St John Bar & Restaurant Smithfield in Islington

Back to normal now busy again but prices just keep rising 🙄

Called in after doing an Architectural tour of Barbican estate. (Brutalist design). Wonderful structure with amazing colourful gate & railings. Great to see our traditional phone boxes all lined up. Information boards also available to read. Make sure you also visit the incredible St Bartholomew the great church just around the corner which is used in many films including 4 weddings & a funeral. Damien Hurst has a sculpture of St Bartholomew in the church.

Full profesinalism - fro all the butchers & staff

Great workers - hard workers! Early starts! Good quality meat.

Wow how tasty lovely restaurant, brilliant cooking. For me a starter of rabbit offal delicious, pan juices amazing. For the other half, roast bone marrow yummy. First me maggots, so tasty, could have done with 3 and a sticky gravy, but great food (bit pricey for what is leftover offal etc). Other half had roasted brill and bread - the latter was greasy, but fish nicely cooked. Deserts of bread and butter pudding and Eccles cake with cheese were fantastic. Service was great, friendly, knowledgeable and attentive. Relaxed atmosphere. Reasonable value for money - we will be back

London oldest meat market nice place

Excellent street food, wonderful stalls.

Productivity can be achieved without the sound and smell of used chewing gum….its called decorum

È un posto molto alla mano, tovaglie di carta e un piatto sbeccato. Ma il cibo è davvero particolare. Forse per noi italiani non è da stella Michelin, ma abbiamo potuto assaggiare del vero cibo inglese (non il solito fish and chips) a un prezzo non esagerato per Londra (70 euro a testa). Abbiamo scelto il loro midollo, il pane al formaggio, il fegato d'agnello e l'anguilla marinata. Come piatti forti il buonissimo tortino di beef. Molto particolare ! Buono anche il loro pane, sotto c'è la bakery, col burro salato. Vini costosissimi, ma si sapeva.

Tremendous food and service It did not disappoint Staff were the best

St John is a bit of a food institution in London and for good reason - the quality of the food speaks for itself. The presentation & flavour combinations are unpretentious but entirely effective and harmonious, allowing the quality of the ingredients to shine through. The drinks menu is equally great and the service is pretty much as good as you can get in a restaurant in my opinion. The staff are genuinely friendly without being weird and intense and you aren't getting upsold on stuff 24/7, they will offer a true opinion when asked. It's definitely worth a visit, and then maybe a few more.

Top level cookery, service and overall ambiance. Everything that’s good about British cuisine.

Great food and generous portions. Highly recommend.

St John's famously provides a unique take on classic British cooking. The food is interesting and unfussy, and based on fresh market ingredients. The menu changes daily. Our appetizers, a pork terrine and mussels with cabbage were excellent, as were the deserts. I am sure that there were better choices, but our main dishes were not good. In particular, salted goat, which was two small slices prepared as a cured ham, did not taste like anything, and was very disappointing. It was also strangely the most expensive main at 32 pounds. The dish did also have two whole cooked carrots, which were good. Our second main dish was mallard duck, was OK, but it somewhat lacked in flavor. The wine list, which has a good reputation, is actually way overpriced, and we didn't like our red Roussillon wine which cast 100 pounds. The service was slow, because the server, who was pleasant and capable, had too many tables to cover.

Bloody brilliant Proper food supported by great service Thank you We will be back

We had a fabulous experience at St John. The brand is strong which sometimes leads to restaurants getting lazy but we found a varied menu with exciting options that were not over-laboured. The staff were attentive without being over-fussy and made some excellent recommendations.

Excellent evening for husbands birthday , we will be back

He estado queriendo visitar aquí durante mucho tiempo y no decepcionó. Interesante menú que cambia todos los días. Los tres tuvimos 3 platos y todos estaban deliciosos.

Service was really poor. Our waiter kept ignoring us and food was late. Noticed other tables getting their food a lot earlier and more attentive service. Food was mediocre at best. The bone marrow had no flavouring. Room was cold. Pathway to the toilet smelt like awful drains. Overall, such a disappointing experience.

Great food and service. 1st visit for a whike but as good as always. Service prompt and friendly. The braised hare was a real treat.

Bone marrow dish was the star of the show. Food was good, service was good, but nothing blew me away. Prices fairly respected that. Overall a very good meal. I would consider coming back :)

We got the Roasted Bone Barrow, Braised Hogget, Rarebit and Greens — everything to share between the two of us. They were also great, but the Hogget stole the show. We could have done without the Rarebit, though as we felt it was a bit much in the end. Only one slight blemish: after starters, it took about half an hour for our main dish to arrive. Other than that, St. John did not disappoint!

