Smokehouse in Islington

For a place that has had a long-standing reputation for having a great Sunday roast, Smokehouse still continues to be the same as always. However, the one thing that has put things into perspective as to whether or not I’ll ever come back again is the bad service. Overall, things seemed chaotic and even taking our initial drink and food order took half an hour from the moment that we sat down. Apparently, we had been sat down in a table for 6 when we had a reservation for 3 people. This meant that the staff were waiting for “the rest of our party to arrive”? Someone could have simply looked at our table setting and realised that the table had been set for three people from the start! Either way, I’d like to point out that most places ask for your drink order within minutes of being sat whilst you take time to decide what you wish to eat. Not here it seems. In addition, what really threw me off guard was that we finished our first drinks before our Sunday roast dinner arrived (which took ages) and no one ever came to ask if we wanted more drinks. We pretty much had to flag down a staff member whenever we ran out of water or wanted a glass of wine with our dinner. To add more insult, as we finished our food or drink, not a single member of staff came to remove the empty plates and glasses from our table — the used dining and glassware just started to accumulate. Overall the general observation after not having been to Smokehouse for two years is that the quality of the food is great but the service is bad given the price point of the pub. I believe front of house can improve by better communicating with the waiters as to who will be in charge of which table. Our experience is that no one seemed accountable for a designated area of tables at the pub. This recent experience has put us off from dining here again. We live locally and I can assure you that there are plenty of good pubs around with better service.

Fantastic food as per usual, used to be our local but still come back when we can. Marmalade Negroni a winner!

A great roast, huge portion and delicious in a cosy atmosphere. We were kicked off our table after 2 hours and weren't given that info when booking but apart from that everything was great. Good veggie options.

Nice restaurant in a hidden residential location with good food and great servise. We met friends who live nearby or else we would have never found this place. Their Sunday roast, especially the lamb was so soft and tender! Don't forget to save room for dessert as the sticky pudding is the best we've had in London. Definitely recommend!

Great restaurant with amazing vibes! If you visit, do not miss the corn ribs!!

We had a fantastic dining experience at Smokehouse. We tried the beef roast, porchetta and veggie wellington – and all of them were absolutely delicious! The service was excellent, and our waiter, Alicia, was attentive, friendly, and so sweet, which made the experience even better. Definitely a place I’ll be coming back to!

To be honest I am quite disappointed. We booked a table to celebrate both my birthday and my bestie, recommended by friends so we thought it was going to be a better experience that it was. Our waitress was very nice, no complaints about her but the food the other waiter and the management team could do way better. First of all cocktails were ok, but in general the place is overpriced for the experience we got… when we ordered the beef, we asked if my friend could have it medium well as it was too pink for her and they said was not problem. When food come both beef roast were same (medium rare)for me is perfect but my friend can’t eat that pink, so we ask the other waiter who served the food and he said they are cooked the same and there is no changes,I said our waitress said we could have one of both more cooked,he ask how we would like it (MW) and left with a bad face and saying it was going to take time(we were absolutely ok with that) my friend received the beef just 5 mins after but quite well done, it was super dry and overcooked.Our waitress ask how was, we said was too done and my friend said was dry but she also said was ok because she doesn’t like to complain.We finished and they gave us dessert menu. We ordered two dessert (which tbh were very good) but no happy birthday or candles or nothing else was done. When we were about to finish dessert the waitress came to apologise and explain that the kitchen made a mistake with my friend’s beef and her dessert was going to be free. When my friend went to the toilet I said to the waitress about the note I made about our birthdays and how they didn’t do anything special and I said please next time be aware of notes or requests (i do work in hospitality and I really don’t like to complain but to be honest all of this makes our birthday celebration quite disappointing. We paid and waitress gave us a glass of prosecco bc of the mistake (we don’t like bubbles) I wouldn’t come here again. Very disappointing experience

I am a De Beauvoir local and visited the Smokehouse for the first time thanks to a friends recommendation. I had a fabulous Sunday roast (the beef was so succulent). The restaurant has a really nice overall atmosphere, attentive and efficient staff and an excellent wine selection. Really good value for money and a great go-to place for Sunday roast!

