St. John Bread & Wine

A friend recently told me that St. John Bread & Wine did the best bacon sandwich he had ever had. Now that I have tried it, I can confirm he is correct. It’s also probably the most expensive bacon sandwich I’ve ever had at £6.90, but it’s worth every penny. The bread is a soft sourdough, the bacon is thick and plentiful, and it’s topped with home made tomato ketchup.
I haven’t been back here at lunch or dinner time, but if it’s anything like the St John near Islington, it would definitely score 5 stars.

Old school country style British food with duck, quail, lamb, pork and sweetbreads on the menu.
Some dishes, notably the quail, were really good, others (ox heart) interesting, others, like the rabbit, a bit bland.
A good selection of wines, even though only French ones.
Nice, helpful waiter, warm ambiance and hands down the best Madeleines I’ve ever had.

This review is solely based off breakfast and service. We visited as part of a walking tour and had the bacon breakfast sandwich. It was amazing. The bacon was crisp and thick, the bread was dense, chewy and perfectly salted and the house made ketchup made it even better. We also had an apricot filled donut which was really great too. We liked the outside and texture of the donut but we were surprised that the inside filling wasn’t really a jam at all — it was more like a thick compote, large bits of fruit. It is a great bakery for what we had but the service was a little slow and inattentive. Coffee was great.

Excellent, excellent food. Came here with my friend for our lunch date. The menu is spectacular! So many options, we had trouble just sticking to 4 dishes and not ordering everything. The portions are perfect size so if you can try a lot of options without filling up quickly. They are also perfect for sharing!
I wish I had taken a picture of our menu as the menu changes daily and will even differ between lunch and supper. We tried the quail with delicious apple chutney, some asparagus and a salad, a bowl of lentils with leeks I believe and sour cream. To top it all off our dessert was fresh baked madeleines and some ginger ice cream. I absolutely loved the whole meal but dessert was definitely my favourite!
It took us about 4 hours to eat and talk and they paid no mind. I’m not a fan of places that rush you to eat and get out, I prefer to relax and enjoy my meal which St. John Bread and Wine definitely does. The staff were especially courteous and welcoming. They provide great recommendations if you can’t decide what to get; our waitress drew our attention to the specials of the day including the ginger ice cream and I’m so grateful she did! Wonderful atmosphere, delicious food, lovely staff. Definitely not a cheap lunch but extremely worth it!

One of the pioneers of «Nose to Tail» dining, St. John Bread & Wine celebrates all things naturally edible.
The menu is exciting and ever-​changing. And, if it can be foraged, found, or caught, you will see it pop on St. John’s menu with style.
This restaurant has other iterations of itself scattered throughout London and all are set-​up in a casual, laid-​back fashion.
Great for both lunch and dinner, it will impress even the snobbiest of your food-​worshippers friends!

Fabulous and curious in equal measures. I had a squirrel a pheasants egg and shared a pie. What a dining experience. Oh and the bread is incredible!

I had dinner at St. John Bread & Wine in Spitalfields and it was very lovely. The restaurant has a very classy and elegant feel. The service was a little bit slow but polite and nice non the less — nothing to rave about, but good. I don’t eat meat at the moment so I ordered the Mackerel. The fish is served whole so the dish looks pretty impressive and the skin of the fish was perfectly seasoned. The dish comes with some nice red cabbage and horseradish. If you would rather go full on carnivore then you might be interested in their Whole Suckling Pig that feeds 14 – 16 guests. For this delicacy you would need to give them one week’s notice and the piggy will set you back £360. Sounds pretty primal, delicious and fun to be honest ;) For pudding I had pear on top of a brioche (I think it was) and ice cream — a perfect dessert actually. I also enjoyed my white wine very much. Their wine selection is quite impressive. So all and all I had a nice experience and will most likely go again.

