A temple of food': London's grande dame Simpson's in the Strand rises again

"Simpson's in the Strand was the sort of London institution where nothing changed without very good reason. Founded in 1828 as a coffee and chess club, the restaurant introduced wheeled silver trolleys so waiters could dispense roast beef and gravy without disturbing the players' concentration, and kept them long after the chessboards had gone."

"Ornate, self-consciously stately and a bit stuffy, it was as English as Charles Dickens, PG Wodehouse and Winston Churchill—all of whom, perhaps unsurprisingly, were devoted patrons. Wodehouse described Simpson's as a restful temple of food where, as one of his characters observed, diners were at liberty to eat till you were helpless, if you felt so disposed."

"When Simpson's closed in the early days of Covid, some mourned it as an emblem of the capital's Georgian heritage—though perhaps one whose moment had passed. While other London institutions would later buzz back to life, the grande dame of the Strand remained shuttered—until now. Next month, just in time for its bicentenary, Simpson's in the Strand will reopen."

Simpson's in the Strand, established in 1828 as a coffee and chess club, became an iconic London institution known for its British roast beef served via wheeled silver trolleys and steadfast resistance to change. The restaurant maintained its English identity by rejecting the French term 'menu' in favor of 'bill of fare' during the 1860s and attracted notable patrons including Charles Dickens, P.G. Wodehouse, and Winston Churchill. The establishment remained exclusively male in its main dining room until 1984. After closing during the early Covid period, Simpson's will reopen next month for its bicentenary celebration. Veteran restaurateur Jeremy King, known for reviving prestigious London establishments like Le Caprice in the 1980s, spearheads this revival, signaling the return of another iconic London restaurant to the city's dining scene.

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