The Guinea Grill

We came here after a dreadful night we had in Jewel and after they had managed to really mess up our booking
What can i say about the place. Everything is amazing. Great stuff really helpful and willing to answer all your question. Food wise … a meat lovers temple. All the meat are local and grass fed which makes them really flavorful. But again if you not a meat lover you can try tone of their award winning English pies believe me when i tell you that they really worth the try.
Another thing that is really worth is their wine list. I was surprised on how informed the list was with wines primarily form France but with a general selection that cover most of the world. Some of their labels are really rare and they for sure worth the price.
All in all we had a marvelous night and they did manage to save the night and get us back in good spirits.
Definetely is worht the try if you really wanna have a taste of godd english meat and quality wine

I have eaten here in the past when visiting London. Always great and tonight no exception. Started with the salad and oysters. My wife and I each had the small filet mignon with tomato sides. Finished with ice cream and sorbets. Very good wine by glass selections and martini. Lots of fun and professional, welcoming staff. Great steaks.

Outstanding restaurant and pub. It’s a restaurant deep in the back and a pub in the front.
Space is a bit tight, therefore reservations are recommended if your party will be more than two.
Service was prompt, courteous, and helpful.
Your choice of wonderful beef cuts cooked perfectly and paired with great wines and other drinks and cocktails.
Great food and great setting for a dinner with friends and colleagues.

Really good steak at better prices than most of the upscale steakhouses in London. Place also has a lot of charm since it’s been around for so long, my grandmother recommended the restaurant to me — she first ate there around 1960! Dining room is small and intimate which I also liked. Great service as well.

I really hope my concierge got a huge payoff from these guys, because I am certain he has never eaten there… had he, he wouldn’t recommend this place to anyone and neither will I. I am not a typical London tourist, I lived there for a while and have been there many times and eaten in many great places. Do not go to Guinea unless you want bad service, bad steak, Waitrose-​bought Yorkshire pudding. If you must eat on this exact street, just go to Pizza Express for ¹⁄₅ of the price.

Ate dinner here last night with two guests, had not been for a year or so.
Front is a pub, which is quite pleasant, we had a pint of Bombardier to start, beer choice is somewhat limited as it is a tied house.
We were taken to our table in the back, and sat into a comfy corner. We all ordered steaks, RC had a fillet, CB had a Sirloin on the bone, which looked lovely. I had the rib eye on the bone which was a lovely piece of meat, full of flavour and a bone to gnaw on. I requested my steak rare and rare was how it came.
We shared some sides of creamed spinach, fried onions, green salad and some chips. All were excellent.
We drank a decent St Emillion which was improved by decanting. Staff were very helpful, and friendly.
Rounded the night off with a bottle of port, which may not have been the brighest choice.

20%
About average steak and poor service
***
Came here for lunch Dec ’13 with a small group.
This might be the first time I’ve tried a British steakhouse, so Im unfamiliar if this establishment represents the norm. Nonetheless, I can say with certainty that it’s not a place that I can recommend. While the food isn’t terrible, I think the combination of that and the offensively poor service brought the service to a much warranted one star rating. It was one of the worst restaurants I’ve visited in the past few years.
I’ll break my review down to what I thought of the food, and then elaborate on value, service and ambiance. There were some positives, but not quite enough to give it any more credit than being an uncomfortable experience.
The sirloin on the bone, or NY strip I tried here was about average. If I had to rate Guinea Grill on food alone, I would have considered closer to a 2 star rating. The steak doesn’t come with condiments
Sirloin on the bone 16oz/​448g £33.50 (Dish Rating 40%). Note that I recall the steak may have been listed as ‘Yorkshire Beef’, and dry aged for at least 25 days.
PIC of steak;
I had requested the steak be prepared rare. Long story short, it appeared that the kitchen was only able to cook the steak either medium or blue rare. I eventually settled on blue rare. More on that with the service part of my review.
Having the steak prepared ‘blue rare’, the texture worked well, but the flavor of the steak was lacking. The texture worked in that the meat was very tender. It looked like ahi tuna and more or less had the tenderness of it, perhaps testament to the quality of beef used and the lack of connective tissue inside. It was a joy to chew through. This was the best part of the steak.
The flavor of the steak had some merits. It was seared well despite being cooked so little. There was a nice amount of char, and it translated to adding a nice bit of bitterness in flavor that was delicious. I found the seasoning of the steak to be a tad more on the aggressive side. The saltiness wasn’t overpowering, but I found it to be the most prominent flavor of the steak, instead of any beef flavors.
The main issue of this steak was that the meat didn’t offer much flavor, which I find defeats the purpose of having the dish to begin with. Perhaps the issue came with cooking the beef ‘blue rare’, I can’t say since it was either that or medium. There were no sour notes, nutty notes common with dry aged cuts, or any metallic notes from the blood. The beef was more or less all texture, and no flavor.
Value of the food seems reasonable. I don’t understand the norm of what steakhouses charge in London, but it goes without saying that the cost of living and prices are much higher than what I’m used to in Los Angeles and Manhattan. Roughly 33 pounds might equal somewhere around US$ 60. The average American steakhouse might charge around $ 50 – 60 for a 16oz dry aged NY Strip. Its not a steal, but I’m not complaining.
Service is terrible. All of the staff were inattentive and took forever to get anything done. The staff had to be waived down for everything. It was a chore to order, ask for the bill, ask for drinks, etc. It was uncomfortable. The worst part of service involved one of the servers or managers who was argumentative with how a steak ought to be prepared. I’ve visited a good amount of steakhouses, but never encountered a situation like this.
The first time my steak arrived, it came out what I considered to be medium, with the center barely pink and slightly brownish. It was unacceptably over cooked. One of the servers or the manager was argumentative and stubborn with it being being rare. He stressed that having the steak any more rare would be it being ‘blue’ or blue rare. I requested that he make another steak closer to rare nonetheless. For reference, blue rare is a step undercooked than rare.
When the second steak arrived, it did come out a blue rare with the meat being close to raw in the center. Visually, it’s akin to seared ahi tuna. I guess the restaurant does not understand there is a middle ground. Without wanting to argue further and making my dining companions feel any more uncomfortable, I settled with the ‘blue rare’ preparation.
Ambiance is very nice. The atmosphere of the restaurant resembles a smaller house. Its cozy and comfortable. The acoustics were mild. The décor was old fashioned and traditional, yet charming. I found it to be the most enjoyable part of the dining experience.
The Guinea Grill isn’t a steakhouse I can recommend.

