Hawksmoor Guildhall in City of London, Westminster

Went to Hawksmoor Guildhall for dinner. Had higher expectations due to reviews posted. Service was great but food was disappointing. It was not horrible but you can get better food at a moderately priced establishment. Also ordered prawns and was given small to medium sized shrimp, maybe it’s a regional language gap. Left hungry.

Always such an easy choice to come here. The team always make me a version of drink that was on their cocktail list years ago, the tom and jerez, one of my favourite cocktails in London, such a kind gesture. The oysters and smoked salmon alone make it worth a trip, don't even need to make it through to the restaurant sometimes, just stay in the bar and enjoy the evening.

Very good food, service was great.

Terrible servicio, nos equivocamos de orden y luego nos acercamos con una actitud terrible. Luego nos hizo sentir muy incómodos al dejar claro que querían volver a casa. Como alguien que va a hawksmore a menudo esta es una de las peores experiencias de restaurantes que he tenido, no recomendaría.

The most delicious steak you can eat in London. There is also macaroni and cheese there, and there is no mistake. And the Japanese carrots as well. It is preferable to book before arrival. As for the desserts, make sure because some of them contain alcohol and some of them contain pork fat. May God bless you.

Great meal with exceptional service, Colston Bassett cheese plate at £5.50 has to be the best value cheese plate in London!

Wonderful, (food quality and service was top notch) would be a 5/5 but the only seating we could get was in the lower level which was so loud I couldn't really have a conversation with my dining partner. I feel if the establishment would consider lowering the table count in that room as to reduce the number of patrons it would dramatically improve the atmosphere. Alternatively I have been in equally dense settings and the establishment had placed partitions in the room to break up the roar of the guests making the sound less overwhelming. I can appreciate the balance a business needs to consider between capacity and revenue so it is a tricky situation. I would recommend when making your reservation trying to go during off peak hours to have a more pleasant experience.

Much bigger on the inside than it looks outside. It's underground so no natural light. Service was fantastic, really friendly staff. Food was very good, but on the small side. Sticky Toffee pudding was excellent!

To noisy to talk. But the place is very good.

Precioso lugar coronado con buena comida. El servicio fue un poco lento, pero esto se rectificó y se muestra en nuestra factura ajustada. Una gran manera de celebrar el Día de las Madres.

Extremely spacious and tasty. Good for bringing babies.

An Unforgettable Stag Experience at Hawksmoor Guildhall! We recently hosted a stag party at Hawksmoor Guildhall, and it was nothing short of spectacular! From the moment we arrived, we were treated like royalty. The private room was perfect for our group, providing an intimate yet spacious setting for our celebration. The highlight of the room was the impressive 83" TV, which was ideal for watching the rugby and giving presentations. It added an extra layer of excitement and engagement to our event, making it truly memorable. A special shoutout to our waitress, Jemma, who went above and beyond to ensure our evening was flawless. Her attention to detail, friendly demeanor, and impeccable service made all the difference. She was always on hand to cater to our needs and made us feel incredibly welcome. The food, as always, was exceptional. The steaks were cooked to perfection, and the sides were delicious. The quality of the ingredients and the skill of the chefs were evident in every bite. The drinks were also a highlight and they always made sure they were topped up!! Overall, Hawksmoor Guildhall exceeded our expectations in every way. If you're looking for a venue that combines great food, excellent service, and a fantastic atmosphere, look no further. We can't wait to return!

Incredible food. One of the best steaks I've had in my life. Medium Rare was cooked to perfection in this restaurant.

Fantastic steak. Great deserts.

Best steak ever. Service was exceptional.

Mucho disfrutó de nuestro almuerzo - tanto teniendo la remolacha al horno seguido de filete de grupa y patatas fritas (medio raro, carbonizado) y esto fue seguido en un caso por un postre enorme. La comida era muy buena al igual que el servicio. El ambiente era un poco faltante en el comedor grande pero ruidoso.

