Rules Restaurant in City of London, Westminster

The food was excellent, and the presentation was of the highest standard.All around a great experience, still one of my favourite locations.most recommendable.

Great setting and quintessentially English

Wonderful service from our lovely waitress. I think her name was Katie but I know she comes from Hungary

Great place great food totally recommend 👍🏾

A nice restaurant to visit with a wonderful staff

A step into history. Excellent, attentive, friendly staff. Delicious food. Recommend 100%!

Excellent service from amazing staff. Food was beautiful.

Very good restaurant , nice service and good surrounding . The service was top notch

Can not wait to return, would highly recommend!

Had a superb time, again. The team were so friendly and efficient, drinks and food top notch, and a lovely atmosphere shared with fellow diners. All around a great experience, still one of my favourite locations.

Authentic British restaurant where the walls are covered with historical treasures. Unique ambiance.

A wonderful restaurant that completely overturns the stereotypes Japanese people have. When converted to Japanese yen, it costs about 10,000 yen per person—around £50. Great shop ❤️ When converted to Japanese yen, it costs about 10,000 yen per person. About 50£💷

What a disappointment!…went here to experience the history of the place and what I believed would be excellent food and service, this was not the case. My partner and I both had whiskey sours before we were shown to our table, which were average in taste, we’ve definitely had better. We were shown to our table after asking a member of staff if our table was ready, bread was delivered to our table with butter but no side plates to put the bread on, I requested one, one was delivered to me, none for my partner. We had starters which were uninspiring followed by equally uninspiring mains. I choose the rabbit Cassoulet, which is meant to be a rich stew, this consisted of a bean stew base, within which his one slice of black pudding cut in half, upon which rested two little rabbit legs which were not incorporated within the stew, the legs while tender inside were dry on the outside. My side of pear and walnut salad arrived without dressing (rocket, whole walnuts and pear slices, with small flecks of blue cheese) was very dry so I had to order dressing. My partners steak and kidney pie was a bit doughy but he covered it in gravy so it was edible. We had planned to have pudding but both of us were so disappointed we didn’t bother and ordered the bill as we’d had enough of Rules. This place is trading on its past glory days, those days have gone and all that remains is a tired looking interior with mediocre food and service.

Absolutely one of the best experiences I had in London so far. Very kind and prepared personnel, delicious food and wonderful location. We chose steamed alibut and roasted pork belly & seared scallop, everything absolutely tasteful and very good. Dessert with a vanilla baked cheesecake, the perfect closure for this perfect dinner. We will come back for sure next time in London.

The dinner and service were excellent. The steak and kidney pie was as delicious as expected and a generous portion of rabbit rillettes to start was equally good. The atmosphere is a bit of a step back in time, in a delightful way. The non-alcoholic menu was lacking.

Visit years ago for a work function definitely felt the history and tradition. Classic British dishes were well prepared with great service.

We loved our dinner at this beautiful restaurant. Everything was perfect and we will come back with great pleasure

There’s just something about Rules. Classic English menu flawlessly executed. Fantastic pies and great roast lunches on Sundays. Very hard to beat

The decor looks old and tired and the food is in a similar vein Very underwhelming food , especially considering the cost Used to be a wonderful gem , now it reeks of shades of old glory Won't be returning anytime soon

One of the best English restaurants

Visited during Christmas time and somehow very luckily got a table within 20 minutes. Helpful and pleasant staff and tasty food, especially dessert. Not that many vegetarian options. Tasteful decorations. Recommended!

Decent food but could be better and lacking authenticity of traditional British dishes which is disappointing The potted shrimp is served with thick sourdough toast and not Melba toast also lack the right spices The steak and kidney pudding was good but the gravy is very average Sides were good as was the Stilton which is still exemplary and served with style The wines are good

We had our friends from the states over and took them here to try British food… everyone had a great time and the food was delicious! The only reason I marked the food down by a star was due to the cocktails which were poor value for money. Thank you Sophie for the great service and crumble recommendation, it was excellent!

Excellent food and I'd recommend the treacle tart with clotted cream. The surrounds are full of interesting item. The staff are professional, they discrete but on hand to give advice.

Another excellent meal at Rules. This is our go to place to celebrate occasions. It is a tradition British restaurant with comfort foods like sticky toffee pudding and steak and kidney puddings.

