Long-standing London pub based in Mayfair specialising in meats and grills

The Guinea Grill has been one of those well-known treasures since it starting selling pies in the 1940s, properly taking off as a gastro-pub in the 1950s. Specialising in meats, it has been with its partner supplier Godfrey’s for as long as it has served and I was overdue a visit. This first time visit for me revealed it was as much the institution that it has come to be with an interior steeped in heritage and a menu with prices that seem to capitalise on this a little too much based on what I had had. It was a pleasant meal but although steak by its nature is expensive, I found a little too pricey based on the return. I would still recommend seeing for yourself if you are a meats and grills fan.

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Rock oysters for my guest were seemingly well received with the classic shallot and vinegar dressing. I opted for the crab and crayfish cocktail which, bizarrely had a frozen Marie Rose sauce that was also hot with spice. I could see this was a play of ‘hot’ and ‘cold’, but I didn’t think this worked and would have thought a perfectly luxurious cocktail sauce would have been better here. The fish itself was a little tricky to determine in amongst the ice, but it seemed fine.

Two ‘mains’ were had: a 5OZ fillet for £25 and a much better, small lamb chop for £8. Sides of creamed spinach, slightly underwhelming chips, a good haggis and decent sauce bearnaise was shared and most items had resembled fair quality. The total bill with one glass of wine to share was £90. As we had been very careful to choose our courses, it was still £45 per person for just two courses and this is expensive. If you were to have a more substantial dinner with desserts, coffee, more water and a touch more wine, there is no doubt this will be a very expensive venture.

This is still a lovely place, but perhaps best suited for corporate hospitality occasions and their no-caring budgets. Or, why not simply pop in for a pint.

Food Grade: 65%