The George — Restaurant in London

I booked this place for my first Sunday roast based on the atmosphere and reviews - TLDR: I was extremely disappointed in our experience and will not be back.

Upon being escorted to our seat, we were asked by two different people if we had any allergies. This insinuates there is flexibility and they are accommodating - far from the truth. They will only cook the meat how they want to cook the meat, even for dishes that are not a part of the Sunday roast. I would understand no flexibility for the Sunday roast dishes, but they refuse to cook the hamburger and the steak any hotter than medium. There are allergy notices posted everywhere AKA they have been burned by this before, but are still unwilling to be flexible.

There is very obviously friction between the serving staff and the kitchen staff. The serving staff attempt to be accommodating while the kitchen staff are stubborn. Both of my parents have eating restrictions and felt extremely unwelcome. At one point, the chef “suggested” he wouldn’t “feel comfortable” serving my dad. He just wanted a medium well/well done steak to ensure he does not get sick from a sensitive stomach. Any dingdong could do that if they were not hardheaded and gave a shit about their customers.

Had The George posted on their website that they decline any changes or substitutions, that would have been fine - I would not have booked. To not have it posted and then ask about allergies twice as if they care is extremely misleading.

Drinks downstairs might be fine, but I do not recommend the food, and don’t expect a warm welcome to the...

We had previously only chosen The George for its atmosphere and beer but ended a guided walk with friends nearby and wanted to have lunch together on a Sunday. So the four of us chose to have Sunday roast and that's where things went a bit south. One of us specified that their roast beef 'must be rare' and the waiter repeated that request twice and wrote it down on the order sheet, definitely giving us the impression that it would be done.

But when his roast arrived, the beef was definitely very well done and the person delivering it explained that since the roasts are all precooked to a well done level there was no way that a request for rare could have been promised. He probably should have refused the meal but he wanted to be polite so he accepted it. We all found that not only was all our meat not only extremely 'well done' but it was also somewhat tough and so were the spuds, which is quite an accomplishment.

So I definitely cannot recommend Sunday roast based on this experience, especially considering the 26 quid price. But we did spend almost 6 hours visiting in the comfortable and atmospheric surroundings without being chivvied on or even bothered to pay the bill until we left - although the service charge was not optional and I was definitely planning to reject it. Finally, a side door was opened later in the afternoon which blew very cold air directly at us for the remainder of the stay and that possibly encouraged us to leave earlier than we might have.

All in all, at the minimum, a very...

After spending weeks looking around central London for a suitable venue for a graduation party, we found the private dining room the PIG & GOOSE, which is the upstairs restaurant at The George, (213 The Strand,Temple). Our first impressions were great – the décor is beautiful (traditional, English, wood paneling, view out over the Royal Courts of Justice), the private room is well-appointed and the manager, who showed us the room, was incredibly polite and professional. She was disarmingly pleasant to deal with and really very helpful answering questions and accommodating our requests, both at the time we visited and by telephone afterwards. When it came to the night itself, all of our expectations were met or gloriously exceeded !! The staff were warm and welcoming, but unobtrusive. The locally-sourced gastro pub menu offered something to suit each of our guests (including impressive --and delicious--gluten-free and vegetarian offerings). The wine list was excellent and it was all really reasonably-priced for the quality on offer. Everything was so well-prepared, beautifully presented and served in such a way that the conversational flow was uninterrupted. A festive, but relaxing evening was had by all and we would have stayed till breakfast if The George had been open all night! Truly this is an excellent place !! It is officially on our Best Places To Go Back To List and we'll be back...