18^th century pub restaurant. Two doors to enter, one leads to the bar with bankers spilling out to the street. One opened rather charmingly by a friendly doorman who checks your reservation and ushers into the rather cramped traditional room. Before this you walk passed the grill where you are shown the meat choices. Not for the faint hearted, there are few small cuts.
Indeed, the room that you are ushered into is brimming over with testosterone. There was just one woman in there the rest were braying bankers bragging and emailing at the same time. Though this is not the fault of the restaurant it creates a rather stressful space.
Steaks are cooked very well and the Angus beef is good. No sides are provided which is annoying so you have to construct your own meal adding tomato, mushroom, beans, chips etc. I had an excellent baked potato served US style with sour cream which was excellent and actually the best thing I ate. Other dish I tried was the steak and kidney pie which had a good suet crust but a disappointingly dry filling, very little kidney and and addition of mushrooms which seemed to be trying to make up for the lack of kidney.
Its worth going just the once to experience the place. Sides are large so you can split one between a party of four.
Staff are mixed. All competent though. Sommelier is wonderful. Knowledgeable and approachable. He chased us down the road as we forgot to give him our email address for a supplier of an excellent Lebanese wine we tried. On a previous visit we admired his corkscrew so he gave us one in a presentation box!

Visiting London for a week and our hotel recommended this place.
Had great hopes when we entered the restaurant and were greeted and seated – super nice reception. The food fell way short for us.
Here’s what we ordered:
RIB-​EYE STEAK: One of the worst steaks I’ve had. It was falling apart with weird texture. I ate a few bites and left it.
POTATO GNOCCHI: My daughter didn’t like it at all. I tasted it and felt like it wasn’t well made.
STEAK PIE: My wife’s order. She didn’t care for it. Based on her first experience with meat pies in London, she said she would never order another pie again.
The one shining moment in the night, and it was a bright one… was the Sticky Toffee Pudding dessert. I LOVED it. It was everything I wanted out of a dessert.
Another shining moment was the one I mentioned earlier – the reception staff. The Bangladeshi waiter was OK, but slightly timid.
This definitely is a **not come again** restaurant.

This is a delightful little pub, situated in the back streets of New Bond street (i.e. the rich area of London). The pub proclaims to serve the best pie in the UK, I opted for the steak instead (always a safe bet and I am trying to watch the calories). The food itself was perfectly pleasurable. I did find the service a little intense. At one point the waiter grabbed the water bottle from my companion’s hand to pour him a drink and another almost slapped his face with the ferocity of her service. However, they were very attentive. I think this place is much better for a business meeting than a social event. It’s a little bit yah for me but great food nonetheless.

Very good steaks (ribeye). Out-​of-​this-​world meat pies (Steak & Kidney).

I think this restaurant is divine. The staff are warm, welcoming, skilled and have a fun sense of humour. They really know their stuff. The food was utterly to die for. The restaurant is relatively pricey but the exquisite food and service justifies the cost. I had a delicious starter of grilled prawns followed by one of the best steaks I’ve ever had. Vegetables were succulent and delicious and even the french fries were perfect. You will really feel taken care of here.

Went here for lunch on Friday. We both had steak (rib on the bone), cooked as the chef recommends (which appeared to be medium rare) with two fried eggs on top and a selection of vegetables. It was a truly excellent steak, just the right texture and loads of flavour. They make a big deal of the fact the the steak and kidney pie is award winning but when the steak is this good by itself you don’t need the kidney or the pie. Good selection of ales as well.

