Blacklock

The Verdict

The Sunday roast at Blacklock Soho sells out weeks in advance, and the £27 'all in' sharing offer is the reason most people come back. If you want a casual, meat-forward dinner in central London that won't require a second mortgage, book here. If you want fine dining or a quiet table for two, look elsewhere.

About Blacklock Soho

Blacklock's Soho address on Great Windmill Street occupies a basement with a history that predates the restaurant by several decades — formerly a brothel and a lap-dancing club. What you see today is dark panelling, parquet floors, and bare wooden tables: a room that channels the spirit of London's old chophouses but skips the stuffiness. The visual cue that tells you what this place is about is the grill itself, fired up for cuts sourced from butcher Philip Warren's farm in Cornwall — naturally reared, grass-fed beef, pork, and lamb.

The menu is built around chops, and specifically around the 'skinny chops' that give the restaurant its name (named after the vintage Blacklock irons used to cook them). The £27 'all in' sharing option brings a stacked pile of different meats , beef, pork, and lamb , on herb-flecked chargrilled flatbreads, with accompaniments included. For groups, this is the obvious move: it covers volume, variety, and value in one order. Those who want to order individually will find lamb T-bones, pork ribs, and bone-in sirloins on the menu, but the sharing format is where Blacklock performs leading.

The supporting dishes are worth taking seriously. Pre-chop bites include potted meats with kimchi. Sides include sweet potatoes roasted in ash for ten hours. Additions like chilli hollandaise, garlic marrow spread, and Blacklock's own gravy , served in old-fashioned gravy boats , round out the table. The gravy, in particular, has developed a reputation that's hard to ignore given how consistently it gets mentioned. Drinks lean practical: cocktail trolley service, own-label beers, and wines available on tap at prices that match the room's no-ceremony tone.

Lunch shifts to burgers and steak sandwiches, which makes Blacklock a different proposition at midday than in the evening. Sunday, however, is the hardest booking: the roast format draws regulars and walk-in hopefuls in equal measure, and availability disappears early.

Blacklock has been recognised by Opinionated About Dining in their Casual Europe ranking three years running , ranked #401 in 2024 and #582 in 2025, with a Recommended listing in 2023. The Google rating sits at 4.8 from 547 reviews, which for a casual basement steakhouse in central London is a reliable signal of consistent execution.

A Note on Taking Blacklock Off-Premise

Blacklock's format , sharing boards, gravy boats, meats piled on flatbreads , is designed for the table. The experience depends on eating the meat off the grill while it's hot, passing the gravy boat, and pulling from a shared platter. Nothing about that travels well. If you're considering delivery or takeaway as an option, the honest answer is that you'd be trading away most of what makes the place worth visiting. For a meat-focused meal that holds up better off-premise, a more conventional steakhouse format like Goodman would serve you better. Blacklock is a sit-down experience, and booking a table is the only way to get the full picture.

Know Before You Go

How It Compares

Blacklock sits in a completely different price tier from London's formal dining rooms. CORE by Clare Smyth, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, Sketch, The Lecture Room and Library, and The Ledbury are all ££££ operations requiring significant spend per head and serious advance booking. Blacklock offers none of that formality , and that's the point. If you want technical precision, multi-course progression, and service that irons the napkin while you're in the bathroom, those venues are the right call. If you want well-sourced meat, a lively basement room, and a bill that doesn't require a conversation, Blacklock is the more practical answer for a central London dinner.

Within the steakhouse category specifically, Goodman is the more conventional comparison: aged cuts, a traditional format, and a quieter room suited to conversation. Blacklock is louder, more communal, and built around sharing. For a solo diner or a couple wanting a focused steak experience, Goodman is worth considering. For a group of four or more who want value and variety without the formality, Blacklock's sharing format wins on both counts. Dinner by Heston Blumenthal occupies a middle ground , British-focused, more structured, and considerably more expensive , and makes most sense as a special-occasion booking rather than a casual weeknight option.

If you're building a broader London trip around food, see our full London restaurants guide, London hotels guide, and London bars guide for context across categories. For those travelling further afield in the UK, The Fat Duck in Bray, L'Enclume in Cartmel, and Moor Hall in Aughton represent the leading end of UK destination dining if the trip warrants it.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Can Blacklock accommodate groups? Yes, and it's one of the better group options in central London at this price point. The £27 'all in' sharing offer , three meats with accompaniments and gravy , is designed for communal eating. Larger parties should book in advance and request the sharing format when reserving.
• Is lunch or dinner better at Blacklock? They're different menus. Lunch runs burgers and steak sandwiches, which makes it a quick, affordable midday stop. Dinner is where the full chop menu and the 'all in' sharing offer are available, so if you want the flagship Blacklock experience, come in the evening. Sunday sits between the two formats , the roast is the main event and the hardest booking of the week.
• What should a first-timer know about Blacklock? The room is a basement , dark, loud at peak hours, and informal. Meat comes from Philip Warren's farm in Cornwall, and the quality of sourcing is part of what the venue is known for. The £27 'all in' is the move on your first visit. Opinionated About Dining has ranked it in their Casual Europe list three years running, so expectations are grounded in a recognised track record, not just local reputation.
• What should I order at Blacklock? The £27 'all in' sharing offer covers beef, pork, and lamb on chargrilled flatbreads with accompaniments. Beyond that, the Blacklock gravy (served in gravy boats) is consistently flagged. Sides worth ordering include the ash-roasted sweet potatoes. Pre-chop, potted meats with kimchi is worth the table space.
• What are alternatives to Blacklock in London? For a more traditional steakhouse format, Goodman is the most direct comparison , aged cuts, less communal, quieter room. For a step up in formality and spend within a British context, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal is worth a look. For international steakhouse comparisons, A Cut in Taipei and Capa in Orlando offer different takes on the same category. See our full London restaurants guide for broader options.
• Is Blacklock good for a special occasion? It depends on what the occasion calls for. If the goal is a celebratory meal in a lively, informal setting without a large bill, yes. If the occasion requires a quieter room, service theatre, or a tasting menu format, CORE by Clare Smyth or The Ledbury are more appropriate. Blacklock works well for birthdays or group dinners where the mood matters more than the formality.
• Can I eat at the bar at Blacklock? Bar seating is not confirmed in available data, but the venue's informal, basement format suggests counter or bar options may exist. Contact the venue directly or check current booking availability before assuming walk-in bar seating is available, particularly at peak evening hours.

Pearl Picks Nearby

Exploring beyond Blacklock? Our guides cover the full range of London dining and travel: London restaurants, London hotels, London bars, London wineries, and London experiences. For UK destination dining further afield, Gidleigh Park in Chagford, Hand and Flowers in Marlow, and hide and fox in Saltwood are worth the detour if the itinerary allows.