Flat Iron

Good steak and fries. Flatiron steaks are their specialty. Limited other menu, but big bar selection. Trendy. Went early and avoided the crowds.

The only entrée is steak, and they do a good job of it. Has a modern feel yet with some coziness — there are a lot of young adults spending their time here, but it’s still sophisticated enough to take your parents. Seems like a great place for a drink, too. They give you free ice cream after your meal, too!

We came here on a late Friday night and had to wait about an hour or so for our table. They don’t take reservations so either come early or just bare the wait. It’s worth it!
My friend and I got their signature flat iron cut as well as the knuckle cut and the burger of the day (I’m sorry I can’t remember which cut of meat they used.)
We also ordered a side of fries and two drinks.
The Flat Iron was so tender and the flavor was on point! They sprinkled it with a bit of sea salt and it just tasted like the perfect balance of beefiness and saltiness. I enjoyed the side salad they gave as well. It came with a light tart dressing which helped ease down all of the meat we were eating.
I REALLY enjoyed the burger. When it came out it looked like they had burnt it but it really wasn’t. There was slight char on the outside of the burger but it was juicy on the inside and packed with flavor. The creamy sauce that they top it off with rounded out the whole burger!
The Knuckle was a lot chewier than the Flat Iron. I felt that it wasn’t as flavorful either. Next time I would just order two of the Flat Iron.
The waitress was attentive and patient enough to explain to us what each cut would be like and what she would recommend. Bless her for serving us at such a late hour and still being so patient and friendly!
The kicker is that they give us a free ice cream cone at the end of everything. It’s topped with shaved chocolate which is great!
If I get to visit London again I would definitely come back to this place with the quickness!

Flavorful, succulent, and affordable. The meat is cooked perfectly, and for £10 with a salad it is priced so well you can get 2 orders and not feel like a pig. They expect people to do this, so they will ‘rush’ an order when you’re half way done if you want; it will be to your table as you’re finishing the last bite of the first one. They have various cuts available, but I’d stick with the flat iron steak. I had two and was stuffed. Their salad dressing is pretty good, too — Italian with a touch of mustard flavor. My girlfriend got the the hamburger with bernaise sauce… Mmmm tasty. The fries were about the best I’ve ever had and I heard they drip steak juice all over them, which would explain their mouth watering flavor.
The service was good and the staff was friendly and knowledgeable. The ambience is like a cross between a local pub and a steakhouse, and they serve you a complimentary ice cream cone when you’re done. They had salted caramel ice cream topped with bitter sweet chocolate shavings for a nice sweet treat to top off the scrumptious dinner.
I’m visiting from the US and we have nothing like this place there. I’d recommend this for anyone that wants a juicy, flavorful steak that happens to be derived from their very own farm (which apparently is where their meat is from, which explains why it is so affordable). 5 stars all around… Better that Ruth’s Chris for a quarter the price and twice the portion.

We got there on a saturday just past lunchtime with a party of four and expected a queue. Incredibly we were immediately allocated a nice table and given enamel mugs filled with pop corn to munch on while we perused the (very short) menu. Basically it’s steak, a couple of specials (also beef related) on the board + a few sauces and sides. That’s it. Find whatever it is that you do well and stick to it. :)
We skipped cocktails and started with beers; my Beaverton IPA was ridiculously good: fruity and smooth. The wine we ordered afterwards was so good the table went through three bottles — sadly the name was forgotten, though it is hardly surprising after all that booze.
For a tenner you get a reasonably sized piece of beautifully cooked cow. They do recommend it medium rare and it’s your best bet as long as you don’t mind a bit of blood. Amazing quality meat is often destroyed by overcooking; not here. The side salad is just a bunch of somewhat limp leaves and doesn’t do it for me, so I barely touched it. If you need greens with your meat + carbs I’d suggest ordering another salad from the sides menu. For our sides we ordered the chips because: beef dripping! Best fries, done the best way: crunchy outside, fluffy inside. Yes. :) My choice of sauce was bearnaise and it was on point, matching the buttery texture of the beef so well. One order of creamed spinach never materialized, though, but later showed up on the bill — it was promptly removed after we mentioned.
Service is friendly and attentive; they do hover a bit, but maybe it was because of where we were seated. As a final treat, since they don’t mooch about with dessert menus, after you settle the bill you are given a token for a free ice cream on your way out. That ensures people will not sit there idly when there’s salted caramel ice cream (with chocolate shavings + a good quality cone, it needs to be mentioned) to be had. Customer leaves happy = tables quickly vacated = next customers also happy. ;)

