A comely and familiar Grade II listed gastropub, The George impresses with original 18th century features which include marble fireplaces, mahogany wood, ornate plastering, and period-accurate wall-hanging lamps that are sure to impress your tourist or out-of-towner friends and well-wishers.
Of course, given the area, it will likely be a hustle to find a seat, let alone a table, as particularly toward the weekend it fills up with Guiness-wielding city slickers and trendy boisterous twenty-somethings. The refined pub vibe downstairs generally appeals to the older crowd, or those with a deep appreciation of the designs and symbols of the Used-to-be, though a well-maintained, traditional, and clean interior like The George’s provides an exceptional and classy drinking experience for all. Now you may understand why such a place would have punters hanging from rafters.
Come for the weekend jamborees, of course, but if it was the dining experience you were looking for, then upstairs is the place to be. Sunday roast seekers may reel at the idea of a homely, cosy Sunday roast held at such a central venue, with most preferring the breezy outskirts to feast upon the Great British meal, yet The George faithfully recreates and evokes the pastoral. The tarted-up, green-heavy and overly posh sensibilities of upstairs’ interior make one feel as if they are seated in the dining hall of a major aristocrats country home, that the airy sash windows open out to a view of endless dairy cows and wheatfields instead of the bustle of Great Portland Street.
And like any good traditional British gastropub, the menu is artfully restrained with focus on the classics, the winners of our cuisine: beer-battered cod and chips, ploughmans, beef and Guinness pie, sirloin steak, and a rather apetising pork cheek curry. Nose-to-tail curry aside, The George provides excellent options for picky British eaters whose tastes vary from brown to beige.
Sundays come with a range of apetisers that offer variations on classics, like Welsh rarebit croquettes, black pudding Scotch egg, and red curry pork scratchings, and of course, their roasts. Options include Cumbrian native rump of beef with bonemarrow gravy and horseradish cream, slow roasted chicken with sage & onion stuffed leg and bread sauce, a whole shoulder of lamb with garlic & herb sauce (by far the most expensive option at £75 but intended for sharing with gravy for two or three) and mushroom & celeriac pithivier for the veggies and vegans amongst us.
Despite being in the centre of central London, The George mesmerizingly transports you to a time long since passed, inducing pre-industrial notion of Britishness with enough reserves of modernity to hold appeal for contemporary audiences. A fine balance.
Details
- Address:
- 55 Great Portland Street
- W1W 7LQ
- Contact:
- https://thegeorge.london/
- 020 3946 3740
- Transport:
- Oxford Circus