Chimes

The service was OK. The food was not that good. I ordered a Shephard’s Pie and tried to get a taste of some real English food, but I thought the pie tasted like Hamburger Helper. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t good either. Sorry … I’m not sure if I just dislike English food or if this restaurant just wasn’t that good!

I went to Chimes the other night, and while the food was good I was just not that impressed with the service.
Starting with the food, I had the Steak & Mushroom Pie, it was good, flaky, filed with meat and mushrooms, overall very good. Were it this alone I’d probably give a 4.
The service however was a bit lacking, and not just for me. I as well as another table, had to get up r loudly ask for the server to return as she was listening to someone tell stories at the bar. Not for 5 minutes, but more like 10+. It’s as if we’d been forgotten about. Also there was a 12.5% gratuity added, for a single person. I don’t mine paying a tip, but not for what was poor service. This has to knock them down a notch.
So my overall review is that the food is good, but don’t hold your breath on good service.

Where to find a good pie… Thanks again Unilocal!
My former flatmate was in town and she wanted to go to a place with good pies — and hopefully a selection of them. Chimes was centrally located and had an extensive variety (even vegetarian options!) and definitely had to try it.
The restaurant was really quiet at first on a Tuesday night. My table full of 30 somewhat year olds felt a bit out of place. You really felt like you were in a countryside cottage! An antique looking wooden clock to one corner of the restaurant and a wheel barrel at another. The 4 of us decided to try a few different pies so we can all taste test so went with the beef and mushroom, lamb, chicken and veggie. Out of all 4, I have to say I really liked the chicken one which I ordered. It was nice and hearty, but also huge chunks of chicken breast. The 2^nd was probably the steak and mushroom one, followed by the lamb and then the veggie one.
We finished off with the apple and blackberry crumble with ice cream. I really wish they had an apple pie instead but this was still quite delightful.
Service was really good and really liked that we got 50% off using a Taste Card! Still pretty good value regardless.

A surprisingly good oasis for dining in Pimlico and short walk from Victoria Station. A roomy dining area with good separation so you can hear yourself think and talk.
The food was much better than expected, portion size good and reasonable service. Our starters were Whitby Pudding (yorkshire pudding with pan fried prawns, white wine, lemon and dill) at £6.85 and Black Pudding topped with stilton sauce at £5.95
We both went for the same maiin of Roasted Lamb Shank with red currant and rosemary sauce on mashed potato at £14.95
Finished up with bread and butter puddings at £4.95 with custard of course or even ice cream.
Fair prices, cooked well and no complaints, in fact will be returning soon so that is a good sign and recommendation.
4 stars on the basis of price, quality, quantity and ambiance, Much better than a lot of noisier over priced restaurants in the area.

I’ve been here 3 or 4 times now and have nothing but compliments in regards to the food, it’s hard to find a good honest English meal these days that hasn’t been put through a microwave. You certainly receive nothing but the best here and it’s a must if you have any foreign friends over and want to give them a taste of English food without taking them to a generic chain pub. The last time I went, the prices were also very moderate for the quality you receive, I hope that’s still the case.

We came here by chance one night after trying to get a table at Grumbles and having the waiter yell at us for leaving the door open! Really lived up to their name there. The pies were great-​very hearty & filling. I had a pear cider that was decent. Ambiance was so-​so. I felt like I would have liked it better if it were a bit darker inside. Bill was a little high for 2 pies and one cider when I factored in the exchange rate, but would eat there again if in the area.

Chimes is a good restaurant in which to while away a couple of hours with friends. It is unusual among the London restaurant scene as it’s a truly English restaurant serving delicious pies and similarly indigenous dishes, together with an excellent selection of ciders. I only have two minor gripes. The selection of accompanying vegetables was miserly, a few bits of carrot, two broccoli florets and three tiny potatoes. It would all have fitted easily on a saucer, rather than a side dish. This irritates me as the pie was delicious, so why skimp on a few vegetables? Who knows… The other minor point is that the service is just OK, it takes a while to get their attention and they just look tired and worn out when they eventually come to your table.

