the kitchen genuinely wanted you to enjoy eating it. The passion behind the scenes is brought to the table via waiters who lean in conspiratorially to point out their favourite dishes and glow with pride when delivering yours.
With bellies full of beef, you can retire to the bar for an after-dinner pick-me-up or stay put and check out the puds. If you're too full for crumble, try one of the sundaes - a bargain at four quid and just enough for two to share. My date was reluctant to go halves on our choice of sticky toffee, dubbing it 'pud of the year' and digging deep with his spoon to churn up the excellent ice-cream, warm caramel sauce and soft chunks of sticky toffee sponge.
By the time you've read this review, you've probably already been and sampled the steaks yourself but if you haven't, you really must. Take the boys, take the wife, or just take yourself - the bar is well-suited to an indulgent supper for one. It might not be cheap but it's worth every penny, and you can always pop in pre- or post-theatre for the express menu where 20 quid will bag you a rib-eye, one side and a sundae.
This is one of those rare occasions when you can believe the hype and arrive knowing you're in for a treat. The Spitalfields original will always have a special place in our hearts but the Seven Dials site earns extra points for it's location in the heart of Theatreland, just a stones throw from Soho. If you're in the area and find yourself in an Aberdeen Angus, you have only yourself to blame.
KP - November 2010
what the critics say
AA Gill - 1/5
Giles Coren - 7.33/10
your comments review this restaurant and win a bottle of champagne
Our experience at your Hawksmoor was one of the best we have ever had. In short, the service was excellent (we made a point of getting our waitress' name Joanna; kudos to her!) and the meal itself was amazing, the drinks, the wine everything was fantastic. At first we were a bit put off by the noise but somehow it fit into the evening perfectly. We will definately recommend to others and we will definately come back again! It was a special night for my girlfriend and I and it couldn't have gone better.
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Chidi
Overall rating 
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Friday, January 20, 2012
My husband and I enjoyed a lovely meal at Hawksmoor last night. We had intended to dine here 6 months ago but hadn't booked (an amateur mistake once you see how busy the restaurant is). Expect to book a few months in advance for tables between 7pm - 9pm.
Overall, the staff were fantastic, both at front of house and the waitresses - who patiently took us through each cut of steak, explaining what we can expect and what is the best value for money option. She even brought me over 2 samples of red wine as I was undecided as to which wine I wanted.
We started off with the Grilled Poole Clams in Bacon Bone Broth and the Bone Marrow and Slow Cooked Onions. The clams were lovely, however I was slightly disappointed that at least 6 of them were still shut. The bacon was of obviously good quality, but not enough of it. Unfortunately I couldn't drink the broth as it was so salty. Two huge bones with gelatinous marrow, topped with sweet and tangy onions were brought to the table, with bread on the side. The marrow was very fatty, but the onions cut through the fat and really lightened this dish.
We both ordered a 400g Rib-Eye steak, medium, for our main course. The steaks were huge and were perferetly cooked with a beautiful charred taste. Our steaks were accompanied by triple cooked chips and roast mushrooms. My other half had the bone marrow gravy which he loved. The chips were slightly salty, but were nice and crispy on the outside and lovely and soft on the inside.
After devouring or main and feeling that we couldn't breathe after eating so much....we then decided to share the sticky toffee pudding, and I'm glad as it was delicious and much lighter than expected.
This isn't the cheapest steak restaurant, but good if you're good steak in a variety of cuts. The staff were great and didn't rush us through our meal, however I thought that the courses came out too quickly and didn't give us enough time to begin to digest the course before. I would definitely come again, thank you Hawksmoor!
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Nerissa
Overall rating 
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 6
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Had a Table for 5 on 13th December - booking was handled very efficiently and greeting and cloakroom above restaurant was handled well
Style of restaurant was good- retro and informal
Once seated getting attention of serving staff was difficult. I would have expected to have a dedicated waitress or manager of serving staff to manage our table-it wasn't particularly crowded as it was early evening
4 of us were served with bitter that was clearly 'off'' before meal but had difficulty getting waitress to accept that there was a problem .Another staff member eventually agreed to change order.
Service was slow even though there were plenty of staff milling around
Food was very good when it came
We were hurried out to bar area for coffee and drinks at end of meal because clearly there was another sitting after us - there wouldn't have been a problem if service had been sharper - this was very poor and not acceptable. This cost serving staff a tip
Overall our impression was food- excellent but service- very poor and unproffessional
We probably wont eat there again because of the service standard.