I love starting my mornings at St. John Bread & Wine when traveling to London. Why? The place is so quiet and relaxed with a friendly staff — always. I love the simple, beautiful décor and the unique history of the building.
Okay, so the food… It is so good. The bacon sandwich is heavenly. And really cheap too. The bacon’s taste is grilled, meaty and perfect in every single way. Their homemade ketchup is a lovely side too.
Finally I find the coffee great too. Simple prepared but in the best way. No fancy cappuccinos, but a strong cup of coffee with a side of warm milk. That’s how it should be.

I had been dying to go here after the couple that started this business produced some recipes for Bön Appetit (many of which I’ve made around holidays).
The restaurant itself is incredibly simple. Wooden tables, wooden chairs, simple glasses and dishware. The food speaks for itself.
I started with salted mackerel with potatoes, crème fraishe and watercress. It was like jumping into the ocean while wrapped up in a giant cozy blanket all at once. My husband ordered the mussels which were equally as delicious. For our main course, I ordered the duck leg with bacon and dates. My husband ordered the grouse.
The duck leg was amazing. It fell right off the bone and was complemented by fatty pieces of bacon and the sweetness of the medjool date. I was in duck heaven. My husband (who admittedly wanted to order the duck but didn’t) was not as enamored by the grouse, but only due to the gaminess of the meat.
A definite must go if you’re in London (and if you manage to get there early enough, there was an awesome artisans fair occurring across the street — a nice date and dine experience!)

So disappointing! I really wanted to like this place. But the service was spotty and the food was uninspired and heavy handed.
St. John has an impressive reputation in the US; a lot of restaurants are doing the nose to tail thing now and many more incorporate offal on their menus, thanks to the influence of Fergus Henderson. Obviously I had to come here. It was impossible to find a seat at the Farringdon location, so I came to the Shoreditch location.
I ended up ordering four dishes. Sadly, I was very disappointed! The dishes lacked vibrancy, balance, texture. I hate to say it, but this place almost confirms the stereotype of British food being heavy, simple and unbalanced, and poorly seasoned.
What I ordered:
Smoked cod’s roe on toast — I wanted to like this, but I could not get over the fishiness of the roe. It went beyond being briny to being off-​putting.
Foie gras on toast — probably my favorite dish. The gherkins go really well with this and cut the richness of the foie.
Bone marrow — pretty classic pairing with salt, bread, and parsley. Good.
Crispy pig cheeks with dandelion fronds — dreadfully overdressed. It was positively dripping in a very heavy vinaigrette. Not sure why this is paired with a cut like pork cheek, which is almost all fat.
I want to try the bacon sandwich and will give it a try the next time I’m in London, but I doubt I will be back for the regular menu here.

Across the road from the Spitafield Markets, the former bank building stills maintains its old school institutional charm with high ceilings and white walls which serves as a bakery and restaurant offering breakfast, lunch and dinner.
The Old Spot Bacon sandwich at £6.30 is what dreams are made of — lightly grilled, thick bread made on site, rashers of juicy old spot bacon and a side of tomato relish, it should does hit the spot. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Definitely a must!
Service was attentive and discreet.

Caveat: I’ve only ever had breakfast here. Because it’s the most delicious. And you should come, too! But if you’re looking for dinner recs, well… I WILL ONLY BE RHAPSODIZING ABOUT BACON SANDWICHES IN THIS REVIEW.
So, St. John Bread & Wine does a lot right. The menu changes lots, is time-​straddled based on when regular supplier deliveries come in, and is *perfect* but not *precious* about it.
Breakfast is served 9 — 11. There are four-​ish options. Beautiful white toasty bread with honey. Stewed stone fruit with yogurt. Oatmeal. Prunes. Brioche. Delicious hearty goodness, and all worthy in and of themselves. Except.
EXCEPT.
There’s a bacon sandwich on the menu which basically means you should ignore all of the above and… go for it. The bread is white and milky and ever-​so-​slightly sweet. It’s grilled, so has a slight char to it (this ain’t yo’ Mama’s Wonder bread, though it is *wonder*ful). The bacon is from old spot pigs; brined and hung and cooked perfectly so it’s soft, not crispy (ideal sandwich-​filler). The bread has a coating of REAL BUTTER and the sandwich comes with a house-​made ketchup flavoured with apple which gives it a sweet tang.
Paired with an americano? Looking out at the world as an early September drizzle threatens? PERFECTO.
Service great; totally unobtrusive, but on point.
Unilocal note: on Saturdays they have donuts for sale at the counter. Get them. Especially if it’s a day featuring lemon curd/​custard-​filled ones (sorry, skinny jeans!)

