I initially wrote this review based on the Soho branch of Smoking Goat which sadly closed to make way for Crossrail in January. The Soho branch was small and cramped and had a definite charm but it was not the sort of place that is especially workable with a bambino. The new branch in Shoreditch is much more spacious but I feel it may have lost some of its mojo in the move.

The restaurant’s website describes it as a dive bar and it definitely has that sort of scuffed casual, dimly lit vibe. The service is very friendly, leaving us feeling quite relaxed about having Max, who now must stand up at all times, along for the meal.

There’s no highchairs. No kids menu either, the dishes are all pretty spicey so not easy to share but plates come out fast and it’s noisy enough to cover occasional baby squawks. In order to get round the highchair situation we now have a folding one that straps to chairs.

Max took great delight in listening to the cocktail shaker being rattled behind the bar and gawping up at the string of puffer fish hanging from the ceiling while I got down to business with the best wings in London when we visited the Soho branch but these sadly weren’t on the menu in Shoreditch when we visited.

What’s good? The fish sauce wings. They are so good. The lamb ribs were great too.

Kid friendly? Sort of. The new space means there’s room for a buggy or two and they’ve got access to a babychange/accessible loo. You have to ask for access though and it’s currently being renovated so there was a lot of rubble and I had to change Max on the floor.

✓baby change facilities – technically, see above

✗highchairs available

✗cool with breastfeeding – it’s trendy and small and there weren’t any other parents, I’m sure they wouldn’t mind at all but it might not be a comfortable environment to breastfeed in

✗loads of other parents

✓space for buggies

✗children’s menu

✗toys/play area

Rating ??