Excellent quality food, great atmosphere and the most helpful and friendly staff! Impressed

My partner and I ordered the same steak, same weight and how it was cooked (ribeye, 350g and medium as recommended by waiter), but our steaks came out completely different. Mines was cooked so much more, it was grey with hardly any pink colour inside. I asked the waiter if this is how they do medium steaks at Hawkmor, to which he said I’ll take it back to the kitchen. They brought me out another steak really quickly but said it was medium rare and the other steak was just a greyer steak. I’ve honestly never heard of greyer steaks before, but the manager assured me it’s a thing, and gave me another free side salad. My server was very nice and I can’t fault him but I’m not impressed with the greyer steak comment by the manager. It’s like she wanted to educate me and not take the blame. I think it would have been better just to admit the other streak was over cooked or my partners was under cooked. My waiter said the manager has my contract details and will be offering me a free steak but not heard anything, not surprised to be honest I would return due to that manager and I think she knows it. Love the Hawksmoor in Covent Garden try that instead

Sunday roast was nice but not great value for what you spend - prime rib at around £150 would expect more than a ‘nice’ piece of meat. Was actually quite disturbed that at this price level we were not given a yorkshire per person and the gravy plus trimmings were pretty average. Ordered the prawn cocktail as was intrigued as to what a £19 prawn cocktail would look like… this is an absolute rip off and absolutely not worth more than £7/8. Trout roe on a prawn cocktail does not justify the price point! Servers were nice but felt pretty hectic as we were attended by 8 different people across the meal. Overall just ‘nice’ / average is not what you expect from £75 per head on a sunday roast. Real foodies/ industry people Should steer clear

Amazing food and service! We went as a big group and everyone has had a great time. Food is very nicely done, the attentive service has been greatly appreciated!

Steaks 🥩 are great the service is good !

Best one I've been too, great service and food.

Friendly staff, one of the best steakhouses Ive been to. Reasonable prices for good quality steak and starters. What stood out was the Onion and Bonemarrow

Great atmosphere, bustling but not shouting loud. Top selection of drinks and the food was unreal. Would recommend the Bone Marrow and Onions for certain!

Great venue, great food, our waitress/waiter was very attentive. As a table of 9 we were unable to be seated in the main restaurant so had to tolerate comings and goings to the toilet, due to position of our table. Apart from than that, lovely day.

Simone and Ivy are incredible and made our night!! Sticky toffee pudding and filet were perfect

Vino a comer con la familia el domingo. Las expectativas eran altas como he estado en otros restaurantes Hawksmoor, pero desafortunadamente no coincidía con la experiencia. Los 3 filetes estaban sobre sazonado hasta el punto de que eran desagradables de comer y mi hermano apenas comió el suyo, ya que dijo que era difícil. El lugar era precioso y el servicio era perfectamente adecuado. El ambiente también era agradable, pero desafortunadamente decepcionado por la comida.

The food is absolutely exquisite here and the service was equally fantastic. Highly recommend! I would say that the atmosphere/ decor is not as fancy as the price tag on the food but it depends what you go to a restaurant for! We found the main dining area to be a bit like a dining hall but as mentioned we were blown away by the food

Fantastic food was wonderful with attentive staff

Staff are wonderful, steak always delicious

This is my third visit to a Hawksmoor with my family. All huge steak fans, even my youngest who is 11 went for the the Express menu and opted for the 11oz rump. We shar

Amazing Hawksmoor Monday. Love it. Steaks and desserts are awesome.

My first experience with the Hawksmoor chain and what a delight! Impeccable service, a well-sized menu, and a pleasant atmosphere. The only drawback is that the open plan, wood-panelled restaurant portion of the venue does amplify sound, but not to such an extent as to prevent conversation.

Pricey, but worth it. The Sunday roast was incredible.

Good food , big steak was very nice. Service excellent . Very noisy as so busy

We've been to Hawksmoor multiple times now and have enjoyed it every time. The steaks are always fantastic, but the sides are second to none. Can't fault any of it and would recommend to all to try.

It was our first visit and my friend and I shared the mixed grill in the Guildhall restaurant. The quality of the meat was exceptional and together with impeccable and friendly service, we had an amazing meal and experience. We will both returning very soon. Thank you !