From an American point of view, it was so-​so. I admit, I dug the atmosphere and tight seating. It was a pleasant change from the US mega-​restaurants. The doorman was also a nice touch, and he helped by running down the block to flag a cab when we were done.
Our waiter was Indian. Why mention that? He seemed uncomfortable with the language and the style of service they perform, which includes loading your plate at the table. He was, however pleasant, but not as attentive as I would like. My water glass was filled when we sat down… then never again.
My steak was burned. I almost didn’t complain, but for the price I had to. The manager (?) had perfect timing to ask how my food was just as I had my wife try the burned part, just to make sure it wasn’t me. They recooked it perfectly, but my wife was done by the time it arrived. In addition, hers had a burned section as well. We let it pass.
Horseradish mashed potatoes were good, but spinach was middling at best.
The sticky toffee pudding with clotted cream was delicious, and a new thing for me. I definitely recommend it.
This wasn’t what we expected. A US gastropub has to show innovation and ingenuity with fresh, local foods. The Guinea Grill is NOT that! It is old, conservative, and definitely a steakhouse. This doesn’t make it bad, just not a gastropub.

This place does not look like much from the outside, just your usual English Pub, which I love by the way. But try the restaurant attached and you will have one of your best meals that you can find in London.
Came here on the end of a long European trip and the boss said find a good steak place to eat nearby our Marriott Hotel Marble Arch. Our concierge suggested this place and he was right on the money.
Met at the door by the doorman who checked our coats and scarfs.
Excellent menu and wine list. Sommelier was a kick with a great personality, ask him where he is from and he will give you a few hints until you guess correctly.
I started with the Scottish Salmon, amazing! Went on the the Fillet with Au Poive sauce, also amazing! Had a cheese plate for desert, great selection of local English Cheeses, once again amazing!
Had a pint or two, or three, before we left, tipped the Sommelier well as he suggested a great wine, and made our way back to our hotel before our early morning flight home to the US.
Fantastic last night in London!

The restaurant boasts about having the best steak/​kidney pie in Londn — and in fairness so far they are right on the money!
Staff here is excellent — esp the old doorman with the uniform at the front!
£15 for a steak pie which doesn’t include the sides. Honestly though, unless you are a huge heffer you probably don’t need to order more than pie and a share of fries with a friend.
I barely managed to eat half of my pie, and we didn’t even order starters! However, they do give you some fresh baked bread from a tray to curb the hunger until your food is ready. Pie usually takes about 25 min to prepare…
Anyways, will come back soon but i cant seem to eat pie more than 1x a month.

The Guinea is a classic. Not sure about the Grill bit (although it has a great reputation) but the pub is a classic, honest Young’s boozer. Plenty of well-​kept beer, and friendly service.
Its off-​the-​beaten-​track location means that it is not too over-​run with tourists, pikeys and out-​of-​towners.
Not worth travelling for, but a quality boozer if you’re in the area.

I was invited to this pub with a bunch of my British counterparts as a precursor to our mega, multiple course business dinner. It’s a nice little pub in an alley with the standard beverages and fare. We enjoyed our pints in the alley as it was a lovely early evening in May. Just be careful– if you drink in the alley, watch out for the local drivers as they seem to speed up when they see a pedestrian with a beer in their hand.
One other thing, the inside pub is your typical set up, but at a certain hour they start the dinner service in the back room. If you enter the pub through the wrong door during meal service looking for a pint, they will send you back out to the alley to the other door that services the bar area. They seemed to have put up a wall to block me from entering the bar so I had to exit and reenter. Odd shit!

A pleasant and sometimes overcrowded pub /​restaurant based in a quiet backstreet just off of Berkley square. Old fashioned and largely used by the pin striped businessmen that work in the area this is a pub with a restaurant in the back of the pub. An odd sort of a place with an equally odd bar manager, they serve a sausage in a crusty French stick — very basic and not that great and yet if you go to the restaurant is it all rather spiffing don’t you know. Not upmarket in anyway but offering traditional British food with no fuss or frills. One of the better pubs in the area and it prides itself and has many awards for the pies it does (again very traditional steak and kidney etc).
I always come away with a strange feeling and it isn’t fantastic but there is nothing particularly wrong with it. I guess I would use it for work or if in the area but not in my leisure time.

Tucked away in a side street in Mayfair, behind Stella McCartney’s shop on Bruton Street, is the renowned Young’s Guinea pub. It’s a bit of a Mayfair favourite with local office workers and the occasional American visitor drinking and dining. It’s had its fair share of well know actors and even Prince Charles has poured a pint of bitter. See the toilets for autographs (I’ve not been to the ladies but I’m assuming they’re in there too).
It’s not the cheapest place to drink in town so if you’re on a budget it’s not the best (about £4.00 for a pint). A round will cost you dearly.
What you really have to come here for is the food. It is definitely above average and better than any pub food in the area. The Guinea steak and kidney pie has won awards, and deservedly so. The meat is first class and the herb crust is to die for.
The restaurant in the back is the place to go for fantastic char-​grilled steaks and classic mixed grills. Not the best place to be if you are vegetarian, although there are choices.