A friend and I headed over here to fill a cream doughnut craving — and ended up with a cheese and bread sampler and about 6 donuts between the two of us.
The cheese board had bleu, brie, Lancashire, and one other squidgy one (to use slang I’ve picked up recently) — and came with an interesting cheddar-​based sesame cracker and two slices of crusty raisin bread.
We also had doughnuts filled with what I think was a toffee or butterscotch flavored cream.
It was all well-​priced and very delicious! All in all, mission accomplished.

Beautiful breakfasts and always something interesting on the lunch menu. Nice atmosphere, not pretentious, just great British food.

Mmm. we do have some issues with the food here.
Yes, you will eat some «strange» things. Well, I lived in Asia for a long time, I ate spiders, grasshoppers, boar’s ears, dog testicles, therefore a pig head or a pigeon are not that strange for me, I cooked both of them in my house.
I went on a monday night. Went with a friend, the Maître de salle asked for a reservation and then allowed us to sit down: well, in the end no tables were reserved (nobody with a reservation came while we were seated), so why asking to us for it?! You fussy picky man!
Let’s start with the food: first of all, the foie gras IS NOT foie gras! come on, dear friends, are you crazy?! If I’m asking for foie gras, I DO want to have it, and that’s not what I received on the plate. What I received was Pâté of foie gras mixed with cream, not that bad, but it’s not what I asked, especially for that price! The dishes alone deserve a 0/​5, completely wrong.
Lang onglet. not that bad, I had better lambs but still, everything was fine… The ox tongue: it’s dry! But that’s not a problem of cooking, or a simple error: the dish as it’s been thought is completely wrong, if you want to give me a grilled ox tongue it’s better for you to give me something to cope with the obvious dryness you will create on the dish! are you crazy?! I mean, did you ever attended a cooking class or what?!
The duck leg is probably the best thing caming out from the kitchen to our tables tonight: beautifully cooked, not particularly creative (but nobody was asking for something special), just an awesome piece of meat!
Speaking about the wine: first of all, in a place with «wine» in the sign, I don’t expect to see just french wines: it’s not a matter of nationalism, but come on, why do you need 5 Côtes du Rhôné but 0 italian or spanish wines?! We paid 28 £ for a bordeaux 2008 which was probably worth less than 13 £, something you can get from an off-​licence store at 2am without any issue,
The service is probably the worst one I ever experienced since I am in London. Our waiter was just rude, unpolite and stupid, it mae everything we were asking like it was a permission he granted us, that’s not what I want in such a club!
In conclusion… stay away from here! with all the restaurants in shoreditch, it’s just too easy to find a better place!

What a pleasant night we had at St Johns last night! I’d heard good things from my wife about it being a real foodie destination and upon arrival we were greeted by an enthusiastic waitress who had an incredible knowledge of all the dishes on offer!
What St Johns serves is basically gourmet British dishes served in a tapas style where all the dishes are brought out when ready and are perfect for sharing. If the truth be known our table of 6 probably did have eyes bigger than our bellies (which were well stuffed by the end of the night) and we ate a wide variety from sea, farm and ground!
My favourite dishes were probably the crab, the artichokes and lamb! I probably wouldn’t order the snails again as it was a bit of a case of spot the snail amongst all the lettuce. I think my real fave had to be the Rhubarb Eton Mess which was excellent — 3 of our group ordered it and really couldn’t say anything bad about it — yum!
Overall, great food in a very relaxed setting. One for fans of traditional British fodder cooked in an authentic and exciting way!