I want to love this place. However, the three times I’ve tried this place over the four years I’ve lived in Angel prove why I need to officially give up. The servers are extremely rude and ruin the experience every time. Food may be good but I’d rather go to all the other nice restaurants in Islington that serve amazing food and don’t give you an attitude and treat you like an inconvenience

I have dined here a couple of times and each time is equally as lovely as the last. Staff are super friendly and attentive. The food was delicious as well. Will definitely be back :)

Horrible bar service. Rude servers. Ordered a beer 15 minutes ago, asked the servers and they rolled their eyes. Still waiting. Would have left if I hadn’t already paid for my drink. Edit: I’m all for providing a fair review and a simple apology for rude bar staff would have sufficed. Instead, the manager singled me out from my group and told me that I’m in the wrong, saying that he checked cc tv footage and had actual bar ticket time stamps to prove me wrong. Look, I don’t care. I just want a beer. The fact he came out and told me what I experienced is a lie even though he wasn’t actually there for it is a pretty good representation of my 1/5 review. Thanks!

A really good Sunday lunch (sirloin and lamb) with a terrific selection of snacks and nibbles to start. Everything was excellent, food, drinks, service but please, please serve the meals on hot plates. That is the only critism, everything else was brilliant. We will definitely come back.

Been here a few times in the last few years to meet up with friends I don't see much. On this occasion it was a terrible experience. Apart from the staff were pretty efficient Zoe was lovely. The house wines are absolutely rancid. had to send them back. The Gavi which you cant usually go wrong with was not very nice for £57 it was awful. The starter I had was the crab. Barely any crab for nearly £16 it was a rip off. and not very nice. The burger for main was below average at best, for nearly £23 another rip off. The crumble for desert was the only decent thing, that was nice. Then to top it all off the waitress came back to us as we were leaving as we'd paid £2 short between us. This is from a bill that had a £75 discretionary service charge on it. She told us that her boss wouldn't be happy if she was short. Well that tells you all you need to know about who runs this place!! None of us complained as we only get together yearly, and didn't want to take the focus off what a nice time we had seeing each other and catching up. Will vote with our feet next time and shan't go here. Its gone down the pan! AVOID!!!

Had bought guests who were visiting all the way from Japan for steak. Service was not great. Waited over an hour for mains. Kept having to flag people down for attention. Had to ask for steak knives after the mains had arrived. The aubergine main was super oily. So we’re the green beans. I also wish they offered more potato options instead of chips AND fries. This is our local and I have given plenty of chances but have found both the food and the service lacking on a few occasions.

Their beef was so nice and tender. Juicy and tasty. The best roast in London so far. Their dessert was very nice, too. Staff members are all nice and friendly. The atmosphere was great. They have both indoor and outdoor tables and all nicely set up with proper fabric napkins.

Second visit in two weeks. Food both great on both occasions. Service better on the first time. I think this was down to on the first visit last sun it was busy. You could tell they were fully staffed and morale was high. Today, service was OK, a bit meh. On a different note I wish the rusty out door furniture was replaced along with the "Ash trays". For all my moaning it's a great pub and unfortunately live just a bit too far to make it my local. Will be back.

great sunday roast, amazing atmosphere and lovely staff.

Service great, food was outstanding, Julia was an amazing host. The garden is perfect for a summer steak evening. Ticks all the boxes.

Roast was delicious, good quality beef and super tender. Good amount of food and a nicer roast than I’ve had in many places. Service was pretty poor but saved by the manager. Sitting close to the kitchen was unbearably warm and no windows or doors open left it quite stuffy. Negroni was nice 👌🏼 would come back for a roast on a sunny day and sit in the garden !

We shared lots of small dishes, it was delicious. The prices are reasonable and the service friendly. I recommend !

Lovely spot especially in summer, excellent selection of steaks but prices are steep... good idea to share. Great selection of beers.

Special thanks to Macy for being attentive and prompt in service Food was great. We especially liked the fish

We booked a reservation for dinner at 17.30 for 2 people and when we arrived and we saw the steak board most of the items were sold out. The menu online was from May and the menu on the open table from which i made the reservation from was also wrong as both were showing cuts for smaller portions such as 200gr etc while on the restaurant we were advised that all of the steaks were for sharing. We asked the waitress for any alternatives as we didnt want to share for other cuts for smaller portions and she went to ask the Chef and advised us for some additional cuts which again were only sharing. We asked if we could cancel the reservation and she agreed on that. I would suggest that the menus online are updated to reflect the actual menus and also have more cuts available for dinner also.

My favourite roast spot in London. Such delicious food in a phenomenal atmosphere.

