Harden's survey result
Summary
“A classic” that “never fails to delight”, this Clerkenwell institution was founded in 1869 as a ‘Progressive Working Class Caterer’, lending it “undeniable history and charm” (although “you either love or hate the austere bench seating”). These days part of Will Lander & Daniel Morgenthau’s smart group, it has an “ever-tempting menu” where “meat is the way to go” (non-carnivores may find it a little “over-chop-or-steaked”), leading to a meal that’s “always an absolute pleasure”. Top Menu Tips – “anything made from Middlewhite pork”; “spectacular confit potato”; “Bloody Mary (I don’t quite know what they do with them but they’re scintillating!)”
Summary
“The great meat cookery never disappoints at this a quirky venue” – a Clerkenwell institution opened in 1869 as a ‘Progressive Working Class Caterer’ and nowadays part of Will Lander & Daniel Morgenthau’s group. “Top quality cuts are cooked to a T” – “imaginative fare” that’s full of “meaty goodness”. The “uncomfortable pews” annoy some customers, but won’t be replaced because they’re Grade II listed – the private dining room upstairs is a good alternative if there are seven or more in your party. Top Menu Tip – the “confit potatoes always get ‘wow’ responses from first-timers”.
Summary
“So what if the benches aren’t that comfortable!” – the bum-numbing seating at Will Lander and Daniel Morgenthau’s “characterful and closely packed” Clerkenwell institution is part of its proud history as a ‘Progressive Working Class Caterer’, built in 1869 to feed the masses. Nowadays, “as the name suggests”, it mainlines on “butchery and quality of the meat” (“you can pop into their nextdoor butcher’s shop to buy too”). Most reviewers feel it is “a great London venue and long may it continue”, but it can also seem “a slightly odd mix of traditional English food with the tasting plate craze” and “some dishes can fall into the cracks between the price charged and their quality”.
Summary
“A London institution” since 1869, when it opened to feed the working classes of Clerkenwell – this ‘Progressive Working Class Caterer’ now attracts a more bourgeois crowd with “food cooked to melt-in-mouth perfection and informative, informal service. You feel that everyone loves their job”. The menu still leans heavily on chops and steaks, leavened by good fish and vegetable options, and it’s a “favourite place to show off to people” with its listed Victorian wooden booths and “very uncomfortable bench seats”, softened by cushions. These days it is part of Will Lander and Daniel Morgenthau’s Woodhead Group, alongside Portland and Clipstone, and has its own larder, daytime café and wine bar next door.
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 The Quality Chop House?
88-94 Farringdon Rd, London, EC1R 3EA
Restaurant details
The Quality Chop House Restaurant Diner Reviews
"Apart from the infamously uncomfortable pews, what's not to love? Intimate, lovely atmosphere when full and tolerant and engaging staff, lovely selection of robust, well-flavoured dishes though perhaps not for your vegan posse."
"Never fails to delight. If you want excellent meat cooked well this is the place to come to. Just a shame the finance bros have found it. "
"I hadn’t been for years but it is still is a delight. "
Prices
| Availability | 2 courses | 3 courses |  |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lunch | £29.00 |  |
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Traditional European menu
| Starter | Main | Veggies | Pudding |
|---|---|---|---|
| £18.50 | £41.00 | £8.00 | £14.00 |
| Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £40.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £3.50 |
| Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Bread | £0.00 |
| Service | 13.50% |
88-94 Farringdon Rd, London, EC1R 3EA
| Number of Diners: | |
| Required Time: | |
Opening hours
| Monday | CLOSED |
| Tuesday | 12 pm‑2:15 pm, 6 pm‑9:45 pm |
| Wednesday | 12 pm‑2:15 pm, 6 pm‑9:45 pm |
| Thursday | 12 pm‑2:15 pm, 6 pm‑9:45 pm |
| Friday | 12 pm‑2:15 pm, 6 pm‑9:45 pm |
| Saturday | 12 pm‑12:30 pm, 6 pm‑9:45 pm |
| Sunday | 12 pm‑3:30 pm |
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