JW Steakhouse & Bourbon Bar Review

Book a table at JW Steakhouse & Bourbon Bar

Best for: male carnivores, epic portions, pretending you’re in Manhattan.

Great: big puddings, steaks, creamy mac and cheese.

Have you ever heard of a steak soup? No, me neither. It sounds like something our friends across The Pond invented for carnivore men who shudder at the thought of a salad or something from the sea to start. ‘We’ll just blend up some steak and then throw in a few big chunks of steak too, and er, ok, fine, we’ll put a few peas and sweetcorn in too.’ And so the steak soup was born.

But why not? We’re at a very American, very manly, steakhouse, so why not pop steak in a soup? Thank god they didn’t try and concoct a steak dessert though.

My friend and I have skipped over to Park Lane to try out JW Steakhouse & Bourbon Bar in the Grosvenor House Hotel. It’s a masculine place and we can all but smell the testosterone seeping out of the menu and the dark wooden wall panelling. The tables are brown, as are the chairs, table mats and lampshades. Even the waitresses are dressed like men, in white shirts, black ties and black trousers.

Blackboards adorn the walls shouting JW Steakhouse Cuts, Our Grill, Beef – USDA Certified Beef, Aberdeen Angus, The Mint Julep and Steak Temperatures, in that formal and slightly regal font used in upmarket New York.

After we’ve checked that there are other female diners here, and also non-Americans, we turn to the menu. I rather meanly goad my friend into having the steak soup. I’ve been caught out many a time on the ‘three-course menu with Fluid’, where I finish feeling like a sack of wet cement, so I plump for a salad.

I’m not expecting much for the salad. On a recent trip to New York, salad starters at a steakhouse turned out to be an entire Iceberg lettuce drenched in blue cheese dressing and smothered in fried bacon, and a Caesar salad drowning in a fatty dressing.

So I actually release a small gasp when the waitress puts the beetroot and feta salad in front of me. My eyes have got used to the brown solid surroundings and this pretty, colourful concoction looks out of place. The light and delicate flavours are a treat, and it’s a refreshing starter before the manly gluttony starts. And the steak soup? It’s brown. With brown bits in it. If you like steak, it does taste rich and meaty, but my friend is still jealous of my elegant salad.

Our steaks arrive swiftly: a 14 oz New York strip (medium rare sirloin) and a fillet Oscar (topped with crabmeat, béarnaise sauce and asparagus), both cooked perfectly. They share our brown table with a few sides: macaroni cheese, root vegetables and bourbon sweet potato mash with a marshmallow crust. Yes, that’s right, a marshmallow crust.

I love sweet potato. Unfortunately, this does not work. It is a puree not a mash and the bourbon and spices make me think of pumpkin pie. Marshmallows are great normally, but here it just makes the sweet and spicy puree even sweeter and it’s just bizarre having it with a steak. Maybe Americans like it, maybe it’s a gimmick to entice female diners, who knows.

The mac and cheese is superb though and I end up tucking my fork into the creamy and soft luxuriousness even when I’m wailing that I’ve eaten too much steak. My friend applauds her thick cut fillet Oscar steak, the soft texture and good combination of flavours, as cement warnings go off in my head.

The waitress laughs when we say we would like dessert, and my friend and I sit in silence for a little while willing our food to go down and summoning the courage to face the epic puds.

My hands fly up to my mouth as the cheesecake is put in front of me. It is an ENTIRE cheesecake. Not a big slice, not a mini round cheesecake, an ENTIRE cheesecake. My friend’s bread and butter pudding is a big portion too, but it is a portion not an ENTIRE bread and butter pudding.

Wow. We give it our best shot but in the end ask the waitress for a doggie bag. Both puds are gorgeous, and it’s probably good advice to steer clear of the starters here, don’t order too many sides, and save a bit of room for the dessert menu.

Although this restaurant is dripping in masculinity there are soft touches. The high ceilings and mirrors stop this from becoming an oppressive ‘men’s den’. And the sumptuous puds and nostalgic touches like marshmallows and mac and cheese give the menu a broader appeal.

Although we skipped brightly into the restaurant two and a half hours ago, we now waddle out like penguins. We resolve to come back with our boyfriends who will truly make the most of the epic portions, and agree that this is one of the best steakhouses in London.
...read more

JW Steakhouse & Bourbon Bar Description

Perfectly prepared steak is the featured menu item at JW Steakhouse at Grosvenor House in Mayfair. JW Steakhouse features the finest cuts of USDA Prime Corn Fed Kansas Beef, and select cuts of Aberdeen Angus. The signature steak is a dramatic 32 ounce, on-the-bone rib eye aptly named “The Tomahawk.” This unique cut can only be found at JW Steakhouse and is a must-try for any dedicated steak lover.

The kitchen at JW Steakhouse is be manned by Paul Hallett, an emerging chef and alumnus of London’s acclaimed Dorchester Grill and for Tom Aikens. Chef Hallett hand selects, ages and carves the restaurant’s signature cuts before sending them to the 650 ° C Montague Legend grill. While beef is the star at JW Steakhouse, the chef’s menu also offers a wide array of authentically prepared dishes including true Maryland-style lump crab cakes, line-caught cod fish and chips and pan seared Scottish salmon. Side dishes include steakhouse classics like creamed spinach and a tower of onion rings, along with a locally sourced market potato menu featuring a giant twice-baked stuffed potato and bourbon sweet potato mash with a marshmallow crust.

The Bourbon Bar at JW Steakhouse adds another dimension to the classic steakhouse format with an extensive array of single barrel and small batch bourbons, offered in innovative tasting flights, to complement the menu. The Bourbon Bar food offering is a collection of finger-friendly snacks, starters and light entrees that are perfect with an ice cold Kentucky Bourbon Sour, a refreshing Cucumber Lime Fizz or a stylish Passion Fruit Champagne Cocktail.

Open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch, JW Steakhouse also features a private dining room for intimate private parties.

Grosvenor House, A JW Marriott Hotel is located on London’s Park Lane in the heart of Mayfair. First opened in 1929, the hotel has been a frequent home to celebrities, royalty, and other distinguished guests. Celebrating its 80th anniversary in London in 2008, the London landmark was completely renovated and is now the JW Marriott flagship hotel in Europe. ...read more

JW Steakhouse & Bourbon Bar Opening Hours

Additional Information

• Cuisine Type: Steak House
• Group: Marriott