The Penny Black

Booked via open table two days in advance for a Friday night after researching best beef Wellington in London, then travelled for an hour by tube then pricey taxi only to arrive to a dark shut building with a sign on the door saying «sorry, closed for unforeseen circumstance». I’m hoping the owner/​staff are well, yet would have REALLY appreciated at the very least a courtesy call in advance notifying us of the closure. Food reviews seem great, yet we will never know as we leave town tomorrow. Ended up across the street at Orchid Vietnamese (good) so all ended okay– but must say, do not count on this restaurant for the famously excellent beef Wellington. A simple notice was all that was in order.
Very disappointed :((

Great food, great atmosphere and a fantastic staff and ownership. As an expat American I would recommend Penny Black to any and all.

I had been wanting to try a Beef Wellington ever since we decided to visit London so I was super excited when we went to The Penny Black.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with London, you will be asked if you would like sparking or still water. Both of those require $, if you don’t want to pay for water ask for tap.
Oddly enough, this was the first place I have been asked if I would like bread and was then charged for said bread… that didn’t leave a good taste in my mouth…
As for the food that we paid for (knowing that we were going to pay for it):
Foie Burger — wow this was amazing, you would think that foie and a fatty burger wouldn’t work too well with one another but that is where the apple comes in, the subtle acidity of the apple works wonders on this burger and this was actually one of my favorite dishes while in London.
Beef Wellington — I thought beef wellington was made with a mushroom spread so I was a little surprised by the the pâté (upon further research, this is the way it is supposed to be made), the meat was cooked beautifully but it was definitely lacking in salt.
Overall, it was a nice dinner but definitely on the pricier side.

Simply excellent!
This is a wonderful place. The service is extremely friendly; they accommodated our food request within a few short minutes even though we had a movie to watch nearby, and if the movie had been slightly earlier they even offered to take an order from us and have it ready for when we came out.
The owners treat you as guests in their home, and are really warm and friendly…
And the food is divine!

A little late in posting this heartfelt praise…
My colleagues wanted Beef Wellington and after some online searches, Penny Black emerged as our target.
I’m not a meat eater, so I had the most amazing fish pie, but I digress.
All four ordered the Beef Wellington and based on the complete lack of silence after their first bites, I knew we had a winner without having to ask.
Wine list is superb, and approachable.
The chef stopped by our table and he was great to talk– his description of Beef Wellington even made me want to have some!
Service was great, and when back in London I’ll take even the pickiest gourmands here!

My experience at this spot left a lot to be desired. With an impressive cocktail menu boasting scrumptious-​sounding concoctions, my husband and I were VERY excited to pop in for a bite and a few drinks before ordering dinner.
While the service was excellent (very sweet and polite ladies taking care of us), my drink was super watered down and all I tasted was sugar, and my husband’s wasn’t much better. Our apps, while tasty, weren’t the refined items we though we’d ordered from the menu, and while we were pretty hungry, decided to leave and find dinner elsewhere.
The ambience is sleek and sexy in that dimly-​lit way, the people-​watching is fantastic and the location is great. However, I guess you should stick with a pint at this place, as the cocktails are lacking and the food didn’t knock my socks off.

