The Buxton has been carving out a niche for itself as one of the most affordable places in central London with both great food and comfortable rooms,
Central London is always awash with new and wonderful independent openings, and yet you’re not likely to stumble across The Buxton unless you know exactly what you’re looking for. Nestled at the quieter end of Brick Lane, the pub-hotel has been quietly carving out a niche for itself since 2019 as one of the only affordable places in the area with both great food and comfortable rooms. It suits City revellers in need of a place to crash after an all-nighter as much as it does tourists on a shoestring or locals looking for posh pub grub off the beaten track. It’s a clever investment by the Culpeper Group – which also owns the pub of the same name just down the road, The Green in Clerkenwell and The Duke of Cambridge in Islington.
In fact, this convenient spot has quite a history. In the 19th century, it was the epicentre of Jack the Ripper’s crimes and in the early 2000s was known for loitering prostitutes, pimps and drug dealers – you can thank gentrification (for once) that its reputation has been salvaged since then. Now it’s one of the only places in central where stockbrokers and hipsters happily rub shoulders. Named after local social reformer Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton, who helped lead the campaign to abolish slavery and also owned the nearby Truman brewery, the building has kept much of its Victorian charm. They’ve added two extra floors and a rooftop garden, where they grow herbs and hardy greens for use in the restaurant (although, its “unparalleled” 360-degree views are not quite that unparalleled).
The ground floor is occupied by the bistro, and is where the Culpeper Team has done what it does best. They’ve taken the bar and given it a marble top and hanging, exposed pipe shelves. The indoor seating area is filled with stools around high tables, pinpointed by low hanging, intimate lights. Through the French windows is the beer garden – yes, take note, there’s a beer garden – under an expansive awning and enclosed by greenery-entwined fences. There are hints of brass, dark wood, leather, exposed bricks. It’s the perfect mix of pub and restaurant; simultaneously swanky and urban; suitable for almost any kind of event and dress code.
The menu, billed as a mix of British and European, is simple and seasonal. Like everywhere else these days, there’s an emphasis on ingredients: the bavette steak is sourced from a high welfare butcher in Yorkshire that’s been reintroducing native breeds back to the area – a choice that can be sensed in each bite of the tender, flavourful meat. When it’s politely suggested to Boyfriend that he have the steak medium-rare and not his typical medium-well done (I know, SMH), it becomes clear how much the staff care about your experience here. When we visited in July, the steak was intuitively paired with a charred, summery courgette and a fresh salsa verde. So fresh, in fact, the herbs had probably been plucked from the rooftop garden that morning.