Feb 18th. Another excellent meal here with one of my daughters and her husband. The new menu is out and it all looks so good. End of Jan 2025. This has fast become my favourite restaurant, I've been here with my family about six times now and every single time has been a pleasure. The ambience is excellent, (especially at Christmas), the food amazing and the staff attentive and friendly. I would recommend the 2009 Lirac , one of the nicest wines available but I contacted the vineyard to see about buying some and there is no more stock so we will have to go through Rules stock instead. :-) For a lunchtime treat, a special occasion or visiting from abroad this is one of the nicest places to go. I took my daughter and her husband here as a treat and it was everything you expect. Quintessentially English eccentric at its finest. The staff were very friendly and attentive, the food was just wonderful and the ambience was brilliant. Back again tomorrow with my other daughter :-)

Classic restaurant with good food and professional staff. We had a great dinner with friends. Oysters were shucked well, all the food was delicious.

Beautiful food in a lovely setting. Staff are very attentive. Lovely treat.

Great service and food. There's nothing more to say. This is a wonderful restaurant that completely overturns the stereotype held by Japanese people that British food is bad. Reservations can be made online, so we recommend making a reservation. The quality of the service was top-notch, and the staff's meticulous service spirit shined through. When I asked for a photo, he casually looked at the Japanese language on his smartphone camera and said thank you for coming from Japan. As for the food, this restaurant serves traditional British cuisine, and we recommend the traditional British roast beef. However, for us petite Asians, the portions are quite large, so I think the appetizer, salad, and main dish will fill you up. As for the price, there is no doubt that it is expensive, but it is not outrageously expensive, and it cost about 10,000 yen per person. When I thought about it, I felt that although it was a high-end store, it had surprisingly good cost performance. The store had a great atmosphere and was a very nice store. I strongly feel that I would like to visit there the next time I have a chance to come to London.

fantastic food and the service was equally as good...thank you Juliano

Tried to book for a party of 5 on a Sunday evening but their reservation system showed no availability however I found that many slots were available if I tried for 4 or 6 people.I emailed to query this and was told by a rude woman called Natasha that if I wanted to book a party of five I could join a waiting list but if I booked for six I'd be expected to bring six and would be charged no show fees if only 5 attended. All I can say is they live up to their name in inflexibility and arrogance. Why turn away business when you clearly have capacity?

The Staff just make a visit to Rules special. The food is fantastic and I like the decor but overall it's the staff that makes the difference.

Visited with a friend who had booked our table a couple of months in advance except we found out on the day she hadn't! We were able to be squeezed in a little later than planned, and were very glad because it was a fantastic experience. We had a couple of cocktails in the winter garden bar before our table was ready, and then we were treated to one of the best meals I've ever had. The steak and café de Paris butter was incredible, the Paxton and Whitfield Stilton was creamy and delicious and the sticky toffee pudding which we had to share because, well, we were full, was gooey and light and sweet and sticky and perfect. Wonderful service and a compete treat.

It is so good to see that there are still Bistro type restaurants around and one that presents British cuisine. I am personally bored of just finding Indian, Chinese, Pizza, Turkish and such like restaurants taking over our high streets. Now don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with the foods in the restaurants I just mentioned but I miss the days when most restaurants were in the style of Bistros and generally offered international cuisine on their menus, which is exactly where I trained as a chef. When you enter into "Rules", not only are you entering into a stunning part of history, established 1798, but a stunningly presented restaurant. The professionalism of the staff here, is for the most part, unmatched these days but still found if you search, as I do. Not only professional in the job but they step outside of that and take the trouble to converse with their customers, if the customer calls for it. The food is superb. However, don't expect haute cuisine, this is up market traditional British cooking done to perfection. Except, he adds, my crab starter, which was nice but not very craby and I did wonder if the chef had taken a short cut on this dish or that the crab was just lacking personality 🤔 The soup, shrimp, duck and other starters all brought smiles the my guests that consumed them heartily. I had peasant for the main which was delicious. Others had the steak, lamb, venison and pork belly. Perfection ensued. All praised their dishes and swore they would return... I agree. Content but now in happy eating mode, I had to have the cheese and biscuits, accompanied with glass of port. Perfect! This restaurant is a delight and I praise it's existence.

Amazing historical restaurant that you will need to book well in advance. It's not a cheap restaurant, but you're paying for quality of food and service. Steak and kidney pie are £25. Irish coffee was £16

Just mythical: the service, the meat (venison), the divine wine... everything perfect. Too bad there are not 6 stars available.

