The Tin Drum - Seven Dials

The sign outside says 'charcuterie' now but it's still in the tin drum chain. You can order meat and cheese as bar snacks and there is a kitchen menu which looks good. I had a burger but the chips are different, a bit soggy, which is a shame as the old chips were really nice. You have to go to the bar now when you're sitting in the bar area, table service was nice before. The bar is bigger than before so you can sit at it and have a drink or some food, which is good as some of the girls are incredibly hot.
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danpilsey83
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Sunday, September 18, 2011

Great service, great music, delicious food. Platters perfect to share with a few drinks. 2-4-1 cocktails, 5-7 every weekday. One of my favourite places to spend an evening. Still rides high above it's ever growing competition, just hope locals will stay loyal and keep this neighbourhood gem thriving.
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Ray Bambury
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 8
Saturday, July 23, 2011

We visited the Tin Drum last week, for a pre-Christmas meal with a few friends. We had previously been in for drinks and thought the specials menu sounded very interesting so decided to give it a go.

We were so impressed by the food; my partner had pheasant which was beautifully cooked and served with a rich game pan gravy. I had a vegetarian haggis, which I was a little apprehensive about as I had never heard of the dish before, but it turned out to be really tasty.

The service was warm and attentive and we really felt looked after, even though both the bar and restaurant area was very busy.

As a long standing local to the seven dials, I would recommend this place any day over and above the ubiquitous grey pubs that seem to be springing up in the area.
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KirstyM - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 8
Friday, December 31, 2010

Many times when dining out in Brighton I find myself eating over priced, average food. The tin drum on the other hand is a quintessential family ran cafe come bar making it a delightful dining experience. Superb ingrediants and execution make the food rugged yet refined. The meat is sourced locally from smallholdings owned by the restaurant which was apparent from the quality and flavour of the slow roast lamb shoulder shanks I had. The meat was set of perfectly by subtle seasonal flavours. My partner had the Grilled Sirloin steak which was cooked perfectly. Overall the food though not earth shattering was great quality, unpretentious yet accomplished making it quite delicious.

The service was as you would expect for a busy cafe come bar and the food and drinks arrived within a reasonable time. Our waitress was attentive and was clearly knowleadgable about the extensive wine list and made some excellent suggestions.

I would definitely reccomend the Tin drum to friends and will be visitiing again hopefully in the near future.
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June Goff- Beardsley
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, December 29, 2010

I use the brighton-eating website sometimes as a useful guide for the latest information on local restaurants. I eat out a lot, for business and with family and friends. Although I read reviews, I have never felt compelled to write a review myself, however after reading Mrs Angry of Brighton's scathing review (previous), I felt I must add my own.

Sure, the Tin Drum, like any long established restaurant, has had its ups and downs over the years. To be honest I've had good and bad experiences at some of Brighton's top restaurants and I wouldn't cut off my nose to spite my face by not returning to them. I have to say that this time last year the 7 Dials Tin Drum was not one of my favourite eating establishments; it seemed a little down-at-heel and unloved, but I am so glad that I returned a few weeks ago to eat on the recommendation of friends.

From the moment we stepped through the door we were looked after by really friendly staff who were attentive without hovering awkwardly. There was a great buzz in the bar; the lighting and music were just right. The menu was interesting and a bit different from anything else in Brighton at the moment and when we asked our server about both the food and wine they were knowledgeable and helpful.

The Tin Drum is not a McDonald's; we went for a relaxing evening and not a fast food experience - I say this because there have been times when you could have been mistaken for thinking it was trying to win a Slow Movement award for speed of service but on this occasion (and subsequent occasions) our drinks and food arrived at a perfectly acceptable pace despite the bar becoming increasingly busy.

Just a word about the food: our friends had invited us to eat with them at the Tin Drum because they had been on a couple of occasions recently and really rated the new menu. We had to ask the waitress to explain a couple of the dishes to us but when they arrived they were absolutely delicious. This was top quality restaurant food, better than anything I have ever eaten at the restaurant before. The menu has a lot of local and seasonal food on it - which is the fashion at the moment, I know, but it has a French provincial twist to it which gives it the edge over other local restaurants, in my opinion.

