Swiss Butter — Restaurant in London

It’s a “meh” from me.

I kept seeing Swiss Butter pop up on TikTok, so while we were in London, we thought we’d give it a try. It seemed like one of those places worth making the effort for.

We knew there’d be a queue (it’s all over social media), and sure enough, we waited an hour and a half in the freezing cold. To be fair, the weather wasn’t the restaurant’s fault, but the queuing system could’ve been handled so much better. The line snakes up the high street, and there’s only one canopy outside. With the snow coming down, some people refused to move out from under the shelter, which meant the rest of us were left standing out in the open. It didn’t feel fair, and a quick check-in from staff could’ve sorted it out.

What made it worse was seeing empty, cleared tables inside while we were all still waiting outside. It felt disorganized, and honestly, a bit frustrating.

When we finally got in, we were seated right by the door. And when I say it was cold, I mean freezing. With people constantly coming and going, we could barely settle in to enjoy the meal.

On the plus side, our server was great—super friendly and attentive. He made sure we were looked after and even helped with recommendations. I went for the ribeye steak, and my partner had the chicken. The food came out quickly, but honestly, it was just… fine.

The sauce, which is meant to be the star of the show, didn’t live up to the hype for me. My steak was okay—closer to blue than the rare I ordered, which I didn’t mind, but it wasn’t anything special. The fries, though, were cold and clearly not fresh, which was disappointing.

Another thing that stood out (in a bad way) was the staff’s behavior. Since we were sitting by the entrance and the till, we overheard the floor manager loudly complaining about other tables to his colleagues. I get that hospitality can be stressful, but having that kind of chatter in earshot of customers isn’t great. It really took away from the experience and made the place feel less professional.

To top it all off, the service felt rushed. After waiting so long to get in, it was like they couldn’t wait to move us along. My plate was taken away before my partner even finished eating, which just felt unnecessary.

In the end, Swiss Butter didn’t live up to the hype for me.

The good stuff: Big portions and fair prices for London. The not-so-good stuff: Long waits, cold seating, rushed service, and unprofessional vibes from senior staff.

Would I go back?...

Tucked among the many eateries chasing virality, Swiss Butter stands out not only for its social media fame, but for the rare feat of delivering on expectations - and then exceeding them.

My friend and I arrived at 14:15 on Thursday 21st August (an unintentionally ideal time) as we were seated immediately by the kind gentleman at the door. What followed was a seamless and genuinely pleasant experience, elevated by the attentive service of Ali, who guided us throughout. I do indeed regret not taking note of the names of other staff members who ensured our visit was smooth, but your collective effort was certainly not unnoticed, thank you.

Upon recommendation, we ordered the ‘Australian Rib Eye Steak’; the cut was tender, perfectly cooked to our chosen temperature, and generously seasoned - an experience which justifies both its popularity and the price tag. What Swiss Butter gets right isn’t just the meat, but the entire plate: a thoughtful, well-balanced serving complete with crisp fries, fresh salad, bread, and their signature sauce and seasoning that ties everything together.

The lemonade [true to its name] was unapologetically lemony and refreshingly tart. A small splash of water mellowed it just enough for my palate, but I appreciated the authenticity of its flavour.

We don’t usually have much of a sweet tooth, but the ‘Molten Chocolate’ dessert genuinely surprised us. It was warm, rich, and indulgent - without being overly sweet. A simple dessert, done exceptionally well. Definitely worth saving room for.

What sets Swiss Butter apart is how confidently it stays in its lane. There’s no overextension here - just a clear, tight menu executed with consistency. It’s the kind of place that knows what it does well and does exactly that, without fuss or pretense.

Swiss Butter draws a crowd for good reason - and with that popularity comes busier periods. From our visit, the staff handled everything with professionalism and care, even during the later rush.

To those reading through reviews, a gentle reminder: Taste is indeed subjective, but this place is worth a try for sure. Service teams often work under pressure - a little patience and understanding go a long way.

All in all, the experience is...

Came down to London with my Wife for our 16th anniversary. I saw this place on the map and the prices looked reasonable (compared to most Steak houses nearby). We came out around 9pm last night and the queue was away down the street. We decided to skip it and come for lunch today.

We had a drink at The Swan pub round the corner, and headed to the main street around 11:35am, knowing they opened at 12 and half expecting a queue. We were at the head of the newly formed queue though, haha. Before 12pm another 20 or so people had arrived to queue for opening. While we ate (soon after opening, on a Saturday) there was no need for a queue outside, with a couple of tables free inside.

They opened a little before 12pm. We were seated, and our order was taken. We were told about the special, Australian Tomahawk steak, and fancied trying that (to share). We asked for it cooked Medium.

While waiting, my pint of Guinness arrived, in a nice chilled glass. The Tap water my Wife asked for didnt, then ten minutes later some tap water was delivered to the table next to us (by mistake). We did get our water once our food came, as we had to ask for it again.

We waited maybe 25 minutes for our order to arrive, with side salad and chips. The pre-carved sections of steak were lovely. I'd say they were definitely more medium-rare, as they were still very red, but each piece was soft and juicy.

We had plenty between us, but think we would have had more meat if we had ordered the individual steaks. The meat that was still on the bone of our Tomahawk was well charred on the outside but was raw on the inside so unfortunately we didnt eat it.

The large steak special came with a small jug of the butter sauce, which was lovely, but could have done with more (an extra little jug tbh) as we were sharing.

After finishing our main we still felt like having a dessert so we ordered the Pain Perdut and Melting Chocolate. These were both nice, but the Pain Perdut was lovely. They definitely left us feeling full as we left.

Would love to visit again, and probably try the regular steak next time, which also looks like it comes with a little more of the...