Simpson's in the Strand

01What to order

• The Hot Trolley: roast rib of Devonshire beef£49.75 on the August 2026 bill of fare, carved at the table and served with Yorkshire pudding, roast root vegetables, seasonal greens, horseradish sauce and gravy. Hot Dinners listed it at £39.50 in March 2026.
• Grilled Barnsley chop, 400 g / 14 oz£46.50, with Simpson's mint sauce; the lamb dish from the grill.
• 'Tongue in Cheek'£43.25: ox cheek and tongue with peppercorn sauce.
• Pie or pudding of the dayOne for each day of the week: steak and kidney pudding on Thursdays (£27.25), beef and ale pie on Mondays (£25.75), ox cheek pudding on Wednesdays (£26.50).
• House claret by the carafe£45 for 50 cl; the house also pours hock, Chablis and red Burgundy by the carafe.
• The Ten Deadly SinsThe Grand Divan's breakfast plate, served every day.

02The beef

The bill of fare names the county, not the breed: roast rib of Devonshire beef. Spear's, writing in July 2026, reported that the rib is aged for 30 days, cooked at 50 °C / 122 °F for ten hours and then held under the trolley's heated dome at 42–52 °C / 108–126 °F over a warm water bath, with gravy made to order, the house horseradish and double cream. No source names the farm or the breed, or says whether the aging is dry or wet. Beef also appears in the oxtail broth, the ox cheek and tongue, and the Monday and Thursday pies and puddings.

03The fire

This is roast beef, not a grilled steak: the rib is cooked slowly and carved from the trolley. The grill items on the menu are the Barnsley chop and the bacon chop. No source names the oven or the fuel.

04The story

The Grand Cigar Divan replaced the Fountain Tavern, where the Kit-Cat Club had met, and chess players such as Steinitz, Morphy and Lasker came to the room. In 1848 the name became Simpson's Grand Divan Tavern; Simpson sold the business in 1864, and in 1898 Richard D'Oyly Carte of the Savoy bought it. The building was rebuilt in 1903–1904 and reopened as Simpson's-in-the-Strand; it is Grade II listed, and Winston Churchill and P. G. Wodehouse were among its guests. In 2005 it passed to Fairmont Hotels and Resorts. Jeremy King first considered taking it on in 2000, per Restaurant Online; his group executive chef is David Stevens and the Grand Divan's head chef is Ed Ross, both from The Wolseley. Chess has come back too: Romano's, upstairs, lends boards every afternoon from 15:00 to 18:00.

05The practical

100 Strand, WC2R 0EZ, next to the Savoy; the nearest Tube stations are Charing Cross, Embankment and Covent Garden. Grand Divan: breakfast Monday to Friday 07:00–11:00 and weekends 08:00–11:00; lunch daily 11:30–15:00; dinner Monday to Saturday 17:00–22:45 and Sunday 17:00–21:45 (last orders). Phone 020 7836 9112 or granddivanreservations@simpsonsinthestrand.co.uk. There is no formal dress code, though the house suggests smart dress. Children must be over five. The largest table seats six. A 15% service charge is added, and a no-show costs £40 a head at lunch or dinner. The Grand Divan has step-free access; laptops and smart glasses are not allowed.

Address

100 Strand, London WC2R 0EZ

Phone

+44 20 7836 9112

Website

simpsonsinthestrand.co.uk

Directions

Google Maps ↗

06In London’s selections