On a hunt for a pub near Fleur De Lis Street, that I’d had a great Sunday lunch at many years ago but had since forgotten the name of, we stumbled across The Hawksmoor. Known by its reputation alone, I figured that enough people had raved about this place, its food and it’s prices, to justify us trying to get a table.

The Hawksmoor is just one of the names that repeatedly gets thrown into the mix when you ask where to take someone for a special* occasion meal.

* This usually means a pricey one.

However, I knew we were on a bit of a budget, and I HATE spending good money on shit food, and so when I spotted that it had a separate bar area, with it’s very own cheaper food menu, I was sure that this would be a good call. JMG and I had spent the morning strolling around the streets of east London with our friends Alaina and Ryan who were visiting from North Carolina. Americans know their burgers and so I thought this would be a good test.

We stepped down into the shadowy depths of The Spitalfields basement bar and took in the gleaming copper roofed booths and deep mahogany coloured tables. I was expecting this place to be rammed, yet it wasn’t, much to our benefit. However, we did only have 10 minutes to look over the menu and let out stomach’s decide. Note: the kitchen closes at 3pm on a Saturday.

We ordered…

To drink

• 2 x pale ale beers
• 1 x red and green margarita cocktail (or was that green and red?)
• 1 x CJ’s cider cocktail from the Desert Island Drinks selection.

To eat

• 3 x cheeseburgers, £8.50 each
• 1 x pulled pork burger, £7.50
• 3  x triple fried chips, £4 each

Thoughts…

The food was nice, but the portions were a bit on the small size for the price and the level of hunger we were at. You definitely need a side of chips. In comparison, we went to Patty & Bun a few months ago - their burgers were much bigger, just as tasty and cheaper too - read our review.

The atmosphere in the downstairs Spitalfields bar was a little lacking. We had a great time chatting amongst ourselves, but there was something missing. Perhaps it’s because the staff were in a rush to get our order so that the kitchen could close?  They had alerted us that they needed our orders quickly but it kind of took that shine out of looking at the menu. I don’t know… the waiting staff were pleasant, don’t get me wrong, but despite this place being rather quiet I didn’t feel that we were paid much attention to? But I guess that’s ‘hipster’ customer service for you. Something that I’ve experienced more times that I care to mention since living in London. Sometimes that passion for the food they are serving is just isn’t there. I want someone to enthuse about just how good the pulled pork is or how amazing a particular cocktail tastes.

Our advice: Drop the attitude but keep the coolness. A smile goes a long way.

Total bill for 4 people: £78

Quite pricey, I’d say, for what we ordered, I’d be interested in trying the main restaurant and seeing how that compares in terms of cost, quality and customer service.

157b Commercial Street, London E1 6BJ

Tel. 020 7426 4856
Reservations: spitalfieldsbar@thehawksmoor.com

Photography © Lucie Kerley