Amazing food, staff and service. A really fun atmosphere. Perfect spot for lunch or dinner.

Not to many customers around at 12pm, plenty of meat

We will messed when will gone. Meet price it is cheaper than other big supermarkets.

St John is and has been for many years, quite simply, my favourite restaurant in London. Exceptional food prepared and delivered in a no-nonsense fashion. Michael, our server, hovers attentively but never intrudes. A delight.

I could happily eat here every day. The room smells gorgeous and is welcoming (and not too noisy, given that the diners are spaced out) and the food and wine are always spot on. This was a birthday celebration and it did not disappoint. The service is friendly but never overbearing. You never feel rushed or pressured to leave: it's just the right pace.

Nos recomendaron Street John's y sin duda estuvo a la altura de las expectativas. Desde la bienvenida hasta la deliciosa comida y servicio, la experiencia fue magnífica. Nuestro camarero, Antonio era impresionante; divertido y conocedor de la comida. Sus recomendaciones dieron en el blanco. Recomendaría con gusto la calle John's para una gran comida y tiempo.

We were recommended St John's and it certainly lived up to expectations. From the welcome to the delicious food and service, the experience was magnificent. Our waiter, Antony was awesome; funny and knowledgeable about the food. His recommendations hit the spot. Would happily recommend St John's for a great meal and time.

it's our second visit and the dinner was so fine. we tried creative dishes and fresh wine. love it!

Attentive but not intrusive service. Deeply tasty dishes. Limited choices for non-meat eaters BUT excellent.

Amazing experience, everything delicious, friendly and welcoming staff, can’t wait to be back!

Sabemos de la calle. John de Anthony Bourdain, y lo hizo una visita obligada. Tendrás que conseguir una reserva, pero vale la pena. La experiencia fue como una vez en la vida. Es una comida de precio, sin duda, pero obtendrá una gran comida y podrá probar tantas cosas diferentes. El servicio era amable, pero realmente dejó la comida para hacer todo el hablar. No sabíamos que tenían su propio vino, que también era increíble para probar. El menú cambia en el regular, por lo que puede obtener una gran variedad. Si eres exigente, puede que no te guste, así que tienes que entrar con la mente abierta. Lo recomendaría encarecidamente.

Great experience, would go back. Particularly enjoyed the arbroath smokies

Great restaurant. Food, service and atmosphere are excellent. Thoroughly recommend a visit!

Great restaurant in the City! Great food and service. I will come back!

We had a brilliant time celebrating a birthday and wedding. The food was brilliant and the service was outstanding. 10/10

The best restaurant on earth. A civilisational achievement

Brilliant good food done well. Service attentive without being overly. Puddings a must!

Amazing food, great atmosphere, cozy vibes! Wine was also great! Thanks for the great experience

Not a great service, but food great as always. Littlbe bit noisy

Love get served in a bone of marrow, scooped delicately onto a special spoon

One of the best - I love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Great dining experience Fabulous dishes The service was impeccable and staff so friendly and knowledgeable too. We were the last ones eating our supper and yet were not made to feel rushed out if the door. Definitely returning here again

Great restaurante. British cuisine excelling several different styles of cooking. Desserts are also terrific!

Some of the best cooking in London. The teal was perfectly cooked, really glad that I got to try the bone marrow and parsley salad and the deep fried rarebit

Where to begin? My husband and I dined here nearly a decade ago. It’s remained a favorite food memory. For his birthday this year, I got tickets to London and made reservations for 2X/day for 7 days via email with the manager. We had so much fun getting to know the food, the hosts, and the servers. We were treated so well. We are from Montana, and we live in a farming and hunting community. The food at St John is local, wholesome, simple but difficult, and oh so tasty and wise. Give it a try!

The food was great. But several things went wrong with the service.

İt was great as usual. We had a great waiter and gladly he told us that we ordered too much food.it was great advise

Brilliant food and service, couldn’t manage sweets maybe next time.

St John is a beautiful dining experience. The food is great but the whole experience is relaxing and light. Can't recommend more.

Fantastic food and wine, brilliant atmosphere and great service.

It was perfect from start to finish. The food is flavourful, original yet classic and delicious. The restaurant is beautifully lighted, the noise is surprisingly low for such a wide space, and a special thank you to our waiter James who was lovely, gave us good advice and a special treat for my mum’s birthday. It’s a truly special place !

My favorite restaurant on the planet. Great food of a British sort and and wonderful service.

Very good food, service excellent but a little quick.

