The Lady Ottoline

Maybe they were having a bad night… But our food came very late (lovely service though). I had venison which was expensive and SO bland. Served with horrible undercooked celeriac and some other tasteless things. Expensive and disappointing.

Great sunday roast. Lovely staff.. .. ..

Oh, oh oh… Ottoline! (I feel as though this should be a Van Morrison song. Y’all with me?)
So, this place is beautiful; I love its corner location, and the staff is ON POINT, which is a biggie. Whether you have a reservation or a walk-​in, they are polite and accommodating and, well… awesome.
I really really like it for afterwork drinks, and it’s on such a lovely street that it’s just a *perfect London moment* to stand, post-​work, with some wine, some laughs, and the rooftops of Bloomsbury around.
That said, the food I’ve eaten there has been good, but not great. I believe ownership has recently changed hands so I’m more than happy to give it a few more gos… change can mean ironing out some kinks, and that’s ok!
One of those kinks is pricing: the soup can come as a starter, or you can get a larger bowl of it (without bread or any accompaniment). The «meal» soup was priced just a pound off of the totally substantial burger. Just a little wacky.
Unilocal note: Ottoline is now on the «names I’d like to give my cat» list.

Best Roast I’ve had in a long time. Came with a group of 6 and all out food was outstanding. Day Boat fish n chips is highly recommended as are the variety of roasts on offer.

A fabulous gastropub close to my flat in Bloomsbury with a small but very good beer and ale selection, good wines, and great micro-​distillery whiskies. Food is a cut above other pub fare in the area, though I’ve never eaten upstairs. Prices are also reasonable, and the service friendly. Can get quite crowded after-​work on weekdays.

The fish and chips. I’ll NEVER get over it. It was one big piece of battered Hake, served with what seemed like twice fried chips. Best fish and chips I’ve ever tasted! I’m not even the one who ordered it, but that one bite was the best bite of the evening.
I ordered the lamb chop with a savory wine sauce, served with rocket (aka arugula) and roasted squash — tasty!
It’s also the first time I’ve had a Pimms and Lemonade. How have I never had this? In my opinion, it beats out Sangria for best summer drink! Refreshing (and pretty dangerous, because I’d be happy to keep drinking these all day long).

Had a lovely Sunday dinner at The Lady Ottoline, Sunday roast was delicious, perfect with Yorkshire pudding, very crispy duck fat baked potatoes and greens; equally good vegetarian dish for my girlfriend, Gnocchi with mushrooms, beet root, horseradish and other vegetables. A bit on the pricey side to be sure, as most «original» gastropubs appear to be. Beer selection good to our taste, three lager and four ales on tab.
We both really like the style of the pub as well, where everything fits together quite well; and finally, staff was really friendly, despite our appearance 1 minute before they would close the kitchen; got tab water without asking.

Happened in on a Sunday and was able to get a small table next to the door. My wife ordered the Beef & Yorkshire pudding and I had the Pork Belly & Yorkshire pudding. Both were absolutely fabulous and the roasted potatoes were perfect!
If you have the opportunity to stop in on a Sunday make sure to make reservations if you have anything more than 2, and take your time, it’s a leisurely paced dinner, but it’s well worth it!

I like the place very much the guys and I are frequent visitors here (to be exact the pub). We love the wide selection of brews and we have spent many nights just hanging here and chatting. The dining room upstairs is also good. I’ve been there a couple of times for a burger or the pie of the day. The food is fresh and the service is fast and friendly. Recommended.

I have actually been to the Lady Ottoline twice, and couldn’t figure out what it was called the first time, so wasn’t able to review it. Now though, I’ve had two lovely experiences in this locals-​only pub, and it’s a brilliant place to have a pint after class, being just down the road from campus.
Like I mentioned, it’s more of a local’s place, featuring afternoon suits from Gray’s Inn Gardens in to relax from the legally stuff they do. It’s small, and often quite full, but features a full kitchen and bar, and a serving staff happy to ply you with rounds in exchange for staying even longer.
Nice features include the bathroom lotion in the ladies room, which is one of my favorite parts. Also, the pictures of Lady Ottoline herself on the stairwell to the loos… I always fail to see them on the way downstairs, but can’t miss them on the way up.
I’ve heard there’s a nice upstairs room for events, in fact there was a wedding reception the first time I went. It seems like a nice place to go if you know there’s going to be a big enough group. All in all, it’s a pleasant place for a pint.

