Noble Rot in Camden

I had heard encouraging reports from friends about Noble Rot restaurants as havens of good food and great wines. So I was looking forward to my first foray as a guest to their Bloomsbury establishment today. My immediate impression was of a traditional wine bar. Small tables, low light, slightly noisy from the lack of soft furnishings but buzzy. The menu du jour was short but interesting and I started with Christian Parra Boudin Noir with roast port-soaked chicory (£17.00). Some say that this black pudding is the best in the world. As a devotee of Stornaway black pudding from MacLeod, I am happy to confirm that this softer, more fragrant French version is definitely premier league. It was perfectly cooked with crisp exterior and complemented by the rich and sweet chicory. A superb dish. The main course of Roast Yorkshire Pheasant with soft polenta and chestnuts (£34.00) was exceptional. Wonderfully tender and moist meat (so often game birds can be dry with over-cooking) with crunchy skin and delicious gooey polenta where the chestnuts provided contrasting firmness. This was an absolute treat especially when accompanied by a young but fruity 100% Syrah grape St Joseph red from Northern Rhone (£70.00). Throughout our meal, the service was attentive, helpful and quietly professional When the food and wine are so good, I really don’t mind that there no linen napkins or tablecloths and that the chairs were mildly uncomfortable. I can’t wait to return and/or try one of their two other restaurants in Soho and Mayfair

Part of the Bloomsbury set .. reservation strongly recommended . The restaurant has a lovely atmosphere - and I found the staff very helpful I had Scottish langoustines from the specials board - nicely presented .. followed by a lamb dish with lentils which was lovely . There is a great wine list Recommend

Visited Noble Rot with the family for a birthday. We were met by friendly staff. We decided on the set menu of sardine, steak and cheesecake which was excellent. It was accompanied by delicious sparkling wine from Dorset and topped off by Douro port. Very enjoyable experience.

The venue is charming, the service attentive and the wine list is copious. The food, however, was disappointing in the context if generally favourable reviews. Since going from one branch to a chain format, I guess this may be par for the course, but prices are out of sync with the food on offer. I will not be reliving this experience

I have been 2 or 3 times to Noble Rot in Lamb’s Conduit Street: always as a drinker, never as a diner. The wine list is excellent. If you are lucky enough to get an outdoor pavement table, you should have a perfect time.

Stunning food (with the Lunch Set menu also being incredible value). We were served by Guy who was incredible…welcoming & attentive, he took us through our wine options with expertise but not pretension. The perfect lunch.

Übersichtliche, aber feine Speisekarte, riesige Weinauswahl. Wunderbares Essen, sehr netter Service. Nicht wirklich gemütlich, da meist überfüllt, aber gute Brasserie-Ambiance. In jedem Fall empfehlenswert.

My daughter and I had a lovely lunch here on a visit to Hollywood.tThe menu has a good choice and also there is an excellent vegetarian menu. Especially the garlic prawns deserve a mention. A very relaxing experience.

This place has a fun, quirky and low-key atmosphere. They had already closed the kitchen by the time we arrived, but they still offered us an incredibly delicious cheese plate and some great wine. The servers were cordial and very helpful, even they were getting ready to close. The prices were better than other bars in the area.

We’re probably the wrong demographic, not being millennials. It was noisy, crowded, claustrophobic. The tables were too close together; we love intimacy, but not with strangers in a restaurant. The service was super friendly and super slack: our main course was slapped on our very small table while my wife wasn’t there. And the cooking was lazy. My monkfish was overcooked; quite an achievement, since it was cooked on the bone. Somebody likes it. Not us. Too much performance.

Possibly the worst meal I've had in London over the past 20 years, red raw pork chop and bones in the sea bass. Shocking, and Dangerous, I just hope Ian Hislop had a better meal, emphasis on the Slop. You're a disgrace to your industry and profession.

