Harden's survey result
Summary
“Wearing the ‘nose-to-tail’ mantle a little more lightly” than the Smithfield original, Trevor Gulliver and Fergus Henderson’s Spitalfields canteen hits the nail on the head for many diners. Its robust British small plates are “seriously good – different, and utterly delicious with plenty of offal” – and “the wine list with lesser known bottles is also interesting”. “The room may be clinical” but “its basic style is attractive… if you like that sort of thing”. Top Menu Tip – “the best bacon butty in London!”, plus “mega Eccles cakes with Lancashire cheese to fill you up”.
Summary
“Move away from the ordinary and enjoy something special” at this “cracking venue” – an über-functional, white-walled Spitalfields canteen whose “great, innovative menu” of offbeat British dishes (such as chitterlings) is a stripped-down version of Trevor Gulliver and Fergus Henderson’s world-famous Smithfield original. To some, it is even better: “I now prefer B&W to the mothership – it’s more lively and wears the ‘nose-to-tail’ cloak a little more lightly”.
Summary
“The food is typical St John” – although the ‘nose-to-tail’ eating is in a small plates format – at this “noisy and crowded”, characteristically austere Spitalfields canteen: the long-running offshoot of Fergus Henderson’s iconic Smithfield venue. “My go-to venue for when I don’t know where else I fancy – more accessible and casual than its big sibling, with ‘big’ St John the pick for a celebration or blow out”. Top Tip: “the madeleines remain unbeatable. Always order half a dozen on your way out”.
Summary
Home of “possibly the best bacon sandwich in London amongst all the faddishness and superficiality of modern Spitalfields” – this “carnivore heaven” is “more accessible and less full-on than the original (and still best) St John”, but still serves “excellent nose-to-tail food” from breakfast to dinner. Its white-walled, canteen-like quarters are echoey and not especially comfortable, but somehow avoid seeming as grimly utilitarian as they otherwise might. Top Tip – the baking is gorgeous: “an Eccles cake here will offer all the benefits of a warm hug”.
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 St John Bread & Wine?
94-96 Commercial St, London, E1 6LZ
Restaurant details
Prices
 Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £38.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £3.00 |
 Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Service | 12.50% |
94-96 Commercial St, London, E1 6LZ
| Number of Diners: | |
| Required Time: | |
Opening hours
| Monday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 6 pm‑9:30 pm |
| Tuesday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 6 pm‑9:30 pm |
| Wednesday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 6 pm‑9:30 pm |
| Thursday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 6 pm‑9:30 pm |
| Friday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 6 pm‑9:30 pm |
| Saturday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 6 pm‑9:30 pm |
| Sunday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 6 pm‑9:30 pm |
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