This was an interesting but ultimately somewhat disappointing dining experience. I really enjoy the idea of a single menu option, especially since it seems a lot of thought went into the design of it when I went. It did seem to be a bit too creative, which caused it to fail taste and texture wise in the end. The venue and staff were wonderful throughout the evening! read more

All the critics were raving about this place so decided to see what the fuss was about. So it is a set menu. We were able to walk in on a Saturday and sit at the bar. The simple, minimal airy space is actually quite inviting and we were very happy at the bar. The bartender (and the coffee guy) were excellent. We had a really interesting bottle of wine and excellent coffee. But the food and service missed the mark...... It took a long time to get our first course out--an inordinate amount of time in fact. Some of the food really missed the mark. The clams in cider had some grit (not pleasant). My friend who had the vegetarian offering was not at all happy to find out her main was onions. When she complained the response was "Well you saw the menu when you walked in". I was mortified! He then apologized and we did have complementary dessert wine. So I fear it is hit or miss and that is a hard thing when you aren't giving your customers options. Proceed at your own risk, but definitely get a cup of coffee while you are there. read more

Nice food. Very fresh and interesting. Sometimes a hit and sometimes a miss. Also really trendy and comfortable environment.

The dishes turned up a steady rate and were all very nicely presented. Some portions looked on the stingy side but after eating you come to realise they're well judged and our bellies were all well satisfied. Everything was washed down with a couple of glasses of lovely sparkling wine and the bill still came to under £40 a head. The stand out dishes for me were; Ox Heart - bold in flavour, tender and worked perfectly with the accompanying pickled walnuts and brussels tops. Pheasant Liver - silky smooth and rich, similar to foie gras, gamey and beautiful on a piece of crunchy toast with a dollop of crabapple jelly. Saddleback - a few lovely chunks of fatty, juicy saddleback with roasted pumpkin slices and black cabbage. I wouldn't say the dishes at Lyle's were particularly exciting or adventurous but each dish was of a high standard and a very well executed, balanced piece of cooking in it's own right. The atmosphere's decent and the setting is just about as classy as Shoreditch gets. It's great for a relaxed lunch or a good value tasting menu style dinner. read more

The thing that striked me about this place is the almost minimal yet still beautiful setting to eat. By the Tea Building in Shoreditch it was wonderful natural lighting that I took many pictures of. Similar to St John. In terms of the meals the highlights of this ever changing seasonal menu (as of May 16th) were: Starters: - Asparagus and duck egg. Very delicate and subtle flavour. - -Raw Dexter Rib was ok. The Mullet Roe was interesting. Nice and crispy. - Cod's tongue, mashed potato and ramson was the stand out starter. So fresh and garlicy! Loved it! Moped it up with the free bread and butter they gave. Mains: - The Lemon Sole was beautifully cooked though very thorny! Handle with care. The sea aster that went with it I had never had but was beautifully fresh. Dessert: - The Treacle Tart with raw milk ice cream was lovely. Not too sweet. Not too stodgy. A light touch from the chef! - I had wanted to try the Apple, Sorrel and Goat's Curd. But it was not on the Lunch menu. I asked nonetheless and the server was kind enough to chat to the chef and they agreed they would make it now problem despite it being on the dinner menu. Well done chaps because this was nothing like I had ever tasted and reminded me of my childhood in the same breath. Like the apple sweets you used to suck but with a hint of cheesy curd. Outstandingly inventive. read more