Simply excellent, expensive but you get what you pay for!

Try the traditional Steak & Kidney. Divine.

The environment is very warm and welcoming. From the way you are greeted, served at the bar while waiting for your table and directly during lunch. The place is beyond praise. The food is very tasty, the cocktails are of a high standard, and the presentation is gorgeous. And of course the Rules Sticky Toffee Pudding dessert - be sure to try it. This place is definitely worth a visit when in London!

We had an awesome experience at Rules, truly a London institution. For those of you that aren’t aware, Rules was founded in 1798 which makes it the oldest restaurant in London. They serve classic British food, mainly specialising in game. The venue in itself is absolutely incredible, maintaining its old traditional British theme with Edwardian surround. The decor really creates the ambiance and you truly feel like you are taken back in time. Apparently, our server was telling us that they have filmed Downtown Abbey in there. Now for the food and the service. We opened with oysters, the Kelly Native, which were delicious. For mains we shared the pork cheek (great), the braised lamb shoulder (star of the show) and the salt-aged sirloin (good). For sides we had the chips (great), endive salad (great) and Caesar salad (excellent). We paired our meal with a jug of Burgundy red. I’m not one for a sweet tooth but their desserts were exceptional, particularly the chocolate moelleux. Service was really good and staff were very friendly and accommodating. The price point is excellent considering the overall experience. I would definitely recommend visiting for either a special occasion, business dinner or even a date.

One of the Oldest restaurants in London. Good oysters and superb lamb !!! A must in London when ever you can.

The restaurant Rules impressed us with its hospitality, friendly staff, and classic British style. The food was excellent, and the presentation was of the highest standard. We are very happy to have visited this place and hope to return more than once. I also recommend visiting the Winter Garden on the second floor. 🧡 (P.S. On the second floor, where the bar is now, there used to be Winston Churchill’s private room 😉.)

Still great, but maybe portions are not as generous as before?

Wonderful food. The pork cheeks were fantastic. Love going to rules Update; wonderful as usual!

Excellent food very pricy special occasions restaurant

really good food, amazing place, eating in an over 225 years old continuously running restaurant is an experience itself. Also very good service, 10 out of 10 for the hungarian waitress! 🥳

They say it is the oldest restaurant in London, and it is logical since the food is really good, without nonsense. The Roast Beef is magnificent, with its Yorkshire pudding, potatoes, etc. The service is impeccable, and the wine selection is very correct, without being overwhelming. We had a Chateauneuf, Le Vieux Dinjon 2016, very good. The stilton, great, would be worth it just for the cracker service it comes with. It is worth visiting the attached Bar, which has a glass-enclosed interior garden (orangerie) that is simply delicious.

The oldest restaurant in London with a fantastic interior. Definitely worth a visit if you are in the area. It's best to book in advance because it fills up quickly. The food was tasty and well prepared. Only the mash and Yorkshire pudding were on the lukewarm side. Friendly service and super professional. They remind you of the England of the last century. Recommended!!!!

I have been to Rules twice now, the staff are amazing, the food is beautiful, and the whole experience is an absolute must.

First time visiting, Rules Restaurant and it was a great experience form the moment you walk into the restaurant with its classical British elegance and history, the customer service is fantastic from taking your belongs and coats to store away and constant checking if everything is "good" and topping up of your drinks etc, the mannerism from the staff is brilliant and in such politeness and assistance when required, the food was fantastic which we has the aged salt sirloin steak, lamb shoulder and the dessert which was the apple and cranberry crumble with custard which was light, warm and delicious. The toilets are super clean and there is a upstairs sitting area - I will for sure be returning back to the Rules Restaurant and I like that there is a dress code which is smart. Thank you for a lovely experience and a place to take love ones, family and civilised of society.

One of London’s finest dining experiences. Great food — atmosphere and ambience that goes all the way back to the 1800’s. Imagine dining beside Dickens and Turner! Book ahead but don’t miss it.

