Savoy Grill London Review: Gordon Ramsay's Classic

London is a dream destination for foodies, especially if you want to experience a meal by legendary chef Gordon Ramsay. He currently runs several distinct dining concepts across the city, including:

Restaurant Gordon Ramsay (his flagship three-Michelin-starred spot in Chelsea)

And five popular locations near the West End and Covent Garden:

- Heddon Street Kitchen

- Restaurant 1890

- The River Restaurant

- Gordon Ramsay Street Burger

- Savoy Grill

Because most of these are situated near Covent Garden, they make the perfect lunch or dinner stop after a day of exploring the National Gallery and shopping around the West End.

For my London culinary adventure, I decided to book a table at the iconic Savoy Grill, world-renowned for its classic Beef Wellington.

While his Chelsea flagship is famously difficult to book and incredibly expensive, other venues like Restaurant 1890 and The River Restaurant also skew high, easily requiring a budget of at least ~$128 per person. Heddon Street Kitchen is slightly more casual, but when comparing the standalone price of the Beef Wellington, Savoy Grill actually offered a more appealing experience for the value, which sealed the deal for me.

I secured our reservation through the OpenTable app about a week in advance. While there were plenty of time slots available online, the dining room was completely packed during our visit. I highly recommend booking ahead so you don't risk being turned away at the door.

📍 Savoy Grill
100 Strand, London WC2R 0EZ, United Kingdom

Savoy Grill is housed inside the legendary 5-star Savoy Hotel. Walk past the iconic red-jacketed doormen and head straight into the main lobby; the restaurant is located just to the left of the entrance.

We arrived about 40 minutes early for our reservation. The staff kindly escorted us to the luxurious lobby lounge, where we relaxed on plush velvet sofas for a few minutes before our table was ready.

The Edwardian elegance of the hotel is breathtaking. Out of curiosity, I looked up room rates—they easily go for over ~$640 a night! It definitely sets a high-end, sophisticated mood for your dining experience.

A quick travel tip: the restrooms are located down the grand staircase in the basement. It is hands down the most palatial restroom I have ever seen. Complete with museum-worthy paintings, individual cloth hand towels, and pristine marble, it felt like stepping into a royal residence. After dealing with some of London's less-than-stellar public facilities, this was absolute heaven!

We sat down around 1:00 PM on a weekday, and the room was buzzing. The center of the dining room features beautiful circular tables, while the perimeter is lined with comfortable leather booths. The atmosphere is upscale but not stiff or whisper-quiet—it has a warm, lively energy perfect for couples and families alike.

There is no strict dress code, though smart-casual is highly recommended. Just avoid sportswear, activewear, and flip-flops, and you'll fit right in.

The wine and cocktail list here is extensive, featuring incredible vintages from France, Italy, and the New World. A quick tip for dining in the UK: restaurants will ask if you want water right away. Since even bottled water comes with a charge, we recommend skipping it and ordering a glass of wine or a cocktail first, just like the locals do!

We opted for the Weekday Lunch Menu (available Monday through Friday from 12:00 PM to 5:30 PM). It is by far the most cost-effective way to dine here. We upgraded our mains to the famous Beef Wellington for an additional £25 (~$32) per person. While you can order the Wellington à la carte, the lunch set menu offers incredible value.

To pair with our meal, my husband ordered a glass of French red wine: Diane de Belgrave 2015 (the second wine of Château Belgrave). It was beautifully balanced, bringing out rich dark fruit notes without being overly heavy. My husband, a wine enthusiast, declared it one of the best reds he had ever tasted.

Since I was taking some medication, I skipped the alcohol and enjoyed a crisp, refreshing cranberry juice.

The meal began with complimentary bread—wonderfully crusty on the outside and pillowy soft on the inside, served with rich, salted butter.

For my starter, I chose the smoked salmon, beautifully garnished with pickled beetroot. While the presentation was gorgeous, the salmon itself was a bit too salty for my taste. I highly recommend eating it with the accompanying cream sauce to balance the flavors.

My husband went with the steak tartare, served alongside crispy truffle potato chips. The beef was incredibly fresh, perfectly seasoned, and paired beautifully with the earthy truffle chips. If you are choosing starters, the tartare is the clear winner!

Then came the main event: the legendary Beef Wellington. It arrived looking picture-perfect, and the server elegantly poured a rich red wine jus tableside.

So, does it live up to the massive hype? Honestly, it was delicious. The beef fillet was exceptionally tender, cooked to a flawless medium-rare, and encased in a golden, buttery, flaky pastry crust. However, was it life-changing? Perhaps not quite. If you are looking strictly at value-for-money steak options in London, a casual spot like Flat Iron might leave your wallet feeling happier. But you are paying for the master craftsmanship and the iconic brand here.

That being said, checking a Gordon Ramsay restaurant off your bucket list is a quintessential London experience. The impeccable service, historic dining room, and classic presentation make it a fantastic choice for a special occasion, anniversary, or holiday treat.

To accompany dessert, my husband wanted to try another wine. Since our first choice was out of stock, the sommelier recommended the Sandeman Tawny Port. It was a solid, sweet port, though fairly common and easy to find elsewhere.

For dessert, we had a classic walnut cake with vanilla ice cream, and a savory cheese plate featuring crackers and blue cheese. The walnut cake was refined and high-quality, though I'm not a huge fan of walnuts. The blue cheese was incredibly pungent and robust—definitely an acquired taste if you aren't used to strong European cheeses!

Our final wine pairing of the afternoon was the China Girl Pinot Noir 2017. While it shared some light, fruit-forward characteristics with our first bottle, my husband still preferred the Diane de Belgrave, despite the China Girl being slightly more expensive.

As we requested the bill, the kitchen sent out warm, freshly baked madeleines. They were wonderfully moist, fragrant, and not overly sweet—a perfect, elegant finish to our lunch.

With three glasses of wine, the Beef Wellington lunch menu upgrades, and a standard 15% service charge, our final bill came to £289 (approx. ~$333 USD). While it's a splurge that I might not repeat on every London trip, dining at the Savoy Grill was a memorable, bucket-list experience that I highly recommend trying at least once!