We had dinner here because of what we had read about it. Do not understand the hipe, were very disappointed. Minimal setting which is ok. Seats were extremely uncomfortable. Wait staff pleasant and efficient. Not a lot of choices of wine by glass so ordered a bottle of muscadet. No choices even if willing to add supplement. Broccoli served first. Amuse. Burnt taste. Blood pudding to start. Tasted better than it sounded. Garnish tasted like you were chewing on glass, but told it was burnt apple. Next course several pieces of pumpkin that were cooked well with kale that was tough. ( should have been harvested sooner). Main course chicken with a couple pieces of raw spinach and sorrel. ( not too much creative cooking here). Chicken was cooked to 55 degrees Celsius which is 131 Fahrenheit. Everything you read about cooking poultry tells you to take out of oven at 65 Celsius (155 fahrenheit) and rest to 75C and 165F. Ours was medium rare(steak temperature). We sent back. When came back not much different and did not eat. Offered cheese plate complimentary. Cheese should have room temperature. Dessert was a nice presentation. Fig leaf ice cream(tasted like vanilla) with fresh figs and an apple granite. Thought 44 pounds was expensive for what was served. We were given a discount for the chicken, but would rather have food that was cooked properly and could be eaten. Especially unfortunate since we had travel 45 minutes each way to go there. read more

An exceptional experience! Service was great. Our four course set menu (plus two starters) included just about the best piece of beef I've ever had, though I understand the menu changes every day. The sommelier recommended some great wines to pair. read more

Many reviewers have found fault with the dinner experience at Lyle's, but I can only speak to the wonderful lunch I enjoyed in June. A multi-course meal at a Michelin-starred restaurant for less than £35 is certainly a breath of fresh air. Large windows facing the pop-up market outside invite soft natural light into the spacious venue, characterized by white brick walls and columns. As some others have noted, the pace of service is rather laid-back, which was not really a problem because I had nowhere else to be. The menu fluctuates daily and offers updated British fare created from high-end ingredients integrated in unique ways. We started with Grilled Barra Cockles, a dish of small savory clams served in garlic-herb broth that was a subtle but tasty start to the meal. Next up was Mutton Tartare served on a bed of cured fish eggs. The raw meat was deliciously gamey and the creamy roe and shredded white asparagus added diversity of texture and taste. Both of our main courses made me physically exclaim upon first bite -- they were just that good. The first was Smoked Eel with Hispi and Dulse, which are a sweet cabbage and a red seaweed, respectively. While the portion of eel was small for three, the intensity of flavor was incredible. The soft flesh tasted meaty and slightly tangy, almost like BBQ pork. The final course was Monkfish, Liver & White Peach. If you've never had monkfish, it has a sweet and buttery flavor much like lobster. The small piece of liver was solid, but the sweet-and-salty grilled peach elevated the dish to another dimension. read more

There was no middle ground in Lyle's set menu on the night, the dishes were either top notch or mediocre, and at almost £40 without drinks and service, I expected so much better than what was served up. In the end the no choice menu was just too limited for my liking and some of the dishes for me, seemed like the chef had gone for a 'concept' but overlooked the fundamental foundation. read more

The food was lackluster but the worst was the service. For how much we paid (60 pounds per person plus a 38 pound bottle of wine), you'd expect prompt service. Our entire dinner lasted close to three hours (took us 30 mins for our bill after we asked) and many of the people around us who were seated after us were served before we were. Our biggest gripe was the mutton. The couple to our left had an excellent portion, as did those to our right. When ours came, it was approximately 1/4 of the size of our fellow diners. The price is absolutely not worth what you get. read more

I have been to lyles twice now, both times being fine. The first time we booked Friday night dinner, could only get a 6.30 booking, the restaurant is a large open space, so the fact there was only one other couple there, which we were sat right next to felt extremely awkward- there was no music playing which caused even more awkwardness. You can not help but be self conscious of your own conversation and that of the tables next to you when you are the only diners in a large restaurant with minimal noise coming from staff/kitchen or anything else! There was no restaurant "buzz" until the time we left- 8.30. The food was delicious, and our waiter wonderful. However the experience we were left with was that of the lack of atmosphere, and feeling like we needed to talk in hush voices until other diners turned up! This can be easily rectified- either by having music play, or altering the booking system, which would mean more diners in the space throughout the evening - OR, don't sit the first tables all next to each other! The set menu was lovely, and the two surprise dishes were really amazing. Our wine choice was excellent- thanks to the assistance of our waiter. The second time I went was with friends for Friday lunch, we had another lovely meal, but again, the quietness of the restaurant put off the people I was eating with- I explained that this had happened last time I was here too. I was a bit more prepared for it this time! Tip- book a late dinner (after 8/8.30). read more

