This Blacklock Soho review by London Reviews is the most thorough independent assessment available of the original Blacklock chophouse on Great Windmill Street — the basement steak-and-chops room that has been running since 2015 and remains, by some distance, the best-value serious meat restaurant in central London.
Last updated: 2 May 2026 — Independently researched and written by the London Reviews editorial team. No payment was accepted from the restaurant or its operator.
Looking for an honest Blacklock Soho review? Below we cover the “skinny chops” the kitchen is named after, the £27 ‘All In’ sharing menu, the famous Sunday roast, the Philip Warren sourcing, and what 6,700+ OpenTable diners and the London food press actually say.
Independent review based on cross-referenced sources from The Good Food Guide, Square Meal, Tripadvisor, OpenTable, Hardens, The Infatuation and the restaurant’s own published information. No payment was accepted.
At a Glance
| Restaurant | Blacklock Soho |
| Address | 24 Great Windmill Street, Soho, London W1D 7LG (basement) |
| Cuisine | British chophouse / steak & chops |
| Established | 2015 — the original Blacklock branch |
| Brand origin | Named after vintage Blacklock irons used to grill the “skinny chops” |
| Sister branches | Blacklock Shoreditch, Blacklock City, Blacklock Manchester, Blacklock Birmingham |
| Building | Basement; previously a brothel and lap-dancing club — now restored, fully above-board |
| Decor | Dark panelling, parquet floors, bare wooden tables, exposed brick |
| Sourcing | Philip Warren’s farm, Cornwall — naturally reared, grass-fed |
| Signature dish | “Skinny chops” (lamb, pork and beef chops cooked on the irons) |
| Best deal | “All In” sharing platter: £27 per person |
| Sunday roast | “All In” Sunday roast: £26 per person |
| Sides | Chips in beef dripping, broccoli, kale Caesar, mash, charred greens (£5–£8 each) |
| Average dinner spend | £35–£50 per head before drinks; £55–£75 with drinks and service |
| Service charge | 12.5% discretionary, standard London |
| Dress code | None — casual |
| Booking lead time | 2–6 weeks for weekend evenings; lunch and early-evening easier |
| Walk-ins | Yes — the bar takes walk-ins, expect a wait at peak |
| Opening hours | Daily, lunch 12pm–3pm; dinner 5pm–10:30pm; Sunday roast all day |
| Nearest Tube | Piccadilly Circus (Bakerloo, Piccadilly), Leicester Square (Northern, Piccadilly) |
| OpenTable rating | 4.8/5 from 6,738+ diners |
| Hardens verdict | Best value meat in London — “far cheaper than at Hawksmoor” |
| Best for | Group meat-eaters, post-work dinners, Sunday roast, anyone wanting Hawksmoor quality at half the price |
| Less ideal for | Vegetarians, anyone needing quiet conversation, large parties without booking |
Introduction: Why We Are Reviewing Blacklock Soho
When Blacklock opened in the basement of 24 Great Windmill Street in early 2015, the idea was straightforward: take London’s old chophouse tradition, source the meat properly, charge a fair price for it, and serve it on charred flatbreads in a room that does not stand on ceremony. A decade on, the formula has spawned five restaurants across the country, an unwavering 4.8/5 OpenTable rating from over 6,700 diners, and a reputation as the single best-value serious meat restaurant in London.
Hardens have written, in their published commentary, that Blacklock offers “some of the best value-for-money meat in London” and explicitly compared it favourably with Hawksmoor — the obvious benchmark in this category. The £27 “All In” sharing menu, where guests are served a stack of skinny chops (lamb, pork, beef) on chargrilled flatbread with the option of sides, has become the most-cited dish in the London food press for the price.
We chose to review Blacklock Soho because it is the original branch and remains the test case for the chain’s ability to deliver Hawksmoor-quality meat at half the Hawksmoor price. We’ve weighed the entire body of available feedback — OpenTable’s 6,738 diners, The Good Food Guide, Square Meal, Hardens, The Infatuation and Tripadvisor — alongside our own assessment of how the original room has held up across a decade.
