Simpson’s in the Strand review: to improve is to change

The venerable old London institution has had an update - so is it still up to scratch?

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It is always a risk to refurbish a restaurant. Some customers will retire their patronage as they mourn the loss of the old, while others will be lured in by the enticement of the new.

So it was when the 189-year-old grande dame of central London’s restaurant scene Simpson’s in the Strand got a facelift last year.

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Arion McNicoll is a freelance writer at The Week Digital and was previously the UK website’s editor. He has also held senior editorial roles at CNN, The Times and The Sunday Times. Along with his writing work, he co-hosts “Today in History with The Retrospectors”, Rethink Audio’s flagship daily podcast, and is a regular panellist (and occasional stand-in host) on “The Week Unwrapped”. He is also a judge for The Publisher Podcast Awards.