Amazing roast! We had the beef and the pork and they were both incredible. The sticky toffee pudding is one of the best I have ever had, the caramel sauce was incredible! And the pear and rhubarb crumble was absolutely amazing!

Absolutely exquisite from beginning to end. The quality of food and menu options were delightful with refreshing pairings of flavours and beautifully presented. I opted for the wagyu feather blade which was so beautifully tender and cooked perfectly. The sides were to die for, crispy and golden chips with a hispi cabbage salad, without being too heavy. A commendation has to be given for the drink selection at the Smokehouse, carefully handpicked ales and lagers, and even a non-alcoholic lager on tap which was a perfect addition to some of my guests who didn’t want to drink but didn’t want to compromise their taste buds that were craving beer! Cocktail list is unique with subtle twists on the originals that work superbly well. Desserts were to die for and service perfect as usual. A gem of a pub nestled in Islington, with a terrace and small, intimate and romantic garden set just off a Georgian stunning interior. 10/10 would recommend and will be returning soon!

An amazing place for food, to top it off the staff are super friendly and accommodating❤️

Had such a lovely dinner with my family tonight in their garden, we started with their scotch egg and their taramasalata, followed by the steak from their dry aged steak board. Did we order 3 potato based sides? Maybe. But everything was delicious and even had enough room after the carbs for dessert surprisingly, which was a sticky toffee pudding. We left completely full and satisfied. Definitely a good must visit restaurant and garden this summer.

We had an good experience here. Staff were very attentive. Atmosphere was rather nice. Food was good. I feel like this is a restaurant that can play to most eaters, provide a nice time out but isn't going to blow you away. Padron peppers were a treat. The cheese burger was quite nice although the plating option didn't give much space for juices to drip. Would come back here for a non- divisive group outing. Oh and best sticky toffee pudding I've had in a long while. Amazing.

Amazing. Everything was delicious. From cocktails to dessert. Very nice atmosphere as well.

This place is great, give it a go. Lovely garden and the food is good standard.

Came here for the steak but was pleasantly surprised by the chocolate cheesecake which was divine - the texture is not overly heavy and almost felt like ice cream yet very flavorful. Would def came back for the cheesecake.

Amazing roast with lots of gravy

Just had Sunday lunch, the beef was tough, and vegetables mediocre. Paid £13.00 for a small glass of wine (outrageous)! £5.00 service charge and £1.23 for carbon dining? Total bill was £45.27 just for a main course and glass of wine, extortion; what a rip off. Never again!Addendum: carbon free dining. You sound very angry and I would suggest you take some time to reflect. I'm surprised and disappointed you feel the need to react rather than respond. Not good hospitality regardless of my opinion. I was courteous and polite to the staff and no condescension intended despite your offensive connotations.

Super cozy with a wide selection of cuts cooked to perfection

Upscale lunch gastro pub with a fireplace that is unique in the neighbourhood. They have a great steak, which I had for my first lunch at this place. On my second visit my cheeseburger was slightly burnt but the fries were outstanding as they were crispy and soft and not soggy or creamy. Many other places just see fries as a side dish that doesn’t deserve attention and I usually avoid them for that reason. Get the regular fries here but not the chunky ones. The chunky fries don’t look appealing. ☺️ Very dog friendly.

Delicious, we had a family dinner for a Sunday roast. great experience, good cuisine

Don't get me wrong this place is pretty damn good; I would go again probably. If it weren't so expensive this review would be kinder. However, both the cocktails and the food whilst gourmet priced were merely average in both quality and execution; ambitious and with good aspects but missing the mark in places. I try not to score service lower than 4⭐ casually because it's a back breaking ill-rewarded job - but the people we dealt with whilst very polite were inattentive and had zero knowledge of the menu, having to go down and ask the kitchen about the slightest detail. 🤷‍♂️ Maybe it was their first day. Both of them.

It was okay - nothing outstanding

A pretty decent roast but it does sound like it was better in the past, have had better. Having said that, it’s a nice place and friendly staff.

Staff and manager very welcoming and helpful, very good food

Lovely and cosy restaurant; excellent Sunday roast. Would recommend.

The place was lovely, however the food definitely lacked any taste. Padron pepper portion was plentiful, but our chip portion was lacking. Alongside this, steak was rather flavourless as was the Mac and cheese. For £90, inc two drinks, I would expect better. For a steakhouse, there are many more in London I would recommend.

