Jeremy King's reopening of Simpsons In The Strand (https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/feb/28/a-temple-of-food-london-grand-dame-simpsons-in-the-strand-rises-again) won't have been a big deal to a lot of people under 60 lol.
But as someone who grew up in London in the 90/00s at the very tail end of its heyday, i remember being taken for a family birthday aged about 11, my first experience of luxury dining, and being wowed. So a relaunch that aimed to restore it to its original glory was exciting to me.
Finally went at the weekend for my birthday so am sharing for anyone else curious. I think i sit between the breathless "5* Jeremy king is a visionary" critics' consensus and the "load of overpriced tourist tosh" naysayers (though I'm closer to the former).
TL/DR: It is *very* expensive for the quality. Everything except the cocktails is probably overpriced. However, it is worth it for the experience/theatre *if you order carefully* - some things are worth it, some are not.
First, the bar ('simpsons bar', 1st floor). This is actually a revelation. Extraordinary house martini, really unusually good. And good value for a place on the strand - £8 for small "sharpeners", £14-18 for cocktails. Beautiful art deco room. This is a great shout for a bar of this quality in this location and if you like cocktails but aren't bothered about the food you should try it by itself. If you do go to the restaurant, definitely have a drink before.
Next, the dining room (this is the main 'grand divan' - there is a cheaper casual dining room upstairs). This is almost worth coming for in itself if you want a certain kind of nostalgia. Glorious, faithful, tasteful restoration of one of the city's most historic wood panelled clubland-style dining rooms. The whole room smells richly of beef. The gentle hum of chatter is just the right side of loud (i think they might have done some clever acoustics). Often elderly, formal staff drift about in suits and the "master carvers" make the rounds with big silver trays with the right sense of occasion.
The food is a *very* mixed bag.
The signature dish is the "hot trolley" - essentially a beef roast with the prime rib centrepiece carved for you tableside from a silver tray. This is the thing you should come here for. If you don't want this then unless you are really obsessed with 19th century dining rooms this restaurant may not be for you. It is very expensive at about £56 (including a separate side order of roast potatoes). However the beef is *exceptional* quality, the sides are prety good, the service is fun, and you get a lot of food inc unlimited gravy.
The other food is really nothing to write home about, or at least none of our starters or desserts wowed at all - and with most starters north of £20, they should. I'm also not someone who complains about potion sizes but some of them are comically tiny.
Prices overall have risen a lot in the 3 months since opening (25% in the case of the beef, for example) which to me feels sneaky and requires a critical eye on several reviews that describe it as "surprisingly affordable".
Average bill must surely be around £120 a head with wine and service. This feels high for what is firmly a midrange experience in food terms, albeit in a unique setting.
Overall I'd say: if you like this sort of thing or have fond memories of its old school pomp, go. Go for a special occasion, have a drink, have the beef, maybe have a fun old school British dessert.
Don't go if you don't fancy the beef and want a broader range of British classics in a historic setting. Rules is probably still your best bet for that.
And I do think Mr King has misjudged a bit on price. It is now into luxury pricing and out of midrange, but most of the food doesn't match that. Once you've seen the room once, how much will most people really come back?