Location & Getting There
24 Great Windmill Street sits in the heart of Soho, a few yards north of Shaftesbury Avenue and a short walk from both Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square. The entrance is at street level; the restaurant itself is in the basement, accessed by stairs.
By Tube
Piccadilly Circus on the Bakerloo and Piccadilly lines is the closest at roughly three minutes’ walk south. Leicester Square on the Northern and Piccadilly lines is around five minutes east. Tottenham Court Road with its Elizabeth-line entrance is about eight minutes north-east.
By Bus
Numerous routes serve Shaftesbury Avenue (the 14, 19, 38, 24) within a two-minute walk. Regent Street routes are also within five minutes.
Why the Location Matters
Blacklock’s Soho location matters because it puts an affordable serious dinner inside the central theatre district. Pre- and post-show meat dinners are a meaningful chunk of the booking pattern, and the kitchen runs late enough to handle the post-curtain crowd.
First Impressions & Atmosphere
You walk through an unobtrusive street-level door and down a flight of stairs into a basement that has been comprehensively cleaned up. The previous lives of the room — brothel, then notorious lap-dancing club — are referenced in framed press cuttings on the walls but otherwise left in the past. What you arrive into is a long, low-ceilinged room with dark wood panelling, parquet floors, exposed brick, bare wooden tables and a kitchen pass at the back where the chops are doing what chops do.
The lighting is deliberately low, the music sits at a volume that signals weekend rather than weekday, and the atmosphere on a Friday or Saturday night is properly lively — tables packed close, conversation loud enough that quiet diners will struggle, the smell of charred lamb and beef hanging pleasantly in the air. Lunch and Sunday roast are calmer; pre-theatre dinners can be paced to deliver you to the curtain on time if you flag it at booking.
There is a small bar at the front for walk-ins. The cocktails — the £5 list of pre-dinner classics is one of the chain’s long-standing signatures — are properly made, and the wait at the bar on a Friday is rarely more than 20 minutes.
The Kitchen: The Blacklock Approach
Blacklock’s commercial proposition is simple and discipline-driven. Source the meat from a single Cornwall farm (Philip Warren), cook it on cast-iron Blacklock irons until properly charred outside and pink inside, season heavily with salt and pepper, serve it on charcoal-grilled flatbread that catches the juices, finish with the gravy that has its own quiet cult following, and charge a fraction of what the Mayfair steakhouses do for the same quality.
The brigade is small and the kitchen pass is mostly visible. The cooking is not technically complex — this is not a tasting-menu kitchen with foam and tweezers — but it is technically demanding because the margin between “perfect skinny chop” and “over-seared skinny chop” is tight and the volume of plates moving through the pass on a Friday is high. Reviewers consistently note that the consistency holds up.
The Menu: What to Expect
The menu is short, structured around the chops, and easy to order from. The two routes are the “All In” sharing menu (the £27 platter that brings you a curated stack of all the meats with sides) and the a la carte (where you order specific cuts and sides individually).
The “All In” (£27 per person)
The defining Blacklock order. You get a stack of skinny chops — typically a large pork chop, a lamb chop and a piece of steak per person — piled on chargrilled flatbreads that catch the juices. Sides (chips in beef dripping, kale Caesar, mash) are extra at £5–£8 each. The famous Blacklock gravy is an add-on. For two people, the £27 each “All In” with two sides and a glass of wine each gets you out the door for around £85 — an absurd value for the meat quality.
A La Carte (Skinny Chops & Bone-In Cuts)
If you want specific cuts, the a la carte runs lamb T-bones, pork ribs, bone-in sirloins, and the Cornish-sourced steaks priced by the gram. This route runs higher per head — £45–£60 with sides and drinks — but lets you order specifically.
