| Ambiance: |  (4.5 / 5) |
| Service: | (3.5 / 5) |
| Value for money: | (4 / 5) |
| Toilets: | (3 / 5) |
Our final stop of the evening was Meat Liquour. I’d heard so much about it that it has always been on my list of places to try. All I can say is, don’t go if you’re ravenous because on arrival, you’ll no doubt be met with a queue of people outside and a long wait until food-time. At 10 o’clock (despite it being a Friday evening), I wrongly thought we’d have escaped the evening rush, boy was I wrong! We were told it’d be a 20 minute wait, and as we’d gone all the way we agreed to endure the cold February air and huddle underneath Meat Liquors patio heaters. It did feel very similar to standing outside a club, especially when we were stamped with a Meat Liquor stamp (apparently to avoid people being able to queue jump). Although our expectations were exceeded when a waitress came out with a tray full of ginormous, fluffy onion rings and deep fried pickles. That stopped me thinking about the cold for a good five minutes.
Our branding for the evening!
Thirty minutes later, we were allowed in! Only to be told it’d be another 15 minute wait, but we could wait at the bar. I’m so glad I wasn’t hungry, otherwise I think I would have been on the verge of stamping my foot by now! I found the reservation process slightly odd, you simply gave in your name and they said they’d come find you, and for such a packed venue, I was wary that they wouldn’t be able to find us. In this case, I think a buzzer may have come in handy. The venue was very unique, almost club-like in design and music levels, it was packed to the rafters. The long queue and stamp definitely weren’t creating a false impression. The art within the venue was pretty unique – a mixture of gothic and religious, it was quite creepy in places. Meat Liquor does have the air of exclusivity, helped by the long wait and brilliant atmosphere created by the mix of bar, restaurant and loud music.
While we waited, we had a drink – a beer and a glass of wine, but in a jam jar, for me. I really really don’t like wine in anything else but a wine glass, so I was a fuss-bag and asked for the closest thing they had, in which this case was a champagne glass. While sipping on what looked like flat champagne, we spotted the photo booth so we made use of that. I thought this was a nice added touch, and at £3 a go, probably a good money maker for Meat Liqour.
Amazingly the maitre d’ did find us, and it was only 15 minutes. We had to share a table with other people but I was so happy that we’d finally been seated, that it didn’t bother me at all. We ordered the dead hippie burger (2 beef patties) and the chilli cheese fries to share, given as we’d already eaten half our body weight in pizza. Our food took quite a while to come, and the people on our table received theirs first, despite ordering after us. The burger and fries came served on a tray with a red and white checked cover. They looked pretty good, but turned out to be pretty messy when trying to cut a sloppy burger into 2. On first bite, I definitely didn’t get that melt in the mouth experience that I was expecting, given the colossal weight and numerous recommendations. It was a decent burger, served pink, but there wasn’t anything particularly special about it. The fries weren’t that spectacular either. Despite this, the food was nice and reasonably priced, and I left satisfied.
Recommendation
If the queue doesn’t look too bad from the outside, I’d definitely recommend Meat Liquor. However, I don’t think the food or drink is worth the ridiculous wait as it creates unrealistic expectations which any restaurant would find hard to meet.
Extra Information:
Address: 74 Welbeck St, London W1G 0BA
Phone: 020 7224 4239
Website: http://www.meatliquor.com/
NTK: Don’t go hungry and be prepared for a long wait!
