Blacklock Shoreditch — Restaurant in London

Blacklock Shoreditch Review – Part of the 2025 “Dinner a Month” Series

As part of our 2025 commitment to trying a new spot each month, the lads and I landed on Blacklock Shoreditch for this round. Having previously been to Blacklock City a few times and always enjoying both the food and the service, I had a solid baseline of expectation going in.

To kick things off, I ordered an Old Fashioned. It was decent—balanced but maybe lacking a bit more of that bitter edge I personally enjoy. That said, I know that’s very much down to individual preference. On the drinks front, the Cinsault Rosé was a hit, as was the Hibiscus Agua Fresca, which is a solid non-alcoholic option. Prices across the board for drinks felt very fair, which is always a pleasant surprise in London.

The service on the night? I’d call it average. Nothing wrong, but also nothing particularly warm or memorable. Efficient but not engaging, if that makes sense.

We started with two standout dishes: the Smoked Beef Ribs and the Pigs Head on Toast. While both were good, the pigs head was the clear winner—beautifully seasoned, buttery-soft, and an absolute delight. Definitely a dish I’d come back for. Also worth mentioning: I have a nut allergy, and they were accommodating and aware, which is always appreciated and reassuring.

For mains, we went in on Ribeyes and Rump Caps, all cooked exactly as requested. And let’s be honest, even in a steak-focused restaurant, that’s not always a given. They nailed it.

We ordered a selection of sides to share—crispy chips, a standout sweet potato dish, and bone marrow (rich and decadent, if that’s your thing). The spring slaw was a clever contrast to all the heavy meat; fresh, light, and crunchy. And don’t skip the Blacklock gravy—it’s rich, savoury, and works with everything on the plate.

I had my eye on the rhubarb and apple crumble for dessert, but it sadly includes nuts in the crumble topping. Apparently, that’s a traditional approach—but it meant I had to skip it.

In the end, Blacklock didn’t disappoint. Great food clearly led the night. While the service didn’t elevate the experience, it didn’t detract either. A solid outing for the “Dinner a Month” crew.

Final Score: 7/10 – Would return for the pigs head, the steak,...

We've been regulars here for a long time, often dropping by more than once a week. Usually, we leave happy. But today I feel I need to share a different kind of story - about a very unprofessional staff member named Allegra (if I caught her name right; she was in a white T-shirt today).

We had noticed her odd behavior before. Once, while we were sitting at the bar, she marched up to the bartender and barked an order for him to run off somewhere. He was in the middle of mixing our drinks and calmly told her to handle it herself. She kept pressing, louder and sharper, until he finally gave her a firm "no". We were baffled: why create a scene in front of guests, and worse - why leave those guests waiting for their half-finished cocktails?

At the time, it struck us as strange, but we let it go. After all, if something is urgent, isn't it faster to just do it yourself than to argue about it for five minutes?

But today things became clearer. We were at our table when Allegra appeared to take an order from a couple nearby. Instead of simply crouching down, she all but sat on my wife as she squeezed into the booth - completely oblivious.

A little later she returned to us, this time to demand that my wife remove her foot from the seat. "Shoes aren't allowed on the furniture," she said. Fair enough, except my wife wasn't wearing shoes, just clean white socks. My wife, who wasn't feeling well and had her foot tucked up to keep her knee near her stomach for comfort, tried to explain. Allegra didn't care. She insisted, then disappeared.

Now, we understand you may want to point to "policy", but that's not the issue here. The issue is tone, the lack of hospitality, even rudeness. This is what we'd call the "doorman syndrome", where the feeling of little power is more important than good relationships.

We ask the management to consider whether this is really the kind of presence you want representing your restaurant. As loyal guests, we want to keep coming back. But it's hard to return to a place where, instead of feeling welcome, you feel like...

So I've made it to @BlacklockChops in #shoredich having read good things bout t u s chop house from @djsantero.

Ironically Rivington St is an old stomping ground for me, before the office moved to Blackfriars.

I'm taken to a table and offered complimentary rap water, in a #London #Gin bottle, rumors claim 1 bottle in every 100 is sctually gin!

I've cheekily ordered a rib eye blue, to see if they know about steaks or not. Well they do know their meat and its correctly been suggested I go for the rump cap instead, as the marbling in the rib eye will struggle blue.

Its nice to visit somewhere where they recommend a better option, not just do as asked.

Any how, while I'm waiting for the rump cap to arrive, my starter arrives , pigs head on toast. The starter is bloody lovely and the chilli complements my grapefruit beer too.

What can I say @djsantero did not point me wrong on @BlacklockChops.

That rump cap was bloody amazing too. The kitchen, butcher and farmer really did that bull justice.

The #steak flavour was great, it was cooked lovely and blue inside, yet expertly cooked on the outside with a nicely cooked fat.

Nobody will ever convince me that chips should be cooked in anything other than #BEEF dripping and BlacklockChops prove the point.

They deliver my steak with some #chips that are wonderfully crisp outside, but fluffy and soft inside. Proper chips from childhood memory. Even smelling like chips should.

So the food is good, the drinks are good and staff are very attentive topping up my glass of water throughout, aven bringing me a new bottle too. The staff are friendly and genuinely seem interested, when checking all is ok. The venue is really nice too, giving the place a good feel to suit single fibers lol e myself, couples or groups of friends.

Lastly a special thank you to Vincent, a great guy to chat to, while your waiting and...