Brawn

Brawn doesn’t disappoint. Quality ingredients and delicious recipes make for a star dinner. The menu changes regularly, though not big everything we have tried has been on point. Food and are are a bit of a French/​Italian mix. Service is prompt and piteous but not over the top. Perfect for a date night or good meal out with friends.

I had a very nice diner at Brawn. First it is located in a quiet neighbourhood and it makes you feel very relaxed (especially after a rushed Eurostar/​Metro/​Walking journey). The place itself is very nice, busy but not crowded. The menu changes every night (with some basics often coming back). We picked 2 different starters to share: something with crab and a classic mozzarella. Both very good! Then, I followed my friend’s advice and ordered the squid with black pudding. Even though I found the combo a bit strange he guaranteed me it would taste great. And it indeed did! He picked the lamb that was very good too. We also had a nice bottle of wine recommended by a friendly staff. I spent a very pleasant night. I found the prices a bit high but
OK I guess for cool place in London.

Great ambiance with lovely understated French décor. We came for dinner and everything was tasty.
Of the starters, the highlight was the crab and celeriac. I often find shelled crab bland but this was flavoursome and lovely paired with the thinly sliced celeriac salad. The other starters were good but less standout-​ish. Duck hearts were perfectly cooked but the polenta was slightly underseasoned. Carne salata was colourful and beautifully presented. Salt cod contrasted nicely with the potatoes.
If the mains, the best was the squid and black pudding. Delicious! I ordered the oxtail which unfortunately was served off the bone. I liked it but didn’t love it.
The house red wine was better than the bottle we ordered so I would definitely recommend just getting that.
Overall, a very good meal at Brawn.

We had excellent, fresh «nose to tail» food, with lambs rain & rabbit, and very good service and décor in Columbia Road.

Still remember very good atmosphere. Friendly staff and delicious food. Would love drop by again if have chance visit the city.

This place came highly recommended, so I can only assume our experience was atypical. Biggest problem was the pretentious waiter. Perhaps the predominantly 20-​something patrons are impressed, but anyone with a shred of culinary knowledge and confidence of their own would be turned off by his attitude. Did he really think becoming argumentative with my dining partner about his wine would win him a bigger tip? Positives: nice minimalist décor and my food was excellent, so I’m giving 4 stars for that.

A recent visit was my first this year and definitely an improvement on the last visit in later last year; wine list remains stunning and food on this visit was great. Between the four of us we had a good range of the available menu and everything was a textbook example of high quality ingredients treated with respect and enough creativity to make them interesting.
If I was being picky then service was a little haphazard, but always done with a friendly attitude and a smile. I’m sure people do travel for this, but to me a great ‘local’ place I know I can rely and will always have a good time.

C’est simple, Brawn coche toutes les cases ! Celle d’un quartier canon, dans l’est plutôt «branché» de Londres. Sur un coin, au milieu d’une rue qui se transforme en marché de fleur, tous les dimanches. Celle d’un cadre extra, sans fioritures, d’un accueil souriant, même quand on est en retard (dans un Londres plutôt du genre pressé), d’une cuisine ouverte, d’une brigade qui né chôme pas pour sortir ce menu unique dominical à 28 Livres. Le chef goûte absolument tout ce qui sort, et n’est pas radin en explications si vous lui posez les bonnes questions.
Véritable highlight de mon brunch, (et de mon weekend en fait): l’agneau cuit à basse T° pendant 8 heures… donc toute la nuit… d’une tendresse… Entrée remarquable, légumes cuisinés, assaisonnement juste et associations étonnantes.
Franchement, né cherchez plus, réservez votre table chez Brawn lors de votre prochain weekend. Parole de Unilocaleur.

Probably more like 4.5 star but that aside. (I’m normally very selective with my 5 stars but can’t really see downgrading given the friendly and helpful service and the warm and unpretentious atmosphere.) My main course was an oxtail pie with glazed carrots on the side. Sort of a cross between English and French-​style pies and the rich flavor demonstrates why all these flavorful but less inherently tender cuts are hot these days. I had the charcuteries sampler and my only complaint (my fault) was that it was really too much food for a single person’s appetizer. The brawn pâté (basically a very rough country pâté) was the standout although the pork rillettes and the salami were excellent as well. It’s a bit off the beaten track in gentrifying Shoreditch but it’s one of the excellent newish restaurants in the area.

