Butlers Wharf Chop House
Terence Conran built this into his Gastrodome on the South Bank in the 1990s, and three decades later the terrace over the Thames is still the reason anyone books.
Why go
It is a modern chophouse on Shad Thames with a dining terrace above the river and Tower Bridge filling the view. Harden's, which rewrites its entries from about 50,000 diner reviews a year, files it as a useful spot for tourists and business diners
and says it has flown somewhat under the radar for many years now
(Harden's). On the plate, the line the survey produces is that it is a great place for meat, nicely served. It has also changed hands since the guides last updated: the venue's own site now calls it Butlers Wharf Chop House & Tavern and places it in the Evolv Collection, while Harden's still lists D&D London.
Order this / avoid
- Order: something off the grill, which is the one thing the survey singles out. A table outside, which is the actual booking decision.
- Avoid: sitting indoors on a clear day. Bread at seven pounds unless you want it, with 13.5 per cent service added on top.
What locals & experts say
- Harden's diner survey, across two editions:
Handy for the location
andA great place for meat, nicely served, this modern version of the traditional British chophouse is a business-friendly destination close to the City.
1 - Harden's editorial, on where it sits: the restaurant
was created by Sir Terence Conran as part of his 'Gastrodome' complex on the South Bank of the Thames, and has flown somewhat under the radar for many years now.
1 - No critic has reviewed it. The Infatuation has no page for it, and no bylined review was found in any masthead at any date. That absence is why this entry carries low confidence.
Good to know
- Where: 36e Shad Thames, SE1 2YE, on the Bermondsey side by Tower Bridge.
- The room: the terrace above the river is the draw. Book that, not a table inside.
- Ownership: part of the Evolv Collection, trading now as Butlers Wharf Chop House & Tavern. Older guide entries still say D&D London.
- Extras: bread was seven pounds and service is 13.5 per cent at the last published figures.
- Hygiene: FSA rating 5, inspected 30 September 2024, all three components clean.3
Verdict
could-visit — Go if you are already on that stretch of the river. Terence Conran built this into his Gastrodome on the South Bank in the 1990s and the terrace above the Thames looks straight at Tower Bridge, which is what every source mentions first and what you are really booking. On the food, the strongest line anyone has produced is a diner-survey verdict that it is a great place for meat, nicely served, and Harden's own editorial says it has flown under the radar for years and suits tourists and business diners. Food and drink come before the room, so a terrace does not carry a rung. It has changed hands since the guides last looked: it trades now as Butlers Wharf Chop House and Tavern and sits inside the Evolv Collection. Nobody has reviewed it with a byline, which for a thirty-year-old Conran restaurant is a fact worth noticing.