81 Great Eastern Street
EC2A 3HU
Tel: 0207 739 9111
Date of Last Visit: Tuesday September 12, 2006
The Vicitms: Too many to mention
The Damage: Unknown. Business dinner.
The Counterbalance: None that day. But 2.85 miles the day before.
The Background: I had read in Olive, the BBC food magazine, about the new Hoxton Hotel. This particular part of town is a bit low on hotels, aside from the Holiday Inn Express at Old Street (uggh) and the super pricey Great Eastern Hotel by Liverpool Street. So it’s a welcome addition to the hood. Anyhow, I needed to organize a last minute dinner for 13 people, never easy. No one, as usual, would take us. But the new Hoxton Grille in the Hoxton Hotel said sure, come on over. (That being said, they did that little reservation dance with me…7 p.m.? No, we can’t do 7. We could do 7:15 though. We got there and it was pretty empty. They totally could have taken us at 7.)
The Service: Our server was really friendly and nice and gave us some great recs on the menu and the wine list. But then he disappeared, never to be seen again. That being said, the woman who took his place was quite charming and helpful and friendly too. In between though, the friendly guy forgot our olives, and our wine sat on the bar forever before anyone brought it to us.
Litle Known Fact: The Hoxton is owned by the guy that owns Pret a Manger!
The Food: I had the melon and prociutto starter and it was perfect. They had drizzled something on it that made it extra special. I wish I knew what it was. For my main, I had the salmon fishcakes, which were also quite nice.
The Drinks: I thought the wine list was nicely varied and decently priced. Also, I loved how at the hotel check-in desk, they had convenience store fridge where you could buy soda, wine, beer, etc. at decent prices, not hotel-rip-off-prices.
The Verdict: I’ve spent a lot of time in hotel bars and restaurants. While they Hoxton Grille won’t win any prizes for the decor in the restaurant (I thought the lobby decor was cool), the food will keep them coming back for more. Also–I was really impressed with how cheap the breakfast menu was (must be The Pret connection), so I would definitely come back here for a business breakfast.
2 comments
Ooooh I like breakfast and that is only 10 mins from my house so must investigate!
When they opened they had £1 rooms on offer. So gutted I missed out!
I am a sucker for hotel bars and restaurants when they’re well done and convivial and populated. They are all these things. And breakfast was not hotel-pricey.
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