Ciders, fruit wines, and pies, what’s not to love?!
The food here really is good old fashioned british fayre, and the portions are very generous. You can use your taste london card here as well which is a bonus,
The only thing that was slightly bothersome when we visited for Sunday lunch recently (top quality as well) was the fact the waitress/​bar maid did not know how to make an Irish coffee, which was a little surprising as it’s really quite easy to do. So they lost £20 for 4 coffees as we went home and made our own.
Has a few tables outside, which is nice in the summer for an early evening drink or a light lunch.

There are two words you need to know about this place: Pies and cider. If that hasn’t persuaded you then, frankly, there’s no hope that you’ll like this place.
It’s rare that you get a quintessentially English restaurant, but this is exactly what Chimes is. There’s black pudding for starter, a classically English menu for mains and school dinner favourites of a deliciously cinnamony crumble and a buttery bread and butter pudding for dessert.
But the star of the menu is their pies. Not just steak and mushroom, but lamb, poachers (a collection of game meats), and a Fidget pie (gammon), all with generous helpings and plenty of pastry.
There’s also a fine selection of ciders, both bottled and on pump, that you’d be hard-​pressed to find outside of the Westcountry. Given the cosy, rustic nature of Chimes, it’s easy to think of it as a place in ye olden days where a farmhand would head after a heavy day’s manual labour, get rewarded with a pie, quaff his cider, and end up falling asleep under a nearby apple tree curled up next to some local wench.
Of course, you’d probably have to head to Somerset to see that.
Chimes is a very British restaurant that probably gives a more authentic taste of this country than those that spend a lot of money branding themselves as thus. It’s cosy, understated, won’t break the bank and serves the type of food that would be perfect for a cold winter’s evening. A little local gem.

I use to live on this street and this place is great for a range of ales, cider, and pies!!! Yes pies!!! Loads of different flavours and typical british favourites.
This place is ideal for a quick byte to eat but somewhere that you would not go to for a date, or if your looking for food other than mash, and pies.
Great place though but is a tad exspensive what what essentially is a pub trying to be a resturant. Great food to warm you up in this winter.

First things first: The food is fantastic. Robust, filling and piping fresh British classics with pies featuring heavily on a seasonal and varied menu. You do pay for the quality but it’s not over the top.
The selection of flagon and draft ciders warrants it’s own menu and the selection remains thoughtful and varied.
The décor isn’t up to much and it’s not the kind of pub that I’d choose to spend an afternoon in, but as a lunchtime bolthole it holds its own.
Also, the poacher’s pie is out of this world!

Chimes is a lovely place offering a nicer more up scale pub meal for lunch or weekend afternoon with your friends.
Chimes has a lovely old fashioned English feel to it, and the food is very comforting and tasty. You will pay a little more here for your food and drinks but it is worth the extra as the quality is reflected in the price.
I especially like the Chicken Pie (really deep good quality filling) and the Lamb Shank (huge and delicious). Also the fruit wines are both unusual and fabulous and well worth trying. The staff at Chimes are really friendly and you are made to feel welcome
Here is what Time Out had to say about this place: Chimes is just the place to take overseas friends to lunch. Its reasonably central, its inexpensive, and Britain can be proud of the food.’ Time Out
Finally, if you like Cider, you should try it here they have a really unique mix of them to choose from. my friend says it was the best

I’ve been to Chimes many times over the years, and each time I so want to like it, but…
The good things are that’s very friendly, and a hallmark is that they serve excellent (and I mean excellent) cider. They also serve traditional English fruit wines. Prices are very reasonable, at about £25 a head for two with cider.
The food can be a bit hit-​and-​miss: the menu is very traditionally English, with lots of interesting pies on offer. These can be great — tasty, generous and filling — or disappointing — not properly cooked (or I suspect, reheated) through, and a bit short on the accompanying vegetables. They usually redeem themselves with the puddings, mind — again traditional favourites served with custard. Another redeeming feature for me — but which others may not like — is the lovely choral and religious music.
Service can also be a bit inattentive, although on more recent visits it’s been fine. It’s a great favourite with several friends of mine, who forgive its inconsistency for its style. They also gave my office the best Christmas lunch we’ve had in a long time — something at which London restaurants are usually dreadful.
More consistency would elevate it to five stars — please!