I’d heard so much about this restaurant before coming, and it certainly didn’t disappoint!
We came on a Friday eve so I was expecting a hefty wait, but we only had to sit at the bar for 15 minutes before getting a table. The restaurant is a lot bigger than it looks from the outside!
We both ordered the ‘Flat Iron Steak’, it was beautifully cooked and definitely lives up to the hype. We shared sides — chips, aubergine and creamed spinach. The bearnaise sauce was a little tangy and not to my liking so I’d probably get peppercorn next time, although the creamed spinach acted as a nice sauce! I was recommended the Plum & Apreol Spritz by the barman, it was very moreish and I’ll definitely be getting it again next time.
The free salted caramel ice cream at the end of the meal is a very nice touch. Although it was busy I didn’t feel rushed or pressured to pay immediately after finishing our food, which can often be the case in places like this. We were able to eat our ice cream at the table and had a bit of time for our food to go down before leaving, which was nice.
All in all a great place to come for a quick, cheap dinner.

Wonderful steak, best value for money meal I’ve had… Ever probably!
Highly highly recommended, and get the creamed spinach!

Great value and quality for 10 pounds — with lovely greens included. I especially liked the salt on top of the steak. Although I wasn’t too fond of any of the sauces, the steak was tasty enough to eat plain.

Easy going atmosphere and quite practical after a night at the musicals. Quite loud due to party young people. Uncomplicated menu (you just choose how you want your steak, which sides and saice). The food is tasty.
Although there are no desserts or coffee, you get an ice cream on your leave.
Staff not surprisingly attentive… toilets completely disgusting… clearly no cleaning during the whole night!
Try it!

Very nice and easy to rate. Just finished my lunch here and as I’m waiting for the check, this review writes itself.
The Flat Iron steak is very good. Cooked to a nice med rare. Not too big, just the right portion size for a quick lunch. Good value for money.
Sauces — very good to excellent. I had bernaise and peppercorn sauces and loved them both. If you are a sauce aficionado, order more than one of each.
Burger — usually a daily special. Very beefy and flavorful. They cook it either med rare or well done (nothing in between). Order it med rare or it is too dry.
Side salads — comes with the flat iron steak. They use coarsely ground dijon mustard vinaigrette and it tastes great.
Eggplant with parmigiano — another great side dish. Properly seasoned and tasty.
Fries — go great with bernaise sauce, that’s why you need more than one side of sauce.
Great service too!

This is one of the biggest Flat Iron in London so far. But it is just as busy which is no surprise being in Covent Garden. We waited about a hour on a Saturday evening. It was too a painful wait as they have a waiting system where you leave your number with them and they will text you when a table ia available. Being in Covent Garden theres many choices to do within the waiting time — pubs, bars, coffee shop, shopping. Just make sure it is somewhere with phone reception.
This branch is pretty cool because they have little den tables which are great for large group. But shame its no booking.
The food is standard across all their branches. So their signature £10 flat iron steak which is served with a pop of green salad. You have the option to order sides and sauce. I usually skip the sauce as the steak are pretty well season and juicy. The side can be share and I do like their creamy spinach which is like a sauce of it own and the cheesy aubergine.
The flat iron steak is usually tender. But the one I had at this branch was not as tender. But then may be it was just that day.
They have other cuts that are special of the day. These will be slightly more expensive. I tend to skip them because the flat iron is a good piece of steak and for the price. I suppose if I want a steak and not bother about the price then I probably consider other places. However it gives a variety to customers.
What good about this branch is they give you a free ice cream cone on your way out as they dont have a dessert menu like they do at their other branch.

