Harden's survey result
Summary
“Difficult to book for, but if one succeeds it’s fabulous… and what a choice of Champagnes!” – A good proportion of best meals of the year feature in reports on a meal at the 19-seat U-shaped counter whose performance in our annual diners’ poll lives up to its renown as one of London’s top culinary destinations. Star chef, James Knappett provides a carefully sourced and foraged seasonal menu for £195 per person, with the wines curated by his wife, wine expert Sandia Chang (who offers a £250-per-person Champagne pairing amongst the variety of choices). Complaints about the vertiginous pricing here have featured in past years, but were largely notable by their absence in the latest survey.
Summary
“An exceptional meal all round, with fantastic, seasonal cuisine” is how all the numerous reports we receive describe James Knappett & Sandia Chang’s 18-seat chef’s table experience in Fitzrovia, which has one of the best reputations amongst the capital’s most renowned tasting experiences. Even so, its “eye-watering prices” are of concern to both fans and foes alike. A rare critic says that “everything about the place misses the mark for me, apart from the food. I am in a minority, but just not a fan”. More representative is the following enthusiasm: “somehow I have managed to justify to myself spending this much on a meal four times now. That’s how good I think it is!”
Summary
James Knappett and Sandia Chang 18-seat, chef’s-table experience is “an exceptional restaurant that never ceases to amaze and delight” and some would say it’s “London’s best Michelin two-star by far” (“I’ve had four visits in the last year, and this is the most imaginative cooking in the capital!”). Even fans, though, had come to see it as “ridiculously overpriced” – “I love Kitchen Table, I really do. I’ve dined there quite regularly since it first opened and the food is exquisite. However, the price per person of £300 is a step too far: it’s a great establishment, but that feels extortionate”. The penny has dropped however, and in late May 2023 – after our survey concluded – they slashed the price here by one third, to £200 per person for their 20-course experience. On that basis, we’ve rated it a little more optimistically than this year’s feedback in our annual diners’ poll would have suggested.
Summary
“Sublime on every level… if only it wasn’t so expensive”. James Knappett and Sandia Chang’s 18-seater in Fitzrovia re-opened after a significant reformatting in July 2021 and “it’s both an exceptional meal and quite a show” – “the arrangement of the counter makes for a theatrical experience, with lots of opportunity to chat with the people cooking and running front of house”, while the multi-course menu (each course focused on a single ingredient) is, all reports agree, utterly “memorable”. Practically all reports also mention the pricing though – “OUCH!”… “it was amazing but the bill’s crazy…”
For 34 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
Have you eaten at Kitchen Table?
70 Charlotte Street, London, W1T 4QG
Restaurant details
Prices
 Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £50.00 |
 Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Service | 15.00% |
70 Charlotte Street, London, W1T 4QG
Opening hours
| Monday | CLOSED |
| Tuesday | 6:30 pm‑11:30 pm |
| Wednesday | 6:30 pm‑11:30 pm |
| Thursday | 6:30 pm‑11:30 pm |
| Friday | 6:30 pm‑11:30 pm |
| Saturday | CLOSED |
| Sunday | CLOSED |
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