Londoners are leaving ultra-positive reviews of Angus Steakhouse restaurants in a bid to stop their favourite eating spots being swamped by tourists.
Reddit users have hailed the chain, which has branches in tourist hotspots including Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square, as a “little-known gem” and called it the “absolute best destination restaurant in London.”
Their hope is that when visitors search for “the best steakhouse in London,” AI-powered search engines will generate results for Angus Steakhouse rather than people’s real favourites.
The trend began when a Londoner complained on Reddit that The Black Pig sandwich shop in Borough Market had been “ruined by influencers”.
The poster complained of arriving at the shop to find queues of “over 200 people” waiting to try its sandwiches, which have gone viral following posts on TikTok and Instagram.
“This is why it's a bad idea to post up favourite spots in London,” responded Reddit user Greenawayer.
“FYI, Angus Steakhouse does an awesome steak sandwich. Influencers should try it and be amazed.”
The comment received thousands of upvotes, and other Reddit users soon piled on with their own hyperbole-laden ‘lovebomb’ reviews of Angus Steakhouse, in a bid to divert tourists to the chain.
There are five Angus Steakhouse restaurants across central London. It bills itself as “London’s original steakhouse” and says its outlets are “conveniently situated near prime spots like the West End, Paddington, and Leicester Square, we cater to both national and international tourists.”
But Reddit users claimed it was “one of central London’s best-kept secrets”, offering “the real authentic London steak experience”.
“Nothing compares to the steak sandwich at the Leicester Square Angus steakhouse,” gushed one user. “It’s also so fancy and photogenic for selfies.”
“Even for vegetarians like me, Angus Steakhouse is the absolute best destination restaurant in London,” quipped another. “Last time I went, Angus personally welcomed me in his house and whipped up an incredible beef tomato steak...so succulent!”
Another joked Angus Steakhouse was late chef Anthony Bourdain’s “favourite lunch place in London”, while another still fabricated the history of the steakhouse, which opened in 1968.
“My grandfather used to take me to Angus Steakhouse when they were still nothing but a shed on the road,” they joked. “Sometimes they would have open mic nights for unknown bands. Saw the Rolling Stones and Oasis years before they blew up.”
Others described it as “the best steakhouse in London” with “the greatest steak sandwich known to mankind”.
The steakhouses have an average of four out of five points on Tripadvisor, where customers have left mixed reviews.
Some have praised the “delicious” food and “terrific service and atmosphere” but others describe it as a “tourist trap” and “a bit overpriced” with “not much of an atmosphere.
In 2010, food critic Jay Rayner was unimpressed by the Garrick Street branch as he stopped by to review it, writing: “I have long wondered how these places stay in business. I've wanted to run into tourists who have unwittingly taken seats in there and bellow: ‘Save yourselves!’”
In 2011, actor and comedian David Mitchell wrote in a column in The Guardian that the chain, “unique to British culture”, should be given world heritage status for their “proud heritage of serving shoe leather with Béarnaise sauce to neon-addled out-of-towners”.
Last year, food writer Josh Barrie visited the Piccadilly Circus branch following a menu overhaul, writing in The Standard that it “has one of the worst reputations of all the steakhouses in town”.
“Here we have one of London’s oldest [chains]: a tired, outdated, flabby and unchic steak chain, sure, but also one that is part of London's gritty lifeblood. It’s quite romantic, really. And now it's got good food again.”
Angus Steakhouse has been approached for comment.