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Martin
Overall rating 
Food 9 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 4
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
went to Hawksmoor for the second time.first time late last year, It was bad then so havent been back since. thought i would give it another go as its local. second visit as bad as the first
waitress was lovely though,food total letdown.
starters overpriced,underseasoned and generally not good,although my husband enjoyed his bone marrow.
steaks a total joke.i ordered mine rare it came dry and well done, same for my husbands rib eye and our other two guests steaks were over cooled also. not even slightly but totally. sides arrived after we had almost finished our over priced steaks.
We were given one starter for free as it was inedible.
we didnt even bother looking at the pudding list, after getting the 250quid bill we were out of there!
Comment on this reader review
Overall rating 
Food 1 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 1
Thursday, October 06, 2011
We visited Hawksmoor for dinner on Sat with friends who had been before. It was our 1st visit. Amazing interior and ambience and the cocktails were really top notch. Service was good, pleasant and fairly informal. My starter of potted smoked macarel was melt-in-your mouth and my partner enjoyed his corned beef and bacon. The rib-eye steak I had was one of, if not the, best steak I've ever eaten (and I'm a steak fan and have eaten steak all over the world). Sides were deceptive, they looked small but the oval cast iron pots were deep. The mash and gravy was a favourite, the chips less so and the spinach was flavoursome. The two fillet steaks at our table were served cold but this was quickly remedied, another round of the sides we'd ordered were delivered to compensate, and desserts were also complimentary. A small blip in what was otherwise a fantastic meal. We will be back.
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millie
- View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 6
Monday, August 22, 2011
I visited Hawksmoor after a friend raved about it. I was greeted by a friendly young lady. My friend and I were then seated at a comfortable table and then it was explained to us that you bought steaks by weight, this we struggled with We ended up buying the smallest steak available at that point, which was large enough to feed 4 of us and cost a ridiculous amount of money, we enjoyed the steak it was well cooked and the béarnaise was exactly as a béarnaise should be. The down side was cost and the waste of having to buy such a large steak which has put me off returning.
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food forever
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Overall rating 
Food 7 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 4
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Good starters... Good start. You would think.
I have to say I generally don't write bad reviews (this is not going to be totally bad anyway). And I never complain about value for money. If something is good, let it be expensive, and we customers can choose whether we want to spend that much or not.
So we shared a few starters, and they were all really good. But hey, steaks were disappointing, particularly given their egregiously full price. A rib-eye came to the table dry and chewy (how can you make a dry and chewy rib-eye? Not even if you overcook it!) and a bone-in sirloin ordered medium-rare was dry and dull. Chips rather bad too.
Service was a bit too informal, especially on the male side... but overall ok.
But the worst was the bill. I am sorry guys, but you cannot, you cannot charge as much as places such as Goodman, you are not in the same league.
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Pascal
Overall rating 
Food 4 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 1
Thursday, July 21, 2011
I am mostly going to say good things about the Hawksmoor. It really was a lovely bit of steak. Seasoned and slightly charred on the outside, tender and rare on the inside. I will remember this superlative bit of meat the next time I order a steak in a restaurant and look down on the cut on my plate. However.... This bit of meat cost me £108 (shared between 2) so it really wants to be the best bit of meat I have ever tried as it is certainly the most expensive! £12/100g.
OK - so you can have a 300g steak for £30 and not walk out with quite so light a wallet and heavy a gut, but its hard not to be slightly shocked at their strident prices.
Gaucho and other high end steak restaurants get away with charging this though so its not difficult to see why they would try and get in on the act.
Anyway, cost aside, the food is great, its a lovely space, the service is laid back and friendly (a plus in my book) and there is a buzzy atmosphere that is perfect for both informal business dining or meeting friends.
Negatives - perhaps a bit too informal. I dont want to have to ask for the wine list, and it would be nice if someone took my jacket to a cloakroom. At these prices you want a few airs and graces.
All in all - I'd go back but only if I'm not the one thats paying.
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Mike
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 2
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
We were expecting great things from Hawksmoor, including great steaks and unfortunately they did not deliver. The biggest problem were the waiting staff or at least the ones we came into contact with, who were offhand and seemed to be going through the motions. The greeters at the door were fine but the downstairs crew seemed grumpy and went on the defensive when we pointed out things that were not quite right (e.g. a side of mushrooms that looked and tasted as though it had been sitting around far too long). Given the pricing, service needs to be spot on but did not rise above an average gastropub. The dining room is also not particularly special and, whilst there is a good buzz, again just feels like a big gloomy gastropub. As for the steaks, I have had plenty worse but they were not as tender as I would expect and I have had far better at the Gaucho (or in Argentina for that matter). Unfortunately the whole experience was underwhelming and a little disappointing.
Comment on this reader review
Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 4
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Fantastic!
Comment on this reader review
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
what the bloggers say
Tamarind and Thyme
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@hungryhollowaii How's it looking? #snowedout
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