Some pop ups feel like fleeting visitors, here for a quick thrill before disappearing into the London fog. The Pot Luck Club never carried that energy. From the moment it slipped into The Waldorf Hilton last summer, it behaved like a restaurant that already had a drawer in the place. Now, after a wildly busy first run, it has secured a stay until 30 June 2026. London has made its feelings clear.
Chef Luke Dale Roberts is the force behind it. He built his reputation above Cape Town’s Old Biscuit Mill, where the original Pot Luck Club looks out over the city and feeds nightly crowds who prefer flavour over formality. Bringing that same spirit to London could have felt risky. Instead it lands with the kind of ease that suggests the city was waiting for it.
The Waldorf’s Edwardian dining room, usually a little composed, has loosened up. There is a pulse in the room now. Not loud, not chaotic, just alive. The menu arrives as a sequence of small plates that do not try to charm you. They simply arrive as themselves and win you over anyway.
Duck samosas show up first, crisp and hot, brushed with five spice that lingers without taking over. They are the sort of plates that ruin any promise to share. Fallow deer follows with a dark mole that feels deep and wintry, the kind of dish that quietly steals the show. Guinea fowl with cranberry edges toward festive season without slipping into parody. Then the rooibos poached quince lands with a softness that steadies the entire meal. It is delicate, fragrant, and slightly meditative, which is not usually an easy thing to achieve in central London.
The Wild Monkey bar next door carries the same confidence. In partnership with Luke, the team has built a cocktail list that does not behave like a standard hotel bar menu. This one has a bit of nerve. The Thai Green Curry Martini sounds like a dare but tastes balanced and bright. Passion Fruit Sake has a sweet sharp note that instantly lifts the mood. The Raspberry Fig Cooler is the quiet favourite, refreshing but still layered. The new bar snack menu, curated by Luke, runs Wednesday to Saturday and has already developed a devoted following.
Luke talks about London as “the city that always made sense”. You can feel that sentiment in the way the room responds to him. There is a warmth, a loyalty and a sense that this residency has become more than a novelty. It has become a fixture.
For anyone weaving a meal into a Theatreland night, the timing is perfect. Dinner runs from 5pm, and the Lite prix fixe keeps things tight for the curtain call. For those settling in for the evening, the Loaded tasting menu carries you through the experience with a calm, steady rhythm. Nothing rushed, nothing loud, just confident cooking that knows exactly what it wants to be.
Reservations remain essential. The residency may stretch into next summer, but demand has only intensified. It feels less like a pop up now and more like a London chapter that intends to stay.
@thepotluckclubldn | tasteofwaldorf.co.uk
The Waldorf Hilton, Aldwych, London WC2B 4DD
