Pubs were pretty grim places to eat forty years ago, when Tina Turner sung “we don’t need another hero.” Fortunately, a lot has changed for the better in the world since. To witness the pub in 2025, diners should check out the Hart in Marylebone. Brought to London by the same team behind the Hero (and the Fat Badger), we need more pubs like this.
If you have a winning formula, then don’t break it. The unoriginally named Public House Group seems to have perfected the idea of taking neglected Victorian boozers, restoring them lovingly to their former glory (think lots of wood panelling) and elevating the cooking to 21st century standards. Downstairs at the Hart there is informal eating, upstairs a more refined experience. Your reviewer and his dining comrade opted for the former and enjoyed marvelling at the stained-glass windows from the corner table we had in one of the ground floor’s snugs.
The culinary angle at the Hart (and its peer pubs) is reassuringly British, celebrating classic dishes and cooking with many ingredients sourced from the team’s own farm in the Cotswolds. Nothing on the menu is that radical or original, but what’s available is all done exceptionally well. Expect the likes of pork pies, ham hock and kedgeree. There’s also a strong emphasis on seasonality, with much mushroom and venison featuring when we visited.
Proceedings began with one dish from the menu’s snack section and another from its starters. Ironically, the former was larger than the latter, although priced more reasonably. Ultimately it didn’t matter, since we shared both, but less relaxed or more parsimonious diners could end up confused. Sardines on toast were among the most flavoursome tasted in this country for some time. The trick, apparently, is to fry the bread for a long period to add decadence and then season the fish liberally with herbs. Crab cakes also showed a real dedication to flavour and also thoughtfulness in their pairing with a piquant mayonnaise. My comrade stuck to fish for her main (a beautifully presented trout and horseradish option) while your reviewer opted for the venison special. What the meat lost in texture – it was a touch over-cooked – was amply offset by the rich gravy and perfectly paired seasonal vegetables. The Hart shows comfort food at its best.
Eight beers are available on tap even if we both opted for wine. By the glass options showed more originality than many comparable venues (Italian Gavi is a perennial winner) and all drinks seemed fairly priced. In the final assessment, both your reviewer and his comrade independently concurred that it was a pity real-world work called, as the Hart is certainly a venue where it would be all too easy to pass a whole afternoon.