Another outpost of the incredibly successful Flat Iron restaurants, this new venue is spacious and inviting and generally fantastic. We went at 6 on a dark January Monday so didn’t have any trouble getting a table, although it was still unbelievably busy, considering. We were sat at a central table that was pretty close to our neighbours, but no more so than your usual London restaurant. The strangest part of the experience was that our incredibly chatty waitress kept walking past us pretending we were invisible, and so took ages to take our order and even longer to clear our plates, despite being very ‘on it’ with the surrounding diners. That said, the rest of the staff were excellent, and none of this detracted from the food.
Which, as always, was absolutely excellent. The steak was perfectly cooked, the chips were (and always are) some of the best I’ve ever tasted, and although I nearly always forget about it until I’ve devoured the meat, the salad was delicious. If it’s your kind of thing, go for the bearnaise sauce — so, so good. The free salted caramel ice cream on the way out was creamy and wonderful, and much to my delight caused some raised eyebrows in the pub we went to afterwards, considering it was about 2 degrees outside.
The cocktails are also wonderful in every Flat Iron, so even if it’s a Monday in January (or rather, because it is), you should definitely have one!

Na das ist ja wohl der Hammer. Ein Steakhouse direkt am Covent Garden, welches preiswert ist und super Service bietet. Was will man denn mehr. Hier stimmte wirklich alles. Von einer schnellen Bestellung einer schnellen Lieferung unserer Getränke und Essen über HAMMER Fleisch und mega guten Beilagen bis zum kostenlosen Eis nach der Bezahlung. Für mich war dieser Besuch ein sehr guter Ausklang meines Besuchs in London und ich empfehle jeden im Flat Iron einen Besuch abzustatten.

Flat Iron still knows the way to my heart! This latest outpost in Covent Garden is brighter and more spacious than their others, but the menu is the same — flat iron steak cooked to your liking with a choice of sides. And of course, a mini meat cleaver utensil to get stuck in properly.
There’s still the no reservations policy and ensuing queues, so we got there early — about 6.15ish — and were seated immediately. Perhaps a liiiittle too close to our neighbours at the communal table to enjoy date night to its fullest but cosy, and coathooks were appreciated.
There was a burger special available on the night but we both went for the steak, medium-​rare. It was as tasty as I remembered from the other branch, beautifully pink inside and actually chopped small enough that I didn’t strictly need to use my cleaver (but obvs I made some token use anyway!). The sides were much more buttery than I remembered though — it oozed from the creamed spinach, and was a strong taste in both the chips and the initial popcorn they brought out to munch. Maybe it’s a tactic to make you thirstier?! If so it worked with us and our merlot, which they serve in very hipster jars poured into tumblers rather than proper wine glasses.
The highlight for me was the amazingly friendly service — from the smiley front of house who enjoyed my relief that there wasn’t an hour’s wait, to our lovely waiter with perfect manners. I felt really well looked after. The only service tweak I’d suggest is to make sure the bar keeps up with the kitchen — both ourselves and the couple next to us got their drinks after the steaks had arrived, which wasn’t the most relaxing way round.
A tasty and budget-​conscious choice at £22 a head which included a good amount of wine, service, extra sauce and even a dessert on the way out — yep, as you pay the bill they give you a token to redeem by the door for a salted caramel ice cream cone. Definitely ensures you’ll leave with a big smile on your face :)

Turns out I’m a spoilt princess. I only like steaks from Dinner and places where they sous vide the steak then super high heat sear it for a crusty crust. Or BBQ. I also had trouble with the blunt meat cleaver, and I’d just rather have a real steak knife. So, it turns out I’m an aging spoilt princess.
The steak here, by all standards is fantastic. The chips were fantastic but don’t expect a crust on your steak.
(It was also surprisingly large for £10)
Don’t forget to exchange your tiny meat cleaver for ice cream, they don’t really tell you what’s it for.

