The story
Story Cellar, at 17 Neal's Yard in Seven Dials, Covent Garden, London, is a modern British restaurant rated Very Good by The Good Food Guide (2026) and listed as Recommended by Michelin (2026). It is the casual offshoot of Tom Sellers' Restaurant Story, and its brasserie menu comes off an open-fire kitchen.
Chef Robert Homer moved from Dovetale to oversee the modern brasserie menu. The open-fire kitchen is part of the experience, and guests on the counter and window stools can watch it at work. The restaurant is currently closed for essential repairs, with reopening due on 17 August 2026.
Reviewers singled out the snail "bolognaise" with parsley butter on toast, which was the most ordered starter on their visit, and a mackerel escabèche when it appears as a special. The rotisserie chicken arrives with its own rich gravy, a dressed house salad and crisp French fries. A steak cooked rare with frites and sauce Diane is another standout, and the dry-aged pork chop with brandy-pickled dates is also popular.
Save room for dessert. The bread and butter pudding is described as "a bowl of warm hugs," and a mint Viennetta soft serve studded with dark chocolate shards impressed the reviewers. The wine list is extensive, running from classics to small artisan producers, and wines by the glass let you drink well without committing to a bottle. Prices run high, and the cocktails are a draw too.
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*The restaurant is currently closed for essential repairs. Due to reopen on 17 August 2026.* If you don’t have the time or the inclination for the full-dress Restaurant Story experience, this casual offshoot should fit the bill. Tom Sellers’ Story Cellar has a reputation to uphold and it does the job – thanks to chef Robert Homer, who has moved from Dovetale to oversee the modern brasserie menu, and ebullient Kevin Orsat who leads the personable, attentive and genuine staff. The sleekly designed space is an ‘all-round winner’, with the theatre of an open-fire kitchen (plus stool seating at the counter and window) adding to the sense of in-place vitality. It's not hard to see why it has accrued a strong following. Start with the rich, sumptuous snail 'bolognaise' with parsley butter on toast – nearly everyone was ordering it the night we were in. Either that or a special such as mackerel escabèche. Dry-aged pork chop with brandy-pickled dates or mussels in ‘Story’ cider are popular mains, but we have always found the rotisserie chicken irresistible – especially as it comes with its own rich gravy, a beautifully dressed house salad and crisp French fries. A full-flavoured steak (perfectly rare) with frites and sauce Diane is another standout choice. Pace yourself, for desserts should not be missed: ‘the bread and butter pudding is like a bowl of warm hugs,' and we were mightily impressed by a delicate mint Viennetta soft serve studded with shards of rich dark chocolate. The extensive, insightful wine list invites exploration, from iconic classics to esoteric artisan discoveries. Prices are top-end but you can drink regally by the glass; there are some alluring cocktails, too.
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