Beast’s quality can not be questioned, they have delivered by far the best crab dish as far as the London standard. However, the two major questions for me is the décor and the price. They only have sharing tables and benches for diners so do expect sitting with strangers which is not always ideal. Also, regarding the cost, you will be looking paying at least £100pp with wine and that is fine dining territory. Will I rather have a tasting menu with a glass of wine in a 1 Michelin starred restaurant for the same price?
Bertil N.
Rating des Ortes: 5 London, United Kingdom
Epic fresh King crab legs! Best i have ever had in 35 years of eating king crab at every opportunity. Excellent Ribeye, easily best in London. All other food rubbish. Eat crab and steak and be happy. Don’t waste time calories or money on anything else. Very good wine list for Californian wine, do try some. OK swiss lager. The Service is good and the refectory tables fun and its even healthy… Should mention the crabs are live, kept in nice tanks for you to look at, my kids love them…
Vicky L.
Rating des Ortes: 4 London, United Kingdom
I really enjoyed Beast. Mainly because we can’t get fresh king crab here. And I know it’s all fine to talk about how expensive and overpriced Beast is, but the fact is, if you live in London, where else are you going to eat really high quality King Crab? It’s really a suck it or leave it situation isn’t it? Well, having to dine at Beast isn’t quite«Sucking It» either. I loved the way that the food is super simple– it is obvious that everything that landed on the table were impeccably sourced-from the parmesan, pickled onions and grilled artichoke, to the fresh king crab and beef, to the excellent salad(didn’t taste the potato) and finally both the semifreddo and deconstructed cheesecake were both fantastic. My only gripe was one of our steaks was overcooked and though good, I prefered Dinner’s and Sophie’s steaks. And possibly Gaucho’s.(Don’t get me wrong, it’s still bloody excellent, just not my favourite in London) So 4 stars for that. Do come if you want fresh king crab though. And let me know if you anywhere else that serves it in London for less. Ta.
Becky H.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Vancouver, Canada
Short version: The Goodman family still serves good food. But compared to Goodman Steakhouse and Burger & Lobster, Beast rings in last b/c I can’t bring myself to pay £27/crab leg(though its a novel thing for London). And I really don’t think their Beast Experience is good value for the food you actually get, even though you save money(why? read on!). Yes, the food is tasty, but think grilled lobster is tastier than king crab leg… so I’d rather visit their other 2 restaurant groups. ==== Its hard to get fresh live seafood in London, but when you do get it, understandably it comes at a premium. Beast is the first restaurant to offer king crab legs all year long(I think), with big tanks showcasing these giant Norwegian crabs. When we got there, we were seated at a large communal table with bench seats which runs through the restaurant, end to end — so ladies, be careful when you’re wearing skirts! I was pretty sure I wanted their Beast Experience for £85/person(or £170/couple + gratuity): 2 king crab legs, and 400 gram steak, which comes with assorted pickles and onions to start, potatoes, salad, and dessert. So its a helluva lotta food, and yes you are saving — if the menu actually has the stuff that you want to eat. I didn’t care much for the pickles, potatoes, and neither one of us were captivated by their dessert — so a la carte it was. Between the 2 of us, we ordered: 2 king crab legs(£54) 600 gram bone-in ribeye(£54) 2 shrimp tempura(£6) tuna tartare(£6) 2 Crab & foie gras gyoza(£6) House salad(£7) Sparkling water + old fashioned: £17 Final total for a spread more interesting than the beast experience: £175 including tip. The crab legs are served on a giant platter, they were tasty with melted butter — I didn’t think was worth it. I’d rather have grilled lobster. Ribeye — cooked perfectly, and one of my fav parts of the meal. The meat was incredibly delicious, and I’m reminded again of why I like Goodman Steakhouse. The other highlight was their house salad with smoked tomatoes. I’ve never had smoked toms before, but they were seriously some of the best stuff I’ve ever had. The rest of the appies(tempura, tuna tartare, and foie gras gyoza) were forgettable. The foie gras in the gyoza had melted through, I couldn’t detect any hint of it. though to be honest, I think even if it did — maybe its not the best pairing with crab since it usually carries such an intense flavor on such light meat. That being said, I think the crab probably needed to be left on its own. Tartare was way too small, and I’d rather go to a Japanese restaurant for the tempura. Nothing wrong with it. I don’t think there’s anything about it to make me want to order it again. So at the end, we came away completely stuffed. Andrew had a larger share of steak, but even I was completely full(and we’re pretty big eaters). The steak and salad was still my favorite part, so I’d rather go back to Goodman’s, and get my ribeye /lobster tail for £50, along with a more interesting menu and appetizer spread. Edit: it seems that earlier this year, the price was still at £75 but there seemed to be more interesting veggie sides.
