Act Two at West End favourite, Joe Allen
At the height of London’s obsession with burgers and barbeque, Joe Allen, the restaurant credited with bringing American food to the capital, is seeing a resurgence under its new owners. The 36-year old restaurant, which has long been the unofficial ‘staff canteen’ of Theatreland’s stars, producers, critics and composers, changed hands at the end of 2012. Since then, west London restaurateurs Lawrence Hartley (Brula) and Tim Healy (A Cena) have been busy refining the menu of salads, grills and market fish, and making subtle tweaks to this much-loved ‘Grande Dame’ of London’s restaurant scene.
Lawrence commented: “We see ourselves as the curators of a piece of Theatreland history. There’s nowhere else in London with a crowd quite like ours – on any night you might spot actors, politicians, a theatre critic penning his copy, or even film stars in sing-songs round the piano or the cast of a musical performing on the bar! I used to come here with my father, I have since bought my own children here and we want to introduce Joe’s to the next generations. Our challenge has been to identify and make small changes to improve Joe’s, without losing the essence of what makes it such a special place.”
Thus visitors returning to Joe’s will see the basement restaurant has retained its relaxed atmosphere, brickwork walls full of theatrical memorabilia from nearly four decades of West End history, and long eat-over bar complete with speed rail. Many of the restaurants long-standing staff also remain, including general manager Cathy Winn and pianist Jimmy Hardwick, who between them have over 50 years of service. The menu remains resolutely American, and features classic dishes such as chopped salad, Caesar salad, chilli con carne with corn grits and pecan pie. The not-so-secret off the menu burger is still available, and holds its own against many of London’s more recent offerings.
The restaurant also boasts some new features, such as a revamped private dining room, which can cater for parties and canapé receptions for 25-50 guests. The decor has been spruced up and menu blackboards are back along with shots of classic black and white films. Menus are more streamlined: a fantastic value set menu (£16/19.50 for two/three courses and a glass of wine) is available all day Sunday-Tuesday and until 7pm Wednesday to Saturday; the drinks list focuses on classic American cocktails and the eclectic wine list includes a good selection of US wines by the carafe and bottle.
At a time where chains dominate and new venues open and close every week, Joe Allen’s remains a stalwart of the scene, a true American Theatre Brasserie, a spot where locals and visitors alike can enjoy an exceptional meal in a one-of-a -kind restaurant.
Joe Allen: a potted history
New York restaurateur Joe Allen and his business partner, Richard Polo, opened the London branch of Joe Allen in 1977 with the aim of retaining the same discreet feel of PJ Clarke’s in New York, where Joe used to work. Richard found a site on Wellington Street, but instead of using the front door, put out a window in the adjoining side street, and the entrance was marked only by a small brass plaque.
The menu was very similar to that of Joe’s restaurant in New York, and unapologetically American. Two articles in the Evening Standard, including a positive review from Fay Maschler, plus a piece in the New York Times, helped to build buzz, and Joe’s quickly became the go-to place for American stars visiting the capital, plus home-grown creative talent on breaks between rehearsals and post-theatre.
An extraordinary amount of stars have visited over its 36 years in business, including Princess Diana, Laurence Olivier, Kenneth Williams, Harvey Weinstein, Stephen Sondheim, Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Collins, Tony Curtis, Leonard Bernstein, Muhammad Ali, Susan Sarandon, Al Pacino, Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen, Ava Gardner, Ingrid Bergman and Rock Hudson.
Closer to home, Tim Healy’s father was the actor David Healy, who had roles in many West End productions including that of ‘Nicely Nicely Johnson’ in Guys and Dolls, for which he won an Evening Standard award for ‘best supporting actor’ (to Bob Hoskins and Julia McKenzie). A picture of David with Bob was already on the wall when Tim and Lawrence took over.
Joe Allen is also well-known for the number of restaurant-industry ‘royalty’ that have worked there: Jeremy King (Corbin & King), Russell Norman (Polpo Group) and Rowley Leigh (Le Café Anglais) have all spent time front of house or in the kitchen.
Joe Allen, 13 Exeter Street, London, WC2E 7TD
Website: joeallen.co.uk