I’m local and quite a regular guest. It has a super, convivial atmosphere. On this visit, 5 friends shared some steaks and sides. Mostly good - the ribeye was better than the sirloin which was a bit chewy. Fat chips were a tad too crispy/bitsy. Dog friendly.

It’s noisy, but we come back, because the place is nice and the food is very good. THANKS

I think this place is included on lists for best roasts in London, but it’s pretty average. The meat was nice but the roast potatoes and Yorkshire puddings tasted like they were days old and soggy. I’ve been twice in the last 6 months and had the same experience both times, so wouldn’t recommend at all if you’re looking for a Sunday out.

Josh was our server and he looked after us very well. Very pleasant and friendly. Was very attentive and seems to really enjoy his job. A credit to your establishment. Food was lovely and the icewine was the winner of the evening.

We ordered a couple of starters and main meals. We had steak and rib of beef. Really good quality food and lovely service. It was my daughter’s birthday celebration and we received free glass of bubbly. Also recommend the 2 for 1 cocktails!

An hour and a half for dinner is pretty rushed, but they shooed us out in a hurry.

Decent roast! The sourdough with beef dripping, and the anchovy fillets were also great. I could have done with a steak knife for the beef sirloin tbh, and I didn't realise sauces were available until the table next to me were asked if they wanted any. Would definitely go back!

I had the Sunday roast beef. I Came here as was told for a long time that this is one of the best roast in Islington. I had high expectations on the food quality. The beef 🥩 was okay but not crazy good for £26, vegetables were disappointing with potatoes too hard and carrots bland. The Pudding was dry and the gravy sauce too watery. One of my friend took the fish and was also disappointed as it was dipped in butter. Overall we had a good time but the food was just of a standard quality for us. Note that the Service was good.

10/10 the food was phenomenal- as was the service so much attention to detail on simplistic food! Would recommend!

The quality of the food here has continued to decline for the past few years. I am a neighbor and have eaten here dozens of times. Something has definitely happened in the past few years. Around 2018-2020 the food was spectacular (everything). Now, everything including the bread is sub par. It’s such a shame because the atmosphere is cozy and beautiful. I am hoping they turn it around again. They finally introduced a burger and somehow it’s terrible. Game-y cheese (not right for a burger) and brisket, yet the meat itself is bland the bun is “fine” at best.. what can I say, I gave it a chance.

Beef roast was fantastic but veggie roast was awful (cold in the middle). Trimmings, atmosphere and service all very nice. Would recommend for carnivores but very much not for the veggie Sunday roast

I wish I could give them one star, just so that it won't get massively popular and I can still visit and book tables with no problem. Alas, I am many things, but not a liar. 5* won't cover it. 6* wouldn't be enough. First time visit for a very busy Sunday roast service. The welcome and the service could not be better. Everyone (including staff) seems to have a nice time, everyone working in unity and like a well-oiled machine. The drinks (cocktails) are fantastic at a regular London price. My Negroni was fantastically smokey and bitter, Bloody Mary made with what seemed to be fresh tomato juice and sharp horseradish. Delish. The food. Oh, the food. French Onion soup was like a warm hug for your belly and charred leeks were a clever way to serve this shy vegetable. The star of the show- roasts- come with a humongous Yorkshire pudding proudly crowning the dish. Pork was succulent, flavoursome and falling apart with a poke of a fork. Melting-in-your-mouth-kind. As a pescetarian, I always look out for fish option on the Sunday Roast menu and the Smokehouse deliver. The cod was beautifully cooked, flakey with a perfect skin crust. Browned butter and shrimp are indulgent enough to enhance the simple new potatoes and samphire accompaniment. Hats off to chefs, who worked really hard today and absolutely delivered every single platefull with precision and finesse. We will be back *in Terminator's voice* Thank you! Billion stars*** Ps. Some people always look for a roast potatoes recommendations: they were perfectly crisp and browned. Seasoned, so don't drown them with any condiments - v.unnecessary! I'm not sure if they are roasted in vegetable oil or duck fat, as I didn't ask, but I did try one, so I hope they were veggie friendly... ;)

I had like 15 hairs in My food, and the server told me that im ugly

Fabulous Sunday roast! Lamb and beef were both delicious and very generous portions. Sticky toffee pudding was also divine.