You expert a Steakhouse, ambiance is Nice and service ok. Never the less prices are far too high, for the service and ambiance. €600,- for a family of 4 is not acceptabel. Ordering weight of meet and service fee from 12,5 % is not as it should be

Wow, what an amazing time we had. Eva deserves a huge praise as she was what made our experience just exceptional. Her customer service and her caring nature was just incredible. Also the food was just gorgeous. We have visited a few different hawksmores and this one is definitely up there at the top!

our overall experience was good but the steak we wanted was not available (porterhouse ) Lobster we asked for was not available. we asked for 1200g only 900 available then told only 750 available ! steak was slightly over cooked but they did offer a replacement in 40 minutes ! lastly our wine only arrived when we had almost finished our main!

I was given the table I requested, great food and attentive service. The only downside is the acoustics; the restaurant is far too noisy.

Sure! Here’s a polished version of your review for OpenTable: Outstanding Experience at Hawksmoor Guildhall From start to finish, our experience at Hawksmoor Guildhall was exceptional. My best friend and I arrived at 5 PM and were seated in a lovely spot in the restaurant. The service was impeccable throughout, with the staff being attentive yet unobtrusive. We both ordered steak, which was cooked to absolute perfection. The quality of the food, combined with the warm and welcoming atmosphere, made for a truly memorable evening. Although we slightly exceeded our two-hour seating, our server was incredibly accommodating and kindly offered us a spot in the bar so we could continue enjoying our evening without interruption. Hawksmoor never disappoints—whether at Guildhall or any of their locations, they consistently deliver outstanding service, a beautiful setting, and some of the best steaks in the business. Highly recommend!

Took a client to dinner who was over from the US. They loved the experience, New Yorker praising the steak always a good start. Service was excellent, as always. Thanks again!

UPDATED review.... To the world at large, I have updated my initial review from two stars in mid-November 2024 to a five-star rating following my second visit on February 8, 2025 and for good reason. Hawksmoor Guildhall truly cares. They were genuinely concerned about my previous experience and made every effort to set things right and they absolutely did. Vallie Perret, Assistant Reservations Manager, was exceptional in our communication. Her kind and thoughtful offer of a complimentary meal set the stage for an unforgettable evening. My wife and I visited for an early Valentine’s Day dinner, and the experience was flawless. Every member of staff was warm, welcoming, and attentive. The service was nothing short of exceptional, and the wine recommendation — Hartenberg Cabernet Sauvignon was spot on. The food was simply outstanding. I won’t list each dish, because every single bite was perfection. Overall, I wholeheartedly recommend Hawksmoor Guildhall. Bring your family, bring your friends as this was the best customer service I have ever received in a restaurant, and I can’t wait to return!

Only con is the price. The Sunday roast is amazing. I will definitely return Their gravy is amazing and I recommend putting just a pinch of salt on everything to make all the flavours pop

Ideally the option for sauces with Sunday lunch - one of the party was disappointed to not be able to have mint sauce (the waitress said he was not the first person to ask for it)

The atmosphere was nice, the space was spacious, and the food was delicious. I recommend the Sunday roast👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

The Sunday roast is good, but nothing special. The place is something. Amazing American bar at the entrance. No draft beer 😔

Lovely food. Looked after by wonderful attentive staff. They put the extra detail into serving us and we even got a couple birthday treats thrown in! Thanks to Alex who was serving us for the evening

Amazing steaks and lovely service ! I would definitely be back.

have been a regular since you opened, and never lets me down!! Great food, great service and great wine!!

Devon crab on toast was amazing, as was the peanut butter shortbread

Very tasty food and great vibe for business meeting

Outstanding meal…. Super efficient staff, friendly and the steaks are divine.

Sunday Roast super good and super friendly.

Have dined here many times and keep returning for a reason. The food is delicious and the staff are very friendly and largely attentive (although things were forgotten and service felt a little slow on this occasion, but we were in no rush so it didn’t matter.) If steak’s not your thing treat yourself to a Caesar salad and a Pink Gibson - planning a solo lunch date for myself soon!

The food was excellent, but the overall presentation of the staff felt a bit too casual. The waiters wore mismatched shirts and trainers, which gave the impression of a more laid-back pub rather than a high-end restaurant. If you’re charging premium prices, a more polished and professional uniform would improve experience and better reflect the quality of the food.

