Hix Oyster & Chop House: a master of simplicity, sourcing and service

Mark Hix's first London restaurant is a master of simplicity, sourcing, service and steak
Supreme steak
Ben Norum1 February 2018

For the latest in our Famous London Restaurants series we visit Hix Oyster & Chop House, the first of Mark Hix’s growing collection of London restaurants.

The backstory Mark Hix launched his debut solo restaurant back in 2008, following his departure from Caprice Holdings after holding the position of chef director for 17 years.

Its setting a stone’s throw from Clerkenwell’s historic Smithfield meat market is appropriate given its fondness for cuts of beef.

What’s on the menu? From day one the premise has been the same: the best oysters and chops around, plus a small range of other patriotic dishes.

A selection of oysters takes in a handful of rocks from around UK waters, each one particularly plump and juicy. The beef from Glenarm Estate in Northern Ireland is richly marbled and deeply flavoured, with an extra-aged rib-eye served on the bone being right up there with the best of the best.

Simple surrounds

Pork and lamb chops also feature, with the latter boasting beautifully blistered, melting fat and full-flavoured juicy meat.

There are plenty of added extras, too. The exemplary crisp, salty fries are a must and you’d be wise to kick off with a bowl of cockle pop-corn (addictively crispy fried cockles). A selection of fish dishes are on hand as an alternative to meat, while Mark Hix’s own cured smoked salmon has become a modern classic. And do save room for a Bramley apple pie with custard.

The atmosphere The dining room is as simple as the menu, with white tiled walls and wooden floors setting a classic but convivial setting, with very deliberate undertones of butcher shop. It’s made all the more comfortable and innocuously indulgent by attentive and rather old-school service (matched by white tablecloths) that neatly treads the line between friendly and formal.

As at all of Mark Hix’s restaurants, a few statement art pieces add splashes of colour and creative flair. Highlights include Caragh Thuring’s interesting ‘Rat Kebab’.

Cheque out Starters from £7.50 with oysters £2.95 each. Steaks from £19.95 with that rib-eye coming in at £12.50 per 100g. Puddings from £7. Wine from £5.75 a glass.

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