Harden's says
Named for National Theatre architect Sir Denys Lasdun, this new all-day British brasserie will be run by the team behind The Marksman. Opened May 2023.
Harden's survey result
Summary
“Finally! A restaurant worthy of the NT” is how many reporters greet this new all-day venue from the well-connected team who run The Marksman pub, lauding its “British cooking with a focus on ingredients and seasonality”. For an arts venue establishment, the level of feedback it generates is through the roof! Even fans, though, can find it “a little overpriced for what is on offer”; and, given the concrete-heavy aesthetic of the surroundings, “the ambience scores higher the more you like Brutalism!”. Then there are those who visited on the back of gushing hype in the press, who say that “the reviewers must have eaten somewhere else” and “led us to expect much better”. They say “the revamp of the difficult space still doesn’t quite work; the food is OK but not inspiring and pricey for what it is”; and that service is very “hit ’n’ miss”: “the best thing I can say is that it’s convenient for the National!”
Summary
Named for National Theatre architect Sir Denys Lasdun, the latest incarnation of this South Bank landmark’s flagship eatery is an all-day brasserie, run by the team behind The Marksman. It opened in late May 2023 (after our annual diners’ poll had closed) but the press immediately rushed in and drooled. It helps if you like the Brutalist design of the space: nearly all restaurant critics, it seems, get off on that kind of thing. One such is the FT’s Tim Hayward, who in early June 2023 declared – “Go for the soul-nourishing architecture” and “pointedly British” fare that “operates in tune with the [surroundings]… austere but elegant… it honours its materials rather than obscuring them with decoration”. The cynical would also say, go ASAP, before – like its predecessors – it is tempted to coast on the captive market its pre-theatre trade provides.
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 Lasdun?
National Theatre, Upper Ground, London, SE1 9PP
Lasdun Restaurant Diner Reviews
"Pleasant surprise. A great improvement over the previous 'House' offering."
"Well when it opened it was appalling. Just been back. The food is now good bistro, the wine list is excellent and the staff have been trained. But it is still an unremarkable corridor"
Prices
| Availability | 2 courses | 3 courses |  |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pretheatre | £32.00 | £38.00 |  |
|
|
Traditional European menu
| Starter | Main | Pudding |
|---|---|---|
| £18.00 | £25.00 | £0.00 |
| Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £29.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £0.00 |
| Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Bread | £0.00 |
| Service | 12.50% |
National Theatre, Upper Ground, London, SE1 9PP
Opening hours
| Monday | 5 pm‑11 pm |
| Tuesday | 5 pm‑11 pm |
| Wednesday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 5 pm‑11 pm |
| Thursday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 5 pm‑11 pm |
| Friday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 5 pm‑11 pm |
| Saturday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 5 pm‑11 pm |
| Sunday | CLOSED |
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