Be sure to visit this historic store in London! I made a reservation for lunch. Because it was the end of the year, I couldn't even get a reservation for lunch, so I checked the internet frequently and found that there were openings. Make a reservation online and visit. Unfortunately, I came to the store with only some strange clothes (sweat black gray pants, blue collared shirt) from my lost baggage the day before, but I was able to enter the store. From the outside, the store has a dignified atmosphere, and when you step inside, it's still decorated for Christmas, with many decorations that give you a wonderful sense of history. Ordered sirloin steak, kidney pudding, and dessert. The sirloin steak was a little tough and dry, and the kidney pudding was delicious with moderately soft meat, but I felt that the meat had a peculiar taste. The dessert looked like baked chocolate and was very delicious. Overall, the atmosphere was excellent, but I felt it was a little disappointing in terms of taste and cost performance. It seemed like it was a high-end restaurant, so I had high expectations for the taste. If you think it's just for the atmosphere, maybe it can't be helped? I think it will be a memorable experience, so I recommend visiting at least once.

A restaurant that is perfect in everything and worthy of its history. I will definitely come back when I visit London.

Great place, with good atmosphere

An amazing experience private dining in Rules John Betjeman Room. Atmosphere in the room was incredible. Service and food was amazing exceeded all our expectations. Can't recommend enough.

The food was fabulous and the service until the end was great. But when we called somebody over and tried to order a cheese course at the end we were told we needed to vacate the table and when we mentioned we had been waiting for somebody to do a check back and take our order the manager told us that was not true Ruined the whole experience and won’t be back

Brilliant restaurant, wonderful experience. Great service, very kind and fun, and delicious food. Would recommend.

Great experience from start to finish. Venison was superb. Well worth a visit. Shall return.

Food, service, ambiance everything was top notch. Very happy we visited.

"I had an amazing experience at Rules Restaurant! The atmosphere was warm and inviting, with a cozy interior and soft background music that set the perfect tone for the evening. The service was impeccable—our server was attentive, friendly, and knowledgeable about the menu.

Gorgeous! Honestly, I had a prejudice against British food. I had traveled to Paris via London, but this was my first time touring London in depth. And today, I opened my eyes to the world of British cuisine for the first time here. The Roast rib of beef and Dauphinoise, potatos was super delicious... but I was so full that I couldn't eat the pudding bread. But as you know... I couldn't give up dessert, so I asked her "How about a simple syrup sponge? Isn't not too heavy? " She asked if I wanted the truth and recommended the sticky toffee pudding:) Oh my... I really experienced a new world that I had never tasted before. It was not too sweet, and the harmony of mysterious flavors and the dreamy custard sauce were very luxurious. I want to send a kiss of gratitude to Rules for completely destroying my prejudice. They were even really friendly and humorous, which made the delicious meal even more gorgeous. They were super professional. If you visit England, I highly recommend this restaurant as a must-visit.

Food was amazing an staff were so polite an helpful definitely be bk

Delicious food, beautifully presented and extraordinary service !

A wonderful lunch thanks to Rules. Crucially the food and service matched up to the fabulous interior. Special mention of the eel and monkfish. Delicious.

It's great food taste with nice environment must go place in London

Very nice food awesome i love it

The service was amazing and the staff were all lovely.

The atmosphere was nice and the food was good. The smoked eel was especially delicious! 🥰 Feels like eating at a museum? Luckily, sitting at the table where James Bond was pictured made it even more meaningful! The house cocktail is just not that good so I don’t recommend it!

The food and service was amazing everything came out quickly even on a Saturday night and all tasted very fresh and delicious.

It was great place with good food

Polite helpful staff, Sticky toffee pudding is highly recommended

Just had another meal at this superb restaurant. It's better than ever: my breast of pheasant was divine and my husband's daube of venison was the best we've ever had - it just gets better... Prices are up, however, but it's well worth it. They have their own estate where they get their game/meat and everything is beautifully prepared and totally delicious The staff couldn't be any better and prices, while not cheap, are more than fair. This restaurant was founded the 1700's and feel that it is an institution well worth supporting. The rooms are gorgeous - see website photos - as is everything about this place. So important to keep establishments like this going My favourite historical, traditional restaurant. Room, location, service, history and bar are wonderful - Rules ticks all the boxes! Make time to visit the first floor cocktail bar and have one of Brian Silva's heavenly cocktails. Drinks will never be the same afterwards!

It's not one of the best addresses in the city for nothing. It was possible to get a table at short notice - the short-term communication via email went excellently. The atmosphere in the time-honored restaurant is unique. The waiters are friendly and serve personally, but still professionally distanced. We had two great salads beforehand, which were topped by the main course - the duck breast. I have rarely eaten so well and authentically in recent years. Positive note on the side: Everything at Rules is cooked fresh - so it can take up to 45 minutes until the main course is served.