Excellent Sunday roast. Trimmings fabulous and delicious starters for Xmas. Veggie roast could be improved

Arrived for a 6 person booking at 8pm to be greeted with ‘the kitchen takes last orders at 8pm and we don’t have much left, do you still want the booking?’. It would have been nice to notify us of this upon booking. ‘The lamb here is served pulled’, however the lamb I received was a sad, tasteless pile of scraps, basically the chucks which are left over after carving the meat, overcooked, chewy and soaked in fat, when asked to send it back to the kitchen the server seemed to argue the point of the lamb being as it should be? On a positive note, the beef was incredible.

Came here for a festive dinner with a group of friends and was a bit of a disaster. Table was for 8.30 and had pre-ordered but still mains didn’t come out until 10pm. We were a group of 9 but the snacks came out with 8 of each. We ordered wine and it didn’t come for ages so I asked where it was and they said they had a problem because they had run out of clean wine glasses. Sorry, what?! So we asked for water glasses to drink our wine from. Who knows when it might have arrived if we had demanded actual wine glasses. There were a few veggies in our group and maybe you could say this was a poor choice of restaurant but the menu promised “winter vegetable Wellington”. Apparently the only winter vegetable they’ve heard of is sweet potato because it was literally sweet potato mash wrapped in pastry. The lack of imagination/effort was really surprising given we were paying £55pp for the food. The meal felt like it lacked sides too, a few overdone potatoes and parsnips and a plate of plain cabbage. Either this place has gone downhill over the past few years since I was last here or they just can’t cope with the business of Christmas. Either way, I won’t be returning. Update in response to Smokehouse’s comments: sorry for mistaking sweet potato for butternut. It probably says a lot that I couldn’t really taste what it was. Great to know you would have made me something else on request… at 10.30pm. And thanks for letting me know afterwards that sides were unlimited. Not much use now though is it?

Found this place on timeout and went for Sunday roasts. The food tasted standard. Half of the plate was filled with cabbage and not enough of other vegetables. The price came to £28 per person, which was quite expensive for the location, food and service we received. We had a reservation but was made to sit next to the door in December, when we had asked to sit somewhere else and was refused, despite other tables being free during our whole visit. The restaurant was very unorganised, 20+ used glasses were left on the bar table. We tried to pay in cash, and the restaurant didn’t even have £3.50 in change, so we had to pay with card. Would not revisit again.

Sadly really disappointed in our visit today! We had heard great things and were really excited to get a booking, however, the food was really disappointing. The beef was nice, but the rest really was mediocre at best. The carrots, parsnips and potatoes were basically raw, as was the extra cauliflower cheese, which also seemed to lack any flavour. The gravy was watery and we had to ask for extra twice to heat the food up, as everything was luke warm. Plus, for £26 it really wasn’t worth it. The service was also not great, constantly having to ask for things twice, e.g horseradish, cutlery and the bill. There was also no check backs done or I would’ve bought this up earlier. Overall, really disappointing, but the manager we spoke to at the end was the saving grace or the score would be lower.

This was recommended to us by a friend. I would say I expected more. We had their lamb and beef for Sunday roast. Their cocktails were good. The food was delicious but then the potatoes were too hard and some Of the veggies such as the parsnip was actually hard as well. The flavor was great but I expected their Veggies to be perfectly cooked as well.

Ordered a bottle of champagne to kick off our Christmas get together. Waitress was unable to distribute this between 8 people, instead filling up 6 glasses to the brim and having nothing left for the other two 🙄 This meant we then ordered another bottle so the people with empty glasses didn't miss out. This was also terribly distributed and only 6 people got a top up. Great job making money for the pub, terrible job giving your customers good value. Food was OK but luke warm - we had roasts. Everything took ages to happen, we waited 15-20 minutes for anything we asked for (including the second bottle of fizz). It was also incredibly loud and packed to the rafters and we were hurried out the door for the next booking. Wouldnt rush back, it's just another average Islington pub.

Sunday roast is lovely. Potato’s are a let down, but the rest was quite delicious. I was there alone, with a reservation, and after an hour I was told they needed the table back. An hour??? Not acceptable.

We had our work Christmas dinner at Smokehouse (nine people) and we were all so amazed by the quality of the food, which was abundant and delicious. We all agreed we had the best roast potatoes we'd ever had in any restaurant, though all the food was very tasty. The staff were diligent (mindful of those with allergens), attentive and very friendly. We will all definitely go back - thanks to all at Smokehouse.

