Criterion Restaurant

Criterion Restaurant
Restaurant interior
Location within Central London
Restaurant information
Established	1873
Food type	haute cuisine
Dress code	Smart casual
Street address	224 Piccadilly
City	London
Postal/ZIP Code	W1J 9HP
Country	United Kingdom
Coordinates	51°30′36″N 0°8′3″W / 51.51000°N 0.13417°W / 51.51000; -0.13417

The Criterion Restaurant is an opulent restaurant complex facing Piccadilly Circus in the heart of London. It was built by architect Thomas Verity in Neo-Byzantine style for the partnership Spiers and Pond, which opened it in 1873. Apart from fine dining facilities it has a bar. It is a Grade II* listed building^[1] and is among the most historic and oldest restaurants in the world.^[2]

In the first Sherlock Holmes story, A Study in Scarlet, Dr. Watson is told of his prospective roommate after he meets a friend at the Criterion.