The Church Key Bistro-Pub

Great Atmosphere - Great Food - Great Value

I can't believe I had never eaten here before. I was invited to the Grand with a friend and we decided to grab a bite before. I had the Beef Cheek Pot Roast - melt in your mouth. Food was delicious. We had such a good time - staff was so friendly. I can't wait to go back with my husband.

Hoped for better

Won't drag this out too much. My wife and I dropped in last week for a couple apps. Been theer before but it has been awhile. (Not a bad beer selection I recall) Likes - Atmosphere, wine list, location Dislikes - scallops WAY too overcooked / mussels lacking flavour and again, overcooked.

Delicious and interesting dinner menu, the patio is beautiful, and the service is excellent. The wild boar appetizer is fantastic, as is the mushroom parmesan dip.

Our Favorite

Just across from the Grand Theatre, so just make a reservation and you can get in. Try to avoid the hour before the theatre opens. London's great spot and our go to favorite for the food, atmosphere, the owners, staff and chefs. Great menu that gives a good variety. The daily specials are great and the Sunday brunch is very special. No steam tables of watery eggs here. A selection of 4 or 5 items that sometimes sound unusual, but try one. We have never been disappointed. The pastry tray at Sunday brunch is the best anywhere.

Terrible brunch, poor service

I went for brunch with a friend, and I initially planned to post about the poor quality of the service. However, I am currently too preoccupied regretting the fact that I actually finished the brunch.

Hidden gem... best restaurant in the city!

Since discovering it, we have been to the Churchkey many times. Sometimes just for drinks & apps, for dinner, and we have even celebrated several milestone birthdays there. The menu is so interesting and different than anything else in town. I hate going to restaurants and finding many items on the menu that I could easily make myself at home... this is not the case here. My family is also big into game, so we really appreciate the daily game feature (we've tried things like venison, boar, rabbit, etc). I should also mention that their Sunday brunch is TO DIE FOR. Your table gets a basket of freshly baked pastries, and there are 4 special menu items to choose from that are different every week. I think the best part, though, is the service. It is always really friendly and efficient. I've only ever had one problem there, and the server noticed it before I could even say anything, and corrected it immediately. What more could you ask for!

I must have made the wrong choice on the menu...

I was disapointed in the Cobb salad. The yogurt goat cheese dressing had little taste and was loaded on.. The scotch egg didn't turn my fancy at all. The service was great though.

excellent Sunday brunch

Best Sunday brunch in London. A bit on the pricey side but well worth it. Different dishes made every Sunday. Highly recommended

Meh food, excellence service.

My husband and I went here, and weren't very impressed with the food at all. He ordered chicken and waffles, the chicken was under seasoned, and the waffles had been placed under a broiler and were burnt and dried out. I ordered steak, which was over cooked, my sides were stone cold when they arrived. Considering we had to wait over an hour for our food, we didn't bother sending it back for fear of losing another hour of our time. We ordered scallops for our appetizers, and they were great. Despite the food quality, the service was wonderful. Our server was very courteous, funny, and attentive.

the Key to success

An overall great experience. Myself and a friend popped in for lunch just before going to a matinee at the Grand Theater across the street. It was the middle of the lunch hour and the small place was busy. Still, we were seated promptly and our server was both friendly and informative. The menu of elevated pub fare was unique, and our food arrived quickly. I must comment as did a previous reviewer on their rendition of the Plougman's Lunch....really innovative and a nice change from the usual. We got to enjoy our meals and we were off to the play with time to spare despite arriving at the restaurant later than we intended. May well become our "go to" place before visits to the theater!

The menu is awsome!!!

Everything is terrific. You have to try the burger. It is addictive. This is a cozy restaurant with excellent food. They pay great attention to the details.

Throw Away The Key

It has ben quite a while since we had visited this bar/restaurant. The first time we tried the special hamburger, a fine-dining hamburger, you know, open with a patty and cheese on one bun and salad on another bun, both incapable of coming together and eaten. We finished with coffee and rancid cream. This time, there was something called Salmon Rosti, salmon on a potato cake decorated with fruit which was very enjoyable, and it was accompanied with a special soup of lentils in a duck broth, which was probably home made because of the surprising bone chips. There was a good selection of wine by the glass, including a nice Canadian VQA without a name, other than the name of the winery. Four people on an adjacent table, seemed constantly agiitated by various aspects of their dishes and, thus, kept the server busy with discussion, which was probably why she never once stopped to ask about my enjoyment of the food, even though only three tables were in use. Therefore, I am sure that they noticed my 15% tip of the net total, exclusive of the tax, but were expecting 15% of the inclusive total ... I hate that.