I was looking for a memorable pub where I could have a drink with my sister and father — needless to say, I didn’t want to end up in an overcrowded bar. This place was perfect! The food looked delicious and I wished we had eaten here. The design is clean, refreshing and very attractive. The beers were tasty and the bartender encouraged us to taste each before committing. Great service, great beer — perfect place for a date or catching up with friends or family!

Pretty disappointed with the sunday roast and dessert was not amazing either. I don’t usually go to pubs to eat on a sunday as the food is usually inferior to usual. I have heard very good things about this place on another night of the week so not a write off.

Honoured to write the first review if the divine Lady Ottoline. I had been struggling for months to find the perfect venue for a special, cosy 30^th birthday meal with my parents and closest friends. When I visited the Lady for the first time I hoped I’d found it, and having just about recovered from last night’s birthday meal in question, I am delighted to report was that it was just as fabulous as I’d hoped. The Lady Ottoline only opened a few months ago having undergone an extensive refurbishment. It’s located down a quiet street on the edge of Bloomsbury, with a warm bar area downstairs, and two beautiful candlelit dining rooms upstairs. As a party of 10 we had to choose from the set menu, with a selection of four or five choices per course. My pork belly with black pudding croquettes was delicious, and with the majority of the party opting for juicy steaks (with the most incredible and mirror-​esque steak knives I had ever seen) we were a very happy bunch. Service is excellent and smiley, and a surprise birthday cake baked on site by the chef and delivered to our table topped off the evening perfectly. The Lady Ottoline certainly isn’t the cheapest place to eat or drink, but if you want to go somewhere a bit special, to be charmed and spoiled by the excellent staff, and to relax in what has to be one of the most welcoming gastro pubs in London, then I couldn’t recommend it more highly.

I really liked the Lady Ottoline although the downstairs was a bit chilly on a freezing night, so we went upstairs to the posher dining room area — with extra-​dim lighting… the waiter was very polite and meticulous — not slow exactly, more working at a measured pace. Anyway, we did eventually get some bread, which looked like Flour Power potato rosemary bread — and moved on to main courses of lobster risotto with pea shoots and a rather unorthodox side of spiced red cabbage. The portion looked a bit small but it was pretty rich, so it was actually a perfect amount. Plus they brought me parmesan on the side even though you’re not meant to have cheese with seafood. I asked for it without the orange dressing so I can’t say what that would have added — but I really enjoyed it. The only downside to the cabbage came when I bit on a whole star anise which was hiding in the cabbage — and was a bit of a sudden splurge of spice. Dessert was a small but perfectly formed chocolate fondant with a tuile biscuit… I would like to go back again, and also try the bar menu as long as they improve the heating situation downstairs…

A proper local corner boozer, which I never even noticed before tucked off Grays Inn Road. Not much inside but a bar with taps, a fruit machine in the corner, and a tele up on the wall. But as long as the taps are pouring and there’s a few people in, what else do you need? Probably a good spot for an outdoor beer in the sunnier months, since there’s little traffic on this corner.
I was pleasantly surprised by the thai food coming out of the kitchen. Most pub-​based thai I’ve had has been pretty poor, but the pad thai I tried here was filling and flavoursome.
The Kings Arms also plays host to a regular poker night (part of the pokerinthepub league) on Thursdays. Look upstairs about 8 o’clock if you want to join in.

Nice little pub with room to drink and be merry. We spent several enjoyable hours here drinking in this historic, two-​story tavern. We arrived too late in the evening for food, but we made due with some crips (potato chips) and beer on tap. There was quite the weekend crowd here, but we still found space and room to talk. The music was not too loud and the locals here made us feel welcome. It was a fun night, all around. We still remember this place more than a year later, so they must have done something right!