Sunday Roast (£26 “All In”)
The Blacklock Sunday roast has its own following. Beef, pork and lamb served on Yorkshire pudding with all the trimmings, gravy poured tableside. Booking is essential — Sunday lunch fills a fortnight ahead.
Sides & Desserts
Beef-dripping chips are the universal recommendation; the kale Caesar is genuinely good; the broccoli and walnut salad is a sleeper hit. Desserts are short — the white chocolate cheesecake has a devoted following.
Dietary Accommodation
Vegetarians will find Blacklock genuinely difficult. There is a vegetarian section on the menu but it is not the focus. Vegan provision is light. This is, candidly, a meat restaurant for meat eaters.
The Drinks
The drinks programme is the second piece of the Blacklock value proposition. The £5 cocktail list at the bar (pre-dinner classics: Negroni, Old Fashioned, Manhattan) is one of the lowest-priced quality cocktail offers in central London. Wine is not the focus — the list is short, sensibly priced and chosen to match the meat. House reds and whites by the glass start at around £8; bottles run from £30 to £80 with a few serious options above that.
Pricing & Value for Money
This is the part of the review that writes itself. Two diners taking the £27 “All In” with two sides, two glasses of wine and the 12.5% service charge will leave for £85–£100. The same meal at Hawksmoor would run £180–£220. At a Mayfair steakhouse it would run £250+. The meat quality — from the same Cornish farms many of those rooms also use — is genuinely comparable.
OpenTable diners describe the pricing variously as “the best value steak in London,” “Hawksmoor without the bill,” and “the £27 all in is the single best deal in central London.” Hardens explicitly position Blacklock as the value alternative to Hawksmoor.
Our Assessment
If you are comparing Blacklock to a Mayfair steakhouse, the value differential is enormous — £85 vs £220 for two for comparable meat quality. If you are comparing it to Hawksmoor, you are paying roughly half. If you are comparing it to a casual Soho dinner, you are paying about the same and getting better meat. By every reasonable benchmark, Blacklock Soho is one of the best-value serious meals in central London.
What Diners Actually Say: Review Analysis
OpenTable (4.8/5 from 6,738+ reviews)
One of the highest composite scores on OpenTable for any London restaurant in this volume bracket. Recurring praise focuses on the meat quality, the value, the friendly service and the cocktails. The most common criticism is the noise level on busy evenings.
The Good Food Guide
The Good Food Guide’s entry is positive, describing Blacklock as a London chophouse that “positively revels in animal protein” and noting that it captures the spirit of London’s old chophouses with a contemporary spin.
Hardens
Hardens describe Blacklock as “a legendary destination with consistently excellent meats, sides, drinks all far cheaper than at Hawksmoor.” They’ve flagged it repeatedly as offering “some of the best VFM meat in London.”
The Infatuation
The Infatuation’s review is enthusiastically positive, with the reviewer specifically calling out the “All In” menu and the value-to-quality ratio.
Square Meal & Tripadvisor
Both consistently positive. Tripadvisor diners praise the “all in” sharing platter and the Sunday roast as the standout orders. Square Meal singles out the cocktail programme and the affordability.
What Diners Love Most (Positive Themes)
- The £27 “All In” sharing menu. Universally cited as one of the best deals in central London. The single biggest reason most regulars become regulars.
- The meat quality. Sourced from Philip Warren in Cornwall, the same supplier used by several Michelin-starred London kitchens. The grass-fed quality is tangible.
- The Sunday roast. Beef, pork, lamb on a Yorkshire pudding for £26 “All In” — a Sunday institution that books two weeks out.
- The atmosphere. Loud, lively, low-ceilinged, basement, intentionally lacking in pretension. A proper night out rather than a self-conscious occasion.
- The £5 cocktail list. Properly made classics at a price point that makes pre-dinner drinks genuinely affordable.
- The famous Blacklock gravy. Has its own quiet cult following. Order it as an add-on and use the flatbread to mop it up.
