St. JOHN Marylebone

Dog friendly so big yes! Celebrated my partner’s birthday and our dog was more than welcome. Overall nice atmosphere, very kind and exceptional service. Starting from the top the dessert was extraordinary (we ordered it twice)and so was the wine. We chose a bottle of white Chamblis which I could not recommend enough! The food was good overall. We got the oysters which were really fresh, the ox tongue which was excellent. The plaice for two was unfortunately neither as fresh as we expected, nor cooked properly so not so appetising, side potatoes were good. The salad was a little gem which was served as you can see just cut in half, which made it really awkward to eat. Also tried the pork faggots which would definitely recommend if you are a pork meat fun! Finished our meal with a negroni which was on spot. Overall would recommend!

+3

We arrived on a Monday afternoon around 8 pm without a reservation. We had our first starter on a street table but the staff was happy to accommodate us inside pretty fast once there was an available spot. The egg mayonnaise with anchovies was a great simple plate with lots of flavour: perfect next to a glass of house white wine. The crispy pig skin with dandelion and sorrel had a perfect balance between acid and fat and we were surprised to find pig skin on a salad. The potted beef came with toast and some pickles. It was really savory and fatty. It can be a little too much if you’re planning on closing the meal with more meat. Anyway, it was good. The roast was one of the best we’ve ever tried and the chard was a great combination. Horseradish really brightened the dish. The desert needs to be mentioned: we had the bread and butter pudding and it was from another planet. Service is top notch. We felt welcomed from start to finish, and every dish was properly explained. We asked for the book but it was out of stock. She seemed upset that we couldn't take one back home. “No worries, we have a reservation at the other St John for tomorrow’s lunch”, we said. A second later, she was calling St John to make sure there was a copy available for us. The day after, our book was waiting at St John… and also another great experience.

+5

Seeing a 3.9 rating is an absolute disgrace, the people who are bashing at this place have absolutely no clue what they are talking about..the food is outstanding and the service was extremely friendly & knowledgeable. I’m actually writing this review while waiting for our desert. This has definitely been a 5 star experience and I think his name is Jo/Joseph who was amazing. Last but not least the bread and butter pudding was a home run 😊

+1

St John is just outstanding. The food is prepared beautifully. It’s obvious that they seek out the best of the best ingredients and the preparation and execution of the dishes is perfect.. if I could afford it I would love to eat here and in the original in east London at least once a week.. Ps the bread is sublime especially with the lush properly salted butter.. Thank you St John..

Not sure about the negative reviews - perhaps I like things salty but I really liked the food. Have been twice - both times as a walk-in for 2 people on a Friday night and managed to get a table (outside), and both times all of the dishes were delicious. Highlights were a pickled pork dish and some cod roe toast dish. It is quite expensive and one time they brought out our food but no cutlery for ~5 minutes, but on the whole servers are friendly.

Unfortunately they didn’t serve the famous roasted bone marrow parsley salad and toast at Marylebone location plus two dishes I originally ordered that ran out, but still had a great meal. Deep fried rarebit (rabbit) coated in Montgomery cheddar cheese was like a creamy croquette covered by crispy grilled cheese crust all over. Maybe could use a small side of pickles gherkins or cornichons for some acid to cut through, otherwise was a wonderful bite. Ox liver mushrooms barley was great. Also liked mussel cabbage aioli slaw and cold roast welsh (pork shoulder) chicory radishes. Date loaf w/ butterscotch sauce to die for was great dessert. And I highly rec the Dr Henderson (Fernet Branca, Crème de Menthe) for the perfect drink to pair with meats, surprisingly worked really well. Come earlier if you can since a number of dishes do start to run out.

+6

Quality ingredients and great tasting food, delicately done, a great selection of drinks and cocktails and their own wines. Staff are friendly and accommodating !

Exquisite food with a changing menu to the seasons. The atmosphere is, relaxed and just the right amount of hubbub for it to be relaxing. The staff are very professional, formal and polite. We had crispy pork skin w/ketchup, pork & prune terrine w/cornichons, bread & butter, ox liver w/chicory & horseradish, lemon sole w/asparagus & wild garlic and roast lamb w/anchovy sauce & roast carrots. For dessert we had freshly baked Madeline's (takes 15mins) that had such a nostalgic taste and looseleaf tea. They serve plant based milk options. Update: The deviled kidneys and mash is AMAZING

Stunning! Must go! Unapologetic - real food - for real foodie! Nose to tail enthusiasts you should definitely go!