Food and service was good, as expected given the price. The atmosphere was average. Nice interior for a steak place, but given the venues popularity the acoustics were bad. I couldn't hear others in my party of 5.

Absolutely Awful - Avoid at All Costs! If I could give zero stars, I would. This was, without a doubt, one of the worst dining experiences I’ve ever had. For £140+, I expected at least decent food and service, but instead, I got a complete disaster from start to finish. • The staff’s body odor was unbearable - completely unacceptable in a restaurant. • The chips were still frozen inside, which says everything about the care (or lack of) that goes into the food. • The steak was small, chewy, and absolutely not worth the ridiculous price (£78) • The bread was ice-cold, like it had just come out of the fridge. We had to ask for it to be toasted, which should have been basic common sense. • The waiter was rude, spoke back to us, and had an attitude like we were bothering him. • We ordered wine, and they completely forgot about it - our steak arrived, and we had to remind them to bring it. • The service was a chaotic mess, with a different waiter coming to our table every time, making it impossible to have any consistency or proper communication. • Even the staff at the entrance seemed lazy and unprofessional, standing around like they didn’t care. This place is an overpriced joke with terrible service and low-quality food. I wouldn’t come back if it were free. Do yourself a favor and go somewhere else.

Great food, lovely venue, excellent service. Only critiscm? Very expensive

I love this place. From the lovely Georgian manager to our fabulously interesting waiter, Boris. The food is great, service attentive and just an all round good experience. Would recommend to anyone

Went fir thursday lunch deal. Steak was good, bone marrow gravy was amazing

Great service! Very good food. We were there on a Wednesday lunchtime, very busy but that didn't detract in any way from the experience. Thanks

10/10 Sunday roast, throughly enjoyed it and make sure to keep space for the apple pie! Absolutely delicious.

Very attentive servers, without being intrusive. Great food. Great service. Great atmosphere.

Amazing service and food was incredible! Already looking forward to my next visit!

My son and I had delicious steaks, quality rump and cooked just right. Our waitress was helpful and took care of us. Overall a good meal

Arrived 1hr early for lunch, we were seated with no issues. Food was excellent and the service was outstanding. Special thanks to Gabriel and Darren, who went the extra mile to make us feel welcome. The whole experience was very impressive and we will definitely return.

We did the £19.50 Steak Lunch meal and it was just as we’d hoped! We got a sauce for an extra £4 but they provided plenty! Portion sizes were great and the steak was delicious. Also a nice amount supplied for the side we chose. Staff were lovely too and the front downstairs venue as a whole had a great vibe 10/10, thank you!

Excellent food and service as always - a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

Yet another marvellous meal for 5 of us at Hawksmoor Guildhall. All of the dishes were perfect, and brought to us in a timely manner. All of the team were professional, polite and accommodating to all of our requests. Tasty cocktails started our meal. I would certainly recommend visiting and we will be returning soon.

Exceptional service. Food was cooked to perfection. Bit on the pricy side but comparable to similar restaurants…. You pay for what you get. Was worth it

Love Hawksmoor but feel it’s getting quite pricey. We ate in Brat (a one star) on Friday buying their wines and ate at Hawksmoor using the £5 corkage deal and Hawksmoor worked out more per person. Obviously you’re not ordering the exact same dishes but we left both places full so similar amounts of food

Bit expensive for what it is, I think they need to reevaluate their pricing and offer to customers.

I get to London twice a year and have gone to Hawksmoor is the only place I go for Sunday roast. I've lost track of how many years I've made sure I am at one of the Hawksmoor locations on Sunday. I have tried most of the starters over the years as well as deserts. And I've had meals during the week over the years and I am amazed that I have eaten at all but 2 of the London locations and have always had great food and great service. Having traveled a lot over the last 50 years and eaten at lots of restaurants - some of them regularly like I do with Hawksmoor and I know that it takes a lot for a restaurant to deliver at a high level continuously.

Always love Hawksmoor, but this is one of my favorites. Service outstanding.