- The beef-dripping chips. Reviewers reach for the same word: “essential.”
- The service warmth. Knowledgeable, friendly, unpretentious. The team genuinely seem to enjoy what they do.
Areas for Consideration (Constructive Feedback)
- It is loud. The basement room is properly lively on Friday and Saturday nights. Quiet conversation is not what Blacklock Soho is for.
- The basement isn’t step-free. The restaurant is down a flight of stairs with no lift; not suitable for anyone with significant mobility limitations.
- Vegetarians have limited options. The menu is built around meat. The vegetarian section is genuine but small. Vegans should look elsewhere.
- Booking is now genuinely difficult. Weekend evenings disappear two to six weeks ahead. The bar takes walk-ins but expect to wait.
- Close tables. The room is packed efficiently; you will overhear your neighbour’s conversation.
- The wine list is short. Adequate for the meal but not a destination programme. If you want serious wine, choose elsewhere.
Who Is Blacklock Soho Best For?
✅ Excellent for:
- Meat eaters seeking Hawksmoor quality at half the price
- Group dinners of 2–6
- Pre-theatre dinners (book the early sitting and flag the curtain time)
- Sunday roast institutions — one of London’s best
- Post-work drinks-and-dinner combos (the £5 cocktail list helps)
- Anyone who values a proper, lively dinner over orchestrated ceremony
⚠️ Less ideal for:
- Vegetarians and vegans (the menu is meat-led)
- Wheelchair users (basement, stairs only)
- Quiet conversation seekers
- Large groups (book the Sunday roast as a private party for 8–14)
- Diners expecting a Mayfair steakhouse’s polish and silver service
How Blacklock Soho Compares
| Feature | Blacklock Soho | Hawksmoor Seven Dials | Goodman Mayfair | Quality Chop House |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cuisine | British chophouse | British steakhouse | European steakhouse | British chophouse, fine-dining |
| Average dinner (2 courses) | £35–£50 pp | £75–£100 pp | £90–£130 pp | £70–£90 pp |
| Best deal | £27 “All In” | £28 set lunch (limited) | None | £25 set lunch (limited) |
| Sourcing | Philip Warren, Cornwall | Multiple British farms | USDA + UK | Multiple, organic-leaning |
| Atmosphere | Loud, lively basement | Polished, lively dining room | Mayfair clubby | Old-school chop-house |
| Cover count | ~80 | ~110 | ~80 | ~50 |
| Booking lead time | 2–6 weeks | 3–6 weeks | 1–2 weeks | 2–3 weeks |
| Sunday roast | £26 “All In” — a London highlight | £42 set | Not standard | £45 set |
| OpenTable rating | 4.8 | 4.7 | 4.6 | 4.7 |
| Best for | Best value meat in central London | Polished steakhouse occasion | Mayfair steakhouse occasion | Old-school British dining |
Verdict
Blacklock Soho is the best-value option in this category by a meaningful margin. Hawksmoor is the more polished room with a broader wine list; Goodman is the more Mayfair-formal experience; Quality Chop House offers the most ambitious cooking at this price level. None of them quite matches Blacklock’s combination of meat quality, atmosphere and £27 “All In” pricing.
How to Book and Insider Tips
- Book directly via the Blacklock website or via OpenTable two to six weeks ahead for weekend evenings. Lunch and the early sitting are easier; Sunday roast books two weeks out.
- Order the £27 “All In” on your first visit. It is the menu the kitchen is built around.
- Add the famous Blacklock gravy. Use the flatbread to mop it up.
- Order the beef-dripping chips. Order them again. Don’t skip them.
- Take the £5 cocktail offer at the bar before sitting. Manhattan is the safe bet.
- For Sunday roast, book at least two weeks ahead. Choose the Soho branch over the others if you can — the original is still the best.
- Walk-ins work, but expect to wait 20–40 minutes at the bar on Friday and Saturday nights.
FAQs
Is Blacklock Soho the best chophouse in London?
