The first thing you notice when you ascend the small stairs off Redchurch Street is the stench. Mostly woodsmoke with a briny undertone. Since Tomos Parry opened it in 2018, the room at Brat, which is small, wood-panelled, and boisterous in the manner of good rooms, has maintained that noise. In about a year, it was awarded a Michelin star. Some eateries never bounce back from such positive reviews. Strangely, Brat appears to have adapted to it.
The menu is renowned for being succinct. Years ago, a reviewer pointed out that the entire thing could fit on a double-sided sheet of A4, with only a few words describing each dish, leaving the staff to do the actual explaining. Not much has changed in that regard. Although a first-time diner might find it slightly intimidating, the page assumes you’re curious rather than confused, and there’s a quiet confidence in that choice.
For good reason, most tables begin in the same manner. According to the restaurant’s own menu, grilled bread with anchovies costs about £10. It is greasy with oil, charred around the edges, and salty enough to wake you up. It sounds insignificant. It isn’t. Nearby are courgettes with Spenwood, a hard sheep’s cheese from Berkshire that functions similarly to a Manchego in San Sebastián, and Maldon oysters. It’s difficult to ignore how much of Brat’s reputation is based on something so unremarkable when plates of that bread end up on practically every table.
A longer run of small plates is listed by third-party menu trackers, which were updated this month. These include soused mackerel toast, padrón peppers, fresh chorizo, pigeon skewer, lamb rib, and Moorland beef tartare, all of which are around £6, £11, and £15, respectively. You should be cautious when dealing with those figures. The restaurant’s printed menu changes with the seasons and occasionally on a weekly basis, and aggregator websites aren’t always up to date. Nevertheless, the form is sufficiently distinct. You are the first to graze, and you do it well.
The menu then becomes somber. According to reports, duck rice costs about £29, monkfish, pollock cooked pil-pil style with potatoes, and John Dory cost between £31 and £39, depending on the source and the week you trust. Here, the grill does most of the talking, leaving the flesh barely set and blistering the skin. The kitchen seems to be wary of sauces that conceal things, which works well for fish this fresh but might seem sparing to someone who grew up with French luxury.
The turbot comes next. It is cooked whole in a clamped grill basket over the coals, a method Parry openly borrowed from the Basque grill houses of Getaria. Trackers list it at about £185 for a fish weighing about 1.8 kg. It can run out by mid-evening, so one editorial guide suggests ordering it in advance when making reservations. It is shared, carved at the table, and consumed with a level of respect that is typically reserved for Sunday roasts. Every table makes a different decision about whether it’s worth the money. A few people convert. Others silently question why such a fine piece of fish should be so expensive.
The top end is filled with aged mutton, beef sirloin, and a beef rib that is almost £100, pushing Brat firmly into the realm of special occasions for the majority of Londoners. That’s the underlying tension of the entire menu. Although the bill reflects Shoreditch rents, rare-breed sourcing, and a line of willing customers, the cooking has a rustic, almost farmhouse vibe. It’s possible that both statements are true simultaneously and that diners are paying for the cooking’s honesty.
Dessert is brief and frequently revolves around the smoked cheesecake that regulars talk about with a hint of affection. Despite its accolades, diners on Reddit have described the restaurant as laid back, and that makes sense. There doesn’t seem to be any fine dining going on here. Employees occasionally talk customers out of placing excessive orders, which is less common than it should be, and lean over tables to explain what’s good tonight.
The impact of Brat extends beyond its dining area. When it first opened, East London was still mostly known for its burgers and bao. Later, open-fire cooking practically became its own genre, being imitated in pubs and warehouses all over the city. The concept is extended outside during the warmer months at Climpson’s Arch, a seasonal sister site in Hackney.
How long a menu this simple can remain appealing as costs rise is still up in the air. However, the formula is valid for the time being. Fish, bread, fire, and a noisy room. That proves to be sufficient on some nights.
FAQs
1. What should first-timers order at Brat Shoreditch?
Grilled bread with anchovy, around £10, starts most meals.
2. How much does the whole turbot cost?
Roughly £185 for a fish of about 1.8kg.
3. Does Brat offer a tasting menu?
No, everything is à la carte.
4. What are Brat’s kitchen hours?
Daily, from noon until 10 pm.
5. Does Brat have a Michelin star?
Yes, earned within about a year of opening in 2018.
