The Poet is a British pub and dining room in Smithfield from Spencer Large, Honey Spencer and Charlie Sims, the team behind Hackney restaurant Sune. It occupies a historic building beside Smithfield Meat Market - one of six ‘Houses’ surrounding London Museum’s home in the General Market - with food overseen by Executive Chef Charlie Tayler, formerly of Aulis and The Ledbury.
The ground-floor pub centres on a double-height bar flooded with natural light, with elaborate joinery, richly textured surfaces, and cosy alcoves and snugs beneath the mezzanine. Upstairs, The Poet Dining Room has wood panelling, leather seating, a rich colour palette and an open kitchen at its heart.
Tayler’s menus rework British pub classics with seasonal produce from across the country. At the bar, the snack to order is a ‘Scampi Fries’ Scotch egg finished with a crumb of roasted prawn shells and the crisps themselves, alongside a black pudding sausage roll. Upstairs, the a la carte runs from crispy pork jowl with rhubarb and mustard to lamb shank suet pudding with red cabbage and lamb fat sauce, while cote de boeuf with hash brown chips and Gentleman’s Relish is made for sharing. A Sunday roast is served at weekends.
The Vertical Chicken Menu for two nods to Smithfield’s history at the heart of London’s meat trade, using the whole bird across a series of courses: warm pretzel with chicken fat butter, sticky fried wings and, for dessert, a plum Eve’s pudding made with chicken fat and served with vanilla ice cream.
Honey Spencer’s wine list spans celebrated appellations and lesser-known regions, taking in Christian Tschida’s Cuvée Kapitel and a Beaujolais Blanc from Obora. In the pub, ales and 40ft Pilsner sit alongside cocktails such as an Oyster Shell Gibson featuring The Poet’s own vodka, made in collaboration with Vault Aperitivo. Alcohol-free drinkers can order a Black Fig and Fennel Spritz.