Fitzrovia favourite, Riding House Café, is a well-loved eatery catering for creative conversations, lunchtime negotiations and plenty of first date folly. We were invited to pop by for lunch and found the place packed, even on a Tuesday. Here's everything we tried.
Riding House Cafe is located on Great Titchfield Street, a stretch awash with old school restaurants, bars, and cafes. Despite its modest name, Riding House can hardly be called a café. It's a sprawling space set over three floors, with part glass, part impossibly glossy wood walls, plush red seats, vintage lamp shades and plenty of foliage festooning the ceiling like leafy bunting. The original Fitzrovia café is now one of a trifecta of Riding House Cafés, with sister locations in Bloomsbury and Victoria.
Riding House's central locations and easygoing atmosphere make it an obvious choice for a variety of occasions and can suit a range of palates, from die-hard bottomless brunch-goers to health-conscious diners. The menu features plenty of fun surprises, fusion plates and an extensive drinks offering, including a host of signature cocktails and wine references - far more than your average café.
To kick things off, we ordered chilli mangoritas, their signature margarita twist which was packed with fresh mango and a decent smattering of spice, perfect for a first drink of the night. Standout starters included the sticky ginger aubergine, fried chicken with Bajan pepper sauce and seared tuna loin coated in a crunchy parsley breadcrumb and laid on a bed of caponata. I'd highly recommend the sticky ginger aubergine; the miso dressing was super warming and nicely contrasted the flourish of punchy pickled radish on top.
For mains, there are options from the grill, house burgers, bowls and salads galore. We opted for plates at either end of the scale and were pleasantly surprised by Riding House's range. The 380g New York strip was well cooked, and was accompanied by very moreish sesame salt chips. It was satisfying cut of meat and would be a good one to share between two if you want to go heavier on the small plates first. The superfood salad bowl was vibrant and fresh, and bolstered pleasantly by the grilled halloumi and kale pesto skewer recommended by our server.
Throughout our indulgent lunch, the whole space remained busy and alive with chatter. The atmosphere is buoyed by constant conversation and the clatter of plates being passed around the room. This convivial energy feels uniquely Riding House and keeps locals and the locally-employed alike, returning again and again. We left feeling stuffed, satisfied, and utterly swept up in its infectious spirit. However, we'd had to forgo pudding, so we departed promising ourselves we'd return to sample the hot sticky toffee brioche doughnuts.
If you're passing by soon and happen to be drawn into this Fitzrovia favourite, or the Bloomsbury and Victoria locations, drop a review to let us know what you think!