William IV

There are plenty of centuries-old boozers in London, but few have an upstairs dining room as gorgeous as William IV’s. A roaring fire sits one end of this jovial space, where families sink pints, birthday lunches descend into dinner, and candles are lit come night so everyone can see if they need another Guinness. While downstairs spills onto the street on an average Thursday night, this room is altogether more serene—even if the British food is better on paper than on your plate. 

The Sunday roast curse strikes on a plate of perfectly pink beef top rump that’s paired with limp roasties and a strangely Evian-like gravy. Still, it’s worth pitching up during the week to have a few drinks, smear some wondrous Marmite butter on soda bread, and order something with excellent, gigantic chips. Lean on scampi and snacks and it’s unlikely you’ll leave unhappy. In our minds, the William IV is best treated as a pub first, and a restaurant second.

Food Rundown

photo credit: Jake Missing

Guinness Soda Bread, Marmite Butter

This is up there with the finest bread in London. It’s like eating a slice of buttered Marmite toast. Only nothing is toasted nor, technically, melted. Really, really good.

photo credit: Jake Missing

Sunday Roast

The meat on these roasts are cooked well. The beef is pink and the chicken breast is just about moist, but everything else could do with some love. The roast potatoes are neither crisp nor hot, the leeks need more sweating, and the gravy has had an identity crisis. It’s deeply brown but not up to much else.

Guinness Glazed Beef Short Rib, Mashed Potato, Baby Carrots

Some dishes jump off a menu and this is one of them. Unfortunately while the beef itself is nicely cooked—tender and pink strands that pull away with a bit of help from your fork—the Guinness glaze that comes with it is all wrong. Over-reduced and acrid. What should be a rich and decadent dish turns out to be a bit of a dud.

photo credit: Jake Missing

Sticky Toffee Pudding, Vanilla Ice Cream

You can’t agree with the portioning of this STP and, even though it looks like it might need some more moisture, there’s a perfect amount of toffee sauce. The sponge is excellent and if you’re pro ice cream with your pudding, you’re going to like this.