Oh my god Brawn was good. I came with colleagues for lunch, and the food was outstanding. We ordered quite a few dishes and shared. I think my highlight was probably the Tuscan style beef, which was effectively a serving of finely chopped raw beef. The scotch egg was also excellent, as were all the other porky dishes we ordered.
The wine was good, and reasonably priced. Service was also excellent. Recommended.

Fantastic food with friendly service.
It was our last night in London, so we splurged. Their sourdough bread is magical: chewy on the inside, crunchy on the outside, with just the right hint of a tang. I hadn’t yet been to a place in England that gave complimentary bread, so I was really excited. The butter that’s served is soft (as it should be!) and it was all I could do to stop myself from completely filling myself up before my actual food came.
Good thing I didn’t– my appetizer, the burrata with roasted broccolini, had a great balance of smooth and smoky. My friend’s appetizer was even better! The clam dish let the clams sing, accenting them with some garlic and scallions (and there was no grit at all!). We ended up ordering another to share, since it was that good.
We also shared the scotch egg, which was surprisingly spicy. I’ve never had one before, so I don’t know if this is how they usually are. It was a tiny quail egg, so not the usual version, but I really liked it. We ordered the charcuterie plate and my friends LOVED the terrine that came with it.
My main dish was hake, mussels and fingerling potatoes in a creamy but light sauce (it had green bits in it but I forgot what they were). The fish was perfectly cooked. We also tried the other fish, the plaice meuniere (served on the bone), which came with mashed potatoes. Pretty good, but not as delicious as my hake. My other friend ordered the soufflé, which came with a side salad, and she really enjoyed it as well.
We had a leisurely two or so hour dinner– the place was virtually empty when we arrived at 7 but very busy when we left after 9. Our waitress and the other staff were very friendly and came over consistently but not annoyingly. Appetizers came out very quickly, as did the complimentary bread (which they refilled); it took a little longer for our entrees, but since we liked the environment, it was nice to just sit and chat.
It’s got kind of a hipster vibe, with wooden tables and candlelight, and it’s in a little bit of a sketchy neighborhood (at least the parts we walked through from the London Overground). But it’s definitely worth checking out!

Brawn was out of the way, in a semi-​dodgy but up and coming section of Shoreditch with some funky shops down the street on Columbia Road. A junky or traveler chick asked me for money near the front door. Not a threatening spot at all.
Across from an ever-​present London neighborhood park, Brawn is an unprepossessing corner restaurant with some outdoor seats for the ever present smokers that litter London pubs and restaurant exteriors. These smokers have excellent taste.
Inside very low key. Almost ikea furniture. I was totally underwhelmed.
Then there is the food. One of the best meals I’ve had in London or anywhere for quite some time.
This is a 4 course menu — apparently there is a 3 course prix fixe set menu that I didnt see. There are ‘Taste Ticklers’ like ‘Scratchings’, which I think are like fried pork rinds, there is ‘Pig’, which is pork pâté and charcuterie, there are Starters and then there are mains. The items apparently change around.
For Taste Tickers I had a shrimp on a stick that was excellent. For Pig, we had Brawn, Rilette and some salami. The Brawn and Rilette are country pates and a mousse respectively. Both excellent and I am sure even better paired with the bread that I don’t eat (no gluten). This came with gherkins.
For starters the Duck Hearts are Out of this world. They were skewered and looked and chewed like miniature steak. Incredible. Get this. Also excellent but not as much, were the escargots.
For Entrees, there is an excellent Onglet. The menu for Entrees looks to change often.
The wine list is extensive and expansive and contains many bio-​dynamic wines. Do not expect a lot of classic clarets. There are some excellent cocktails that appear to be made of vermouth, Amaro, campari etc. I had one, it was great.
Go out of your way and little and head to Brawn. You’ll be glad you stretched a little.