This review is strictly for the bacon breakfast sandwhich (ummmm bacon).
First of all St John and Bread is a really really casual place almost cafeteria style.
The bacon sandwich is a complicated beast:
The bacon is a special cut of pork brined for hours if not days… reminds me more or very tender and succulent candadian bacon.
The bread is specially made for this sandwhich. Almost french bread like but not the taste more the texture. It is grilled to a slight butter crunch.
Add to this Mr Henderson’s special homemade Ketchup… and you got a very nice breakfast sandwich.
If you happen to be in the East end, shoreditch to be exact… check it out.

Great place with a nice relaxed athmospher. We loved the attentive service, the tasty quail, the duck liver and foie gras bread (the bread!!!) the mussels, and the fish cream and egg (that perfectly soft booked egg).

Quick glance:
+ delicious food
+ unusual ingredients
+ great selection of wine
— pricey
— service felt a bit hit and miss
St John Bread and Wine is a fun place to dine, whether for lunch or dinner, thanks to its daily changing menus using whatever ingredients the chef get their hands on fresh on that day. It shows how versatile the chefs are when it comes to creating delicious meals. There are always one or two ingredients on the menu that I haven’t heard of, and I love learning about new food and ingredients.
The restaurant is great for casual business lunches, catch up with friends over dinner, or a dinner date for two foodie without that pretentious ambiance. It’s a bit on the pricey side but the food is superb, and there is a good selection of wine. Service was a bit hit and miss at times, like forgetting our request for additional bread, or having one of the dishes come well after everything has been eaten (we were sharing 6 dishes tapas-​style amongst four).
Service might have felt lackluster at times, but the staff were courteous enough when we were almost the last to leave the door. And the food and wine really make it a good dining experience overall.

St. John Bread & Wine is a place to go with that special someone in your life. You know who I’m talking about. That person you can sit down with a table at, look in their eyes and then devour Devilled Ox Heart or Pig Head (with Back Fat & Walnuts).
Yes, this is the spot to go for an adventurous eater. Classy, a great atmosphere, pricey, with impeccable service. You’ll most likely need a reservation (or stand around for a while waiting for a table), but my god is it worth it.
I came here for a work meeting and we dove into the menu, which changes all the time. They encourage you to share dishes and try things you’ve never had before, and that’s just what we did. Roast Bone Marrow, king crab, braised rabbit and even a side of pigeon? Yep, why not.
They will also do a full suckling pig for you if you give them enough time, so that’s something to keep in your back pocket.
Each starter dish is about £9 and each main is about £18 so be prepared to shell out some cash. My god is it worth it though, what an eating experience.

Mui…
J’aurai vraiment voulu avoir une bonne experience de cet endroit vu la reput’ et le fait que j’ai attendu un an avant d’y aller!
J’adore le cochon, je pensais me régaler vu que c’est apparemment le palais de la bete (tout y est préparé et servi d’après ce qu’on m’avait dit du concept).
Bön déjà, a savoir, le service est a des horaires précis (on avait faim en mode «brunch» samedi, on a sagement attendu une demi heure le temps que ce soit prêt), 2 plats au choix seulement; nous avons tenté la joue de cochon: tellement gras/​ecoeurant que j’en ai eu mal au ventre toute la journée…
et on sent la graille en partant…

Ich war im November ein Wochenende in London. Wir wollten abends, zu einem angesagten, aber auch sehr britischen Restaurant. Wir sind so auf das St. John in einem Reiseführer gestoßen. Perfekte Wahl!
Wir kamen in das sehr gut besuchte Restaurant und ich fühlte mich sofort wohl. Es war eine warme, lockere Atmosphäre in dem rustikalen, schlichten Stil der Einrichtung.
Wir haben verschiedene Gerichte bestellt um alles probieren zu können und die Portionen waren auch nicht so groß. Eher kleine, köstliche Portionen.
Wir haben Wachtelschenkel, Ochsenleber mit Salat, riesen Krebs und andere Gerichte gegessen, dazu Brot und Wein. Es war zu lecker. Interessante, außergewöhnliche Gerichte. Als Nachtisch haben wir einen Turm aus, geschlagener Sahne, Baiser, Ahornsirup und Früchten gegessen es nannte sich ‘Queen of Puddings’ und war ein Traum! Es war ein Dessert das ich so schnell nicht vergessen werde!
Das St. Johns war ein Volltreffer und es ist ein Muss für ein unvergessliches Wochenende in London.

