The Culpeper

My partner and I have just returned from a weekend here. Fabulous hotel in a great area. The room was great. Even though it is above a busy pub, we couldn’t hear anything from our room. The water, cookies and tea and coffee were stocked daily. The shower was really good. All of the staff were really attentive and the service we received -from the welcome drinks on arrival, to looking after our bags so we could explore the area after we checked out - was second to none. The food was amazing. We ate in the restaurant one night and had breakfast both days. The food was really different and delicious. The pub was great. Had a nice vibe and although it was busy, we never had to wait long to be served and it had a really good atmosphere. If I could give it six stars, I would. We will definitely be recommending Culpeper to our friends and we will be coming back.

The culpeper was a great stop for a good beer and a good cup of wine last night. The place is very nicely decorated. The ambiance is cool and staff is very nice

Beautiful gastro pub with high ceilings and a industrial shabby chic type feel with retro furniture and a wonderful zinc topped bar in the centre. The venue has a ground floor pub, first floor dining room and a roof terrace and roof garden, where they grow fresh herbs...

The Culpeper was a great finding on our way to the market. The restaurant has a great atmosphere, the options available for brunch are delicious, the herbal tea is great and caffe latte is very well made as well.
If the restaurant happens to be full, do not hesitate to stay at the bar, confy place and great service is also provided.
The staff is really friendly and efficient.

I’ve read about the place on various sites – research is key! As with everything preparation, preparation and preparation – and I was indeed excited to visit it for the first time. I got there earlier than planned with my brother, who has just moved back to London after a 12 year stint back home in Greece, to meet K who was out shopping that day. The place looked great, even better than the photos on the website that usually tend to do a great job – Photoshopped or not – in making a place look rather appealing.

Sat at the bar and looked at the beer menu, an excellent selection of locally brewed beers to celebrate the recent explosion of microbreweries across London. There were beers from Hackney, Bermondsey etc. I ordered a local IPA – name escapes me, serves me right for not taking notes – my brother ordered a local beer brewed with fresh lime zest which was quite unique in flavour (BBNo 01|06). K, who arrived a little bit later than us got her usual, an Aperol Spritz! Soon the rest of the group arrived and enjoyed a drink with us at the very buzzy bar of the Culpeper. It was a pretty mixed crowd but generally the trendy East London types – plenty of beards in the place.

Our table was at the Kitchen – which is on the first floor – and every single person from the group took the opportunity, whilst we are waiting to be sat at our table, to peruse the establishment. Although I was not the first to embark on the nosy journey I could not possibly miss such opportunity, especially as I wanted to take some pictures at the same time. It’s over four floors, although one of them is just the bedrooms, and each level serves food from a different kitchen. Although it is typical for such an arrangement what surprised me is that the menu was very limited and that you could not order from a different kitchen other than the level you were on, to be frank, I would expect otherwise due to the limited menu.

What I found worth of specific mention is the roof garden which has a small bar for drinks and cocktails and next to it a BBQ from which beautiful smells emanate that hit you as soon as you step foot on the roof. Although this probably only open or usable in the summer it has a very nice atmosphere and feel to it with some great views of the City and some freshly cooked food from the grill. Unfortunately due to poor lighting the iPhone photos are too grainy…

We were sat at our table and were brought the wine menu which was passed to A. For a minute or two he looked perplexed as the Culpeper does not have a typical wine list, to be precise it has a section called ‘Peculiar’ – how very British. We decided to be daring and order a red wine from the peculiar list, which was a natural wine. It was interesting but I am not sure if I would order it again – not that I can remember the name of it. (Note to self: I must remember to take notes regardless the fact that I am with a big group.)

To start I ordered the chopped raw beef, which I must admit was not what I expected as I thought that it was coming with horseradish and I was surprised that the meat was fridge-cold and a bit bland. There was a negative review of the buffalo mozzarella with pickled girolles & oregano but generally everyone seemed to be happy with their starters.

The main was 750gr of beef rump to share with my brother and it was EPIC! There was food envy across the table especially for the amazing Pommes Anna chips. So much envy that they had to ask if they could have two portions of them for the rest of the table. Although slightly disappointed by the starter the main left me drooling. However, it was a bit pricey, as all good things in life are…but for beans on toast! The evening came to end with a round of cocktails, old fashioned please, and some warm gooey chocolate cookies on the house.

The experience from the Culpeper has been very positive, save for my starter and the limited menu, and it is certainly a venue that can accommodate almost everyone. It has a great variety of drinks, the cocktails were great, and can provide a quick bite on the ground floor or the roof’s BBQ whilst it can also provide a proper dinner for the grown-ups! It has very friendly and accommodating staff and a very lively atmosphere, across all levels. I will definitely try it again, especially for a Sunday roast which is always an important test for gastropubs!

Went to the Culpeper with a group of friends on a busy evening. We had various dishes from the menu, and they all got the thumbs up. Service was efficient and quite fast, which was nice since it is such a busy place. We tried the desserts too, and liked them a lot. It's a busy and cheerful place, ideal for a night out with friends.

We came here for Sunday roast a few weeks ago and it was the perfect ambience. The service was quick, food was amazing. Definitely worth a Sunday roast trip with friends! I had the vegetarian option (Beetroot, Mushroom, Sweet Potato, & Goats Cheese Wellington) we also had some of the other roasts as well as every appetizer and we didn’t find anything we didn’t like. Will visit again!

Located just down the road from our main office, this is a firm favourite. The staff are super friendly and even opened the roof bar a little early for us and our intenernational visitors! While there are A LOT of steps to get to the rooftop bar, it is well worth it. Great views and the whole area is surrounded by herbs and fruit grown for the restaurant. Smells amazing! Well worth a visit (and a climb).

Last minute booking for Sunday lunch. Everything was flavoursome - very unexpected to have rare beef as most places over cook or mention it. Totally didn’t mind as that’s how I like it, but can imagine some people complaining. Portions are small for the price. Service from the 2 waiting staff was surly and we go wedged into a little corner when the majority or the ground floor was empty.

I came here to meet a friend for dinner and it was AMAZING. I was so impressed by both the ambiance and the cuisine. She said there’s an amazing rooftop which I’ll have to check out on my next visit. I really loved the variety of food and the freshness of all of the dishes. Can’t recommend this place enough!

Genuinely lovely place that I’d wanted to visit for years and finally managed to. Delicious food and sincere, friendly staff. They looked after my vegan friend and all of our food was fantastic - top drawer gastropub excellence. Can’t wait to go back!