I moved to London a year ago and in those first few days of exploring the neighborhood I came across The Penny Black. A neighborhood restaurant and wine/​cocktail bar that has a great ambiance and sophistication that reminds me of places in New York. It has been my mainstay ever since.
First off, the staff is amazing. They took in this American who was feeling like a fish out of water in London and made her feel like a favored friend. Tony, chef and owner, mixes up a mean drink when he is out of the kitchen and is very hospitable. Natalia is an incredible hostess and has a deep knowledge of wine. Frederica is a fun and delightful bartender/​server who has an uncanny knack for knowing what kind of wine I will like.
The food I would describe as ‘upscale gastropub.’ I have tried the Sunday roast (chicken) which was a HUGE platter with chicken, veggies and Yorkshire pudding. Bring friends as this is more than enough for two or three people. The seafood dishes are always impeccably cooked and tasty. I have yet to try the burger, but have heard that it is good. Not sure how it compares to the American version but looks quite tasty. Desserts, or Puddings as they call them on this side of the pond, are good. The warm chocolate cake and apple crumble were two standouts. While the food is not cheap, the quality and care put into the dishes makes it worth the cost.
The Penny Black has an extensive wine list with over 50 wines you can try by the glass. They also have a large cocktail menu, including some inventive specialties from owner Tony if you are lucky enough to catch him behind the bar. The little known secret is the bar stays open after 11p when all the pubs in the area must close. For an ex-​New Yorker it is nice to have a mellow place where you can relax with a glass of wine past midnight.
If you are ever in the area — or even if you are not — I highly recommend trying The Penny Black for upscale British food and great service. You will not be disappointed.

I’m not sure why a restaurant this good has only four reviews, though my impression is it’s more of a neighborhood restaurant for locals than one catering to a large number of tourists. I also think it’s interesting that the two earlier reviews from USA diners are more generous with stars than the other two. Interesting, because I would definitely be as generous with my assessments here as are my fellow USA reviewers.
Penny Black is really serious about its beef, and our delightful server, Frederica, let us know that Beef Wellington is the signature dish here. I can only personally report on two mains, several sides and a single dessert, but based on that, and my observation of other dishes passing by and being consumed by other happy diners, I would absolutely think about coming back here on my next trip to London.
I had the fois gras burger, a spectacularly delicious burger topped with a slice of fois gras, and apple and onion confit. It was certainly one of the best burgers I have ever had — ever. Frederica told us the huge beef patty (I don’t easily convert from grams, but I accept Frederica’s suggestion that it was more than 10 ounces) was a a 50 – 50 combination of beef and veal, and she suggested I try a bite before considering adding any other condiments. She was absolutely correct. The juices from the fois gras dripped into the ground beef and created a taste sensation. The beef flavor was intense, juicy, and and even complex. And I’d probably want to get it without the fois gras next time, simply because the beautiful beef flavor from the hamburger itself was so good.
Mrs. had the filet mignon (they call it a «fillet» on the menu, with the two l’s and no mignon, but it was definitely a filet mignon), and it was absolutely tender, and again, that great, great beef flavor. As fine a filet mignon as either of us have ever had the pleasure of setting a fork and knife to. Our sides included excellent truffle chips, which were medium thick fries that were perfectly crisp on the outside, and properly soft on the inside. We also had a side of boiled new potatoes, butter soft and lightly salted, and really very nice.
For dessert we had an OK apple crisp. The apples inside were sweet and cinnamony, though I always expect anything described as an «apple crumble» to have a crunchy topping to it, and this topping was soft and a bit bland. Though the side of custard (a custardy, warm sauce) that came with it made for a great added flavor when poured over the apple crumble itself.
Just a few words of explanation and minor annoyances, particularly for Americans possibly not aware of local terminology. The «pudding» menu has nothing at all to do with what you’re thinking of as pudding. That’s just another word for «dessert». Also, forget about your free refills on soft drinks, as many of us have gotten used to. At the equivalent of $ 4.00 for each and every very small glass of Diet Coke, that adds up, and actually makes the beer a more economical option.
But all in all, this is a restaurant in the Chelsea neighborhood that was excellent. The quality and care that was obvious in the beef dishes, I have no doubt whatsoever, carries over into the fish and seafood selections that I saw pass me by. Not inexpensive, for sure. The items described above, which included one beer and one dessert, totaled about $ 110 (including the tip, 12 ½%, added in by the restaurant, and several more dollars we added ourselves). We are staying at a hotel in Kensington, and the No. 14 bus provided comfortable door to door service. This one is definitely recommended and worth a try.