By value-for-money it is unrivalled. Hawksmoor offers a more polished room with a broader wine list at twice the price; Quality Chop House offers more ambitious cooking. For meat quality at the price point, Blacklock Soho is the consensus winner.
How do I book a table at Blacklock Soho in London?
Reserve via Blacklock’s own website or OpenTable two to six weeks ahead for weekend evenings. Lunch and Monday-to-Wednesday dinner are easier. Walk-ins are accepted at the bar with a wait at peak.
What does the “All In” cost at Blacklock Soho?
The “All In” sharing menu is £27 per person and brings a stack of lamb, pork and beef chops on chargrilled flatbreads. Sides are extra at £5–£8 each. The Sunday roast “All In” is £26 per person.
What is the dress code at Blacklock Soho in London?
None. Casual is the norm; jeans and trainers are common; the only standard is that you turn up.
Does Blacklock Soho in London accommodate vegetarian diners?
The vegetarian section is small but present. Vegan provision is limited. Plant-led diners should look elsewhere — Blacklock is genuinely a meat restaurant.
Where does Blacklock Soho source its meat?
Philip Warren’s farm in Cornwall — the same supplier used by several Michelin-starred London kitchens. The grass-fed quality is the meal’s defining feature.
What is the signature dish at Blacklock Soho in London?
The “skinny chops” that the chain takes its name from — lamb, pork and beef cooked on the original Blacklock cast-iron grill irons. The £27 “All In” is the easiest way to try them all in one sitting.
Is Blacklock Soho in London accessible for wheelchair users?
Unfortunately not. The restaurant is in a basement accessed by stairs only, with no lift. Anyone with significant mobility limitations should call the restaurant before booking.
What is the nearest tube station to Blacklock Soho?
Piccadilly Circus on the Bakerloo and Piccadilly lines is the closest at about three minutes’ walk south. Leicester Square on the Northern and Piccadilly lines is around five minutes east.
London Reviews Verdict on Blacklock Soho
Blacklock Soho is one of the easiest restaurants in London to recommend — for meat eaters. The £27 “All In” sharing menu is the best deal in central London for serious meat at this quality. The Sunday roast is one of the city’s best at any price. The basement room, the dim lighting, the loud weekend energy and the £5 cocktails combine to deliver a proper night out without ceremony.
For a group dinner, for a Sunday roast institution, for a pre-theatre meal that doesn’t cost what a West End ticket does, this is one of the most consistent recommendations we can make. The room is loud, the basement isn’t step-free, and vegetarians will be unhappy — but if those things don’t apply to you, this is one of the best-value serious meals in the capital.
Our overall steer is straightforward. Book two to six weeks ahead for weekend evenings, order the £27 “All In” with the beef-dripping chips and the kale Caesar, take the gravy as an add-on, drink the £5 cocktails before you sit, and finish with the white chocolate cheesecake. You will leave understanding why Blacklock Soho has become the city’s favourite chophouse and why it has spawned four sister branches across the country.
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Summary Rating Table
| Category | Rating |
|---|---|
| Meat quality | ★★★★★ |
| Cooking technique | ★★★★☆ |
| Service | ★★★★☆ |
| Atmosphere & design | ★★★★☆ |
| Drinks (cocktails & wine) | ★★★★☆ |
| Value for money | ★★★★★ |
| Sunday roast | ★★★★★ |
| Booking experience | ★★★★☆ |
| Accessibility | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| OVERALL | ★★★★☆ 4.6/5 |
Disclaimer: This Blacklock Soho review is independent editorial content compiled by the London Reviews team from publicly available sources, including The Good Food Guide, Square Meal, Tripadvisor, OpenTable, Hardens, The Infatuation and the restaurant’s own published information. All ratings reflect the consensus of public review platforms and London Reviews’ own editorial assessment. Prices, opening hours and menus are subject to change; please confirm current details with the restaurant before visiting. No payment was accepted from the venue or its operator.
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