The Gun Spitalfields — Restaurant in London

The Gun is a gorgeous, sophisticated bar in Spitalfields which has recently reopened its doors following a refurb. Located opposite the famous Spitalfields Market, the interior radiates retro chic with earthy colours, leather chairs and low-hanging lamps with fringed shades. There is weathered floral paint work on the walls, bold orange plush velvet curtains and exposed ceiling. The bar stands out with its metallics and packed back bar.

The menu at The Gun features an eclectic mix of European sharing plates, brunch on Saturday and roasts on Sunday. There are 13 sharing plates ranging from corn & avocado tempura (vegan) to shredded duck rillette, as well as a handful of nibbles, sides and a few larger platter style options.

The local sourdough (£3.50) which comes with homemade whipped butter was an incredible nibble. It is a must order for whilst you’re waiting for the sharing plates. The bread is soft and really tasty. The butter when we visited was sage & onion – it was SO creamy, potent in flavour and utterly delicious. We couldn’t get enough!

The Prawn Pil PIl (£9) with chilli oil and garlic butter & basil, was a favourite of the night. The prawns were super juicy, and the butter rich with garlic and plenty of herbs coming through too. We loved dipping the bread in the melted butter once we had devoured the prawns.

The Shredded Duck Rillette (£8) was a little different to expected. A little like pulled pork, yet cold, it was almost like a shredded duck pate. Alongside a tangy, chunky homemade piccalilli, it was pretty tasty paired with the toasted sourdough although didn’t quite make the favourite list.

The Beef & Date Meatballs (£7.50) were also served in a way we didn’t quite expect but were absolutely delicious. They were warm and succulent, served medium rare with a pink middle. The taste had a sweet touch from the date, but finished with a slight heat which we didn’t see coming. They were served with a creamy, mild creme fraiche and crunchy hazelnut. This balanced the flavours and completed the dish well.

The Baked Tomino Cheese (£8.50) with rosemary honey & sourdough, was our sure fire winner of the evening. It was basically like a mini baked camembert, yet milder in flavour. It had a formed edge, yet was fabulously oozy, and melted. The rosemary and honey were perfect additions, and altogether it made for one fantastic dish alongside the thinly sliced, toasted sourdough.

The Curly Kale (£5) with chilli & confit garlic, is one great side dish – you do need some greens when you have so much meat, cheese and bread. The kale is beautifully wilted, and not soggy. It is very potent in garlic flavour, with a good chilli kick from the fresh chillis.

The Crispy Jersey Royals (£6) made a superb change to the usual chip side order. They had been roasted/fried to give them a thicker, tasty skin, yet were still soft. The Romesco Sauce served alongside was slightly tangy, the texture reminding us a little of pesto. The Rosemary salt always a winner on a potato dish.

The drinks list features quite an extensive list of wine, as well as a great selection of cocktails, a number of G&Ts, spirits, beers and soft drinks. The Winter Fruit Cup (£11) with Appleton Signature Rum, Grand Marnier, Amaro Averna and lemon tonic, was a fab twist on a pimms. Potent, yet refreshing.

The Gun is a sophisticated, cool and relaxed retro-chic bar in Spitalfields. With fantastic cocktails, a great selection of sharing plates you can go hungry, or just for nibbles, with superb service the whole way through.

The Gun is hosting resident DJs alongside regular entertainment too, so we will definitely be heading back to check this out. The upper level looked great for private bookings as we watched a party...

My first experince at this place was completely ruined by the hostile and unwelcoming demeanor by the young asian lad at the bar. I ordered a pint of guiness with few other drinks. I received all my drinks except for the guiness. Now it takes some time for Guiness to settle which I did not know as a non-guiness drinker. Upon checking with the fella whether I had made the order for the pint of Guiness he felt so offended and gave me an incredibly patronizing response regarding the drink having to settle. I felt so embarassed for not having known that piece of information. My friends were right there as well as other customers. The worst bit was when he did hand over the guiness it was completely mixed and unsettled! So the whole situation left me completely bewildered. It felt like I had just been made an example of for not knowing something. Why do I as a paying customer have to experience something like this? I did reach out to the manager who was quick to assure me that we were most welcome and that he would have a word with the lad but I wanted to leave this review as well in hopes that actions may be put in place where the staff is instructed that patronising behaviour is absolutely not acceptable in an establishment of hospitality. Not all customers may know everything about the drinking culture. I'm sure I will be visiting the establishment again in the future but when I do I will definitely be visiting with an alert frame of mind wary of when I may be the recepient of a patronising behaviour...

Edit: The Sunday roast is excellent, and I highly recommend it. Every time I have been there, my waiter Imre has been great, and genuinely welcoming and for him it's a 5 star.

However, my most recent experience was disappointing. Despite booking a table for 10 three weeks in advance, we were squeezed into a much smaller space, leaving those at the ends of the table with barely enough room for their plates. And since we were 1 extra person, we had to squeeze even more...One friend ended up eating with the plate on his lap! No effort was made to improve the situation, and although we were told the restaurant was fully booked, an empty table just in front of us.

The restaurant manager or lady in charge at the door was also quite rude. When I asked for an extra seat, she simply handed it to me rather than helping to set it up. She also kept reminding us that the reservation was only for two hours and implied we'd lose the table if more people wouldn't have come or order in time! We happily left after 2 hours and finished the afternoon in friendlier pub around the corner.

Communication with the restaurant is another challenge—they rarely answer the phone or return calls, and emails seem to be noticed only on weekdays.

While the food is a yes, I wouldn't recommended if for...