Went to the Covent Garden location on a Wednesday night. We were initially told our wait would be 90 minutes for a group of 4! Whoa — no thanks! But we decided to just grab a drink and chill. So glad we did! The wait ended up only being about 30 – 40 minutes and the cocktails were delicious! Not sure why they do the ice block, as it seems to just waste a lot of time and the bartenders really struggle with it, but oh well…
We decided on the 2 steak specials with a side of every sauce they offer. The Chateaubriand steak was out of this world! It literally just melted in your mouth and was actually cooked properly [medium rare]! I wasn’t in love with all of the sauces, but to each his own and it’s fun to try them all.
Portions were generous, service was ok [waiter never refilled our drinks — um, more wine please!].
Overall, great spot. I’d definitely go back! Cool atmosphere in a great spot!

We went to Flat Iron at Covent Garden location tonight as two couples and waited about 45 minutes (90 minutes was the original wait time) before seated at our table.
Our table ordered 2 steak specials, 2 sides (fries and aubergine) and all the sauces on the menu. The steak was really delicious, one of the better ones we had in London.
This is a great place to meet with friends for dinner after work as they have a casual atmosphere and great drink options.

For my first ever review as a londoner, I really got to back up these first 4 reviews ! It s a five star all the way for Flat Iron. Wait, you’re saying that just because I’m a meatlover makes me unable to judge objectively? Yes, there’s the meat, but there’s also the idea & the attention to details, and that’s where Flat Iron seduces.
The idea — as simple as offering a great flat-​iron style steak for a tenner. For this price, you’d expect the meat to be OK, but trust me, this was much more than just a standard OK.
The details — first, this branch (their third in total) looks amazing from the outside as well as the inside. We’ve landed here by chance, looking for a cheap restaurant in the area (good luck) and well, we found this fancy-​looking steakhouse.
Thumbs up for :
— the butcher room, where a cool dude cuts fresh meat on the spot.
— the huge block of ice on the bar: it’s pure compressed water, with no single bubble, which makes it last 48 hours !
— the token, given to you at the end of the meal, to enjoy a great free ice-​cream. Boom.
— the team, very pro and enthusiastic ! Heads up to Paolo, one of the cool italian dudes, and Lucky, the ice-​cream lady.
The place is full every single day, but it’s clearly worth the wait. A lovely dinner and global experience for 30 pounds, that’s decent right?

The Soho Flat Iron was recommended to me by a fellow Unilocaler, but when I heard that there was normally a two hour wait for a table I was ready to delete it from my bookmarks. Luckily, my cousin found there was a new location that had just opened in Covent Garden, so after a day of riding the Hoho bus we walked there from one of the stops.
We were immediately seated. A server explained the menu and the specials and we ordered. The food and drinks came out quickly. Everything was well prepared and fresh. I ordered the flat iron for 10 £, and the dripping cooked chips. The dripping chips were amazing. They’re french fries with steak drippings (i.e. the delicious fatty part) drizzled on. Like everyone else said, the steak was cooked perfectly, seasoned well, and a decent cut. The only issue I had was with the «salad» that came with the steak, which was mixed greens in a cup with dressing. I ate all of it though, because I can’t just be eating beef and potatoes can I? I also had the lime/​mint house fizzy, which was basically a non-​alcoholic mojito and delicious. I can only imagine how good the other options were. After eating, we were given after dinner ice cream. It was pretty good, and a nice touch on a relatively cheap meal.