I adore this restaurant. Wonderful food as always & really lovely, professional service.. the bone marrow on toast was incredible.

Always an absolute pleasure to eat there. Quality of food and service are exceptional.

It took a while to get seated and served but to be fair it was a Friday evening. The complimentary bread was not warm and the butter was too firm/cold. Bone marrow was dry with very little marrow. The sucking pig was good. We ordered the veal (which was the substitute for the white middle which they had run out of earlier) and the Guinea fowl, date pudding and chocolate mousse, these dishes compensated for the disappointing marrow and cold butter. Not sure if the restaurant was deserving of the Michelin one star but it was comparatively cheaper than other one stars I’ve been to (but not drastically so).

Exquisite food on the best room in London. They continue to exceed expectations with the service, food and everything else. A big thank you to the whole team.

I booked this restaurant because of its self described “full pig” experience. Coming from the states, I’ve been to many pork style restaurants. I was a bit surprised upon arriving. The entire restaurant is white washed. Not a bit of color in the whole place. Rather depressing. It has an “open kitchen” but rather than the clean style look, it was a bit gross as you could see bins of salt and other storage sitting on the not so clean floor. The menu does have some pig related items - a suckling pig starter, a pork potter (described as the “remnants” from the other dishes mashed together - “to be honest it’s basically pulled pork but mostly the fat” to quote our waiter.) The bone marrow was good. In the entree section, only a thin slice of white pork loin was offered - for $30!!! What? Your only other pork options were tripe or kidneys. No pork belly, ham, pork chops, jowls, bacon, or even ribs. Every special was a bird - quail, partridge or fowl. It’s an ok place but not worth the price.

Really enjoyable meal. Everything perfectly cooked. Will be back!

Amazing menu with some interesting offal dishes. Everything was super tasty and great serving sizes.

Given the reputation of this establishment, it did not fail to live up to the hype surrounding it's name. The plates where simplistic in nature but full of wonderful flavors. The kitchen buzzed with an energetic hum, loud at some points, reminded you that something special was being crafted just for you. The staff moved around with purpose and paid close attention to providing an amazing dining experience.

simply the best in the world, perfect in all fields

Always love going here. Deft service. Simple dining room. Every bit of animal.

Truly excellent service today when the maitre d’ noticed us wishing happy birthday to our adult daughter on arrival and, without saying anything, added a little candle to her dessert. This was on top of highly professional service throughout - attentive but not over-bearing. Oh, and the food’s good too. The beef broth is particularly recommended and all the desserts were yummy, from the pear sorbet with vodka to the bread pudding with butterscotch sauce.

Festive, clean & cool place with really good food.

The expérience was global lu average. The fish was very salted and the association with cheakpeas isn’t very appropriate.

As always totally superb food, wines and service! Thank you St John for always being special!

Fantastic meal and wines, great staff and service.

Este no es un restaurante típico Michelin que se centra en la estética y los ingredientes de lujo. Es un lugar más rústico y tradicional - el chapado definitivamente no es bonito. Y eso está perfectamente bien si el estilo y la originalidad se muestran de otras maneras. Los únicos platos que realmente impresionaron fueron los entrantes - mejilla de cerdo crujiente y rábanos maridados maravillosamente y el calamar estofado y el vino tinto era único. Mi principal de pato era un poco raro para mi gusto. El cerdo estaba muy competentemente cocinado, pero nada especial. De postre, el pudín de pan sabe muy bien y es saludable y lleno. La espuma de chocolate es densa y gruesa. Ambos buenos postres pero nada de otro mundo. Extrañamente, el pan servido al principio viene sin platos de pan y la mantequilla es dura como una roca e imperturbable. Hay algunos decentes y asequibles por las opciones de copa para el vino El servicio es amable y muy eficiente. El restaurante estaba lleno (creo que siempre lo está) , lo que hizo un buen ambiente. Disfruté la comida, pero no creo que esto llegue a la altura de una estrella nuchelina.

I came a lot of times before and I was always happy with the food and service. It’s the reason why I was there yesterday with my husband to show him the place. Yesterday, the service wasn’t good and the food also. I took a duck and it wasn’t cooked properly. It was in the blood and cold. I asked for annealing and the return was the same. I didn’t eat it and nobody asked to me why. So it was a bad experience and I won’t go there anymore.

I've been stuck in a traffic jam since 02:00 and I still haven't made it to the unloading point.

Amazing as ever. Busy and lively. Waiter was very good and food was amazing.

Excellent food. Kind and attentive service. Reasonable prices. A London gem. Great for foodies. Grab a beer beforehand in the Bakery.

