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RestaurantsLondonStrandWC2

Harden's says

Now two years short of its bicentenary, one of Britain's most venerable restaurants is to be relaunched in spring 2026 (originally scheduled for 2024) by Jeremy King, the veteran restaurateur who was ousted from the Corbin & King group he founded two decades ago. He aims to retain its unique atmosphere, while presumably making it relevant to locals once again, and not just visiting tourists. March 30 is the first date for booking availability.

survey result

Summary

Autumn 2024 has become autumn 2025 when it comes to the projected launch date of this hotly awaited debut… if one can use such a word for the resurrection of this celebrated temple to roast beef on the Strand (est. 1828) which backs onto The Savoy (same owners). Restaurant supremo Jeremy King has partnered with Fairmont to rescue this “last of the ‘grande dame’ restaurants” and few openings carry such expectations and potential. The astonishing mediocrity of its traditional fare over recent decades has – notwithstanding its period charms; ongoing fame; large size; relaunch after relaunch; the huge surge in interest in dining out; and rising esteem for British cuisine – become an ever-more-obscure anachronism. King has said he envisions “a big-theatre brasserie”, but one that would “very much hark on its tradition” (“I want people to walk in there and say, ‘Oh good, they haven’t changed it’, although it will have changed”). Even if they have auctioned off the famous beef trolleys, if anyone can do it, it will be King… it could be so good.

Summary

£103
£££££
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

Could it be a dream team? Restaurant supremo Jeremy King has partnered with Savoy owners Fairmont to mastermind the autumn 2024 relaunch of this celebrated temple to roast beef on the Strand (est. 1828) which backs onto The Savoy. King has described Simpson’s as “the last of the ‘grande dame’ restaurants that still retains its original décor and features” and few relaunches carry such expectations and potential. The astonishing mediocrity of its traditional fare over recent decades has – notwithstanding its period charms; ongoing fame; large size; half-hearted relaunch after half-hearted relaunch; the huge surge in interest in dining out; and rising esteem for British cuisine – become an ever-more-obscure anachronism. King has said he envisions “a big-theatre brasserie”, but one that would “very much hark on its tradition” (“I want people to walk in there and say, ‘Oh good, they haven’t changed it’, although it will have changed”). Even if they have auctioned off the famous beef trolleys, if anyone can do it, it will be King… it could be so good.

Summary

£100
£££££
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

This legendary temple to roast beef (opened in 1828) closed in March 2020 and has yet to re-open. In August 2023, the Savoy (of which it’s a part) auctioned off many of the antiquities relating to the site, including fireplaces, furniture, crockery and its renowned carving trolleys. It has also posted on its website its ‘intention to announce a re-opening date in 2024’. Clearly it will be a new non-heritage-based departure for this famous name, so, watch this space.

Summary

£93
 ££££
2
Average
3
Good
4
Very Good
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

“The roast beef commands attention!” – carved at the trolley in this famous grill room near The Savoy, serving “quintessentially British cooking in very generous portions”. Its performance has been very inconsistent in recent times and it was closed for an extended period over Covid, making it hard to recommend unequivocally, other than as a ‘slam dunk’ for entertaining foreigners on business.

For 35 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 Simpson's in the Strand?

100 Strand, London, WC2R 0EW

Restaurant details

Yes
Highchair,Menu,Portions
50, 120
No trainers
120

What the Newspaper Critics are saying

The Daily Telegraph

William Sitwell hustled a table for the first night of full trading at “the hottest ticket in London”, earning bragging rights as the first national critic into print on restaurateur Jeremy King’s multimillion-pound revival of a revered institution dating back to 1828. 

It was everything he could have hoped for, both in culinary terms and – more importantly for William – as a symbolic and political statement: “a monumental f–k you to the Labour Government…  a vehemently aggressive show of defiance in a time of relentless attacks on hospitality.”

His meal was “the most fabulous hoot”, “a welcome blast of good cheer”, and “a theatrical tour de force” of chefs in extravagant crumpled hats, of silver salvers and the famous roast beef trolley. The food might be a “mere aside”, but it was perfect: Carlingford oysters and a classic prawn cocktail followed by the roast beef-on-wheels – “two large slices carved by the chef, pink and tender with melting fat” for “a vast Sunday lunch on a Tuesday night”.

William Sitwell - 2026-03-15

Prices

Traditional European menu

Main
£20.00
Drinks  
Wine per bottle £41.00
Filter Coffee £3.00
Extras  
Service 12.00%
100 Strand, London, WC2R 0EW
Opening hours
Not Set

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