Went to Brawn this weekend with visitors and can’t wait to go back! More on our meal below, but first: I’m friends with lots of vege– and pescatarians, and people who aren’t adventurous eaters and blah blah blah. Somehow, oddly, I’d bring them all to Brawn. We would skip the charcuterie course obviously, but I have no doubt that they would be more than pleased with the MANY non-​daring, non-​pork, non-​meat items on this not-​so-​huge menu. Currently, there are three vegetarian and two pescatarian starters (of seven), as well as two vegetarian entrees and two pescatarian starters (also of seven). So though the place is named Brawn, and the logo is a… strange amalgam of a pig and a bottle of wine, check out their menu online before you go if you are doubting whether they have something for you. Just saying!
ANYWAY: We started with Nduja Scotch eggs, a charcuterie platter with salami, brawn, and what was basically a huge scoop of the pork equivalent of chopped liver – I honestly don’t know what it was called, but it was delicious. Brawn (the dish) itself is not my thing, but my fellow diners loved it.
For starters, we had the Isle of Man Queenies (which melted in my mouth and were generally exquisite), the tomato salad (beautiful toms with great flavor) and the mozzarella salad (good but nothing special was the diner’s report).
Entrees were saffron risotto with seafood (two of us ordered it, couldn’t resist) and Atlantic cod, which we paired all of this with two summery bottles of Lambrusco and were just pleased as punch. Portion sizes were perfect (not precious, not overwhelming) and all of the flavors were spot-​on. My risotto would have been paella if it were less creamy and if the rice had been caramelized on the bottom of the skillet, so calling it a risotto was a smart move. It was delicious.
Desserts were a cherry trifle and a white peach pavlova, both heavenly and delicately flavored (I don’t like cherry desserts, but I liked this one).
Friendly service, lovely atmosphere, great experience.

I loved dinner here.
My plan of attack was to order alot of small dishes in order to taste as much as possible.
It was all delicious and the bread and butter was hard to stop eating.
Wine list was varied and nicely priced.
Make a rez especially at dinner time lest you be turned away.

Fantastic lunch at Brawn! It was a beautiful day and the big windows let all that wonderful sunshine into the dining room. Minimalist yet rustic feel, which is basically my favorite.
Now let’s talk about the food. It was all spot on. We ordered a couple small plates to share and two entrees, plus my friend knew the chef so we had some extra treats thrown our way…
Pork Rillettes — huge portion, very heavy, but heavenly flavor.
Nduja Scoth Eggs — delicious bite-​sized treat.
Chorizo — yum.
Buffalo Mozzarella larder — fresh & light.
Irish Oysters — served with an amazing vinaigrette dressing.
Grilled Duck Hearts — my favorite dish. just absolutely amazing!
Confit Rabbit Leg — falling-​off-​the-​bone good.
Pork Sausage — solid dish.
I think that’s everything! Would love to find myself back here again someday.

This spot is a favorite of the friends with whom I was staying a few weeks ago, and became a favorite of mine. We went in for Sunday lunch and had a splendid meal. The courses were ample, with a delicious first course of whole roasted fishes, charcuterie, a wonderful mozzarella and ratatouille dish, yummy scotch eggs, and some of the finest, heartiest bread I may have ever had. For mains, our table tried all three options, including a delicious fish option, a big, super rich pork belly option, and a cheese soufflé. I was appreciative of the way the staff found connections between the entrees (gigante beans, a savory tomato sauce) so that sampling was a fluid and enjoyable process, even if their intention was largely for cost and efficiency reasons. And for dessert, we were all given enormous squares of tiramisu, to which I fear none of us did complete justice, though it was some of the best, light and properly airy tiramisu I have had lately. We were simply too stuffed from the prior two courses, and since we’re a crowd who loves a meal, that was pretty impressive: a true statement of just how good those first two courses were. We also (as you do) had lovely carafes of wine and a great many coffees, and were entirely pleased with our selection. Best of all, the pricing wasn’t at all as expected. For the meal, it was entirely reasonable, and for the hip atmosphere, it was more than affordable.
As for the atmosphere, it’s charming, open, and thus quite loud in the front, and I prefer the front room to the more shut-​in rear portion of the restaurant. On Sundays, there seem to be a great many flowers and plants making their way into the place due to the market, which gave it a slightly helter-​skelter atmosphere that was actually really lovely. Our server, though new, was very attentive and made sure we were kept sated. All in all, it was one of our favorite meals and experiences of our trip, and if we lived in the area, I imagine we would become regulars, just as our friends have done.

Una nueva interpretación de la cocina inglesa tradicional con una excelente materia prima local. Agradable restaurante en uno de mis barrios preferidos de Londres en la deliciosa Columbia Rd. Luminoso y acogedor. Una buena selección de vinos entre ellos algún español. Amplia carta con carnes y pescados como protagonistas acompañados de verduras.

