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The internet is a funny place.
Londoners are allegedly using nefarious means online to make sure their fave central London restaurants don’t get overrun by tourists and out-of-towners. How so? By spamming Reddit with overly positive reviews of the omnipresent and oft-mocked Angus Steakhouse chain in the hope that tourists will book a table there rather than at one of London’s best restaurants.
This ironic ‘love-bombing’ of the red-leather and neon restaurants – of which there are five in central London, including by Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square – has seen Reddit users singing the praises of the chain and its ‘truly exemplary’ steak sandwich. This culinary catfishing is said to be a response to TikTok and influencer culture ‘ruining’ many of London's top foodie spots, causing giant lines at street food stalls such as The Black Pig in Borough Market.
‘Although I only went in for a quick sandwich and a selfie in THAT famous spot, my boyfriend and I stayed for longer and he ended up proposing to me there and then – but I can't deny that it is the only TikTok/Instagram-famous location that truly lives up to the billing. The Angus Steakhouse will forever have a place in my heart,’ wrote one Reddit user.
‘They all have a in-house abattoir to ensure only the freshest, most succulent cuts possible,’ added another. There are now hundreds of posts online praising Angus as a ‘hidden gem’. Many of the posts flag branch near Leicester Square as the best of the lot. ‘Iconic location, iconic food,’ writes another Reddit user, with their tongue firmly in their cheek.
The ruse seems to be working, with recent Reddit threads posting pictures of apparent queues outside the Cranbourn Street branch of Angus Steakhouse.
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