A popular restaurant in a traditional London street. The ambiance is good but very noisy. Good selection of wines and an interesting menu. Certainly the Comte Tart is well worth trying as a starter. I also had duck as a main. Unfortunately the skin was not crispy although the breast meat was perfectly cooked. A 3 course meal with wine came to £120 each which is expensive even by London standards. It was an enjoyable evening and I shall return. The staff are friendly and polite but it took well over 30 minutes from first trying to obtain the bill to actually paying. Yes the place was busy but all the staff had that blinkered view of purposely just looking straight ahead all the time and not scanning any customers beckoning for service. This is unacceptable in such a high class restaurant.

This was our first time in this restaurant and we were underwhelmed. Wine was extremely overpriced even by London standards for a casual restaurant and the largest size per glass was only a 125ml unless you had a bottle . The food was average and the portions were small. The wait person was less than friendly and had an air of superiority about him. With so many other options in London, we will not return.

It was our first visit as we had a voucher as a gift from the family for my birthday. We went for lunch which was first class, we shared a few starters as the portions were generous. The house wines were great in both quality and value. we were given some madeleines as an extra birthday treat and they were lovely. We will certainly return.

Third trip in 2024. Attentive staff, great venue and excellent food. On the last trip tried the crab starter, quail with romesco sauce and the basque chesse cake. All three were excellent.

My partner and I always go to the SOHO restaurant but on this occasion we were in Holborn. I am writing this separate review simply because this place rescued us from utter misery. Our train was delayed and we spent 8 hours struggling to get into London on the hottest day of the year. We were going to be late for our reservation. We called and they were so understanding and held our table. Eventually we arrived around 930pm. We were so well taken care of by sympathetic staff and the meal and wine was all the more divine for being almost lost. We were revived. Thank you Noble Rot.

Extended family of 7 (adults) had an evening birthday meal here. Thought food was a mixed bag. Comte beignets were excellent. Selection of starters had some hits and some misses. Mains were good. I had beef which was very good. My London based adult children thought it was expensive for what is was so I am guided by them in this respect. Atmosphere good and staff all excellent.

Noble Rot in Lamb's Conduit Street has been one of my "must go to" places on all my London visits over the last several years. I belive I now must have been there 8-10 times, for lunches and dinners. My latest visit was in January 2024, when getting the same table that I always request when I book, made it feel almost like I was coming home. A pleasant surprise was to also get one of my favourite waiters, who is a true gem when it comes to service and presentation of food and wines. The high quality of the kitchen, the brilliant service, and – not least – the exceptional selection of wines, is what makes this restaurant a place I have to get back to for a lunch or dinner whenever I have the opportunity. There is not a big selection of choices on the menu. For lunch they serve a set three course menu (you can choose to have only 2 courses). In the evening the menu is also not very large, but what you can choose among is varied and all very well prepared. If you let your waiter suggest matching wines you can be in for an exceptional treat. Since there always are exceptional open wines available, you can have truly magnificent wines matching every dish, even if you dine alone and find it impossible to buy a whole bottle. The more expensive wines are also offered in half glasses, if you just want to have a small taste. Thus, I could drink a glass of 2020 Lamy-Caillat Saint-Aubin en l'Ebaupin with my Cornish Brill (a fish not often seen on restaurant menus) at my last visit. A heavenly wine that went more than superbly with the exceptional fish dish. For what you get, Noble Rot is a very decently priced restaurant. "Budget gourmet" would be a good label. A wonderful choice if you want informal eating, but still want to enjoy great food and wines. The only down side to this restaurant might be the noise level, which can be pretty heavy at times, but look at it as an effect of the guests enjoying themselves, as I am sure you will too.

We stumbled upon this perfect find after noticing the other pubs close by were full and we couldn’t have been happier! Great food and wonderful staff in an intimate atmosphere. Will def go back!!

Vegetarian option main course; lukewarm almost cold lentils with three over-cooked cold broccoli stems and three thin slices of cold grilled onion. Ridiculous.

Very good food - one of those places you can pretty much pick anything and be happy. Highlights include mushroom pasta (even sans truffle!) and the citrus (duck?) heart salad. Bustling on a weekend but efficient staff (table next to us had a delay but this was handled smoothly) and they'll get someone over to talk to you about their wines, great way to get to know new varietals and have a fun time in a cosy space (love the inky walls and ceilings) - perfect winter escape. I'll be making excuses to return!