Anna B.
Rating des Ortes: 5 London, United Kingdom
Best steak ever! food was super good, did not regret for a second spending that money! Definitely coming back! Place is noisy, but its very different from most restaurants, huge tables cosy lighting, open kitchen, crabs on a display, service was very good! i definitely recommend it for meat lovers!
Martina C.
Rating des Ortes: 5 London, United Kingdom
If there ever was a true meaning to the words ‘food-porn’ this is it, especially if you like meat. Steaks. I’ve eaten steaks in so many different restaurants, many ‘award winning’ places, many ‘best stakes in London’, and still I’ve yet to find a piece of beef that melts in my mouth as smoothly as the Argentinian monsters from Beast do. It’s probably something like, 7 cm thick, rare cooked(but not a drop of blood to be seen), it hangs in huge refrigerators to dry with chunk of salts and its temperature is accurately measured and checked throughout the grilling. But I digress, for Beast is so much more than the best steak you’ve ever had. According to the size of your party, your starter will be a quarter or half of a parmesan wheel. It’s the good stuff, the real deal. I should know, I am Italian. You’re given a small scalpel to dig your way through the cheese, which comes served with pickled artichokes and onions, extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. They like to take their time between courses, so you’ll have to be patient. It’s really really hard not to eat to fullness the whole cheese thing, but do resist the temptation. Once the steak arrives it’s peace at last. One thing to add to what I’ve already said is that it’s served with an array of absolutely delicious sides: no fries, this isn’t your cheap burger place you dirty sods. It’s vegetable delicacies, amongst which I feel compelled to commend the delicious balsamic smoked tomato salads, which I must remember to ask the chef about next time because I MUST know how to make them at home. If you’re an average human being with an average sized stomach, you’ll feel pretty full after the steak. However the third course is yet to come: a massive crab, already cracked open but rearranged together to look pretty. You’re given tools to dig into it — which you’ll likely forsake in favour of your hands. This too comes with many sides and two(if I’m not mistaken) choices of sauce. I regret to say that both times I went, at this stage I was so full of delicious heavenly steak that I could not *really* appreciate how good the crab was, because it was SO good. But by then I was just shoving it in my mouth hoping it would fit. After the third course is also done and dusted, you get to pick between 3 different desserts: I always go for the deconstructed cheescake. There’s something so silly about the idea of a deconstructed cheescake that I love, and also it’s delicious. All the above is at a set price of £75 per head. Excluding drinks. Yes, it’s a lot, but DAYUM it’s worth it. Need to go back for a third visit as soon as possible, I need steak in my veins.
James C.
Rating des Ortes: 4 London, United Kingdom
If you have never tried live king crab, you are missing out. It tastes so unlike the frozen ones you get elsewhere. The meat is incredibly soft and sweet. Beast is a great place to bring your male business friends. It feels both exclusive and buttoned down in a country club, secret handshake kind of way. It is not a good place to bring a date. The tables are so wide it is like sitting across two normal tables at any other restaurant. With a 75 quid price tag for the normal steak and crab(plus starters run anothe 15 – 20 each and wine can be unlimited), this is marketed towards business dining.
Dave H.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Manhattan, NY
This is a restaurant for people who want to reduce the number of decisions that they need to make. The only decision is whether you want to pay £75 for dinner at a big banquet table in a Marleybone basement guarded by a big wooden bear. Ok, yes. If you’ve gotten past the guard and the receptionist, Beast has already made the food decision for you. You are going to have the Parmesan, Artichokes, Pickled Onions and Olives as starters. Then you are going to have the King Crab and Porterhouse Steak for your main. Then you will have some dessert, if you still eat carbs and sugar. If you are coming to Beast, you should know that you don’t get very many carbs here. Now the real decision. What wine to drink. After you walk down the stairs and are confronted by a meat locker and a crab aquarium, you find a bar on the left and the wine on the right. It’s an incredible selection. After all, you need to pair a good White Burgundy with your Crab, and a good Syrah with your Porterhouse. Get a tour of the kitchen if you can. The way they cook the steak is incredible. You need to see it to believe it. I look forward to going back, especially if someone else is paying!
