Harden's says
A King's Cross outpost for this ever-popular steak cafe chain; there are already outposts in Covent Garden, Notting Hill, Soho and Shoreditch.
Harden's survey result
Summary
“A simple but very effective formula” that “really works and long may it continue!” – “When you hear the word ‘chain’ you may think of other steak chains best described as ‘bleugh’. Flat Iron isn’t one of them! Each branch has a cool, independent feel, and most importantly, their steak is actually really good”. Now with 15 branches in London (as well as Brighton, Cambridge, Manchester and Leeds), they provide a curt “well priced” menu of “excellent steak and sides”, plus the odd burger, and “the free ice cream cone at the end is a tasty topping to a very good offering”. “A great example of one getting what it says on the tin” and “impressive how they have kept the quality and friendly service going so well”.
Summary
“A limited-choice menu, but one that seems to work” underpins the success of this “no-frills” steakhouse chain created by Charlie Carroll in 2012 and now with just under a dozen London branches (with 2024 seeing its arrival in Victoria and just off Hammersmith Broadway). “You know just what you are going to get” and “the quality/value factor makes it a sound bet”: “decent steaks and a few rustic sides”; and “don’t forget the lovely (free) salted caramel ice cream on the way out!”. “Not a place to linger”, but “it never disappoints”.
Summary
“One of the best bangs for your buck in town” – this “well-priced” steak chain has a “sensible formula” and has “managed to keep standards up despite constant expansion” (its latest, 11th London site, opened in March 2023 in Kensington). “Surroundings are basic” and “their menu is very simplistic: you choose a cut of meat, sauce and sides – the cuts are cooked to perfection”, “chips are hot, the service is punctual” and “free ice cream at the end ensures happy faces when people leave”.
Summary
“What they do – a limited repertoire – they certainly do well” at this “no-nonsense” steakhouse chain (which serves no starters or puds, just five or six mains and sides, plus “a tiny key they give you at beginning of meal to exchange for a delicious ice cream cornet to take with you as you go!”). It amounts to “amazing value for a good (ish) steak” – “tasty, not mind-blowing, but dependable and fairly priced, and elevated by the sides and sauces”. On the site of a former Byron, the 10th branch opens in Waterloo in 2022.
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 Flat Iron?
Restaurant details
Flat Iron Restaurant Diner Reviews
"The model of consistency, still keeping it after all these years."
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