You know how it’s really cringey when you watch the Family Stone and the guy that was dating SJP ends up with Clare Danes? Why is it that if you like one person and they have a sibling, your sexual attraction seems to carry over?
Well, despite my best efforts to never have this happen to me in real life, Brawn, I’ve also been in love with your sister, though I’ll let you decide who is the SJP of this situation (I’ve always been more of a Clare Danes fan, but really just from MSCL but she’s also the reason it only lasted one season so I kind of blame her for that as well… … … I’m getting off track).
Since this is my neighborhood branch of this lovely little arrangement, I finally made a stop in with some friends for dinner. It was a bit slow at first and I thought maybe my making a reservation was over-​ambitious but within the hour, the entire place filled up! We went with some onglet steaks and cheese soufflé, delightful. A wine reccomendation from the server, delightful… and you know how I feel about places with sparkling water on tap.
DELIGHTFUL.
these are the things that make you excited in your 30s.
Great cosy place for dinner, could easily be a bit on the romantic side or a table of 4 catching up over a bottle of wine… just watch out for the one friend that brings the conversation back to her man troubles, she’ll be the SJP of your life.

The only thing I don’t like about Brawn is not always being able to get a table… but even that is ok, since it has allowed me to dine at the bar many times. And here you get to really experience how attentive, knowledgeable, and friendly the staff is.
I just love this place, and if I lived in the neighborhood, I’d be there many nights a week for a glass or two of wine.
The food: as many have mentioned, they tend to include a lot of the less glamorous parts of the beast… but hey, it’s named «brawn,» so no surprises there. There are plenty of things for the less adventurous though, and, more importantly, they do a great job with fresh, seasonal ingredients put together in flavorful ways. I still dream of a roasted Jerusalem artichoke dish they had, not to mention the different variations of scallops and mussels I’ve had. But I really do love the meat, from nose to tail: brawn and rillettes, always great as starters. The blood sausage over frisee had the right amount of acid to cut through the richness of the sausage.
And because I trust them so much on the food, when I saw a calves brain starter I thought: well, if I’m ever gonna try this, and if there’s a chance of me ever liking this, then it’s here. And it was, in fact, delicious (definitely too rich as a small dish for 1… perfect to be split). So that’s my new rule there: try anything and everything, they won’t let you down.
The wine: these are serious wine people. I’m only a lazy and vaguely aspiring serious wine person, and not really. And this is the perfect place for me because they are so enthusiastic, knowledgeable and opinionated about the wine and food, they’re willing to push you in surprising directions. Again, I’ve never been let down, and I’ve almost always been utterly delighted.
The space: as mentioned, it’s not always easy to get a table. But I really like sitting at the bar and would recommend it to anyone solo or even a pair. Getting a table is nice though: they’re well-​spaced, so you don’t feel like you’re a part of your neighbor’s private conversation (and visa versa). They have a larger back room, both sides are nice. It’s not flashy, it doesn’t solicit a self-​anointed beautiful crowd to loiter in the bar area — if that’s your seen, there are better places to be seen.
One of my very favorite restaurants, in any city.

Got here on a beautiful sunday for lunch with a friend and I wasn’t disappointed. Looked up a nice place near Schoreditch on Thrillist and I liked immediately the atmosphere from the pictures. Needless to say that when inside it was much better, very warm and welcoming.
They give us a table for 2 even though we didn’t book, but I have to say the place was not full.
The starters were some salami and scotch eggs (delicious!!) and pumpkin. we had a lovely cod fillet with potatoes for mail and probably the best pannacotta I’ve ever had for dessert. And I’m Italian.
The menu with starter, main course and dessert comes for £28 with drinks on top.
Not the cheapest, but the place look cozy and the food is amazing.
Will go back soon.

Dinner at Brawn + post-​dinner wine at Sagers & Wild = perfect date. There you have it – in case you don’t read any further, I’ve progressed your romantic life just a bit.
Brawn has quickly perched itself atop my «low key, but excellent dining spots in London» list. Based on two visits, I must finally divulge my thoughts on this Columbia Road pearl.
First, make a reservation or take your chances. It was comfortably full on a Saturday evening, and our group of 4 could only secure a 6pm dinner slot. It’s very easy via TopTable, so do yourself a favor and skip the stress, just make one.
It’s a difficult balance to strike: excellent, thoughtful, locally-​sourced food in an unpretentious atmosphere with genuine service. In fact, it’s scarce. Brawn pulls it off beautifully.
On my most recent visit — I enjoyed a glass of prosecco, the prosciutto (a must off the piggy portion of the menu), Icelandic cod, rabbit ravioli, a delicious onglet, the cheese soufflé (a mainstay on the menu it seems, don’t miss it!) and a fresh green salad. Not a miss in the bunch. Plates are meant for sharing and come out as soon as they are ready… and on this particular night, they were flying out of the kitchen, much to our delight.
Oh, and the dessert. A tangy, light cheesecake with passionfruit, sea salt chocolate mousse and a berry crumble. Our table was delighted. The desserts aren’t fancy, but they pack a serious sweet punch.
*upon request they refilled our sourdough breadbasket and butter gleefully. It’s almost like when attending a party and the servers keep filling your wine glass without you noticing, and then — you realize you unintentionally drank too much. The sourdough bread (made right in Hackney) is so delicious, I suggest you get «bread drunk» as I did.
Beers on offer of interest: Kernel. My husband loves this, so perhaps worth noting. I stick the chalkboard wine list… rotating often. They are known to have an excellent selection of beer and wine to accompany the food.
One of my favorites.
Pro-​date-​tip: Follow it up with a visit to Sagers & Wild (just down the way on Ravenscroft Street). Review to follow, of course…