Holly B.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Big Bear Lake, CA
My husband and I spent just one night in London on the way back from our honeymoon. My husband found this place on trip advisor and it was rated in the top 2% of the 17,000 restaurants. I can definitely see why. Be prepared to spend money, but definitely worth the experience! We didn’t have reservations but got there early. I would certainly recommend making reservations if you decide to check it out as it fills up fast and it isn’t a fast dining experience. Don’t expect a quiet table in the corner, the tables are upscale picnic type tables yet somehow still manage to offer the ability to have an intimate conversation. While you wait for your meal they bring you cheese, artichoke hearts and olives to munch on. The meal itself comes with veggies(beets, carrots) as well as a salad. The steaks are flown in from Nebraska. Be sure to wear the bib they give you because you may want to pick up the bone and eat every last piece on it! The crab, spectacular. Made it even more delicious that I got to hold one and learned a little bit about them from the guy pulling them out of the tank. Dessert is included, the deconstructed cheesecake was amazing!!! We had so much fun here. We often dine at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse or Donovan’s or Flemming’s. Beast puts itself in a category of its own and made our only meal in London absolutely unforgettable!
Julia P.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Bradley Stoke, United Kingdom
There are great and elaborated reviews below so i’m gonna make this simple for you: If you’re willing to spend on the ridiculously overpriced menu then you’re in for a treat.
Daniel G.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Frankfurt, Germany
Norwegian King Crab and Nebraskan Angus Beef, simplicity at its best, I want to go back for more!
Anni M.
Rating des Ortes: 4 London, United Kingdom
This is definitely a must-try restaurant, especially if you have an gigantic appetite. There is only one order option here — the £75pp fixed price menu. This includes an appetizer platter, all you can eat steak and Norwegian King Crab, a variety of vegetable sides, and dessert. This was without a doubt one of the best steaks I’ve had in London, I only wish I had room to eat more of it. The crab was delicious as well — and enormous! Everything was cooked perfectly. I actually didn’t expect much out of the dessert, but it lived up to the high standards set by the steak and crab. Expect to leave Beast in a food coma. The restaurant is definitely not cheap — dinner and wine came out to be ~£130pp. Was it worth it? I’d say yes, for the experience and a special evening out — but please don’t invite friends here without warning them about the price tag unless you plan to foot the bill(definitely wasn’t expecting to spend this much on a «casual» dinner with friends). My one complaint has to do with the tables — I don’t mind the communal seating but the tables are so wide it was nearly impossible to speak to to or hear my friends sitting across from me. I guess that didn’t matter so much once the food comes since everyone is busy stuffing their face. Overall I had a fantastic experience and would recommend this restaurant. I am interested in seeing if this concept lasts though, the food is amazing but I have a hard time imagining many people will make this a regular spot given the lack of other food options and £100+ price tag.
Sid I.
Rating des Ortes: 4 King's Cross, London, United Kingdom
Beast is hidden in an old unfashionable quarter of town in an unmarked town house. The entrance is guarded by a giant bronze beast and a single black clad receptionist. From the stark entrance way with its giant glass windows one descends into the dark catacombs below. There one is paraded past a selection of giant glass cabinets. The first containing giant pieces of steak prime(in no way is this resembling dismembered body parts) … The second set of cabinets houses racks of live crabs(again n in no way does this resemble a monstrous collection of denizens from the deep skittering and clicking) … The final collection of cabinets assembled in a maze like configuration is host to a seemingly endless parade of potions and tinctures(this may be the wine cellar in disguise). Having made it this far one may pause a while if it is too early to be seated in a dark anti chamber between the glass cabinets and the large banqueting area. We however were whisked swiftly onwards(«Denn die Todten reiten schell» seems to be whispered in the darkness). Seating is at one of the Cyclopean banqueting tables. The lighting mainly coming from the wax encrusted candelabra scattered around the room or the oil candles suspended from the ceiling. In the distance the cooking staff(would servants seem the more appropriate term?) Can be seen labouring to cook giant pieces of meat. Food will appear upon the table served in large silver dishes and the plates to eat off are old style oval plates. A few iron heavy vegetables will be served to accompany the fat(cheese) or protein(steak and crab) but no new world starch … Even the simplest of waters will be poured from old cognac bottles … The sense that one has slipped from the modern world into some past filled with the rending of flesh from bone by teeth. The gentleman are almost as bejewelled as the women. With rings, watches and glinting metals upon their shirts. This is no place for the new and fashionable but is a home to old soulless things in young flesh. Come to feast on … Well if that all sounds a bit melodramatic feel free to visit Beast and see if you come away with a different impression. Just to be clear about the food there are only two things worth eating here the steak and the crab … The steak is USDA prime … And the crab Norwegian king crab and rather obviously very fresh … You will pay for it £75 a head … It is fantastic quality … Nothing else is worth eating … A bit harsh on the deserts but they add little value to the meal other than sugar. You will be totally surrounded by city crowd … Feel free to play spot the man without cuff links … I scored zero on that game and the place was full. Wine list has a few token wines sub 40 quid … And a lot more in the hundreds. Goodman’s knows what type of person wants to sit in a darkened catacomb tearing their own food apart with ones hands … And you the reader know if that is you … But seriously waste no stomach space on anything but the main … The cheese et al are just there to fill time whilst your meat is cooked … Oh and the truffle sauce is good … The crab is pretty high salt … Stumping out into the night afterwards and being surrounded by the bright lights of a modern city and gazing around at all those who walk by unaware of what lurks so near is a troubling experience. If only they knew …
Alex S.