Amazing food. Unpretentious but prepared with so much passion and care. Great service too

One of the best meals I’ve ever had which requires a revisit to be able to try other things on the menu. Superb service and loved the ambiance of the place. Best bread pudding dessert!

Best suited to meat eaters! Good meat menu and Great puddings!

Great food, great athmoshpere, great experience. Thanks

Excellent, unfussy dining experience. Food is very filling, but make sure you leave room for dessert!

Our waitress was exceptional. This is one of the most authentic places you can dine in London. It’s outstanding in every way possible. Thank you for such an incredible meal…

Amazing experience from start to finish. Faultless. Highly recommend!

This restaurant is one of life’s great pleasures. If you don’t go you’re simply doing yourself a disservice.

I'm so disappointed. I came here for my birthday after months since reserving a table. Underwhelming cannot begin to describe our experience. We arrive on time, order some drinks, and after a few moments, told we had better order because there are people waiting for our table. So we quickly order, food takes quite a while. I receive the bone marrow, the most expensive starter on the menu, and barely any of it is edible because it has been overcooked. So that's about £13 for a piece of bread, which was plonked alongside the marrow bones. Afterwards myself and my partner are handed the mutton, a main which was also one of the most priciest on the menu, and the portion size is tiny. Five or six thinly sliced pieces of meat. Mutton is not an expensive cut, I'm not sure what happened with that. Worse, we go to order dessert, and it never arrives. Our table reservation, so coveted apparently, was supposed to be given up at 8:15pm but we are still sat there gone 9pm and we haven't received our dessert. My partner had even asked for a candle to be put into one of the desserts apparently, but still nothing. They eventually offer to take the dessert off of our bill, and we wait longer, but still nothing. It took me to actually get up and walk over to the manager to ask for the bill to leave and get out of the place. I could also mention the state of the bathrooms downstairs, or even trying to get to them, tripping over the bags of the patrons at the bar who had decided to sprawl there goods all over the place, and the bits of toilet paper on the stairs. So we end as I started out - so disappointed, St John. I've waited about 10 years to try your restaurant but never again. I hope that people read this and think twice before deciding to dine with you for a special occasion or otherwise. I also regret paying the service charge, since service was basically non-existent.

Fabulous meal and service as usual . Experience only marred by very noisy space.

What a fantastic experience. We are fans of “nose to tail” dining and love dishes made with organ meats and other elements not usually served in restaurants. Even so the cuisine here was extraordinary: Exceptionally well cooked and simply presented. And our server James was both knowledgeable and very attentive. All around a smashing dinner. When we return to London we will most definitely come back.

Food was excellent as usual as was the service. Roast shorthorn could have done with some gravy!

Loved everything on the menu, service, ambience and would love to come back soon

Good service and just simply and honest good food.

Amazing food, amazing attention to details and a great service. Arrived happy, left even happier!

Food was delicious and fresh. Service was excellent. Would return!

Second time here, food was better than I remembered. The waiting staffs were extremely attentive, even brought out the Worcestershire Sauce even though it was just a passing remark from my son. Had a good laugh and from there we knew the staff take every request very seriously. Will definitely come again when I am ever in London.

Friendly greeting, shown promptly to table and offered water. Drinks order taken quickly and specials explained, food order taken in good time too. My roasted bone marrow was lip smacking tasty and buttery, could've done with more toast, companions smoked cod's roe on toast was zingy! I liked the flavour of my main of grilled ox heart but it was a little dry and lots of small pieces - perhaps because it was, as I'd been told, the last portion? Companion's brill was sensational, perfectly cooked and briny! Eccles cake with Lancashire cheese was a delicious end to the meal, although I was probably a bit optimistic about how much I could eat! Companion's pear sorbet with a shot of vodka perhaps a wiser choice. All drinks were superb and waiter well informed, all in all a memorable meal

Always delicious and fantastic. One of our favorite places anywhere.

The food and wine here was incredible! Very friendly and helpful staff as well.

To be honest, I was incredibly disappointed in my experience at St John. Very disappointing service and didn’t receive a couple of items I ordered. I think for how much my dinner cost I would have rather gone to a place where we would have been looked after better.

The OG nose to tail restaurant, the one that made offal cool again. The fabled bone marrow on toast is really good. Getting a table in the dining room can be a little challenging but worth it, the room oozes with character

Great meal. Staff very attentive and helpful. Second time visiting St John will absolutely be back again.

We came with many high expectations. It was everything we hoped it would be.

Quality is always high, and selections always are interesting. Good value considering the quality of the food. Wine list is reasonably priced. Staff is especially helpful and many are long term. Our favorite in London.