The Coach Makers Arms Review

The passageway between Soho and Marylebone is a bit of a sanctuary. The hustle and energy between Oxford Circus and Bond Street coughs you up onto this quiet lane lined with boutiques and cafes and little restaurants with chairs perched outside. And at the end of it all sits The Coach Makers Arms—in a sea of white buildings and there stands erect a bold color with gilded and wood details.

Walk in, to the back, up the stairs and you’re at this beautiful wide space with historical details. Natural light flowing in and I can only imagine how romantic it is in the evening for a cozy winter date. The earthy tones of the leather seats, the bits of green, the gallery wall of portrait painting, a cohesiveness within your typical London pub flair.

The menu doesn’t change from day to night, but does cater to the seasons and availability. What is something to note about The Coach Makers Arms is that the chef cares about the ingredients and the ingredient’s future. Looking at availability to sustainability, it shows in the delicate details of each dish.

We started with the William Pear Martini. A fresh celebration of pears with that slight tough of cinnamon, it was like drinking a poached dessert. And then ordered the Menai mussels where we fought over the last piece of bread to soak up the stout broth and the home-cured bresaola that played the perfect medley to show off the London pub’s beautiful meats.

Between courses we gazed outside into the streets that started to swell up. It was after all, the peak of the afternoon where people working craved for a coffee or some even went for a cheeky pint. The Coach Makers Arms, if you’re looking for a true British experience, sits itself not too far from the shopping with Liberty, Selfridges and Regent’s Street just an equidistance away.

Onwards we went for the entrees. Let me preface that the decision to make from the menu was near impossible, but we went for the chicken that is a pretty safe option, and then the house pie. The chicken shows off the crispy skin and was piled gorgeous with the purple broccoli with a nutty dressing. The winner was the house pie, really. With its flavors changing daily, that day we entertained lamb and haggis pie. That thin, flaky and buttery crust was light and that texture combination of the slightly broiled topped potato. It was comfort food, London pub food, elevated. The entrees proved that it’s a bunch of simple things done exceedingly well.

Finally, the dessert. Needless to say, I wasn’t sure what to expect considering British cuisine embraces the same few sponges and cakes. We ordered the dark chocolate fondant full of cardamom spiced white chocolate that slowly oozed out. I really wanted something delicate though, so we also ordered the pineapple carpaccio. If there was one thing I would come back for, it would be this. There’s a way to eat it: you take a bit of the stem ginger panna cotta, slice a bit of the fresh pineapple and scoop a touch of the sorbet and ginger cookie crumb. That’s how it’s done. Each element on it’s own didn’t make sense, but together it paints the final stroke of your meal as a masterpiece.