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If there is one restaurant I have been looking forward to opening in Cambridgeshire, it is the ‘Griddle Bar & Meathouse’ in Ely. Last Tuesday, their doors finally opened and I finally got to see the restaurant in all its glory.
There are several reasons to be excited about the Griddle Bar…
The first being that Ely has now got an exclusive steak house and burger joint in the city. It is really hard to imagine, especially considering how popular both burgers and steak are but it has always been one thing Ely has desperately needed.
The second being that the restaurant does its own craft beer, giving Ely a third location for us beer geeks.
The third reason is that the owners of the Griddle Bar & Meathouse are the same people behind one of my favourite restaurants – Sushi & Salad. A team with a brilliant track record for creating small intimate restaurants with tonnes of character and incredible food.
So, expectations were high. With their four main products being steak, burgers, breakfast baps, and craft beer. I decided to review them all over a few weeks to give you an idea of what to expect.
Interior
The restaurant looks small from the outside but is surprisingly large once you walk in, with two floors in total. The downstairs area has a more casual cafe-like feel, making it a great place to pop in or relax in their booths for a couple of hours. There is an open plan kitchen out the back, adding reassurance of their hygiene practices but also adding an invigorating atmosphere with its bustling liveliness.
The team at Griddle Bar have worked hard to give the place a historic look, reminiscent of an old English railway station or Victorian home. There are dozens of black and white photos of the local fenland area dotted across the restaurant to emphasise its local links and the restaurant tastefully fits in with Ely’s historic High Street Passage. It is almost like going back in time.
The upstairs is more refined, with chandeliers on the ceiling and tablecloths on the table, adding a fine-dining experience. There is no extra cost for dining in the upstairs area but it has a classier ambience to it (I bet it would feel odd eating one of their bacon baps sitting in here 🤣). The upstairs area can be rented out for events, making Griddle Bar a versatile option for quickly grabbing something to eat or a formal dining experience.
Craft beer
One of the biggest attractions at The Griddle Bar is their own in-house craft beer with 3 options to choose from…
Snigglers Hat (IPA) – 5.5%
Eel Catcher (Pilsner) – 5.1%
Slippery Eel (Lager) – 4.2%
I started with the ‘Snigglers Hat’ IPA. This is very similar to the popular local IPA ‘Juice Rocket’ by the ‘Three Blind Mice’ brewery. It is a hazy and very fruity beer that goes down a little too quickly – Beautiful!
I also managed to get my hands on a pint of ‘Eel Catcher’, a pilsner similar to a lot of Czech beers. It was smooth, crispy, and light, with a surprising amount of depth, making it a great addition for heavy meats – something Griddle Bar just so happens to sell in abundance.
Menu
This is a card only restaurant and does not take cash.
The menu is concise with a selection of 9 cuts of steak (including, tomahawk steak), two burger options, pie, dumplings stew, a roast chicken platter, cauliflower cheese, mash and salad.
Coffee, tea, and soft drinks are also available, with a selection of three wines…red, white, and pink. I didn’t get to try the wine but I thought it was a brave choice to only have one of each.
The breakfast baps
Speaking with William (the co-owner), he explained that he wanted Griddle Bar & Meat House to serve the ultimate bacon baps for that epic early morning pick-me-up.
I was joined by my son who is about to turn two years old. I was a little disappointed to find that there is no children’s menu but the staff were more than happy to do me a children’s portion for him. I ordered the bacon bap and he had the sausage sandwich.
Both came out with their signature in-house made chips, served with a side salad. My sandwich was not made with thick cut bacon but it was generously filled and made with the whitest bread that tasted like it was made fresh this morning. Lovely!
The sausage sandwich was specially made as a child portion, so I am unable to comment on the size but the sausage quality was very good. It was lean and had a great flavour. There was an option to have a sauce on both the sausage and bacon sandwich but being a bap puritan, I declined. It’s all about the meat, baby!
T-Bone Steak
Today’s special was the T-Bone steak, so I decided to trust the chef and give it a go. This monster was a lovely size and looked beautiful cooking on their charcoal grill in their open plan kitchen (watch the video here).