Came here with a friend and was met with excellence service from Paulo! Will definitely be returning. Food was lovely, and the recommendations for wine and cocktails were great.

It's a very bad place You have the worst food that you don’t care about hygiene

I recently had the pleasure of dining at [roles ], and I must say, it was an exceptional experience from start to finish! The ambiance was warm and inviting, with tasteful decor that set the perfect mood for an enjoyable meal

Great place Great food and atmosphere

One of the finest places I have visited in my life

Delicious British cuisine the service was super good on the red wine was amazing for the price

One of the worst customer service I have ever experienced. The food is amazing but they have treated us very poorly. It was my sisters birthday and we booked two tables, one of 4 and another of 5, all family. we advised this by email and they not only told us that they would put us in separate rooms but also, threatened us they would ask us to leave if we would go and talk with the other table. furthermore, we called yesterday and said we had luggage and if we could keep it there as some of us where leaving after the lunch. they said it was completely fine but today when we arrived they refused to take them.

It was a good dining experience, you should try the steak dish

Amazing food with 10/10 service

Location is one of the best in London. However this is not fine dining. It is very expensive traditional English food. I also felt that they were ripping the patrons off a little bit with a cover charge of £2 per person (apparently to cover table cloths and napkins, which in my view should be included in their business costs) and a service charge of 12.5%. Would I go again. Sadly, probably not.

An excellent and vibrant spot in the middle of Central London, a variety of cocktails, wines and food/dessert to choose from their menu. Great atmosphere and service. My friend and I went out for a catch up session for dinner and was greatly catered to and served by the amazing Paulo and staff 🙌. Would definitely go again!

A Perfect Evening at Rules Last night, I took my girlfriend to Rules for a romantic dinner, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. From the moment we stepped inside, we were greeted by friendly and attentive staff who made us feel so welcome. Their helpful suggestions for both the menu and wine pairing added a thoughtful touch to the evening. The atmosphere was just perfect—warm, cosy, and steeped in character. It felt like stepping back in time, with its charming decor and elegant yet intimate vibe. It set the scene beautifully for a romantic evening. The food was absolutely exquisite. We started with a delightful venison terrine and scallops that melted in the mouth, followed by perfectly cooked mains—the game pie and the roast duck were highlights. Each dish was packed with flavour, beautifully presented, and reasonably priced for the high quality. We ended the meal with a sticky toffee pudding that was, quite frankly, heavenly. My girlfriend and I both agreed it was one of the best meals we’ve had in London. If you’re looking for a restaurant that combines outstanding food, a welcoming atmosphere, and exceptional service, look no further than Rules. It truly made our evening unforgettable, and we’ll be returning soon!

I experienced the best hospitality and it always make me want to come back

Very nice food was very good and high quality

"The food was absolutely delicious, and the service was excellent. The staff were incredibly friendly and helpful. I can highly recommend this restaurant to everyone. I hope I can travel to London again and visit this restaurant once more. Unfortunately, there aren’t more than 5 stars to rate it—otherwise, I would have given it 100!"

Typical English cuisine. Everything we had was delicious. Great service. Moderately priced wines. Very old British style with old works of art and antiques.

Game meat restaurant. Delicious food and attentive service.

AVOID AT ALL COSTS . My card was cloned by a employee 45 mins after I left they used £1000 off it and she got caught the food was cold . The other 9 ppl I was with will give the same review

This the best place ever i love it !!!

Excellent food didnt habe to wait long till food was served. Will definatley go again

Lovely good Excellent all round

Lovely atmosphere great food 👌😋😋

Dishes served on elegant plates, excellent game, very beautiful environment and you can feel all the British elegance in this oldest restaurant in London

Excellent decor! Delicious meal! I will be visiting again with family and friends.

Its really fantastic and excellent food and service

This restaurant is so good amazing and gorgeous

Visited for late lunch Friday before Christmas having booked months before as Christmas treat. Service was outstanding and the decor beautiful. Sadly didn’t feel the food was that fantastic, soup tasteless and venison rather dry. Very small portions for the price. It was a very enjoyable treat and we knew not that cheap especially the cocktails but still an enjoyable Christmas treat . Not sure would rush back anytime soon as felt food was rather disappointing on this occasion but the venue sells itself on its name and history