RestaurantsLondonOld StreetE2

Breaking news

September 2020: the sibling restaurant at The ICA has closed.

survey result

Summary

£70
  £££
2
Average
3
Good
3
Good
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

Melanie Arnold and Margot Henderson’s (wife of St John’s Fergus) not-so-secret venue near Spitalfields was converted in 2006 from the bike sheds of a former school. Aided by its hipster credentials, it has long been a regular inclusion on top-10 round-ups by food journalists. Feedback this year, however, invariably came with a catch: “good, but not quite as good as expected…”, “food went downhill after the scrummy starters…”, “overhyped and too cool for school…”.

Summary

£70
  £££
3
Good
4
Very Good
4
Very Good
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

“Delightful in every way” – this “hidden-away” venue occupies the bike sheds of a former school near Spitalfields, converted in 2006 by Melanie Arnold and Margot Henderson (wife of St John’s Fergus). “Super relaxed” in style and with a “great outdoor space”, it’s in particular a “gorgeous setting” in summer, but, at any time of year, you can enjoy “robust British cooking with beautiful ingredients”. (Its ICA branch was one of the more prominent victims of Covid, closing in September 2020.)

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 Rochelle Canteen?

16 Playground Gardens, London, E2 7ES

Restaurant details

Yes
44
No dress code
36

Rochelle Canteen Restaurant Diner Reviews

Reviews of Rochelle Canteen Restaurant in E2, London by users of Hardens.com. Also see the editors review of Rochelle Canteen restaurant.
Hugh N
Really good in all respects...
Reviewed 7 months, 12 days ago

"Really good in all respects"

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What the Newspaper Critics are saying

Daily Mail

In a week where several critics have visited long-established restaurants, Tom Parker Bowles reviewed a 21-year-old venture which is very much a “family affair” – set up in 2004 by Margot Henderson, wife of St John’s Fergus, Rochelle Canteen is now run by their son Hector in the kitchen, while daughter Frances is out front. 

Tom chose an idyllic late-summer afternoon – “we could be in Ibiza or the Aeolian islands, Paros or the South of France” – and feasted on devilled rabbit hearts on toast, “a dish that sounds brutally visceral but, like everything else here, shows the lightest of culinary touches”, and sweatbreads. In other words, like father, like son.    

“But it’s not all offal” – a girolle and pecorino tart and juicy roast Sutton Hoo chicken were “simple things, beautifully done”. The verdict: “Not just an escape from London, but, like all great restaurants, a welcome respite from the daily grind.”

Tom Parker-Bowles - 2024-09-22

Prices

Traditional European menu

Starter Main Veggies Pudding
£10.50 £24.00 £6.00 £9.50
Drinks  
Wine per bottle £30.00
Filter Coffee £3.00
Extras  
Service 10.00%
16 Playground Gardens, London, E2 7ES
Opening hours
Monday12 pm‑2:45 pm
Tuesday12 pm‑2:45 pm
Wednesday12 pm‑2:45pm, 5:30 pm‑7:30 pm
Thursday12 pm‑2:45pm, 5:30 pm‑7:30 pm
Friday12 pm‑2:45pm, 5:30 pm‑7:30 pm
Saturday12 pm‑2:45pm, 5:30 pm‑7:30 pm
Sunday12 pm‑2:45 pm

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