Sophie's Steakhouse

Large, imposing doors opened with a determined grasp, high ceilings that seem to eat up noise, and a calm but cultured whiff of a meal where you might pay a little extra but walk out rather happier; coming from the Covent Garden tumult and into cavernous Sophie’s immediately felt like just the kind of illicit, red-meat filled sojourn that appears at the end of so many foodie cravings.

Sitting down, that impression only ratchets higher as the sultry lighting creates a devilled glow to your surroundings, and your smiling waitress drops off your complimentary appetiser – no baked-at-home bread or fresh-and-fruity olives here though. Instead, a generous serve of thick, salty salami that goes down rapidly; the point that Sophie’s does nice things with meat does not go unnoticed.

The wine list is typically bullish in order to stand up to this, and though you can go to town with some high-end picks, we found several decently-priced options by both the glass and bottle. The Malbec we selected had a fantastically full flavour and went down all-too quickly – at least until we had those meaty mains before us.

Steak, of course, is what Sophie’s is most likely to have dragged you over the threshold for and, although the prices seem rather Machiavellian at first glance, on arrival we found it hard not to offer a contented smile. The Cote de Boeuf we tried seemed of Jurassic Park proportions, yet retained an outstanding, iron-rich flavour of a cut of meat that had been both cared-for and cooked with some great skill.

A portion of mixed ribs were similarly colossal, with the pork baby back sitting so succulently under Sophie’s sauce that several minutes towards the end of our meal became a search-and-rescue mission for any remaining morsels we may have missed.

Sides were perhaps a little disappointing, with the chips and jackets both missing some kind of final, ecstatic hit of butter or salt, and a slaw salad rather getting overwhelmed by sauce and not offering the kind of fresh bite it might. Yet, those quibbles only allowed us to turn back more ardently than ever to those wicked, wonderful meats.

It’s not cheap, of course, but for the kind of concentrated red meat and red wine hit that will kick your cravings for a little while at least, and in a surprisingly calm and cultured atmosphere, Sophie’s Steakhouse seemed good value for a guilty pleasure more than worth giving into.

Met a friend here for pre theatre lunch & drinks on a Saturday. The place fills up really quickly which adds to the feel of the place, which is very New York warehouse style, great lights & floral display.
Food is really good & portion sizes are spot on. I had the chicken pie which was so tasty & the red skin mash was divine Great wine list, although the waitress did seem put out that we wouldn't order the special wine that was on offer for that day, we ended up with the house white which was really good.
I've been here a few times & would always go back for this type of food, it knocks spots off the usual chain type places!

Call off the search. This is where I always go now pre and post theatre. A slice of NYC in Covent Garden — unpretentious, delicious steak (rump for under a tenner), and big enough to bag a table without booking. Last time we drunk Whispering Ted cocktails — some kind of brutal apple martini that was not on the menu but will not be forgotten in a hurry. Excellent stuff.