It used to be the case that if you were eating at the South Bank, it was probably for convenience’s sake. Which meant you might end up in Giraffe for the first time in a decade, or you’d sack off dinner altogether and do two-for-one cocktails at Las Iguanas.
Lasdun – from the same team behind the Marksman in Hackney – officially changed the game when it opened in May 2023. In league with the first central London outlet for Forza Wine, they succeeded in making the National Theatre (and the South Bank at large) an actual destination to meet for actual dinner, whether you were seeing a show or not.
Pork chop, breadcrumbed and deep-fried with anchovy and sage, is about as delicious as it sounds
Having said that, the crowd at Lasdun is largely your parents going to the theatre, make no mistake. Between 6 and 7.30pm the restaurant is rammed and buzzing with pre-theatre excitement; waiters whip round, making sure everyone gets their bill before their play starts, and final toilet trips are hastily made. The weird bit is when everyone suddenly leaves at once, leaving behind just a few tables of non-theatre going folk. That said, there’s something quite exciting about it.
We start with some lovely wine and fat green olives, and get the lowdown on Lasdun’s signature dishes; the beef bun, the smoked eel, the pork chop and the chicken pie for two. Prices are hefty but you are literally on the South Bank, so I don’t want to hear any complaints, and the pre-theatre menu is a pretty decent deal at £45 for three hefty courses.
Everything we try is serious business. Deeply flavourful and rich (you leave feeling like you’ve inhaled enough butter to develop a cheeky bit of gout), Lasdun doesn’t shy away from big flavours. Both the beef bun, which is pillowy soft with an earthy, savoury centre, and the eel, sandwiched between dainty layers of pressed potato, come paired with slap-you-round-the-face horseradish. The humble tomato salad comes under a pile (a pile) of shaved Ticklemore cheese – firm and seriously goaty – and crunchy pickled walnuts.
The pork chop, breadcrumbed and deep-fried with anchovy and sage, is about as delicious as it sounds, each bite oozing creamy saltiness, and the chips are thick and full of crunch. But by the chop’s end, it is admittedly a bit much, in the same way a long bath suddenly engulfs you and you instantly crave a cold shower. But there are a few more delicate dishes; trout with cockles tastes as if it were just plucked from the sea, and there’s Cornish cod on the menu served with cod’s roe, as well as smoked salmon with cucumber relish. Other than that, it’s pies, chips, potatoes and soft, butter-soaked greens (even the garden salad comes dressed in buttermilk).
With a meal like this, it would be rude not to have dessert. The brown butter and honey custard tart is best suited to an evening of indulgence, but there’s also a blackcurrant soft serve that looks straight out of an ice cream van (in a good way).
If you come here and then go and see an amazing play at the National, you will have had the perfect evening. But if you come to Lasdun just for dinner, your night will be pretty incredible too.
The vibe A classy, upmarket spot where you wouldn’t feel out of place eating a pie and chips in jeans.
The food Modern British cooking with some very memorable standouts.
The drink A very long wine list, a few nice cocktails and knowledgeable staff to tell you all about it.
Time Out tip Spend a Friday gallivanting around central London and then get Lasdun’s Friday lunch deal; steak, chips and a green salad for £20. If it’s sunny, you can eat on the terrace.