Harden's survey result
Summary
“I am truly surprised at the low ratings this has received in Harden’s!” – Searcy’s seem to have pulled their socks up at their Italian brasserie and cocktail bar, which sits in the beating heart of the Barbican arts centre (making it a natural pre-theatre option), and which by day enjoys “excellent views” over the centre’s lake and St Giles Cripplegate church. Some diners do still say its overall performance is “no better than adequate”, but more fans this year lauded its “excellent food from a regularly changing menu”.
Summary
“I am truly surprised at the low ratings this has received in Harden’s!” – Searcy’s seem to have pulled their socks up at their Italian brasserie and cocktail bar, which sits in the beating heart of the Barbican arts centre (making it a natural pre-theatre option), and which by day enjoys “excellent views” over the centre’s lake and St Giles Cripplegate church. Some diners do still say its overall performance is “no better than adequate”, but more fans this year lauded its “excellent food from a regularly changing menu”.
Summary
The main restaurant at the Barbican arts centre is “handy for a pre-theatre supper” – (“ask for a window seat when booking”) – but on its current level of performance “not a destination in its own right”. A reboot by caterer Searcys with an Italian menu by chef Anthony Demetre (late of Soho’s Arbutus, RIP) has failed to turn the tide, with too many complaints about the food (“style over substance”) and service (“our main course never arrived, so we sat hungry through a three-hour play!”).
Summary
“Super views” make this “quiet and unobtrusive venue” at the Barbican Centre a “really handy and pleasant” option for theatre and concert-goers for whom there’s a “reasonable set menu”. Judged as a foodie destination however, “the food continues to disappoint” despite the arrival of chef Anthony Demetre (late of Soho’s Arbutus, RIP) to boost the Italian cuisine provided by contract caterer Searcys.
For 30 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).
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Restaurant details
Prices
| Availability | 2 courses | 3 courses |  |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lunch | £19.50 | £22.50 |  |
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| Pretheatre | £25.00 | £29.50 | |
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| Drinks |
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|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £23.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £3.00 |
| Extras |
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|---|---|
| Bread | £0.00 |
| Service | 12.50% |
Level 2 Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS
Opening hours
| Monday | 12 pm‑2:30 pm, 4:30 pm‑7 pm |
| Tuesday | 12 pm‑2:30 pm, 4:30 pm‑7 pm |
| Wednesday | 12 pm‑2:30 pm, 4:30 pm‑7 pm |
| Thursday | 12 pm‑2:30 pm, 4:30 pm‑7 pm |
| Friday | 12 pm‑2:30 pm, 4:30 pm‑7 pm |
| Saturday | 12 pm‑2:30 pm, 4:30 pm‑7 pm |
| Sunday | CLOSED |
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