The Guinea

Photos and First Impressions

View from across Burton Place

Sidestreet

The Pub

The Restaurant

The Meat. The Juicy, Beefy, Savory, Delicious Meat.

 

Chronicling from the Barstool

 

This one is an oddity on my list. Known also as The Guinea Grill, they describe themselves as a gastropub, though I’m hesitant to use the term given the American connotations. It’s better to imagine the place as a classic British pub sandwiched together with an incredible steakhouse.

 

There’s been a pub on this site since 1423, when the Mayfair area was considerably more rural, meaning farmhands and laborers were the primary clientele. The Guinea itself was founded in 1675, shortly after the Great Fire destroyed the previous structure. I’m not certain to what degree elements of the 17th century building are still woven into the current iteration, but it wouldn’t surprise me if some parts were original.

 

Though by no means would I consider The Guinea on the outskirts of London, it maintains a quaint feel, in large part thanks to its location, nestled near a quiet corner of Burton Place. As you enter, the host greats you with a simple, direct question: “Drinking or dining?”

 

Select the former, and you walk to the right, through an arched gateway into…well…what you imagine an old pub to look like. A large, wooden, L-shaped bar sits at the room’s center, complete with the requisite cask ale hand pulls. To one side is a long drink rail, and though there are a few stools, it’s mostly standing room. Along the windows are a handful of small, worn tables with some benches and stool seats. Fairly standard.

 

Select the latter, however, and you walk straight ahead, check your coat and bags, and proceed to a more formal dining area. The seating is tight, but comfortable. Each table is covered with a pristine, white tablecloth and prepared with meticulous place settings. Patrons are then encouraged to enjoy a premium cut of aged, British beef, cooked medium rare at their recommendation.

 

So how did such a place come about? Well, apparently the Brits have their American cousins to thank for this one. U.S. diplomats stationed in London during and after WWII frequently bemoaned that no place in England served a decent steak. There was, of course, a very good reason: war rationing. In fact, meat was the last item derationed item, ending the program in 1954. Until then, any cut of meat—let alone a good steak—was hard to come by.

 

The Guinea took advantage of the situation and began skirting rationing laws in 1946 to fill the demand, first for diplomats and well-to-do locals, then later tourists and the public writ large when the steakhouse side of the business officially opened in 1952.

 

I visited both halves of the business, and whether dining or just drinking, The Guinea is well worth the visit—if you’re willing to open up your wallet a bit.

 

Also in the pub’s founding year of 1675…

• Charles II rules England.
• Royal Greenwich Observatory established.
• Foundation stone laid for St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.
• Christiaan Huygens patents the pocket watch.
• Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz first demonstrates integral calculus.

On Draught(?)

 

For the main, a 12 oz. bone-in ribeye, cooked medium rare. For sides, English peas sauteed in butter with pearl onions and bacon, and cauliflower roasted in a cheesy cream sauce. Then, naturally, a Camden Hells lager to wash it all down.