Best Sunday roast in North London! Delicious veggie and meat options. Would highly recommend.

Got myself the best cup of english tea i ever had since staying in London, highly recommend.

We were next to a very loud table and the staff kindly offered to move us to a quieter area of the restaurant. The service was perfect and the food was really good. Price was adequate to what we ate. The ambience is also very nice, with a warm fireplace and candlelight at every table!

I need to update my review as on my last visit the food was pretty average. The dessert was actually really good, but my main was under seasoned and lacked in flavour. My spritz was flat and the noise levels were so high that it was difficult to hear my fellow diner.

Food was not very warm and vegs were practically raw

Came to Smokehouse for my first Sunday Roast and it did not disappoint! Great service and very tasty food from starters to dessert!

Beer was great. Atmosphere is great. Food wasn’t great at all. Tasty starters but the burger was drier than dry. 3 of our group had them and could only manage half.

Disappointing Sunday Roast. The food is decent, although I think overpriced at £26, I did have to send my beef back as it came out completely red. The service is non-existent, we had to ask to order drinks, remind the waiter for water, and for our drinks as our food came out beforehand. I appreciate it was busy, but it was quite obvious the staff were not adequately equipped to deal with it, and they all looked overworked and tired - very sad. This then resulted in lack of service and a pretty miserable experience for us, with our waiter not muttering one word to us, not even when we paid up our bill. Overall, there's much better places in the area for a Roast.

Service was inexperienced / shambolic - had a booking until 2.30 were essentially given the sign that we needed to leave at 2.08 . Staff seemed unable to add 1 hour and 45 minutes to a start time of 12.45 . They then said our booking was for 1 hour and 30 minutes ( in conflict with their own email confirmation..) because I arrived at our empty table less than 5 minutes early. Roast dinner was great though but avoid the frangipan tart unless you want the tiniest portion you will ever be served and definitely give the Creme anglais a miss.

Staff were beyond great! Very friendly and attentive. Food was excellent (we shared a very large steak) well executed and flavourful. Vibe was jovial and warm.

Very atmospheric and cosy, food was delicious and we were treated to the most impeccable service ! Special thanks to the team for creating such a nice environment and contributing greatly to a great evening out !

It feels like something has changed at Smokehouse. We’ve been to Smokehouse quite a few times and have always had a 10/10 experience, we always bring family and friends when they visit and we always recommend the place. Yesterday the roast felt different. The service was slow and not very attentive, our glasses were dirty, the roast felt smaller and with less sides than ever (even at 4pm) and the atmosphere just did not feel like the nice establishment it used to be (not too long ago). I wanna think we got them on a bad night.

Very good Sunday roast with vegetarian and vegan options. The place is very nice and cozy, we spent a really great time.

The place to be for Sunday roast. Won’t go wrong.

I must say that it was a dissapointing experience. The sunday roast wasn’t smoked. The salad was missing ingredients. Service was super slow. This was a treat yourself spot to me but apparently I need to find another place 😞

