Holborn, Burgers, Etc Restaurant Guide

“Decent steaks served quickly in a great atmosphere” win a small but dedicated fan club for this quirky family-run steakhouse that has flown somewhat under the radar off High Holborn for the past 20 years. The meat is sourced from nearby Smithfield market, and the walls are adorned with cattle-themed movie posters.

Burgers served à la française in a brioche bun still win a good level of support for this 20-year-old fast-food group. Having shrunk to just two branches – Balham and the Camden flagship, the latter said to be a favourite of Amy Winehouse back in the day – they are now part of Jamie Barber’s Hush Mayfair operation, with former branches in Kingston, Holborn and Chelsea upgraded into brasseries.

Now branded as ‘No.3 Rooftop Restaurant’ (formerly, it was just ambiguously referred to as the top floor) – Smiths’ flagship venue was once a top spot for business wining and dining thanks to its wide outside terrace and striking views over to the City and St Paul’s. Ups and downs over many years have lowered its profile, but no-one rates the food badly nowadays, even if some think elements of the experience are “overpriced” or “disappointing”. With the rebrand has come less emphasis on steak, and a sign-of-the-times refocus on fish and seafood (including a raw selection), but still alongside cuts of dry-aged, grass-fed British beef.

2022 Review: “The duck burger is sublime and the triple-cooked duck-fat chips are moreish” at this offshoot of nearby Club Gascon, which offers a more informal venue for simpler but similar cuisine from SW France. We’ve rated it on the basis of its consistent pre-pandemic performance, as it remains closed as of September 2021 while the team waits for folks to return to their offices around Smithfield.

“Still got it”, say fans of this retro US stalwart in theatreland – a ’70s import from NYC, whose sibling still trades near Times Square – where “the ambience rather than the American brasserie food is the main thing, and that remains the case”. It had to move six years ago due to redevelopment: “they’ve done a decent job of recreating the atmosphere since the move from the beloved Exeter Street basement, although without the lovely long bar now… but it’s still a pleasure to visit”. Top Menu Tips – “ribs are as good as ever”; “the fried gnocchi for veggies”; and, of course, the famous off-menu burger.

Gordon Ramsay’s four-year-old fast-food chain – one of several diffusion brands from the TV chef – has half a dozen sites across the capital. Views on it have always been somewhat mixed and became even more polarised this year: between those who consider it “a great new discovery” and those who feel it’s “disappointing for an upmarket burger”.