Had a couple of issues with the food my wife did not eat her steak as it was under cook as she asked for medium but what turned up was medium rare but to make worse the steak was very griserly we also only we receiced 1 portion of chips when ordered 2 but they give use fries when told the staff,

Great food but not the best value, sure the prices could be better

The only disappointment was the drinks service at the bar where the bar person did not know how to serve a gin and tonic properly! You never pour the gin in the glass first, always over ice.. The food was excellent as was the service and love the ambiance of the venue. The wines are expensive for what they are but impressed you sell half bottles. I will definitely return

Always noisy restaurants in London but the meat was excellent.

Very good food. Service a little slow given not busy.

What a fabulous lunch. Hawksmoor leaves you wanting more! The interior of Guildhall is absolutely stunning, takes you back in time, so elegant and classic. Our food was delicious and the service was top class. Would definitely recommend the Yellow Mellow Spirtz (non-alcoholic), it was incredible. Our steaks were cooked to perfection and the chips were amazing. And the passion fruit sorbet was really good! 10/10 - we will be back again!

Great experience and great food.

Went there to celebrate my birthday and spend a lovely evening in the usual welcoming atmosphere. Will always call again …

Great Venue, Great Staff & Great Food, Would go again

Ordered the rump and it was a bit tough. I ended up leaving a good third of it because it got worse as it got thicker. Chips were not great either. I did mention to the waiter at the end that it had not been great after he noticed what I'd left, but was still asked to pay full bill. The glass of wine I had was decent.

Este es un Hawksmoor genial, aunque todos son buenos. Tuvimos el almuerzo establecido para nuestro aniversario de boda, acompañados por nuestro bebé de 7 meses. El personal era muy servicial con el cochecito y amable y servicial. Encontré mi filete demasiado cocinado a mi pedido - el personal estuvo de acuerdo inmediatamente y lo reemplazó. Tenemos un postre de bonificación encantador como feliz aniversario. Grita a Vallie Perret, la gerente que creo, que es encantadora. Gracias por una gran experiencia.

Lovely lunch at Hawksmoor Guildhall yesterday! We had a Hawksmoor Caesar as our starter - We didn’t want anything heavy because we wanted to enjoy our steak main. Husband and I shared a Porterhouse, and daughter had a Potted Beef and Bacon starter as her main. We had chips, Béarnaise sauce as well as buttered vegetables (really nice!) with our steak. We enjoyed all our food. Enjoy all our food including the pudding - I had a Sticky Toffee, while daughter had a Sticky Toffee sundae. Thank you to Rianna and Freedom for their warm and friendly service. We will be back, and will try the sirloin next time!

Always consistent. Always excellent. Great steak and wine.

We had to move a couple of times due to very loud tables near us and we were out for a quiet meal for two but the staff didn’t blink an eye at doing it and completely understood. The service was excellent and the food was amazing! Would definitely go back!

Experienced with a couple of colleagues to the Jnauwty express dead. There was only 3 of us, one course and it took over an hour. If you're set to a strict hour lunch break it might be a stretch. Value for the January special is great. I recommend asking for your steak more rare than you would like. My medium rare was medium well, my friends rare was medium etc. Can of lager for £7 is an absolute farce, especially with it being a small can of their own brewed beer. Overall, very good but if you're looking for a quick cheap eat over January with a drink, don't go here.

Waiter was poor. Didn’t ask me how my food was when finished and the rump steak was so fatty (which was on my plate) went for the January lunch offer which was sold out by 1pm?! So instead of £19.50 meal was full price. No offer to help in any way just rubbish really. Unfortunately worst Hawksmoor experience I’ve had

Enjoyable and well prepared meat and side dishes.

I'm not usually the type to write reviews on restaurants but this was a must! The staff at this restaurant were amazing. I took myself on a solo date and whilst I was apprehensive (first time dining alone) each and every staff member made me feel so welcome. They helped with recommendations, were extremely friendly and made this experience one to remember. The food was delicious (especially the sticky toffee pudding) and if you are looking for a good cocktail recommendation I highly recommend the double melon daiquiri. After a poor experience a few years back at a different Hawksmoor I will be sure to visit Guildhall again.

Go here realively regularly as the food is usually great but went at Christmas and was very disappointed. Our steaks were very very overdone. The staff apologized and replaced one of the steaks but not others. The staff apologized again, took our email addresses and they will invite us back 'as their guest' (not totally sure what this meant). Never heard them again - think it may have been a ruse to quell complaining customers.