This place should be a perfect 5.0 star! Don’t call yourself a foodie if you just eat regular food. This place introduces new ingredients that you’ve never even heard of or you might not even be able to pronounce and sometimes it’s really life-changing incredibly delicious! Sometimes, but not often, maybe a dish you tried is not as good. The point is to explore tastes you’ve never tried! Yes, sometimes it is about comfort food and man does this place deliver it well! Come in with an open mind and maybe you’ll leave with a new passion for food and appreciation for this place for introducing and exploring new ingredients! Menu changes all the time with a few staples. One of my fave memories of here is having kohlrabi with brown shrimp. Ever heard of Kohlrabi? Mean either. You can see the menu update every day on their website. If you see this specific dish stop what you’re doing and try to get a reservation. It’s so delicious and refreshing you’ll ask for another. Hopefully you’ll leave with an excitement for food that you didn’t realize you had within you! Thank you St John team! PS their staff can sometimes be on a colder side so don’t expect red carpet treatment. They are all badass though and I can’t wait to go back!

Can’t stress enough how great the food was mind blowingly surprising and seasonal. The oxtail tongue was the highlight! Bit on the pricey side but worth every penny!

We weren’t sure what to expect, but we were blown away by the friendly and helpful staff. They explained the menu to us and gave excellent recommendations. The food was all delicious and if I’m ever in London again, this will certainly be back on the itinerary.

Lovely branch from St John. Food magnificent, but service is TOP! Open for breakfast and cafe, as well lunch and dinner. The tables outside are perfect for a lovely afternoon

I agree with the people saying ratings on 3.9 are way off the mark. Went for lunch as we were passing just because we liked the look of it. Was it (relatively) expensive? Yes. But the food was exquisite and the service fantastic. Better than a recent michelin star restaurant we ate at. It will be top of our list next time in London.

When Central London is full of restaurants is can be difficult to find a place that shines out above all the rest. St John does just that Had an excellent time today. Food was outstanding, service impeccable. My only gripe is that we did not make it clear when we book that we were there for a session so had to vacate after 2 hours. So, if you go there, clarify the table arrangements in advance. However, it would be churlish of me to 'dock' them a star for that. Enjoy.

I had one of the best lunches I’ve ever eaten in London here: bread-and-butter followed by roast wigeon, with strawberry Eton mess for pudding. I had the house IPA with the main and a glass of port with dessert. The food was superb and the service was relaxed and friendly. This is not the place for a hurried meal, nor is it inexpensive, but it is perfect in its own inimitable way.

We had such a lovely dinner here! The food is absolutely delicious, so flavoursome and beautifully cooked. The service was excellent too, very attentive, friendly and helpful.

Some menus I could not eat like kinda made of animal's liver but most of foods gave us a feeeling that we be the guest of UK farmers' home.

+3

We had a lovely dinner here. Ox liver, radicchio and Quince were absolutely divine, the liver was slightly pink and the slightly sweet dressing was a great accompaniment, the cuttlefish. red wine and mayonnaise was equally good with the cuttlefish being cooked to perfection. Our final main was the Partridge with Jerusalem artichoke, which was also very good although the Partridge was a little dry but the artichoke was excellent. The desert of Eccles cake and cheese sounded wrong but was a great choice with the sweet and savoury complimenting each other fantastically.

Service was great, the atmosphere too. However the food was a little underwhelming. The caper sauce in my pork roast was very bland. The salt grinder was spewing massive amounts of salt even with a 1/8th of a twist and because the salt grains were massive and not actually grinding at all it basically ruined one of my dishes with salt completely. If the sauce was seasoned properly in the first place I wouldn't have to do it and risk it using one of the salt grinders.

Good ingredients, simple and refreshing recipes. I do prefer their style of cooking for an authentic taste from the produce. Their menu usually includes choices of good quality offals that are rarely seen in restaurants. I do appreciate such elements of c19-20 London cuisine. Game meat options are usually good. Fish and meat dishes are solid. Always loved their desserts. I don’t personally like Madeleine but people I dined with often praised them. However priced at ~75pp excl drinks this is what I would expect. For this branch in particular, same day booking often possible and I have been visiting regularly for dinner and weekend lunch. I don’t see the quality difference from their St John St branch that might justify booking weeks in advance. However, tables are very closed to each other and the chairs aren’t the most comfortable ones. Bottom line the premise is well maintained and service is okay.

