1890 by Gordon Ramsay
“Escoffier's Savoy legacy in 26 seats, one star and £175. Book 1890 for a solo tasting done properly.”
About 1890 by Gordon Ramsay
The name is a date: 1890, the year Auguste Escoffier arrived at The Savoy and invented the modern luxury hotel kitchen. Gordon Ramsay's group opened this 26 seat room in February 2022 as a study of that legacy, and the 2024 Michelin guide gave it a star that the 2026 edition retains. Executive chef James Sharp, who rose through Restaurant Gordon Ramsay and Pétrus, cooks the entire argument from a kitchen barely larger than the dining room.
The menu is a tasting of roughly nine courses at £175, with a five course version from £100 available early in the week. Escoffier references anchor the sequence, peach Melba rebuilt as a modern dessert, sauces mounted the old way, but the plates themselves are contemporary and light handed. A midweek booking here costs less than half of the group's Chelsea flagship and delivers a startling share of the polish.
The room seats its 26 guests in deep blue and brass beneath a portrait era glamour that suits the address, and service runs at hotel flagship standard without flagship scale. Bookings flow through the Gordon Ramsay restaurants site and OpenTable, and because the room is small, weekends evaporate while Tuesday and Wednesday remain the insider's open door for anyone paying attention.
The Room
A jewel of a room off The Savoy's river lobby: 26 seats, midnight blue walls, brass and glass, tables for two dominating the floor plan. The scale makes every table feel like the chef's table, and the noise level never exceeds a murmur. Dress smart; the address does most of the enforcement for you. Couples and solo diners fit best; six is the practical ceiling.
Why book it, occasion by occasion
A table this hard to win should be spent on the right night. This is who should book 1890 by Gordon Ramsay, and when.
For the solo diner who wants scale on their side
Twenty six seats means the kitchen and floor genuinely register every guest, and a single diner here is a peer, not an inconvenience. The £175 tasting paces perfectly for one, the Escoffier references give the meal a reading list, and the Savoy bars sit thirty steps away for the nightcap. Book Tuesday or Wednesday when the five course menu from £100 makes the evening a steal.
For a first date that needs intimacy without pressure
The room's size does the romantic work: low light, tables for two, no scene to compete with. The midweek five course menu from £100 keeps the commitment proportionate to a first evening, and the peach Melba finale hands you a story about the building to tell. If the night goes well, the American Bar upstairs extends it without a second reservation.
For an anniversary built around a hotel legend
An evening at The Savoy is its own tradition, and 1890 gives it a starred dinner scaled for two. Mention the anniversary when booking; in a 26 seat room the gesture actually lands. Take the full £175 tasting with the pairing, then walk the river front; the concierge can add flowers at the table. For milestone years, ask the hotel about combining the table with a stay.
What to order
One tasting, one shorter midweek form and a building full of history. These are the calls.
- The full tasting over the five course
The £175 long menu is where Sharp's Escoffier thesis develops; the shorter menu samples it. First visit, take the full argument.
- The peach Melba finale
Escoffier invented it two floors from your chair; the kitchen rebuilds it with modern technique. The most literate dessert in London.
- Tuesday to Thursday over the weekend
The five course menu from £100 runs early week and the 26 seats hold longer. The same kitchen at nearly half the ticket is the best deal in the building.
- The wine pairing over the list
The cellar leans French and classical, and the pairing is scaled sensibly to the room. Let the sommelier drive; the list's depth rewards it.
Practical
- Address
- The Savoy, Strand, London · off the river lobby
- Reservations
- gordonramsayrestaurants.com or OpenTable
- Menus
- Tasting £175 · five courses from £100 early week
- Seats
- 26 · tables for two dominate
- Dress
- Smart; the address sets the tone
- Hours
- Dinner, Tuesday to Saturday
- Timing
- 2.5 to 3 hours for the full tasting
- After
- The Savoy's American Bar, upstairs
Questions diners ask
Is 1890 by Gordon Ramsay worth it?
Yes, especially midweek. One Michelin star, a 26 seat room inside The Savoy and a tasting at £175 that undercuts every comparable hotel flagship make it the group's best value serious restaurant. The five course menu from £100 early in the week is one of London's quietest fine dining bargains.
How hard is it to book 1890?
Weekends are the squeeze: 26 seats disappear fast once the window opens on the group's site and OpenTable. Tuesday through Thursday tables hold days or weeks out, which is also when the cheaper five course menu runs. Book two to three weeks ahead for a Friday or Saturday.
What is the connection between 1890 and Escoffier?
The restaurant is named for the year Auguste Escoffier arrived at The Savoy, where he codified modern French kitchen practice. James Sharp's menu quotes that repertoire, most visibly in the rebuilt peach Melba, invented in this building, while cooking with contemporary lightness.
What does dinner at 1890 cost?
The full tasting is £175 a head, the early week five course menu starts around £100, and pairings are tiered on top. Two people with a classic pairing land around £450 to £550, roughly half the spend of the group's three star flagship on Royal Hospital Road.