Bacchus Pub and Kitchen, Hoxton

A stone’s throw from busy Hoxton Square lies Bacchus, what I would describe as a ‘proper English pub’.

A proper English wintry pub, though, not one for Pimm’s and beer garden tomfoolery. You know the ones…they’re lovely of a winter time when it’s cold outside. Inside is full of wood panelling and smouldering log fires and most importantly, wine. Yes well it’s like that.

Bacchus Pub & Kitchen

As you may have guessed from the noncey title of this place it’s definitely a gastropub. Pub and Kitchen? Triple cooked fries? Funny shaped burgers? And before you ask… yes there were blackboards, and yeah, they were jam packed full of ‘banter’. *Shakes head slowly in muted shame*

I visited during the Opening Ceremony of this Olympic thing that everyone’s banging on about currently, and was very excited to see Bacchus were showing it on their big old telybox. Sadly for Mr Bacchus and his BFF Senõr Pub & Kitchen this hadn’t encouraged much business. There were only two other sets of diners there. On a Friday! At dinner time! In LONDON! I’d find this disconcerting if we hadn’t already done our research.

The food at Bacchus is not bad at all. I’d go so far as to say it’s nearing the restaurant side of gastropub. I mean, they even pile all the food up like a little mountain in the middle of your plate. Restaurants like to do this so that your whatever piece of meat you’ve chosen can escape the flood of sauce that surrounds it. It is imperative that the meat does not get its feet wet.

We tried their steak, triple cooked chips (obviously) and a pork fillet with spinach and sautéed potatoes (gf). And we loved them all very much.

Pork Fillet, Spinach, Potatoes, Cider Sauce

Steak, Triple Cooked Chips, Peppercorn Sauce

All the food is clearly labelled as to its gluten contents, which is really good for allergy sufferers and people with celiac disease. You see, Mr Bacchus cares about you.

For desserts we managed to squeeze in a couple of chocolate fondants and a gluten free chocolate cake. The gluten free cake was, obviously, not as good as a proper gluteny cake but it was perfectly rich and chocolatey to make it a fair substitute. The fact it was on the menu at all was a bonus as far as I’m concerned… but it did need icing. Or something meltedy.

Chocolate Fondant, Mint Cream

Gluten Free Chocolate Cake

Sadly the emptiness of the place meant it was a bit of an atmosphere vacuum, but the food can’t have been the reason.

So why no customers Mr Bacchus? Where are your drinking buddies off to? Could it have been that everyone was at home watching the ceremony? Or was it too much of a winter pub for the warm evening?

Gordon Ramsay would probably know, he’d shout the answers right into their faces he surely would.

Gluten Free? Yes very, the whole menu was clearly labelled and there was even a gluten free dessert that wasn’t a fruit salad! Result.

6/10

£££

Bacchus Pub & Kitchen
177 Hoxton Street,
London,
N1 6PJ