Dear Barry, In response to you, thanks for taking the time out of your day to respond to my previous review that I actually found to be quite diplomatic based on my experiences. Firstly, if you read all of the 1 and 2 star reviews on here you will note that almost 90% of them have issues with the service and if you believe that complaining about terrible service is an injustice to you, please try and do your job better. I wasn't planning to divulge into the finer details of just how terrible the service was but since you asked for it, here goes - When I visited a couple of weeks back, I booked the table for 10 people. Upon arrival we were given a table for 8 people! 8 people sat directly by the kitchen, on the hottest day of the year. The fact the table was so close to kitchen isn't the end of the world, and the fact it was the hottest day of the year is completely out of your control. We also take into account that we were a large group however, to be provided with a table with 2 less place settings after booking the table 2 weeks before is within your control and in my eyes, and others I dined with, pretty ridiculous. As you can imagine with an extra 2 people sat on the bench it wasn't a very comfortable. When I flagged this to the waitress she quite literally just shrugged her shoulders and replied "sorry" and then carried on with her day. No suggestions to add extra chairs or anything. Drinks, these took so long to come to the table that we were having to get up and retrieve them from the bar ourselves. We ordered a selection of starters, 4 out of 7 arrived. After waiting 45mins they were finally brought to the table and within minutes the roasts followed. With no space for anything on the table the waiter was removing people's plates from them whilst they were still trying to eat their starters!!!!! Roasts, we ordered 4 cauliflower cheese', which we asked 2 different waiters for. They were finally brought over when everyone had nearly finished their meals. Desserts, the waitress decided to bring half of them over to the table and leave the other half waiting on the side for us all to watch. In the end we served them to ourselves! When 10 dissatisfied guests politely flagged how disappointed we were with the service the waitress agreed that there had been some issues and removed the service charge (which we did not ask for). We still decided to pay the service which I now, deeply regret I would also like to highlight that since it was such a hot day the restaurant wasn't even particularly busy. Yesterday, as mentioned in my first review above, we were served by a waiter who now, I know to be "Barry". Barry, again, my friend ordered a juice, you brought her a pint? When she flagged this you kindly offered the pint on the house, thank you. She then waited 15mins for you to bring over the correct order. The food, 3 people out of a table of 6 requested cauliflower cheese and low and behold you didn't add them to our order. On 3 different occasions and from 3 different people, you missed that off the order, again!? When the table POLITELY requested them, whilst our roasts sat there going cold we were told they were NOT on the order and then 5 mins later we were presented with two bowls of what I believe you intended to be cauliflower cheese but was actually a bowl of milk with some raw cauliflower in. And again, just 2 bowls not the 3 that was ordered but I suppose it was so bad your incompetence did us a favour. Now in the grand scheme of things, I'm not going to lose sleep over Cauliflower cheese gate but, I will offer you some advice based on my experiences and other reviews I have read. When people spend their hard earned money eating out and even more so with an establishment that charges £26 for a roast we expect at least a decent level of service to be provided. Unfortunately, Smoke house isn't making the cut. And don't worry, I can assure you, 16 people out of the guests I visited with have all agreed that based on the abhorrent service alone, they would never visit Smoke House again.

Absolutely lovely place with fantastic staff in a very nice relaxed atmosphere. Be prepared to book in advance as especially the Sunday roast can get very busy. Can only recommend!

Chilled Saturday evening, my partner and I were looking for a good steak In Islington and we ended up in this nice place. It looks like a normal pub but, as soon as you step in, you realize it's definitely more. A board with many nice beef cuts is hanging on the wall at the entrance (picture provided). The atmosphere is very nice and cozy but, in my opinion, they might add something to the walls( just a personal aesthetic taste). We had a 'nduja focaccia (£8) served with balsamic vinegar which was lovely but a bit of greens around would have been appreciated (nothing major tbh). Unfortunately (as you can see from the board picture) there wasn't much choice left but it's understandable for a Saturday night. We decided to have a 210g 32 day dry aged Dexter (Rump steak) and a 380g 64 day dry aged longhorn (Sirloin steak). The meat is clearly good quality and we finally found someone who knows what "RARE COOK" means. Some meat's parts were a bit burned and the pepper sauce was a bit too creamy and thin. Not many options for wine by the glass but good selection of beers and cocktails. Very good experience despite minor problems. 2 steak, 1 starter , 2 glasses of wine = £90. We will be back for sure ! Highly recommended!!!

Arrived for our 7:30pm reservation to be presented with a steak board with no options for three or two people. By the time we came to order, the small individual cuts were also now not available. I spoke to the manager who didn’t seem to care about the inconvenience or the fact that we were having to leave the restaurant to go find an alternative on a Saturday evening. Having been wanting to go here for a while, it was a really disappointing first trip.

Visited the Smokehouse with my family for a catch up meal. The atmosphere and service were both great. They have a great selection of drinks and food available on their menus. We all ordered steak from the specials board, which was perfectly cooked. Will definitely be returning!

Visited here as a family of 3 on a Tuesday evening. Lovely cosy looking restaurant with bar seating as well as dining tables. Had a little nose round whilst my husband ordered our drinks. They have designed the restaurant well, it gives you the feel of being in the country, with wooden tables and chairs, lovely ornaments dotted about as well as a log fire. There was an outdoor garden with tables and chairs which I would guess is great in the summer. Clean toilets including a disabled toilet. The service was excellent, polite, informative and cheerful waitress and manager on duty. We were offered cold fruit infused water at the bar and the boys tried a few beers from the pump before deciding on what to go for. Once seated we called over the manager, we don’t usually dine at decent restaurants, so I didn’t understand the specials board. I didn’t understand why we all couldn’t order the same steak! So, all their steak is cut from the cow that day, weighed and added to the board in various weights and types!! So if you want fresh cooked and beautifully presented food, you need to give this place a go. I ordered fillet steak which was the softest and tastiest I’d ever had. We had all the sides, chips, fries, macaroni cheese and greens. Nothing was left on our plates. We all had sticky toffee pudding and ice cream which were very generous portions and delicious. It was a lovely atmosphere as it got darker outside, as there appeared to be only candles giving off light. We were pushed for time so we could only have the main and dessert. It’s a short tube ride from St Pancras so I will definitely be going back with plenty of time to spend here next time.