Fergus Henderson, der große Star, Autodidakt und Erneuerer der Britischen Hochküche, hat nicht nur die stammhauseigene Bäckerei ausgelagert, das St. John Bread & Wine gegenüber dem Spitalfields Market ist sein zweites Restaurant. Die hübschen T-​Shirts mit Schweine-​Illustration, die ich aus dem Internet kenne, gibt es hier nicht, auch signierte Ausgaben der Kochbücher des Meisters, Nose to Tail Eating: A Kind of British Cooking und Beyond Nose To Tail, sind nicht vorrätig. Dafür können französische Weine, hausgemachte Marmeladen, frisches Brot und süße Backwaren erstanden werden. Und wenn wir wollen gibt es auch noch einen Tisch für uns. Heute Abend. Wir wollen. Und wie. Später erfahre ich, dass sich das schon 2003 eröffnete St. John Bread & Wine unter Kulinarikern größter Beliebtheit erfreut, es gleicht dem Stammhaus im Stil, ist weniger formel und nicht schon Wochen im Voraus ausgebucht. Auch die Speisekarten ähneln einander, tragen beide deutlich des Meisters Handschrift, im Mutterhaus St. John Bar & Restaurant Smithfield finden sich lediglich ein paar Hauptgänge mehr auf der Karte. Schnell füllen sich die Holztische im weiß gekachelten und warm beleuchteten Raum, ein gute gelauntes und, wie überall in Londoner Restaurants, überraschend junges Publikum freut sich mit uns auf einen schönen Abend. Die ca. 80 Sitzplätze sind größtenteils doppelt belegt, wir sind erste Runde, 18.30 Uhr dazu der Hinweis, eventuell später an die Bar-​Boards entlang der Wand umziehen zu müssen. Da wir erst vor drei Stunden reserviert haben sind wir sehr einverstanden. Wir entscheiden uns für acht der 16 Vorspeisen. Wo wir schon mal hier sind. Wir wollen alle Teller teilen, kaum eines der Gerichte kostet mehr als 7 Pfund (also knapp 8 Euro), im Schnitt also 4 Euro pro Nase. Unheimlich. Wir starten mit Cauliflower, Leeks & Butter Beans und es ist dies eines der absoluten Höhepunkte des noch jungen Abends: ein Salat von kleinen, rohen (!) und dementsprechend knackigen, aromatisch-​scharfen Blumenkohlröschen, kombiniert mit weichen Riesenbohnen, scharfem Lauch, würzigen NonPareilles Kapern und einer leichten Mayonnaise die die Geschmäcker und Texturen freundlich zusammen führt. Eine großartige Komposition. Nur vermeintlich schlicht. Il faut le faire!, sprach Eckart Witzigmann neulich klug in eine Fernsehkamera: das muss man erstmal machen, da muss man erstmal drauf kommen. Mussels & Laverbread das sind Miesmuscheln aus Colchester in Essex, butterzarte, gelbe Miesmuscheln in einem feinwürzigen Algen (Laverbread)-Sud. Alles ist hier wenig gesalzen und kein Salzkorn zu wenig. Die aussergewöhnliche Zartheit der Muscheln ist mir ein köstliches Rätsel. Mir ist klar, dass man Muscheln zu Gummi kochen kann, ein wenig Hitze brauchen sie aber schon, diese hier wirken wie Niedrigtemperatur gegart und lösen sich im Mund in Wohlgefallen auf. Die herzliche Sommelière hat uns für die ersten Gerichte einen Weißwein aus der Weinkarte empfohlen, die ausschließlich französische Gewächse listet. Wir genießen einen 2008er La Grange Aux Belles Anjou blanc ‘FRAGILE’, von der Loire, funkelnd, mit einem Duft von rohen, geschälten Mandeln, leicht rauchig, mit viel Apfel und Pfirsich. Der passt auch zum Foie Gras & Duck Liver Toast, eine dicke Scheibe hausgebackenes, Bauernbrot mit Knusperkruste, streifig geröstet und warm mit schmelzender Paté von Entenleber und Foie Gras bestrichen, mit Fleur Du Sel bestreut. Reich, warm, cremig, buttrig, gerreicht mit winzigen Cornichons die deutlich saure Akzente setzen. Die Perfektion des Einfachen. Beetroot Tops & Ticklemore, das sind im Buttersud geschmorte, süße Rote Bete Blätter, kontrastiert von hauchdünnen, rohen Gelber Bete-​Scheiben, die mit Essig gesäuert wurden, darüber zwei dünnne Streifen junger Ticklemore-​Käse, ein milder, milchweißer Ziegenkäse. Junge Kellner mit gepflegten Vollbärten und Surfer-​Frisuren servieren in Windeseile das Bestellte, freundlich, charmant, auf Augenhöhe, lässige Jungs! Teller werden nur im Notfall oder auf Anfrage ausgewechselt, geleerte Weinflaschen bleiben erstmal als Erinnerung auf dem Tisch stehen, mich stört das irgendwie heute nicht, es unterstreicht den Abendessen-​Charakter des Essens und passt zur lockeren, lärmigen Atmosphäre. Alle Kellner sind in weiße Kochjacken gehüllt und Anfangs war ich ein bißchen in Sorge, ob der Service das Bestellte in der offenen Küche auch noch selbst zubereiten muss, doch unser Waiter beruhigte uns, die Kochjacken für die Servicemitarbeiter seien eine Idee von Fergus Henderson: it means: its all about the food! Der Rotwein wir entkorkt, ein 2008er Château de Lascaux, J.B. Cavalier, Pic Saint Loup aus dem Languedoc und bis auf Weiteres mein neuer Lieblingsroter: schwarzpfeffrig-​beerig mit Kräuteraromen, saftigen Backpflaumen und Tabac, reich und komplex ohne zu überfordern der Wein duldet, begleitet und bereichert die kommenden Speisen. Unsere Sommelière ist großartig! Ox Heart, Watercress & Pickled Walnut passen beispielsweise sehr gut, dass

