Few new openings have managed to create as much buzz about them as The Devonshire, the Soho gastropub that was opened by celebrated London publican Oisin Rogers, Flat Iron founder Charlie Carroll, and former right-hand man to Heston Ashley Palmer-Watts at the end of last year. The venue quickly became one of the hottest tables in town, with its upstairs dining rooms routinely booked up and the ground floor bar rammed with drinkers.
The success of The Devonshire is down to the different things each of its founders bring. Carroll, a fastidious restaurateur and ‘beef geek’ has ensured that supreme sourcing is a key part of The Devonshire’s DNA, with butchery done in house by head butcher George Donnelly, while Rogers’ front of house mastery and desire to serve the best pint of Guinness in the country means that no one leaves untouched by the venue’s brilliant hospitality. Then there’s the skill of Palmer Watts and his team in the kitchen, who have created a menu of hearty, wholesome dishes, many of which are cooked over embers on a bespoke grill for a flavour like no other.
It doesn’t stop there. The trio have ensured that The Devonshire is a place where everybody feels welcome and looked after, with an attention to detail lost on many pubs in such a central London location (or anywhere). These include offering an incredibly competitive £29 set lunch for three courses of prawn and langoustine cocktail, steak and chips, and sticky toffee pudding and the employment of a crack bar team that can means that however deep the bar queue is you’ll never have to wait too long for a drink.
One thing is for sure, despite its restaurant pedigree, The Devonshire is very much a pub. On a sunny day at the multi-site venue gilet-clad drinkers spill onto the outside pavement, the majority of them a pint of the black stuff in hand, but climb the stairs to The Devonshire’s various dining rooms, including its roof terrrace, or ensconce yourself into the green room at the back where live music is always on the menu, and experience is altogether more satisfying
The success of The Devonshire is down to the different things each of its founders bring. Carroll, a fastidious restaurateur and ‘beef geek’ has ensured that supreme sourcing is a key part of The Devonshire’s DNA, with butchery done in house by head butcher George Donnelly, while Rogers’ front of house mastery and desire to serve the best pint of Guinness in the country means that no one leaves untouched by the venue’s brilliant hospitality. Then there’s the skill of Palmer Watts and his team in the kitchen, who have created a menu of hearty, wholesome dishes, many of which are cooked over embers on a bespoke grill for a flavour like no other.
It doesn’t stop there. The trio have ensured that The Devonshire is a place where everybody feels welcome and looked after, with an attention to detail lost on many pubs in such a central London location (or anywhere). These include offering an incredibly competitive £29 set lunch for three courses of prawn and langoustine cocktail, steak and chips, and sticky toffee pudding and the employment of a crack bar team that can means that however deep the bar queue is you’ll never have to wait too long for a drink.
One thing is for sure, despite its restaurant pedigree, The Devonshire is very much a pub. On a sunny day at the multi-site venue gilet-clad drinkers spill onto the outside pavement, the majority of them a pint of the black stuff in hand, but climb the stairs to The Devonshire’s various dining rooms, including its roof terrrace, or ensconce yourself into the green room at the back where live music is always on the menu, and experience is altogether more satisfying