If you are not used to this kind of kitchen it can be really rough. The restaurant was packed with obviously British people that could really enjoy their meal. For us the focus on ,ingredients‘ and salt was definitely too much. The waiter gave us thumbs up that we have tried at least. Don’t get me wrong, the food was definitely good, but the cultural gap in taste just too big..

Excellent service. Our server (sorry I've forgotten your name!) was attentive and also the kind of service where she read each table and understood the kind of service they wanted and adapted to that, which is the best kind and, in my opinion, shows great empathy and care. Unfortunately the lamb was quite dry to the point of needing to wash it down, and I thought the chicken hearts were a bit simple. The rarebit's a must though, wonderful, and the gurnard was perfectly cooked and well balanced with the salad.

it would be perfect if my friend and I didn’t get pushed to leave. we had a lunch. the restaurant wasn’t full but the server kept pushing us from the beginning to choice the menu and finish the main. it was rude taking the plate without asking. We were definitely unhappy with that. the day when I went, It’s been 6years to see my friend. I wish I could have more enjoyable time. the server, she needed to relax. speaking of the food, it was great. Ox river, worth it to try. well balanced with the condiment with fresh endive. venison heart was fantastic, tender and juicy. white ham was also good with wine.

+4

The service here is welcoming and we were greeted warmly. We started with St. John's IPA and champagne, both delicious. The food seemed to be authentic, but was a bit disappointing given the prices. My favorite was the hake, which was peppery and refreshing. The crab was good, but it was just steamed with no seasoning and for 30 euros, I had hoped it would be more special. A few of our orders (lentils, potatoes) never arrived, and unfortunately we could not wait any longer due to a following event, so we had to have them cancelled.

+1

The food was average overall, but the madeleines were outstanding. Unfortunately, the service was also average—they missed one of our main courses, which meant that after finishing one main dish, we had to wait another 30 minutes for the second one. This significantly affected the overall dining experience.

Even in the unhappy world of ‘small plates’ and sharing concepts that we have to accept in modern restaurants, many of these dishes are just so so tiny. I thought the other reviews were exaggerating - I have eaten at the other branches of St John. This is getting silly. £11 for a single, small croquette of rarebit? Anchovy toast with a single anchovy, and the bread no longer than a thumb? It all tastes pretty good, of course, but you can’t escape the feeling that you’re getting mercilessly ripped off. Plus there are snags with service - we waited a long time for our only “main course”. Won’t be back: this was not fun.

Really a mixed bag. Starters were our fault since we ordered three very fatty things and felt bogged down. We had a great Roast Shorthorn beef main, but felt let down by the salads. As other reviews mention, the ambiance is attempting to be the spartan-utilitarian vibe of the original Smithfield St John, but misses the mark. The vibe felt stored away in a basement where the smells of cooking fumigated our clothes.

Interesting wines, seasonal menu, and yes, the deep fried Welsh Rarebit is a quirky but nostalgic must try. But, wines are expensive, servings are small, and the service team more focused on themselves than their customers. Was expecting a 5 star experience, and unfortunately, as per other reviews, Marylebone doesn't live up to what you would expect from St John.

Very famous restaurant in London with different locations. The space is very beautiful and the service very lovely! The dishes are small but a little pricey. The menu changes constantly due to the products that are in the market. They have their own St. Jonn’s beer and a very diverse wine menu. We loved the lentils, yoghurt and mushrooms dish as well as the deep fried rarebit.

Really wanted to love this place but unfortunately have to agree with the negative reviews. Firstly the good: Our waiter was really friendly and we enjoyed his style of service. The bread and butter was amazing - the tastiest butter I’ve ever had. The house wine was reasonably good and not too overpriced for London standards. The bad: 1. We arrived for our reservation and waited for about 5 minutes before anyone acknowledged us - quite unexpected for a restaurant of this calibre and left us feeling like quite an inconvenience. 2. It was our wedding anniversary and we mentioned this on the booking. Honestly we didn’t expect anyone to make a huge deal but we didn’t expect a) to be seated in the worst table in the whole place right next to the toilets and b) for literally no mention or acknowledgement at all that were there for a very special occasion. We really didn’t expect much at all but to not even receive a small mention was quite bizarre. 3. The food was just okay. We were really excited for a super special anniversary meal but we found the food to be just above average. The squash was super salty and not very well balanced and the John Dory was really underwhelming. The crumble tasted exactly like the one from Tesco but 5x the price. 4. The atmosphere was weird. The lights were super bright which made it quite hard to relax and we constantly had people standing next to us lining up for the toilet + right next to us was also the washing up room (where the door was open the whole time FYI) so our whole meal we were hearing people doing dishes etc. We also had people carrying trays of raw chicken past us to put into the chiller - it weirdly felt like we were sitting in the kitchen, but not really in a fun way. I honestly don’t mind seeing the inner workings of a restaurant but in this case it really felt like we were in a storage room rather than a restaurant. 5. Our main waiter was lovely but there was another waitress who was quite rude. Our dessert was literally slammed down in front of us! Overall for the price we walked away really disappointed. It’s not often we go out for a really nice meal and if I’m really honest we felt like our experience at St John was a waste of money. For a causal lunch it might be okay, but if you’re looking for somewhere to celebrate a special occasion this is not the place to go.

