Hawksmoor
Hawksmoor is a London restaurant that has a few other locations in the U.S. This is the first New York City location. In the UK, Hawksmoor is known for its food integrity, drinks, and visually appealing dining areas. They claim they have found the perfect way to cook steaks. One of the biggest appeals for me was they have a “Sunday Roast”, which is supposed to be a heavy Sunday meal. I had to make a reservation for this restaurant a few weeks in advance since the Sunday roast was only served on Sundays in the early-mid afternoons.
Ambiance & Service
The interior is indeed really beautiful. In the front is the bar, and it has a very classic appeal. However, once you visit the dining room, it brings you back to a British pub-like environment where the noise is quite loud similar to a train station ambiance, and there’s a lot of people chattering with their families.
The service is very bustling and quick. You’ll see the wait staff zoom in and out serving things, and the food itself came very quickly.
Food
The Five Alive ($21 - left) came with Grey Goose vodka, yuzu, verjus, and pineapple soda. This was a very smooth cocktail as expected with the ingredients in it.
The Sour Cherry America(no) ($16 - right) came with seedlip spice, cherry juice, and soda. This was non-alcoholic. This was definitely on the sweet side, and reminded me of a much more dense Shirley Temple with a little of that seedlip spice flavor.
The Charcoal-roasted scallops ($29) came with 3 pieces doused with white port and garlic. The scallops were very delicate and translucent from top to bottom. The breadcrumb was a bit on the heavy side, and it was definitely very buttery and garlicky.
The Sunday Roast ($48) came with dry-aged beef rump, beef-dripping roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, roasted carrots, buttered greens, roasted garlic, and bone marrow gravy. I ordered my beef rump pink, and it was pretty good. It reminded me of thin roast beef slices that you’d find in many diners and meat places. The gravy is probably the most decadent part of this entire plate. It’s salty and rich, but when added on all the things on this plate, it definitely enhances the flavors greatly. Without, it’s definitely on the bland side. The Yorkshire pudding was very dry and flavorless, and I’ve definitely had better ones in other places. The portion size is OK, and it is on the heavier side. Overall, the Sunday Roast isn’t all that I thought it was going to be.
Final Verdict
Hawksmoor was a decent steak experience. If you’re coming here for the Sunday Roast, we thought it’s middle of the road good and not worth any anguish to get reservations. This might be a place for us to return to try their normal steaks.
Yelp Jabs
The beef is good but super rare - two choices of bloody and well done.
Looking at many of the “bloody” pictures, the steaks were all mostly just pink, just like my picture. I think the well done temperature makes the meat much worse and chewy, so you would have to go pink. Also, it’s not as “bloody” as this Yelper makes it out to be. It’s probably similar to a medium temperature.
A group of us came in for the Sunday Roast, and we were disappointed with the meat used in the dish… The beef that appeared cooked to perfection but was very tough to chew and carve.
This is expected for the beef rump. It will be slightly tough to chew and cut (not carve) compared to a traditional steak cut like the ribeye or filet mignon. This cut of meat is generally much cheaper, so you get what you pay for.
Revisions
- Feb 2, 2025 - Initial revision.