Coal Office Restaurant — Restaurant in London

We were up this way for the Vogue exhibit at the Lightroom, which was very good.

We needed find somewhere to eat and thought rather than get pizza or burgers get something a little more memorable.

We walked in and they managed to seat us by the kitchen, literally looking into the kitchen, which was actually a great experience as you can watch everything being prepared and in a 2 you get a really nice intimate setting.

We had a really nice chef greet us and throughout the meal she was chatty and explained what we were having which was also really nice.

We went for the Sunday roast meals, which may or may not have been the right thing to do. The starters were fab and the brioche bread was probably the highlight, that’s belittling everything else this brioche bread was amazing, warm and so fresh.

The dips were really nice so was the salad.

For mains I went for the beef, which found a little tuff and dry, maybe it could have done with a bit more jus, my wife went for the seabream which was really tasty but again would have benefited from a sauce, maybe not everyone would agree.

The sides were excellent, the potatoes were cooked to perfection and some had a really nice crisp where they had been slightly crushed then fried, and the greens were nice and fresh and crunchy.

The staff were all really accommodating and friendly, so we couldn’t fault them at all, from the moment we stepped in talked to the lady at the front, to the multiple servers we spoke to.

The bathrooms let them down a little, they could have been checked more regularly to make sure they were clean and well stocked. The soap they had was very nice.

All in all I would have given it a 4.5 star, it was good, just not amazing.

We would like to come back and try their evening menu on a week day...

Arrived early on our 1st visit to the restaurant and for me it’s not just the exceptional food but exceptional customer care that makes the difference between a good restaurant and a great restaurant - this was great - it was not a problem we were a little early and were shown to the bar where we were given a super overview of what we were about to experience and a suggestion of how we should order to get the most out of the menu. the menus are seasonal and the food a fusion of European/Middle Eastern. We had brioche and dips which were outstanding , 4x small dishes which we shared between 2 people and it was no problem to ask for another brioche or another small plate. Our taste buds were blown away by the different rich to light flavours. Our daughter absolutely loved her medium dish of pasta. The range of drinks at the bar was extensive. The staff at each point were friendly and nothing was a bother at all. We were so excited by the food (including desserts) we forgot to take photos before we ate. The atmosphere was buzzing with lots of chatter and music playing lightly in the background. We can’t wait to return on our next visit to London in the summer to see what delicious delights will be on the menu. I see in some reviews people were not happy about the cost - from what I could see there is no minimum charge and honestly you could have a brioche £5 and a couple of dips £2.50 each with if you just wanted a light snack and sit at the bar to eat - the small dishes were reasonably priced from £6-£10 as were the medium and big plates - there was something reasonably priced in each category. We thought with drinks, sparkling water lots and lots of food that £164 (£54 each) including a service charge was to be expected for an...

Review: August 2023 Visit. 3 people. Sunday evening drop in. Not a problem to get good place outside. Stunning view of the square (plus movie Grease soundtrack from the canal cinema next door). Great service throughout the evening. Menu somewhat changed with breads/dips first (just ordered it all), starters (we ordered most), in between (we ordered 2) and mains (significantly jumped in price and we luckily skipped at initial order as it was too much food). Dishes were great as usual with one major miss with the beten gav melon salad (parsley chopped with hacksaw? as it was filled with stalks - Mr. Granit would have exploded). Deserts were also great. Ended the evening £122 short and full belly.

Review: April 2023 4th visit to the coal office in a year. Obviously we love this restaurant and birthday is a great excuse to come again. It is beautiful (and Granary Square in Xmas is just stunning) and vibrant. The food was great as usual and I cannot fault it. 2 starters, 2 in betweens, 1 main, 2 deserts got the two of us absolutely stuffed. (In retrospect is was tahini galore.. maybe time to refresh some of the dishes).

1 point deducted for having coats not taken (at this level of restaurant not acceptable). Also when booked dinner, I asked is there anything special done on birthday occasion. I had no reply and thought it was missed (can happen) until having my bill served with "by the way happy birthday".. ouch.

Better attention to details on the service would have made it a perfect dinner. Used to be better... Need...