Harden's says
Star chef James Knappett has teamed up with his backers JKS (Gymkhana, Hoppers) and publican Dominic Jacobs (The Running Horse, Mayfair) to open their second London pub in the space of six months. The George in Fitzrovia is a beautifully restored grand Victorian Grade II-listed pub with an Italianate corner site frontage; open from late November 2021, with Upstairs at The George, the first-floor dining room, opening in March 2022.
Harden's survey result
Summary
This “beautifully turned out” 18th-century tavern aims “at the upper end for pub food” (although the cooking “never strays into fussy fine-dining fare”). But while it mostly receives a good rep in reports – and its location near Oxford Circus makes it “handy when carpet shopping at John Lewis becomes all too much” – its performance is very modest for somewhere backed by the mighty JKS Restaurants and with a menu designed by chef James Knappett of Kitchen Table fame.
Summary
This “grand but friendly” tavern, in “magnificent” 18th-century premises a short walk from Oxford Circus, offers Kitchen Table chef “James Knappett’s take on traditional pub classics with inventive twists”. In the main bar you’ll find elevated snacks, while a “concise British menu” is served in the upstairs dining room, including “incredible roast dinners – huge slices of beef with what can only be described as a chimney-sized Yorkshire pudding!”.
Summary
The upstairs dining room of this 18th-century pub close to Oxford Circus has reopened under a dream team of owners JKS (the group behind Gymkhana, Bao, Arcade Food Hall etc), chef James Knappett of Kitchen Table and publican Dominic Jacobs of the Running Horse. The same formula has been an uneven success at The Cadogan Arms, but early feedback here is more encouraging.
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 Upstairs at The George?
55 Great Portland Street, London, W1W 7LQ
Upstairs at The George Restaurant Diner Reviews
"Very much downstairs at the bar for some well kept ale with bhajis (spice forward) and a scotch egg. Both excellent versions of themselves served with homemade condiments. The George is a beautifully turned out place with helpful staff - very handy when carpet shopping at John Lewis becomes all too much. "
Prices
 Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £38.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £11.00 |
 Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Bread | £0.00 |
| Service | 13.50% |
55 Great Portland Street, London, W1W 7LQ
Opening hours
| Monday | 12 pm‑11 pm |
| Tuesday | 12 pm‑11 pm |
| Wednesday | 12 pm‑11 pm |
| Thursday | 12 pm‑11 pm |
| Friday | 12 pm‑11 pm |
| Saturday | 12 pm‑11 pm |
| Sunday | 12 pm‑8 pm |
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