Disappointing experience I visited St John in London last Thursday with my parents, who were visiting from Italy. The restaurant had been recommended by friends. The basement dining area, in particular, reminded me of what in Italy we would call a “trattoria” – rustic style, paper tablecloths, closely spaced tables, and a one- or two-page menu. However, the prices and the food are far from what you’d expect in a trattoria. We were advised to try something different from the usual London restaurant. The ingredients are not particularly exotic – no rare meats or fish – but they are fresh I guess. That said, we didn’t find any dishes that truly impressed us. The broccoli with lard could have been a side, the pigeon was tough and lacked any surprising flavor, and the accompaniments didn’t add much. The mutton had a rustic taste, similar to the kind of ribs you might eat with polenta in Northern Italy. A major negative was the overuse of Dijon mustard – it appeared in the majority of the dishes. Having the same flavor repeated in three or four different dishes feels excessive. My mother, who is very picky, asked for a simple dish with a neutral taste. She was recommended a celeriac cake with pickled chestnut and spiced yogurt. Unfortunately, the pickled chestnut’s vinegar completely ruined the dish, and she had to send it back, explaining that she had requested something milder. We asked if any dishes could be adapted to be simpler, but were told this was not possible. Even the salad was unavailable without vinegar, which was very surprising – it felt as if the dishes were pre-prepared with no flexibility or care for individual preferences. I really cannot understand how this restaurant has a Michelin star. My suggestion to the chefs would be to take a culinary journey and explore the flavors of Roman-Jewish cuisine in Rome’s Ghetto – restaurants like Baghetto and Bella Carne are excellent examples. I would also recommend exploring rustic Umbrian, Tuscan, and Lazio countryside cuisine, especially recipes featuring guinea fowl, pheasant, partridge, quail, and pigeon – Al Pozzo Etrusco in Orvieto is a good reference. There is a lot to learn from these traditional approaches, rather than masking the cuisine with vinegar and mustard. Finally, the prices feel inflated considering the rustic style and the dishes themselves.

Painful to review, step foot after a few years and got really surprised by how things changed for the worse. This was for a small birthday gathering and honestly I would NOT recommend. The birthday person was deeply disappointed. Service was not adequate, we were a slightly larger group so having some guidance about how many sharing plates, which are about the same size as starters for some reason, to order would've been nice, it ended up being too small and very slow, we arrived at 8:30 food came in after the kitchen closed - so impossible to readjust. The food in of itself also wasn't up to scratch, pollock and fennel was honestly underwhelming, the roast angus was quite elastic in texture.

Terrifyingly underwhelming. Food were either too salty or too bland - presented in a heap. Extremely overpriced for what you get. The poultry was so tough that it was a struggle to eat - our neighbour lost their knife trying to chop through it. Did service notice the loud clang and offer them a new one? No. The poor soul was left to continue hacking with a butter knife. I read recent negative reviews before going but decided to give the restaurant a chance. Surely it can't be that bad! Someone wrote "I could've cooked some dishes better at home" and I initially thought this was a bit harsh. But after tasting my main course, sadly I couldn't agree more. Tables were arranged erratically so some were far apart while groups of others were squashed so close together you are within elbow touching distance with neighbours. Service was incredibly understaffed with only 1 person effectively serving an entire floor. We asked for part of our starters and mains to be taken home in a bag and most of the contents were missing.