Since that first revisit to 7 Dials TD I have been back a few times and taken friends too who have all enjoyed it.
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Richard
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Monday, December 27, 2010

We took our two (junior school age) children for a meal at the Tin Drum, Seven Dials in early december 2010. It is local to us, and claims to be family friendly, and although we had been disappointed with either food and / or service at various points in the past, rumours of a new chef encouraged us to give it another try. We've been on/off customers for over a decade now, and must have spent hundreds (if not thousands!) over the years. Often we've had good food, occasionally it has been awful, likewise with the service. But it's close to us and convenient.

The menu was certainly interesting- pan fried snails, breast of lamb, roast pheasant - and actually quite complex (every dish was a something cooked in something with something, something else and yet something else too) - very ambitious for a simple family-oriented bar.

We waited over 15 minutes for a second round of drinks.

On the waitresses recommendation, we ordered a fish plate to share as a starter (she assured us it was amazing). It was ok - but not amazing i'm afraid. A small pot of whelks, a small portion of pickled herring (these may or may not have been prepared on the premises- i have to say it tasted no different to what you can buy in tescos), a few cooked prawns and a small portion of smoked salmon. We weren't amazed - and it was almost entirely composed of preserved and not fresh fish. Luckily the fruit flies that constantly buzzed around our table took our minds off it.

The main course was something altogether different - My partner ordered kidneys served on a yorkshire-pudding type base. I ordered lamb breast served with kidneys and sweetbeads (that's part of a pancreas, in case you're wondering!). The kidneys on both plates were clearly rather old to be serving up in a restaurant - they tasted overpoweringly of amonia and neither of us could eat them. When the waiter cleared our plates away (my husbands untouched), we explained - very politely - that we felt the kidneys were either a bit past it or hadn't been cleaned properly. We got no apology or explanation and we were charged the full price. My husband queried this with the manageress - and got short shrift as she accused him of being rude (he wasn't. He was a little annoyed at no-one listening to the complaint or wanting to know about it, but he wasn't rude) and actually told him to mind his manners when he spoke to her, which left us both with our jaws on the table.

This is not a cheap place to eat - in fact, for a bar that serves food, it's quite expensive. The service is highly variable and utterly dependent upon who is in charge on any given day. The main course was inedible and our complaint was not dealt with at all at first, and then treated with discourtesy.

Interestingly, my partner took it up with the owner of the bar - who conceded that the kidneys 'might have been hanging around a while' because the dish wasnt popular (so why keep it on the menu?!), but also said that we were clearly difficult customers with annoying children (they're actually pretty well behaved as kids go, and had spent most of the meal playing on their nintendos) they wouldn't mind if we didn't go there again.

So - not a very pleasant experience! Bad food, unhelpful service and management that doesn't want business from families...

There are lots of other places to eat at the dials these days - the good companions, the dyke, the dials restaurant (soon to become a more laid-back brasserie), and murasaki to name a few, and that's where we and our friends will take our business in future. A shame.
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Kate
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 0
Saturday, December 18, 2010

The food is good and the atmosphere is great. sometimes the service can be very slow. I waited 30 minutes with an empty glass as I tried to flag down staff for a refill. I get the feeling they sort of ignore you sometimes. The other down side is the music is far too loud, making conversation painful at best.

Turn the music down, please.
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Bret
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 5
Thursday, September 30, 2010

The atmosphere was great; the music was the right level and the staff were very friendly. The restaurant looked great – clean, tidy and well presented. The sofas where I sat were very comfortable and had a great view from the window.

The toilets were clean and the stairs and interior were nicely decorated and tidy.

The staff were very friendly and helped add to the pleasant atmosphere.

I ordered a burger and chips. The food arrived just over ten minutes after I ordered it which was a perfect amount of waiting time. When the food arrived it was fantastically presented. It tasted great and at £10 (including a drink) it was great value.

If I worked in the Seven Dials area I would definitely go there for lunch or having meetings there.
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james.mortimer - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, August 25, 2009

I completely disagree. Having been a regular for a good many years now I have seen this place through the good and the bad. Looking at the date of the previous comment I would completey agree. This bar has seen some bad times. But the new management have left behind any complancency and disregard for customers that was present and have welcomed the regulars (and all the new) customers wth open arms. These guys really want to prove themselves and bring the place back from the brink as it were. The food has improved beyond belief with their new chef and as much as i did not recognise any of the staff for a long time, the team they have now are a welcome replacement from the cold, disdainful specimens that were there before. All in all, a massive improvement and a very welcoming and happy place to be.
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- View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Thursday, February 12, 2009