It came out served on a wooden board cooked to absolute perfection. I mean, look at it! I ordered it medium rare and that is exactly how it came out. The steak was nice and tender while still being tough enough to remind you that you had a steak in your mouth. The skin had a nice crispiness with a slightly smokey flavour that worked with the beef rather than overpowered it. The balance was perfect.
Gnawing on the bone is encouraged here. There is no standing on ceremony at the Griddle Bar. Get stuck in and enjoy yourself!
Pork belly
My wife is the biggest Sushi & Salad fan there is. When she caught wind that the Griddle Bar was opening, it was non-negotiable that she was coming with me. For her mains, she decided to order the ‘BBQ Pork Belly’ from the black board on the wall.
The dish also came out on a wooden board and was served cut into 7 tiny pieces. The pork had a lovely golden brown colour and was seasoned in salt. She said it was “tasty, succulent, and not overly fatty. Something that is quite hard to do with pork belly”. It sounds to me like she was won over.
Sides
For the sides, we ordered the triple cooked chips, fries, garlic and truffle oil mash, green beans with crispy bacon, and cauliflower and stilton cheese. All sold for a flat rate of £4 each.
I thought a flat rate for the sides was a good idea for the purposes of a simplified menu but I couldn’t help but feel like there was some inconsistency with the value. For example, I would have happily paid more than £4 for the ‘cauliflower and stilton cheese’ and the ‘garlic and truffle oil mash’ which were both utterly sublime, making them both great value (seriously, the mash was absolutely incredible, make sure you order it).
Whereas, the fries and the green beans felt a little overcosted. The fries were very nice but struggled to stand out amongst such quality on the table and the portion feels a little small. The green beans were clearly very fresh and crunchy but again, felt a little anemic when compared to some of the other extravagant sides for the same price.
The triple cooked chips were well executed and had extra crispy skin with a fluffy centre. I have seen triple cooked chips in the past utterly butchered to the point where they were nothing but crispy skin with no substance. Bravo Team Griddle! 👍
I would love to know what you all think of this in the Cambridge Foodies community.
The burgers
This utter behemoth is the “The Ultimate Griddle Bar Burger”, which is made in-house, with two double patties that are topped off with black garlic ketchup and harissa mayo, with crispy lettuce, caramelised onions, and melted cheese. The buns are made by Ely’s very own Grain Culture bakery, located around the corner, with the beef being grilled-to-order…Meaning you can ask for it rare to well done.
You can even add pork belly for an extra couple of quid. The burger is a beautiful sight, with a gorgeous smokey flavour and an incredibly juicy texture. I also noticed a delicious sweetness that came through, possibly from the pork belly or caramelised onions which made the taste complete.
Getting the burger buns from Grain Culture is a great move, as despite the burger consisting of two beef patties, pork belly, and being loaded with tonnes of gooey cheese, the burger held together perfectly. Even until the dying moments, the bun was holding strong, despite the succulent burger juices flowing. It is a work of architectural art!
Even the regular Griddle Bar Burger looks fabulous, with vibrant coloured cheese and fresh green lettuce, it is enough to please anyone. Check out our video of our visit for burgers here.
I also wanted to mention the little details, as it is the little things that can often ruin an otherwise wholesome experience. I love that when you ask for ketchup or mayo that you get a large tub. I get so tired of opening multiple sachets of sauce or having to sparingly nurse my chips from a miniscule pot at other restaurants. This is a no nonsense establishment!
Conclusion
My long wait for the Griddle Bar was well worth the wait. I will be thinking about that T-Bone steak and garlic and truffle oil mash for weeks. The team have found a much needed gap in Ely’s ever growing foodie scene and executed it perfectly.
The staff are excellent and incredibly helpful from start to finish. They knew the menu well and made some excellent recommendations (they were also very patient with my messy toddler 🤣).
It is great to have another decent place to grab a beer in the city too, as you can never have too many. Better still, their beer is exclusive to the restaurant, adding more diversity to the beer available.
Just like with their other locations, the restaurant is small and intimate with character in abundance. The entire place looks great (especially upstairs) with a unique and distinctive traditional style, which also celebrates of our local heritage.
Prices aren’t cheap but you will know exactly where your money has gone once you leave the restaurant feeling full and satisfied.
Thanks for reading!
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