Great food paired with amazing service, The new menu is a must try! Will definitely be returning soon

Cancelled a birthday booking for my disabled sister with no notice. When we showed up staff were extremely rude and blamed us for not checking after we received a confirmation email. Maybe dodged a bullet as the seating area was crowded and smelled awful.

Went for Sunday lunch and it was a bit of a disappointment. Roasters were undercooked and not crunchy. Veg undercooked (and I like crunchy veg) and the roast beef was overdone and the portion size measly.

Loved the food and atmosphere. Service was exceptional, especially from Kenny and Dexter!

Kenny and Dexter were the most amazing servers! The food came out quickly and it was very delicious.

Lovely atmosphere especially as we were sitting outside and enjoying the weather. It was very quiet too, as we were there early, at noon. We had Sunday roast, which was delicious and very generous in terms of quantity (we could barely finish our plate). I will definitely comme back!

Went for Sunday dinner menu in the evening at a pre booked table. Unfortunately the food was well below par. The food was clearly reheated and past it best. The food varied in temperature across the plate from hot to warm to cold, didn’t even take the time to ensure it was reheated properly. Clearly no pride in what is served, how it’s served and customer care. Even added a service charge after such an awful event, as well as no pride clearly no shame!

Awful! Sadly we had a roast last night. A reheated mess! Everything was at different temperatures. The hottest thing was the cabbage! The roast potatoes had been cooked and reheated, or left under a heat plate. They tasted like yesterday’s left overs! I order the cauliflower flower cheese - warm at best I sent it back and was was given a burnt topped replacement and again warm at best, the cheese sauce had been absorbed by the cauliflower and the cauliflower was grey! It was such a poor meal. I will never return! The quality of the food should be good regardless of time of receiving it especially for the cost. They even put a service charge on the bill after we complained. So upset as we don’t go out for a roast very often and this was a big treat.

We had the most delicious Sunday lunch. My wife and I had the beef, which was perfectly cooked, with loads of sides and the most delicious gravy. Kids shared a monster chicken (!) which was so moist and tasty - they’ve been asking for it again all week. Lovely staff and atmosphere. Great drinks menu too. We took a look at their weekday/Saturday menu as well, which looks amazing : can imagine their burger is delicious. Highly recommend a trip to the smokehouse.

Lovely atmosphere with a secluded garden in a quiet neighbourhood within walking distance to Highbury overground. Friendly staff members and generally good service. The menu is less impressive, and in particular not very vegetarian/vegan friendly. The only vegan option is disproportionally expensive - for the same price you get a substantial burger + chips but for the vegan option you get a single cauliflower.

I made a booking and got a strange call saying that they were saving meat for different customers and not me. The only thing I can have is a salmon 🤣 So I am not good enought for their meat 🤦‍♂️ They need to either not allow reservations or make sure they have meat for everyone.

I’m struggling to understand all the negative reviews on here as they are not consistent with our recent experience. We went here for lunch on the August Bank Holiday. The pub building itself is lovely (we used to come here about 15 years ago when it was called The House by the way). Service was very friendly and efficient. We shared the tomato and fennel salad which was a generous portion and definitely enough for two. I had the ribeye steak 340g, chosen from a blackboard with a limited number of different individual steaks and weights available (you snooze, you lose in this place). The quality of the meat and cooking was excellent and up there with places like Hawksmoor in my view. My wife had the celeriac steak which was also very nice. Chips were delicious. A decent wine list as well and a nice Armagnac to finish - perfect Bank Holiday lunch. Highly recommended.

Always such a pleasure. Serious attention to detail on both food and service. The drink selection is also impeccable. Great wine to compliment the steak - Picanha is ridiculously tasty. Could be my death row meal