I wish this restaurant was a neighborhood stop for us. Instead we made a destination dinner one saturday night based on the Unilocal reviews and our day date in Shoreditch. We meandered over to Brawn and Unilocal didn’t fail us. It was exactly what we expected which was excellent food in a charming, hipster minimalist atmosphere. Beware – the food is rich. We had the crab, risotto and snails on toast with bacon and garlic butter. All incredibly delicious but very filling and rich.
There is a nice wine list and the servers are all nicer than the next.

Another great place to eat in east London, will be one of my regular restaurants for the future.
The food was great, and although French it definately felt like it had some Spanish influences. The Parma ham was delicious, pork crackling as a starter sublime and the onglet with salad reined supreme (although slightly tough) — I wouldn’t mark it down on this though, as a whole Brawn delivered for a romantic night with the girlfriend!

We came here for lunch on a rainy February day. The restaurant looks slightly non-​descript from the street and inside the minimalist theme continues with clean white walls and compact tables. However with some good tunes playing in the background, buzzy atmosphere and friendly staff, Brawn is immediately relaxing.
The menu is presented tapas style with our waitress recommending 2 – 3 per person. This allowed us a fair chance to explore the menu, ordering the charcuterie plate, chard/​anchovies, tapenade, salt beef hash and duck egg and a crab raviolo. All were excellent with the terrine on the charcuterie plate really standing out with pronounced piggy flavours and a good dense texture although everything was very good. We finished with the salted caramel crepes which were absolutely delicious.
A further reason to visit it the wine list which is both good value and interesting with a biodynamic/​organic focus. We only ordered from the ‘by the glass’ part of the list but found plenty to enjoy. The remainder of the list provides a good reason to return!

J’étais vraiment excitée de tester cette adresse de mon quartier après avoir lu une super review dans TimeOut et sur Unilocal mais franchement j’ai été bien decue.
Alors oui l’endroit est super agréable, en mode rustique, lumineux près du Colombia Rd market, mais niveau assiette, c’ést beaucoup moins excitant…
En apéritif, de la saucisse sèche, produit simple et bon de terroir (autour de £3 d’apres mes souvenirs), pour le reste, pas grand chose a signaler:
en mains, j’ai commandé un plat de clams dont la description de la sauce me faisait saliver, au final j’ai eu des petites palourdes avec une sauce transparente qui n’avait pas les parfums escomptés et sans garniture. J’aurai bien voulu un chouia plus pour £8… Mon copain a aussi mangé une tartine oeuf de caille, chanterelles, sans saveur particuliere (just un truc salé dans la bouche); encore une fois, une petite tartine qui fait maigre pour £8.
Et puis le service a été maladroit:
le plat de mon copain est arrivé 10 min apres que j’ai FINI le mien, car apparemment la machine à couper les chanterelles était cassée (WTF?). C’est une chose qu’il y ait des problèmes de cuisine, mais ce serait chouette de tenir au courant les clients dans ce cas là. On nous a tenu au courant seulement quand on leur a demandé ce qu’il se passait, donc 10 min apres avoir fini mon plat…
Experience brunch pas top. On avait encore faim mais on a fini le dessert ailleurs!

This is a new fave in London. Like its sister restaurant Terroirs, this place knows how to deliver simple and delicious food and an unassuming atmosphere.
First of all, it lights up Colombia Road and its big windows just scream warth and conviviality.
We had a very generous waitress who spent lots of time walking us through the menu which was quite long and filled with small dishes and larger dishes.
My favorites were the wild mushrooms, the leek gratin, the to-​die-​for Dorset clams, and the sauerkraut, sausage and horseradish dish.
We ate so much, drank, desserted and coffeed and the bill came to 35 a piece. Not bad!
The wooden tables gave it a relaxed feel and we just enjoyed the experience. Feels like the best of local eating…