I had extremely high hopes for Hawksmoor Seven Dials, having read the rave reviews, which makes my experience all the more puzzling and disappointing.
I visited on a Sunday afternoon with hopes of sampling the roasts. However, I was told when we sat down that roasts 'always run out early'. I really do find that bizarre - if you know week on week that you're running out of something, why not order more in next week? Next we were told that 'some cuts' had sold out. The problem was that most cuts had sold out, leaving only two or three of the more expensive options. I wasn't blown away by my choice - it was ok but lacked seasoning, was very fatty and didn't have much flavour despite this. The chips were slightly overcooked and the broccoli undercooked (and I do love my vegetables al dente).
The service was nothing short of terrible - at every point in the evening we were always trying to catch a waiter's attention, whether it was to initially order food or to ask for more drinks. Furthermore, my second glass of wine was incorrect when it was brought to me. I politely pointed out that I'd requested a different glass and instead of just apologising and changing the wine the waiter said to me: 'but that's a white wine, you ordered red.' I very rarely drink red wine so most definitely did not order a glass of red and know enough about wine to know what I'm ordering. I'm not a difficult customer and I'm polite so really, why not just change the glass?
I'd say that on a positive note, the surroundings are very cool and there's a lively atmosphere but this didn't improve a distinctly sub par dining experience. There are plenty of places in London where you can get better steak and better service for much cheaper - dare I say, a Gaucho?