Rating des Ortes: 4 London, United Kingdom
I think I battled the Beast and won. I definitely did something last night. Beast is actually a much more aggressive name for this space than it deserves. The moniker makes it sound angry, like you will be sitting down, knife in hand, to vanquish your meal. While, in fact, although you are eating all the meat(and I mean all the meat), it’s one of the calmest evening’s I’ve had in London. Let’s start with the big points. Beast is the new spot from the Goodman’s and Burger and Lobster team. It’s hidden away in Marylebone, located down an alleyway, completely unmarked and without a sign to announce it. Look for the giant glass window with the statue of the epic Bear in it. If you are there, you are in the right place. You’ll take a very short elevator ride down into the basement(with lights that subtly change colour from red to blue as you do) and find yourself in a modern day banquet hall. Giant tanks of monster King Crabs face you as you get out, bathed in soft blue light. As you turn the corner past the bar, you come to a few rows of giant wooden tables, each with beautiful but simple wooden benches and lit candelabras resting on top. Here’s where we get to the next point. Beast is shared seating. If you are two people, you’ll sit next to each other. Four, you’ll make up a little pod but be right next to anyone else sitting down. And then your eating adventure begins. What do you want? Doesn’t matter, there are(almost) no choices here. Surprise number three comes at the fact that there are no carbs at Beast. No bread, no chips, no potatoes, nothing. All meat and veggies, and although I love a good carb, all delicious. Your meal is set out before you. The night begins with a taster of pickled onions and artichoke and an amazing giant wedge of Parmesan cheese that you break up with a knife and eat with homemade Balsamic vinaigrette. I ate a ton of it, knowing full well what was to come, and we even ordered more of the onions later in the evening. I’m still craving them now, they were that good. Second course, the meat. Your meat comes cooked whatever way you’d like, but they recommence medium rare. It’s 8oz, pre cut into slivers, and without a doubt some of the best steak I’ve ever had in London. The steak comes with two salads: a greens with dressing and a tomatoes in balsamic. The tomatoes were the only thing I didn’t enjoy throughout the evening. Too tart for my tastes. But the steak came with a white truffle sauce that was light and perfect for the meat. About 15 minutes after your steak comes, your King Crab comes down. This is a monster bit of crustacean, already cut and cracked(although they give you the utensils to get in there more if you want all the meat). Served with a tray of different veggies(candied beats, buttery greens and more artichokes), the grab meat is thick and tender and came with two sauces: a sweet chilli one and a lemon and butter one. Both different, both amazing. The sauces at this place may even be the standout winner. Finally, when all that is cleared away, dessert. Here you have your first real option: lemon meringues(which was almost more of a lemon mousse) — sweet but tart and a fantastic pallet cleanser for the evening. Or the deconstructed cheesecake, which came as the sweet filling with crumbles on top and blueberries, strawberries and raspberries on the side. Each bite, sweet heaven that’s good. At £75 a person, this is not a cheap meal, but my god is it something to talk about. The whole evening is an experience. Ask any of the staff about anything in the room, and they’ll be able to tell you. What are those giant jugs behind the bar? The house spirits, kept there instead of bottles. Are all the candles wax or LED? Both, real wax on top, LED in the middle. What’s that giant wheel in the kitchen? It raises or lowers the grill to cook the steak at the perfect temperature. They didn’t bat an eye, we wondered, they answered. Also, as we walked out of the elevator earlier, one of the staff actually had a giant kind crab out at the request of another patron and was showing it off. We even got the chance to hold it. If you’ve ever had the desire to hold a crab bigger than your face(and then eat it,) Beast is the spot for you. Somehow, Beast both nails fine dining and casual relaxed eating at the same time. I’ve never had a meal like it, and I’m still feeling full and happy this morning.