Siamo stati indirizzati in questo ristorante da chi lo conosceva, anche se per una sede diversa. Diciamo che volevamo assaggiare alcuni piatti che però quel giorno erano terminati…peccato! Prezzo veramente elevato per i nostri standard

Highly attentive and friendly service from a great team. The food was fantastic and the cocktails equally as good. Very comfortable setting too.

We had dinner on New Years eve so it was very busy. But the food didnt take that long and was very delicous. The waiter was nice and the location is looking really good.

Very calm atmosphere and the staff are all very friendly. Food is so tasty and cooked to perfection. The only negative was due to seating which is L shaped and the couple next to us decided to sit literally facing us so were watching us eat and could hear our conversation and it made me feel very uncomfortable. They were also presented with complimentary drinks due to being regulars and we were visiting for out 10 year anniversary but did not have this treatment. I also feel the servers could at least wear something that is similar, I appreciate the casual look and individual identity but I couldn’t tell who was a guest or server for most of the visit.

Very poor service, food arrived after 2 hours, manager wrote off the bill, won’t come back. We were a group of 7, some having travelled from outside London for a birthday celebration. We’ve been to other branches before, and at that price point we knew what to expect—hence the choice to celebrate the birthday here. However the service was dysfunctional: 1. From the start it was difficult getting the attention of the waiters. It was 5pm and the restaurant was less than half full. I had to walk up to a waiter to get service after trying and failing to get their attention multiple times. 2. We finally ordered. At some point we asked for more water and another beer, but it never came. We asked again, the waitress said it’s coming. After a while we asked again, waitress said it’s coming. Finally I get up, walk over to a bunch of waiters and ask for it again. They had a bottle of water right at the POS which the waitress placed at the table promptly. Why did I have to get up? 3. We arrived at 5pm, but at 6:40 no food had arrived. We ask repeatedly, and various weak excuses such as “it’s taking longer because of allergy requirements/because the steak was ordered well done” were given. We call for the manager and some food does start coming at 6:50. 4. The steak arrived but our starters (which we asked to come at the same time as the mains) had not. We ask again for them and eventually they come. 5. When the food came they asked us to pass the plates round to each other. Excuse me, who is paying, and who is getting paid? They also came with one less plate than was required. 7. The manager says all the food has arrived. We ask him where the burger was, and he says he doesn’t see it in the system. The burger “without cheese, well done and with chips and eggs” that we discussed with the waitress at initial order was not in the system. 8. Also, we had asked for extra eggs with the steak right at the start. But there was so much going wrong we didn’t bother bringing it up. 9. The waitress was cleaning another table and dropped a fork onto the birthday girl. She didn’t apologise. Some basic manners please? 10. To add insult to injury, we saw many other tables who arrived later than us getting their food way before us. Felt a bit like an expensive slap in the face. If you have read this far, congratulations. If this was a hole-in-the-wall <£15 per person shop in Chinatown, fine. But this is a £30-£50+ per person restaurant, not so fine. At the end the manager was apologetic, and offered a discount, bringing what would have been a bill of £300+ down to £170 (which still felt a bit like an insult) but he then decided to write the bill off. Okay, thank you, feels like the right thing to do given the circumstances. For the sake of being balanced I shall touch on some positives: the waitress was knowledgeable about allergen requirements and took them seriously. Food was actually good, but unfortunately the long wait and the fact that getting the food to our table required so much proactive effort on our part (like pulling teeth!) made it unenjoyable— a sad waste of good steak. So how do I feel about it? Having to jostle for attention and proactively check on our orders over and over again at a half empty restaurant with menu prices like these, is something I never asked for and never want to do again—so I’m glad they had the decency to write off the bill. But I would rather have paid full price for a good experience. We were celebrating a birthday, and were planning to get desserts, sing happy birthday at the end and take some photos. We skipped this part because nobody was in the mood anymore. We paid nothing in the end, but I definitely won’t be returning to this Hawksmoor branch, and am unlikely to return to other branches, so I only write this for the benefit of potential customers. If you do still want to visit, my advice is: it’s probably more likely than not that you’ll be fine, but otherwise be careful and don’t let them take the piss.