I have just come back from the NobleRot’ the service was very attentive the food and wine was superb….. we had the set menu, which was ample! What a great place to go for some solace after a hectic Christmas with the family… I will definitely be revisiting and dining… Thank you very Much NR! Best wishes, Stuart.

We dined here last week and for the price my expectations were high. There is no structure to the service at all and they appear to be very understaffed. The food was very average, no one asked if we were enjoying our meal and to order more wine and water proved challenging! A lot of room for improvement needed. It would appear our experience was not isolated.

Disappointing experience. Food was OK - reasonable bistro food but nothing outstanding - had food of this type and quality many times before but for a FRACTION of the price. I had fish, but had to ask for pepper; seasoning was not offered and not on the table. Dessert, a tart, was dry and served with a tiny dollop of cream. My companions were not wowed by their meal choices either. After main course my napkin had been removed and was not replaced for dessert. This is another place with limited-time sittings. BUT they need to IMPROVE THE SERVICE to ensure that diners get food promptly and don't feel pressured - the service here seemed disorganized (not sure why - it's a small-is place and there seemed to be sufficient staff). After main course, our waiter recited "You've had entree and main course and you have 45 minutes left". We then ordered dessert, but got further clumsy reminders about the time. I went down the precipitous, tiny winding staircase (NOT for anybody with mobility issues) to the women's toilets - they were labelled as that. However, as I exited the cubicle for the basins, a male staff member was there, obviously knowing he was in the wrong place, and said to me and another woman diner "I was just washing my hands". Bill was near to GBP400 for ordinary food, bad service and pricey wine. With so many other options, don't spend your time and money here.

I have frequented Noble Rot for a number of years but tonight’s experience was poor. To start with the pre starter beignet never arrived, I did question this as the starter arrived and was told it was on its way, it wasn’t! Then after quite a lengthy wait after our main course plates had been cleared, I asked for the dessert menu, to be told that the kitchen had closed. At no point were we offered desserts or coffee. After an apology we were told that we could order chocolate mousse, and coffee but only black! We had a 8.45 booking but had to wait until 9.00 for the table to be ready. If the kitchen is going to close without being able to offer 3 courses then these late slots shouldn’t be offered. The beignets were on the bill and there was no offer to compensate us in anyway. In the end we had to suggest that the service be discounted from the bill. In all my years of eating out, I have never had an experience where we have been overlooked in this way.

I was last at Noble Rot 6 years ago, a year after they opened and before it became well-known and famous. The decor was still rather sparse back then but the food already magnificent. Now it is a bustling, little restaurant with about 20 tables. I had booked at 6.30 p.m. and by 7 the place was full, entirely with foodies like me, I think. You absolutely need to book. However, the staff were not overwhelmed. There are some half-dozen waiters, all men, mature-looking, handsome and in their 30s, and very knowledgeable about the wine list. Not too hurried to stop at tables to explain the more uncommon wines. I chose wines unknown to me and each was worthy of a place on the list. As their website says, “There’s no room for any kind of wine-wankery here.” There is clearly a more than adequate kitchen staff, because the food came to the table much more promptly than most busy restaurants, though one never felt hurried. I was pleased to find proper cloth napkins, big ones about 18 inches square, unlike a Michelin restaurant I ate at last week that had shifted to paper during the pandemic. The room is quite small but the acoustics are good—I could not hear conversations at the next tables, apart from the American woman 3 tables away, who constantly shouted at her partner 3 feet in front of her. Why do Americans always do this? The French couple next to me spoke in normal tones and were not intrusive in the slightest. Both the wine list and the menu held firsts for me that I want to try back home. I’d never thought of pairing pickled walnuts (which I love) with a frisée salad, and am now eager to offer this to my own guests. As for the pickled elderberries with the roasted Yorkshire mallard, where can one possibly find them? But I was told that the chef picks and pickles them himself! Definitely 5 stars for this splendid restaurant in a little townhouse dating back to 1701.