The George

"The George, a Fitzrovia pub run by the JKS Restaurants group that counts The Cadogan Arms, Bibi, and Bao amongst its all-conquering roster, is a delicious and decadent take on a pub. It’s a kind of semi-novelty experience for anyone looking to enjoy a seriously good Sunday roast, Sky Sports, and a pint of Guinness in Zone 1. Previously a parlour for gout-enthusiasts, the upstairs dining room at The George has settled into life as a sanguine and straightforward place for tarted-up pub classics. The room gives off an energy that mixes The Tudors and the posh bit of the Titanic while the staff, who are friendly rather than fawning, will very much encourage a sticky toffee Old Fashioned. There are velvet seats to settle down in, or private rooms for so-and-so's leaving do. It’s fun and it’s functional. photo credit: The George photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch photo credit: The George Downstairs it’s all mahogany wood and monogrammed pint glasses. Come to The George after work on a thirsty Thursday and you’ll more than likely be in for a squeeze. But nab a table and it’s worth it. The menu here (the same up and downstairs) offers a British kaleidoscope of beige: moreish cottage pie croquettes to heart-stopping clotted cream mash. The fish and chips is crisp and shattering with plenty of scraps, and the beef rump with bone marrow gravy is one of the finest roasts in town. Food Rundown photo credit: The George Sunday Roast Make no mistake, Sunday roasts at The George are more dearly priced than pubs not in Fitzrovia. But they’re also very high quality. Nothing quite compares to a tray of roasties at home, but a glowing pink rump of beef smothered in bone marrow gravy here comes close. There’s an always-tempting sharing board if you fancy a bit of beef, lamb, and chicken. photo credit: The George Beer Battered Fish & Chips Purists will say that you don’t go to London for fish and chips, although The George’s gastropub take is about as good as they come. The batter is shattering and the chips are of the triple-fried variety. Obviously, there aren’t proper mushy peas on the side, but you can get a half-decent pot of curry sauce. photo credit: The George Sticky Toffee Pudding, Cornish Clotted Cream There are very few set-in-stone rules we abide by, but ordering the sticky toffee pudding is definitely one of them. Here, malty domed sponge floats in a shimmering moat of richly spiced sauce, topped with a quenelle of clotted cream. Light, it is not. But definitely lovely. The pub’s sticky toffee Old Fashioned on the side is probably unnecessary but also encouraged." - Jake Missing

"The George is a decadent pub-restaurant in the middle of Fitzrovia. The upstairs dining room is a hideout for anyone looking for classy takes on scampi, steak, sausages and mash, and the like. And the downstairs pub has a similar but pared-back menu of properly done classics: a ploughman’s, fish and chips, and a gooey black pudding scotch egg. Come here after catching some moody courtroom drama and pretend you're Ralph Fiennes stewing over a pint and some pork scratchings." - jake missing, rianne shlebak, sinead cranna

"The George is a delicious and decadent take on a pub. The downstairs bar is Fitzrovia’s usual mix of slurring suits and those trying to ignore the slurring suits, while the upstairs is an OTT velvet boudoir of a dining room. The room gives off an energy that mixes the Tudors and the posh bit of the Titanic while the staff, who are friendly rather than fawning, will encourage you to eat foie gras and British classics turned fancy like breaded langoustine and chips. Indulgent? Yes. Silly? Certainly. The Sunday roasts? Very good." - heidi lauth beasley, jake missing, sinead cranna

"Finding a pub in central London with football and food that isn’t straight from Iceland is no mean feat, but The George fulfils both of these wants superbly. The Fitzrovia pub has a handful of screens around its mahogany bar and is a fine place to pitch up. If you do nab a table in front of a screen, then you’ll more than likely do some serious damage to the menu. Red curry pork scratchings are the pre-match snack and, while there are all manner of tarted-up pub classics on the menu, the suckling pig vindaloo is surely the best way to celebrate a good result." - jake missing

"There are over 2000 pubs in London but not all of them can sincerely claim that they make obtaining gout look chic. Much like The Pub That Shall Not Be Named, The George in nearby Fitzrovia certainly does. Its seductive upstairs dining room is exactly the kind of place where we picture ourselves eating one of London’s best steak tartares in the present, and marking our fourth divorce with our friends ‘foie’, ‘gras’, and ‘knickerbocker glory’ in the future. " - heidi lauth beasley