Excellent food. I have zero faults for this place. The decor and the style of food is almost exactly the same as St. Johns - which isn't a bad thing at all to be honest. read more

So I'm struggling to rate this place 4 stars or 3..we walked in at 8pm and the place felt empty. It's a large space because of the high ceiling and so it felt like a school cafeteria..a fancy school cafeteria. There is no music and there weren't many people though it did fill up shortly after we arrived. It definitely felt better when it got fuller. So on to the food. The menu is set - I quite like this as it makes me eat things I wouldn't normally choose. Tonight's menu did not look like one I would enjoy so I pleasantly surprised by the "surprise snack" of lamb (nuggets). They were amazing. I also loved the chanterelles, egg & onion. I'm not a fan of anchovy but apparently the beef came with gem lettuce & anchovy - it all went really well together. Desserts were just about right for me..I don't like them really sweet and these were both like palette cleansers. A bit of a weird setting but I enjoyed the food...maybe they are trying a little too hard..maybe read more

Mediocre Food and Very Rude Server. Spent the past week in England with my mother and had already been to the Fat Duck (spectacular) and Nopi (totally different but outstanding as well). We had such high hopes for Lyle's - the reviews were wonderful and the concept sounded interesting. Unfortunately the experience was a huge disappointment. I will say the host - who I presume was also the manager - was lovely and gracious. But that's the best I can say for the restaurant. Much of the food simply wasn't good. The zucchini soup "snack" was so oily as to be inedible and was served with a green beans and a crab dish which was fine but nothing very interesting. The mackerel, tomatoes and lardo was somewhat unpleasant and my duck was dry and overcooked. The Peas and Tymsboro dish was reasonably tasty and the blackcurrant ice cream was odd but interesting. But neither made up for what was otherwise a very mediocre meal. Still, the real problem here was the service. Initially the waiter was a tad condescending but fine (presumed I wouldn't know was watercress is, etc.) We did find it odd that he'd placed a water jug on our table but failed to fill our glasses. But we could have overlooked that as a quirk of the restaurant as in fact only once during the entire dinner did a server top off an empty glass with either water or the bottles of pear cider we'd each ordered - both of which sat on the table throughout the meal. Notable problems arose, however, once we'd finished our first course of Peas and Tymsboro. It is a dish with small peas, lettuces and cheese so I'd used a fork but hadn't felt the need to use my knife. As we were finishing the waiter came over to see if we were done. He then proceeded to lecture me that I should have placed my unused knife on my dish to indicate that I was finished. That in England "though perhaps not in America" servers would have continued to walk by our table all night and never have cleared the dish because I'd failed to place my knife on the plate. Apparently I was lucky that this particular server understood that Americans are too uncouth to understand this and he realized he should school me in the finer points of dining etiquette. He couldn't quite stop himself there either. Since neither my mother nor I had found the food to be particularly good we didn't finish a number of our plates. Several of the other servers seemed surprised that we were done but otherwise cleared the dish without comment. At the end of the meal I ordered a cafe Americano. I drank half of it - and yes, it was fine - but didn't feel the need to drink the entire thing. When he brought the bill the server said "I didn't charge you for the coffee since you'd didn't drink it". I actually suspect he thought he was being charming but his manner in fact came across as accusatory and rude. I have been to some of the finest restaurants in the world - the French Laundry, 11 Madison Park, The Fat Duck just a few days earlier, etc.. Never have I had a server think it appropriate to lecture me on my table manners or question what or how much I ate (other than to express concern if I'd liked a dish, something this server did not ask once though we'd finished almost none of the courses) . Perhaps he is correct and the appropriate thing would have been to put a clean unused knife on my plate to indicate that I am done. Perhaps somehow it was wrong of me to order a coffee when I didn't want to drink the entire thing. Ultimately, however, to chastise and lecture a customer is far more rude. read more