Our new favorite

We went for our first time a couple months ago and had a fabulous time, this quickly became our favorite restaurant. We have since started going every friday evening to enjoy their beautiful patio, extensive wine list and delicious foods. We were in last night for my husbands birthday and I had the ribeye topped with stilton. The chef cooked it to perfection and it was on of the best steaks i've ever had. Staff is always friendly and will try to go out of their ways to make your time at the Churchkey enjoyable.

Perfect Ploughman's

I've been meaning to try this place ever since reading a review in a local dining magazine. A pit stop on a bike ride one warm August afternoon afforded us an opportunity to give it a try. The draught beer selection is modest - but there is also a good bottled selection of local microbrews and Belgian favourites to choose from at reasonable prices. A nice selection of wines and a sangria are also available. We chose a draught and bottled Quebec beer (Maudite). I have eaten at many a pub in many locations around the world, and I've come to judge a pub's menu on the standard of its Ploughman's Lunch/Plate. I was happy to see the Church Key had one to offer and we selected that and a plate of mussels with leeks and lager. We weren't disappointed with either selection, but the Ploughman's really impressed us! Smokey sliced duck breast, a smooth pate, house-made pickled onions and quail's eggs, smoked salmon along with a generous selection of Stilton, cheddar and sliced and lightly toasted baguette. The roasted garlic was a unique touch and much appreciated, though a little under-done. The mussels were also delicious, the lager selection they were cooked in wasn't too bitter (as many beer-flavoured broths can be) and the mussels well washed, fresh, sweet and firm. They were served with a unique pretzel style of bread with a mustard seed butter - it was great with the beer! The location downtown is quite nice, close to the church and the decor is old stone and wood and quite charming. It's a little noisy on the patio with industrial air conditioners buzzing away, but that's easily overlooked. The service was fast, friendly and thoughtful (seeing we'd arrived on bikes, we'd barely sat down before the waitress came over with two large glasses of ice water!). We look forward to our next visit - likely the Sunday Brunch our waitress recommended!

The service was decent overall and the food was good. We needed extra gravy for the poutine and they forgot the peppers on the steak sandwich.

Great food! Great Service! Be sure to order soup!

I have had the opportunity to enjoy both business lunch meals with clients, and an evening meal with my spouse at the Church Key. The food was excellent all round. The soups had flavours that I had never experienced before, and were incredible! The service was prompt and friendly. The prices were reasonable. What more can be said? Every time it has been a very enjoyable experience. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone who wants great food for a reasonable price in downtown London.

We have been to the Church Key several times, everything that we have ever ordered was great, a nice patio atmosphere during the summer/fall; service was friendly and prompt; their Sunday brunch is amazing, but sshh! don't tell anyone!

I went here only a few days after opening and...

I went here only a few days after opening and they already had their stuff together nicely. Nice church style and antique decor meets sleek tables and design. Nice patio outside overlooking Richmond Row. I believe my party was served by one of the owners. She was friendly and attentive without being overbearing. Service was very good overall. I had a couple of beer and the Plowman's Plate. Food was tasty and well prepared, and my beers were in good shape. I would like to see more micro beers available, but the addition of Unibroue here is a fantastic thing, and I hope they stay with this sort of selection. Overall, this is a very good start for London's newest gastropub. I'll be back in no time.

The Church Key is a fantastic addition to the...

The Church Key is a fantastic addition to the London restaurant scene, and fills a welcome gap in the gastro pub offerings in the city. The space has been brightened up since taking over the space from Copperfields, and has a perfect mix of regular tables, bar tables and patio space. We've been several times and have tried to sample as much of the menu as possible and we have yet to be disappointed. You can't go wrong with any of the appetizers, especially the Ploughman's Plate or the mushroom tart. On our most recent visit, we had the devil'd scotch egg to start and fish and chips for our mains. The Fish is perfectly fried, and the devil'd Scotch egg is a great creation! Be warned...portions at the Church Key are generous! You'll get your fill regardless of what you order!