Resoundingly unremarkable. Flavours were…fine, not amazing, although the lentils with the ox-tongue were more heavily salted than the Dead Sea. The steak and potatoes were well-cooked and pretty bland. Honestly, for what they charge, felt pretty disappointing. Service was erratic. Despite counter seating and a decent degree of visibility, the wait staff seemed to be more focused on having chats with each other than paying attention to their customers. It wasn’t super busy, and yet we had to flail about a bit to get anyone’s attention.

Went there for dinner on a Friday evening and was really looking forward to it, having been to their Smithfield location. Was hugely disappointed. Got the Deep Fried Rarebit, which was good, but more of a croquette with rarebit flavors. Got the tongue, snail, and jerusalem artichoke. All three came with a side salad that had a very strong mustard dressing. The dressing overwhelmed the flavor of everything else, and all three ended up tasting the same. Got the asparagus with melted butter. Now if you're going to serve something this simple you'd better get it perfect... it wasn't. The asparagus was overcooked and bland, and the melted butter was just that. Finally had the Chard, Lentils and Goat's Curd, which is one of the bigger plates. It was bland (or our palate was destroyed by the mustard dressing from before). Service was friendly and attentive though. However, after this experience I won't be dining at any of the St. John's restaurants again.

The food ranges from good to excellent, albeit a little salty, and apart from the bread, the ingredients seem top quality. The rarebit was a naughty delight brining back happy childhood memories. The kitchen appears small and busy yet well-led. The service staff are pseudo friendly and over-obsessed with how long you have remaining at your seat despite them being half empty on a Saturday night. There is zero atmosphere, no music and no happiness. I joked with my wife that this is would be the perfect place to dine alone after a relationship break up or being made redundant. I was only half joking.

The food at St John’s Marylebone was outstanding. But the atmosphere? My husband nailed it: like a wake dinner. We sat at the counter and were repeatedly told how little time we had before the next reservation. Then suddenly, when that booking cancelled, we were encouraged to order dessert. The moment we declined, we were told to leave because another reservation was now “on its way.” It was rushed, uncomfortable, and frankly, off-putting. A real shame, with food this good, St John’s could be a Marylebone gem. But until they learn how to make guests feel welcome, it won’t be.

Nothing but disappointment. Here are some highlights: First, dirty plates. The plate served to me was visibly dirty. They replaced it — with another plate that was, somehow, also dirty. Second, “vintage” cutlery. After finishing the first course, no fresh utensils were provided for the next one. Perhaps it was meant to be environmentally friendly; I didn’t mind as much, but it was still unexpected. What frustrated me most was that the dish I ordered was only declared unavailable at the very end, when my partner was already enjoying his second course. I then had to pick something else on the spot, which showed poor organization and a lack of consideration for customers. On top of that, the food was either too plain or too salty. Overall, the hygiene, service, and management were all disappointing. Sadly, I can’t recommend this place anymore, even though it used to be our favorite restaurant in the neighborhood.

Food is honestly mid.....it is just overly salty, and is the type of food you can make yourself. In its attempt to be wholesome, it ends up being bland. Staff tried to be lovely, but it was just too busy to get great service.

Unfortunately I found St JOHN bitterly disappointing and I therefore feel compelled to provide this review. We paid £124 for bread (this was the highlight), 1 langoustine (this minuscule piece of seafood was £7.50), 5 slices of thin pork, a mackerel and a duck leg. None of the dishes were enjoyable - I would even go so far as to say that most of the meal didn’t even taste good. And our side of potatoes consisted of boiled potatoes that were undercooked (raw). Questioning how St John has a Michelin Star. I thought perhaps we ordered poorly? But the menu was extremely limited and when we arrived at 7pm, each of the specials was sold out. We ordered the only two non-vegetarian main courses. Perhaps we just got unlucky with the seasonal menu but if you are planning to book St JOHN for a special dinner (or at all) I would urge you to spend that money elsewhere.

Went to have dinner at St John Marylebone, and at first was very excited. Once arriving the staff was friendly and the environment was good, although a bit noisy. The food was good, not espectacular and a bit expensive for what it is but still good. The problem came when we ask for the bill. The suggest a service charge of 12,5%! I thought that although the service was fine it was not worth 12,5% of the bill! I ask if they could please remove it and the staff did it, however when I went to pay by card they still charged me the service charge! I told the staff that I was overcharged since I requested that they remove de service charge. The person responsible told me that it was a mistake and that I would get a refund which I never received! So remember when going to this place to be extra careful to check what you are paying because they would charge the service charge even if you don’t want to.