Harden's says
Just four years short of its bicentenary, one of Britain's most venerable restaurants is to be relaunched in spring 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.
Harden's survey result
Summary
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
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
“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.
Summary
“Buzzing with tradition and gravitas”, London’s most famous dining room is fast approaching its bicentenary. Prized nowadays by locals only for business breakfasts, it is sometimes noted as “an excellent place to take an overseas guest for succulent roast beef” carved from domed trolleys, but the real surprise is how very little feedback it generates nowadays. By September 2021, Simpson’s remains ‘temporarily closed’ – presumably awaiting a revival of the tourist trade? Could Corbin & King please take it over in the interim?
For 33 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
Prices
 Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £41.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £3.00 |
 Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Service | 12.00% |
100 Strand, London, WC2R 0EW
Opening hours
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