Graucho Marx stellte einmal die Frage nach den 3 kürzesten Büchern der Welt. Die Antwort war: 1. Tausend Jahre deutscher Humor, 2. Italienische Heldensagen und 3. Schätze der britischen Küche.
Dass Punkt 1 so nicht mehr stimmt, weiss die Welt seit der Uraufführung von Deutschland — ein Sommermärchen. Dass auch Punkt 3 so nicht mehr richtig ist, wissen noch die wenigsten.
Im St. John gibt es ausschließlich britische Küche. Die Gerichte sind schnörkellos und erscheinen auf der Karte erst einmal völlig unspektakulär. Beim ersten Bissen bewahrheitet sich, dass ein Gericht nie besser als die Qualität seiner Zutaten sein kann. Im St. John wird alles selbst hergestellt: vom Brot bis zum Senf. Alles vom Schwein ist die Spezialität des Hauses, nicht irgendein Schwein, sondern viele unterschiedliche Schweinearten, die so vorzüglich und saftig sind, dass eine Soße nur stören würde. Als Vorspeise empfiehlt sich Seafood. Unbedingt probieren sollte man auch die Käseplatte: verschiedenste Stiltons, Cheddars und weniger bekannte englische Käsesorten aus ganz kleinen Käsereien nehmen es locker (!) mit jeder französischen Käseplatte auf.
Das St. John empfiehlt sich übrigens auch zum Frühstücken. Mein Favorit ist das Bacon Sandwich: bester knuspriger Bacon auf selbstgemachten Ketchup und selbstgebackenen Brot.
Das Publikum im St. John ist wie alles im Londoner Osten jung und hipp. Und nach dem Festschmaus gibt es einige Bars und Clubs nur ein paar Meter weiter, die zu besuchen es sich ebenfalls lohnt.
Btw: Das St. John hat auch ein Kochbuch herausgebracht, welches sicher nicht das kürzeste Buch der Welt ist ;-)