Harden's survey result
Summary
At the foot of the ‘Tea Building’ in Shoreditch and launched by James Lowe a decade ago, “Lyles has remained at the top of its game for many years” and is “a restaurant that works for romance, lunch with friends, client dinners and all points in between”. Notwithstanding holding a position on the World’s 50 ranking till 2023 – it has gradually “faded from the media glare since its launch”, but has lost none of its culinary fizz, and a visit can still be “an eye-opener” as amongst “the best sharing-plates restaurants in London”. “Seasonally rotating menus” produce “well-rounded and fresh-tasting” British dishes, “with high-quality ingredients pushed to the foreground”; and with “daring paired wines”. “The bare, utilitarian setting with an open kitchen makes for a loud and buzzing experience, but creates a relaxed vibe”, which is boosted by the “consistently friendly and knowledgeable service” (“staff give you as much information as you want and have a clear love of the place – you do not think they are temps!”). Top Menu Tip – “the menu changes but the bread and the brown butter madeleines thankfully never leave”.
Summary
“Never wavering in its excellence” – James Lowe’s acclaimed canteen sits at the foot of Shoreditch’s ‘Tea Building’ and his seasonal modern British cooking is nowadays something of a benchmark (having achieved a listing for numerous years on the World’s 50 Best). At lunch, small plates can be ordered tapas-style, whereas in the evenings there’s just a single tasting option. “Individual dishes look simple: actually this belies a great deal of underlying complexity, and fantastic tastes”. Service is informed and passionate too: “you do not think they are temps!” The post-industrial space it inhabits is “hard-surfaced, buzzy, and hence can be very noisy” (and there were a few more reservations this year that the overall effect can end up “slightly cold and soulless”).
Summary
“Never failing to deliver extraordinary food” – James Lowe’s famous (among foodies) canteen, at the foot of Shoreditch’s well-known ‘Tea Building’, “is so consistent in delivering seemingly simple, but actually quite intricate flavour combinations”. These are offered as small plates at lunch and in the evening as a tasting menu. Originally he was inspired by a stint working at St John, but his own cuisine is nowadays something of a benchmark in its own right for modern seasonal British cooking, with “a menu that changes all the time”.
Summary
“Led by fantastic British ingredients, the cooking seems simple but it’s not” at James Lowe’s acclaimed canteen, at the foot of Shoreditch’s well-known landmark, the Tea Building. His “superb combinations” deliver “amazing and unexpected flavours” – “it’s easy to see why this restaurant is so highly rated” and fans still consider the cuisine “some of the best in London”. (In February 2020, co-founder John Ogier stepped away from the business).
For 33 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 Lyle's?
The Tea Building, 56 Shoreditch High Street, London, E1 6JJ
Restaurant details
Lyle's Restaurant Diner Reviews
"Eel toast; salad; beetroot with beef tendon; ceps; mullet; ice cream, meringue, coffee. C£300 for two."
Prices
| Availability | 2 courses | 3 courses |  |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dinner | £95.00 |  |
|
|
Traditional European menu
| Starter | Main | Pudding |
|---|---|---|
| £19.00 | £33.00 | £11.00 |
| Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £46.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £6.00 |
| Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Bread | £0.00 |
| Service | 15.00% |
The Tea Building, 56 Shoreditch High Street, London, E1 6JJ
Opening hours
| Monday | CLOSED |
| Tuesday | 12 pm‑2:15 pm, 6 pm‑9 pm |
| Wednesday | 12 pm‑2:15 pm, 6 pm‑9 pm |
| Thursday | 12 pm‑2:15 pm, 6 pm‑9 pm |
| Friday | 12 pm‑2:15 pm, 6 pm‑9 pm |
| Saturday | 12 pm‑2:15 pm, 6 pm‑9 pm |
| Sunday | CLOSED |
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