Intro:
Growing up in England, I developed a permanent fondness for the beige and brown foods native to British cooking. While it is accused of blandness, it couldn't be further from the truth. When made with care, British food is decadent — a stalwart against bad weather, bad days, and bad manners, warming for both the body and the soul.
On 6th Avenue just south of Houston, Dean's is the antidote to my homesickness and a crown jewel of the new outcrop of British restaurants and bars cropping up around the city. The restaurant is the newest venture by chef Jess Shadbolt and beverage director Annie Shi, partners in the hot-ticket spots King and Jupiter — the latter named after a fisherman in Shadbolt's hometown of Aldeburgh in Suffolk, England.
Set the Scene
Dean's is no classic English pub, but in many ways, that's a compliment. It's decidedly more glamorous than any pub I've stepped into — or maybe that's from the buzz of the impeccably dressed occupants gathered around the bar and at each table — but it doesn't cross the line into fussiness. The pewter Guinness mugs, engraved with your name after a mere 500 pints, line the top of the wall closest to the windows.
Outside the rather petite restaurant, comprising 38 seats, sit wine barrels, perfect for perching with some after-work drinks and people-watching if you can arrive early enough to snag them.
What the Food is Like
You should leave a meal of British food, pleasantly stuffed and maybe ready to loosen your belt a notch. Dean’s is no exception. The best dishes here are meaty and heavy, but the small portion sizes work in its favor, keeping you from being overwhelmed.
The small plates shine: the jammy soft-boiled quail eggs served with pungent mustard, the bubble-and-squeak pasty (a Cornish pastry filled with potatoes and cabbage, fried together), and the cold roast beef, sliced almost as thin and as delicately as carpaccio, served with pickled walnuts and English cheddar.
The social media star of the menu is Dean's take on the Cornish dish, Stargazey Pie. Substituting pilchards for a single mackerel, head and tail both peek out from the pie crust. If you enjoy seafood, this is a delicious and hearty dish. And if you don't, you'll relish putting a photo of it on Instagram.
Fish and chips may seem simple and obvious, but it is hard to execute without it becoming too greasy or thick. Dean’s, I’m happy to report, is beer-battered to perfection. The fish is flaky and tender while the outside is perfectly crispy and light as air. The chips are thick cut (as they should be) and triple-fried, turning them into hearty yet fluffy potato sticks. An order of bright and herby, mushy peas on the side rounds out the meal and adds a vegetal palate cleanser to the fatty grandeur.
If you’re at the end of the meal and bursting at the seams, the brandy snaps are your best bet. While not wafer thin, they were described to us by our enthusiastic server as “English cannolis,” and despite my skepticism, they lived up to that: four two-bite-sized chocolate shells, two filled with chocolate cream and two with whipped cream. If you have room for more, the sticky ginger pudding, served with a cold, beautifully rich custard, is the best bet.
Let’s Talk About the Drinks
It’s so rare for a restaurant to have thoughtful and delicious offerings across its beer, wine, and cocktail options, but Dean’s pulls it off.
For beer, their Guinness pours will satisfy any snob stateside or across the pond. For the beer-curious, a small pour of Guinness, served in a tiny Guinness mug, comes with an oyster shooter. Their wine menu boasts a selection of English sparkling wines that, thanks to serious winemakers and a shared soil with France's Champagne region, have been making a name for themselves in recent years.
The cocktails run heavy on gin, with British twists on bar classics like the lemon drop (made with strawberries and ricotta) and a gin and tonic made with Fisher's gin, turning it into a briny, delightfully salty concoction.
Final Thoughts Credit Matt Russell for Dean’s
Even those without a homesickness for deep-fried foods will find plenty to love at Dean's. It backs up its SoHo good looks with a delicious menu, friendly service, and a refreshing lack of snobbery.
Location: SoHo/Hudson Square
Cuisine: British
Pricing: $$$
Takes Reservations: Yes via Resy
Our Favorite Dishes on the Menu: Scotch Eggs, Fish and Chips, Mushy Peas
Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 4 PM - 12 AM
Soho/hudson Square, Hudson, New York, United States