Another branch of the consistent brand of Flat Iron. Simplicity comes in the form of
Flat iron steaks and here is no different.
Aubergine, fries, creamed spinach with Fred’s sauce. All brilliant. Not withstanding the flat iron which was cooked to medium rare perfection.
The new addition was a dessert of Salted caramel ice cream, with fresh shavings of chocolate, only available here. Really good! Thanks Flat Iron for a good job on the meal and a great new space in Covent Garden.

Flat Iron in Covent Garden is a prime destination for a decent steak. And if you go with the flat iron cut, this place — one of the three branches anyway — must be the unbeatable favourite in London for any budget-​conscious steak enthusiast.
Flat Iron opened its third branch in London. The restaurant is located seconds from Covent Garden and houses a little butchery showroom at the front. If you have been to Flat Iron before, you know what to expect: exposed brick walls, wooden tables and stools, and most importantly of course the signature mini meat cleavers. All presented in a friendly, muted, light with various kinds of mostly rock music in the background that seemed timeless, if I remember correctly — I was there for the food after all, not for the music.
I immediately got a table — however, if you are a group of more than four, I guess you will most likely have to wait. Just like the other two Flat Iron branches, I predict that this one will also be notoriously busy.
My dinner started with a slight disappointment. The lovely waitress explained entertainingly which meats they have as specials today by showing where the cuts are from on herself. Definitely more captivating than simply pointing to the cut on the back of the menu. Unfortunately, by the time I placed my order, they had run out of the cut
I wanted to try. One other option sounded a bit rustic, and the third was too large for me. So I setteld with the signature flat iron steak. Not a bad choice by any means, but I would have liked to try something different this time.
I spontaneously decided to go for a red wine and after I asked for a non-​oaky recommendation, I ended up ordering the Brambley French Malbec. The wine had a deep, red colour, strong and heavy, with a bit of fruit. Usually, this is exactly not the kind of wine I order, but for a medium-​rare steak, this sounded like a good match. Overall, I did enjoy the wine, but next time I might go for one of the lighter white options instead.
The second set back followed when I noticed that they did not provide popcorn at this branch. Well, maybe they do, and I was just unlucky, but after I got used to the tasty popcorn at the other branches, I had the feeling that I was missing out on something.
All the hiccups were quickly forgotten when the beautiful plate of slate and wood arrived with the elegantly presented, sliced steak. It looked bigger than I remembered, but it could well be exactly the same size as at the other two restaurants.
They have definitely perfected the flat iron steak over the years and without a question, you will struggle to match this quality and taste for a similar price in London. The steak is perfectly cooked, medium-​rare, with a pleasant beef flavour and a tender, buttery texture that melts in the mouth. This steak is as good as a flat iron steak can get.
The side salad that comes with the steak is okay, which is perhaps the highest praise I will ever give to any salad.
I had chosen to get some fries together with my steak. Fries are supposed to be salty, so I cannot fault them on that. The little fried potato strips are as accomplished as the steak. They are a golden, crunchy delight. I would almost go as far as to advise you to go there only for the fries, really.
The charmingly quirky pepper mill on the table made my dinner just a little bit more fun. And for me, steak and fries can always benefit from a dose of freshly ground black pepper corns.
Motivated by a little history about one of the first ice cream makers in London with a shop in Covent Garden, Carlo Gatti, Flat Iron offers a complementary salted caramel ice cream with Dominican chocolate shavings. Salted-​caramel-​everything slowly becomes boring at a time when it seems more difficult to find a dessert without salted caramel, than with it. Accordingly, the highlight of the small ice cream dessert were clearly the strongly flavoured, delicate chocolate shavings.
All in all, Flat Iron in Covent Garden is an outstanding steak restaurant with friendly service, where you will most likely get the best value for your money anywhere in London — if not the world — when it comes to their signature flat iron steak. A full dinner with a glass of wine, a salad, a steak, chips and a dessert comes in for as much as you usually pay just for a high-​quality steak. That alone is an achievement.