5 /5 William Smith: Quality Chop House is considered a London culinary institution for good reason, this meal was excellent and was well worth the price.
I went for Lunch on Sat 25th Jan 2026 at 12pm with a friend. We had a booking, so getting a table was a non factor. The reservation was reasonably difficult to get, but in fairness I only made it a week in advance. If you want to have the pick of times, try two weeks in advance.
Note that the sample menu on the website is not the same as the menu in the restaurant.
To start was the Mangalitza Pork Croquette with Leek mayonnaise; the croquette tasted like the platonic ideal of bacon. The outer coat was crisp without being too dense or hard, while the inside was just shy of too dry. The leek mayonnaise was nice if rich; this is high praise from me, considering that I don’t like mayonnaise.
Next up was the lamb meatball with lardo. Despite the less than stellar visuals, this was the highlight for me; extremely rich, fatty and meaty, I was scraping the pot for any remaining crumbs. This dish exemplified the feel of QCH for me; an old fashioned, British, forgotten, hearty meat dish. I haven’t had a dish like this elsewhere and I’m not sure I ever will. Certainly not for everybody but for me an easy 10/10, one of those dishes you get sad when you finish because there is none left.
Then we had the 800g ribeye with the confit potatoes and garlic and anchovy sauce. The ribeye was obviously very high quality meat-wise and was a good cut, with all the good fatty bits left on. The dish itself was excellent, but still shy of the best steaks in the U.K (in my opinion held by Ibai and Brat) and I think the difference is in the char; you can tell by that somewhat grainy texture in my photo of the middle two thirds of the steak that the steak lacks that bark. I’m not a chef nor do I profess any kind of authority or distinguishing knowledge on cooking, but this to me seems a reasonable explanation, although it could be something else, after all, once steaks get this good the margin of error becomes increasingly slim.
The confit potatoes are hyped for good reason; crunchy and moreish on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside, plus looks very picturesque. The garlic and anchovy sauce was tasty (as everything with garlic is) but certainly not a showstopper, and for ÂŁ5 a little bit too pricey.
The service was maybe the best I’ve ever had; our waitress was friendly and polite yet didn’t feel intrusive, she explained the dishes well and refilled our jug of water right before we finished. The atmosphere was also very nice, no loud music (although for me atmospheres in general take a backseat to the food unless either noteworthily good or bad). The chintzy plates were a nice touch.
At ÂŁ160 for 2, ÂŁ80pp, this is an expensive meal, although I think that the quality justifies at least one trip. Definitely an experience worth having and a reputation well earned.