Beautiful food, nice chilled atmosphere.
Loved the prosecco.
And again have booked a table for the weekend! =)

Been here a couple of times and every time I come here, I’m impressed. The ambiance is nice and this is a good place for dates. It is quite enough to hold conversation while light music plays in the background.
Been here both during summer and winters and so I have had quite a number of food items across different menus. Best starters I have had before were the herring with scotts egg. The sauteed prawns during summer were quite delectable as well. As for mains, beef wellington is cooked well on the spot — buttery puff pastry with a soft juicy fillet in the center. If the venison is still on the menu during winter, be sure to try that.
What impressed me most, however, are the cocktails. Tony, chef owner of the restaurant, is actually an incredible mixologist. I have had the chance to sample a couple of his cocktails and they were phenomenal. If you are lucky enough, do ask him to make you an old fashioned. He has his reasons (and pretty correct at that) to add a drop of martini rosso on the sugar cube before muddling.
Definitely rec this place and for this price point in the neighborhood, it is a gem.

We visited from the San Francisco bay area and I had to have Beef Wellington. Their carrot/​orange soup was fantastic. My husband had surf and turf knowing sirloin isn’t all that great (it was «ok»), but the lobster was great! The barley vegetable risotto was nicely done, a little on the salty side, though. Wine list is extensive which was great. Our service was amazing and we took our 18 month old which wasn’t easy but they brought her a coloring book, etc. Nice for a fancier restaurant. the wellington beef was superbly cooked, the crust wasn’t what I’m normally used to-​a little harder, not as flakey but still decent enough. Maybe it’s different when made here in California. But it didn’t keep me from eating the whole thing! With wine/​soup/​side of mashed potatoes/​risotto/​surf and turf, was $ 200 US dollars, not the cheapest, but it has lovely ambiance.

We are Spaniards spending some days as Londoners. We normally use to go to those restaurants that friends of us augurara but The Penny Black is an exception as we decided to go here after reading the August Ryanair Magazine.
What to say in some words about this restaurant? Simple it is a perfect place to enjoy real british cuisine but not in a sórdido place as touristics pubs uses to be.
Surprised by the staff, very professional in all senses.
Will rey again in our next visit to London.

Took my mum here for Mother’s Day with my brother. We sat downstairs in the slightly fancier dining room — upstairs looks more like a pub that has had a lick of paint.
We ordered the rather impressive Roast Beef, which as current fashion seems to dictate, was served on a wooden chopping board. A huge pile of rare roast beef came nestled in the center, surrounded by mounds of roasted potatoes, parsnips, unbelievable yorkshire puddings and much, much more. It was a glutton’s idea of heaven and I must say there were audible cries of wow when the platter was carried out. The chef came out to check on us but we were so busy stuffing our faces with food we could do nothing but grunt in his general direction.
The hot cross bun bread pudding for dessert was inspired, although probably ill advised after the artery clogging beef we’d enjoyed. The marmalade cheesecake was less memorable, although I applaud the idea as it sounds cool, even if the delivery left a little to be desired.
I will go back, although this time with reinforcements to help with all the food!

Warning: review heavily biased due to the fact that the meal was free.
Tasty food, a strange mix of old pub/​dirty club décor (complete with anti-​vein-​finding blue light in bathroom/​random bouncer looking man standing out front) and impeccable service. Well, I’m sure the wait staff just wanted to see how our Guardian blind date was going. Those curious kittens.
I question over 50% of the things I do here in London. Self-​deprecating digression, over.
The starters were forgettable, but the claim to fame B Wellington was delicious — juicy and flaky all up in here. However, at £25 I’d much rather hit up a real good piece of steak, if you know what I mean. BIG STEAK, at Gaucho perhaps?
To finish things off, my rasberry cheesecake was light and perfect, but the date’s bread pudding was a heavy hitter and elicited «I’m close to vomming!!!» type facial expressions. Which were very attractive.
Would I come back if somebody arranged for me to meet up with a random, left of center person for a free meal again? Uh, YEA. Would I come again and pay out of my own pocket, the one with a huge grad student stipend shaped hole in it? Probably not.