Harden's survey result
Summary
Five years on from its heyday as London’s hottest celeb hangout, this “gorgeous” Marylebone destination is a “contender for the most overpriced in town”, and attracts increasingly caustic comments: “how this poseur-filled dump hasn’t been found out yet is a complete mystery: with food that’s ‘all fur coat and no knickers’, and service which – if you’re not a member of the smart set or the Z-list – is appalling”. Some folks still respond to its shiny glamour, though: “the food is tasty and aesthetically pleasing… as are most of your fellow diners. Finish things off in the very sexy bar – if the romance doesn’t spark, ditch each other for the beautiful staff...”.
Summary
Five years on from its heyday as London’s hottest celeb hangout, this “gorgeous” Marylebone destination is a “contender for the most overpriced in town”, and attracts increasingly caustic comments: “how this poseur-filled dump hasn’t been found out yet is a complete mystery: with food that’s ‘all fur coat and no knickers’, and service which – if you’re not a member of the smart set or the Z-list – is appalling”. Some folks still respond to its shiny glamour, though: “the food is tasty and aesthetically pleasing… as are most of your fellow diners. Finish things off in the very sexy bar – if the romance doesn’t spark, ditch each other for the beautiful staff...”.
Summary
Fans still “love, love, love” this beautiful-crowd Marylebone haunt which occupies a gorgeous building, complete with “lovely terrace” (“it makes me feel like I’m on holiday… perhaps New England… or in the South of France”). Critics, though (and, oh boy, there are bazoodles of ’em) deride it as “a place for poseurs”, whose “churned-out, style-over substance food”, “snooty service” and “joke prices” (“it makes The River Café look like a walk in the park”) “mark it out as a stand-out place to avoid”.
Summary
“If you’re not a C-Z lister, don’t go” to this Marylebone haunt – “a stunningly decorated old firehouse” where only “people watching is top of the menu”. True, there is a minority of fans who applaud its “imaginative food”, but even they can find it “incredibly overpriced” and there are nowadays far too many sceptics for whom it’s a bad case of “Emperor’s New Clothes”, providing “very odd food combinations” and “staff who wander around looking fabulous, but not attending on customers”.
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).
Have you eaten at The Chiltern Firehouse?
Restaurant details
The Chiltern Firehouse Restaurant Diner Reviews
"Enjoyed a late lunch today. Have been looking forward to a first visit despite the very poor Hardens reviews. Pleasantly surprised. Our meal included burrata , chicken & Iberico pork. So enjoyable we had the strawberry granita for dessert. Genuinely excellent."
Prices
 Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £28.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £5.00 |
 Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Service | 15.00% |
1 Chiltern St, London, W1U 7PA
Opening hours
| Monday | 7 am‑3 pm, 5:30 pm‑10:30 pm |
| Tuesday | 7 am‑3 pm, 5:30 pm‑10:30 pm |
| Wednesday | 7 am‑3 pm, 5:30 pm‑10:30 pm |
| Thursday | 7 am‑3 pm, 5:30 pm‑10:30 pm |
| Friday | 7 am‑3 pm, 5:30 pm‑10:30 pm |
| Saturday | 8 am‑3 pm, 6 pm‑10:30 pm |
| Sunday | 8 am‑3 pm, 6 pm‑10 pm |
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