Westminster, Bbq Restaurant Guide

“When craving good quality red meat”, “these buzzy (if “very noisy”) chop-shops are bang on the money”, offering some of “the best VFM meat in London”, plus “attentive and welcoming service” too. “The steaks compare very favourably to Hawksmoor, especially as they are a fraction of the price” – “corkage is £10, which when matched with Butcher’s Block prices on a Monday makes for unbeatable value”. “Interiors are sleek but also relaxed (big groups – potentially with burger juices dripped down the front – can laugh loudly across circular tables without getting any side-eye”). Top Menu Tip – “The ‘All In’ is a heady mix of different meats laid on bread which soaks up all the resting juices… wonderful!”

“Proper steak venues” with “fantastic prime cuts for sharing” is how fans applaud Neil Rankin’s cocktail-fueled smokehouses: vibrant hang-outs featuring live-fire BBQ in the open kitchens that form the heart of each outlet (and with a selection of taco platters backing up the menu’s core of smoked meat dishes). Ratings have varied of late, though, and Paddington and Shoreditch branches closed in autumn 2024, now leaving only Soho, Covent Garden and the City. Top Tips – look out for Bottomless brunch deals; and the £15 steak frites lunchtime offer (in Covent Garden only).

“When craving good quality red meat”, “these buzzy (if “very noisy”) chop-shops are bang on the money”, offering some of “the best VFM meat in London”, plus “attentive and welcoming service” too. “The steaks compare very favourably to Hawksmoor, especially as they are a fraction of the price” – “corkage is £10, which when matched with Butcher’s Block prices on a Monday makes for unbeatable value”. “Interiors are sleek but also relaxed (big groups – potentially with burger juices dripped down the front – can laugh loudly across circular tables without getting any side-eye”). Top Menu Tip – “The ‘All In’ is a heady mix of different meats laid on bread which soaks up all the resting juices… wonderful!”

“Proper steak venues” with “fantastic prime cuts for sharing” is how fans applaud Neil Rankin’s cocktail-fueled smokehouses: vibrant hang-outs featuring live-fire BBQ in the open kitchens that form the heart of each outlet (and with a selection of taco platters backing up the menu’s core of smoked meat dishes). Ratings have varied of late, though, and Paddington and Shoreditch branches closed in autumn 2024, now leaving only Soho, Covent Garden and the City. Top Tips – look out for Bottomless brunch deals; and the £15 steak frites lunchtime offer (in Covent Garden only).

“It’s a little crowded and cramped but the food is phenomenal” at Tomos Parry’s “lively, totally welcoming and unstuffy” operation – the clever conversion of the first floor of a Shoreditch pub (over the Smoking Goat) with its own separate entrance. When it opened in 2018, Tomos helped lead the vogue for cooking over fire in the capital and the “fabulous” results here remain “worthy of applause for their creativity, presentation, taste and good value”. “Passionate staff add to the atmosphere as does the open grill and it’s an absolute must-do, especially for a group of foodie friends looking for a fun night”. “From the bread through to the superbly done fish and vegetable-based dishes and a memorable wine list, it’s memorable all round, every time”. Top Menu Tip – “exquisite Turbot” (for which the venue is named… in Welsh!).

“Holy smoke!” – “a heavenly wall of meaty aromas hits you as you walk through the door” of this moody Shoreditch haunt that channels the BBQ flavours of the American South. “Super-friendly and flexible staff” ply guests with “black, crisp, soft and melting meats”, while “salad and sides are punchy and cut through nicely”. Opened in 2016, it was the first bricks-and-mortar restaurant from David Carter, who has gone on to launch Italian-inspired Manteca and Greek double act Agora and Oma at Borough Market. Top Menu Tips – “the moreish pig tails and pastrami starters”.

2023 Review: The “exquisite kebabs” at this family-run Turk in Kentish Town (which takes its name from the original Victorian sign above the door) have “set the standard in north London for years”. Don’t be put off by the “limited menu and basic amenities (more like a local chippy)” – the food is “fresh, good quality and delicious”, while “service is cheerful”.

2023 Review: “Quality meat and good value” have carved a fine reputation for this Canonbury gastropub (part of Noble Inns), which is entering its 10th year in 2023. Whole carcasses are butchered on-site, fish is delivered daily, and it’s a beer-lovers dream, with 20 on tap and 60 bottled.

“Buzzy” north London flame-grilled specialist with outlets in Belsize Village and St John’s Wood, the brainchild of former LPM and The Ritz chef Jake Finn. “Deservedly very busy”, they’re “both lovely places that are worth a visit”, with “friendly staff” and “delicious food” from a “changing menu” based around a “lovely, small-sharing-plate concept”.

This local institution next to Queensbury station – towards the outer extremities of the Jubilee line – was founded in 1991 by accountant Navin Sharma and inspired by Asian community members’ clubs in Kenya. Now open to the public, it retains a clubby feel with dinner served at two sittings (6pm, 8pm), and excels for its “very friendly staff” (who are managed by head waiters known as ‘courier waiters’) and “great” Asian food with East African influences: “go for the grilled meats (the curries are good too)”. The well-stocked bar is “a great place for sports fans to watch matches”.

2024 Review: This “great local Korean” close to Notting Hill Gate tube station offers a “good variety of dishes” – including Japanese sushi and “super lunchtime bento boxes”. “It can get very busy, so booking is advised”.

“Really thrilling wild-fire cooking” is behind the “exciting menu” at this “buzzy venue” – Dalston’s 40FT Brewery. Chef Andrew Clark launched the project when lockdown forced him to cook outside – and he stayed there, although guests have the option of eating indoors. Alongside the obvious meat, the menu features plenty of vegetables and fish – such as “the best mackerel ever – cooked to perfection and huge!”

These “huge American-style diners” win solid ratings for their rock’n’roll (and blues and country) delivery of a “meat-heavy menu”, washed down by bucket-loads of ice-cold beers or two-pint jugs of ‘slushy’ cocktails, designed for raucous partying. The “great-value surf ’n’ turf” and lunch deals go down well, too. The original Chelsea venue opened 35 years ago, and has been joined more recently by spinoffs in Covent Garden, Canary Wharf and Westfield Stratford.