Chez Gerard at the Opera Terrace

Oh dear. Turned up here at 4.15pm yesterday (Sunday) and the bar was busy-ish but the restaurant area was almost empty. I asked the girl seating guests if we could take a table outside in the restaurant area for some drinks for a couple of hours. Her manager said that would be fine and we were shown outside. But then the waiting staff ignored us for 15 minutes. I approached one (they were pretty much standing around doing not a lot) and they said 'we cannot take your order as you're not eating'. Nobody had mentioned this to us when we were seated.

I should have left at this point but instead went in to the bar and found one fed-up looking barman and about eight people waiting to be served. We left at this point and told the seating girl why we were going. No apology, no attempt to sort it out, no interest.

We then headed opposite to Tuttons where they couldn't have been nicer, found us a table outside within 5 mins (it was full when we arrived) and made the experience a pleasure. We stayed for two bottles of champagne and coffees and so our bill of £150 was more than we would have spent on a main course. Chez Gerard, your loss. Recession or not you're clearly not interested in making customers feel welcome or maintaining business. Not only will I not be going back again, I shall tell everyone I know not to bother.
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Sarah from London - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Monday, June 15, 2009

Review of lunch for 4 people at Chez Gerard Covent Garden on Sunday 15 March 2009. Restaurant setting very good and the table was fine too.

Service was average. Three of the four main courses were VERY POOR. Two of these were vegetarian and sounded good on the menu but were hardly edible. The meat in the Boeuf Bourguignone was AWFUL - fatty and not of good quality.

I did not expect such poor quality meals from a restaurant with Chez Gerard's reputation. The price was quite expensive but not an issue IF the quality had been good but was totally unacceptable for such poor quality food. A 'discretionary' service charge of 12 1/2% was unjustifiable.
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David
Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 2
Sunday, March 15, 2009

Great venue - how many places will allow you to have the view over Covent Garden with a glass roof on? Been there for two colleagues' joint birthday celebration. Could not really remember what I ordered and the quality of the food, this lack of memory of eating experience happened quite rarely and it may due to too much wine I have had there. I did not pay for it as well, but heard it was quite expensive. Anyway, a place for special occasions I guess.
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King - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 6
Thursday, February 26, 2009

Six of us one busy Saturday lunchtime, to celbrate a daughter's birthday. Overall pretty good, all seemed to enjoy their French onion soup, and the steaks were cooked nicely to the extent requested. Service wasn't quick but was very pleasant. Not much to say really- perfectly adequate, no surprises bad or good, we'll go again- in fact did go again (well to another branch) ten days after.
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David Henderson - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 6
Sunday, January 18, 2009

Having just returned from three months in France my expectations of "The best steak frites this side of Paris" was obviously high. I must say, my family and I were extreeeeemely impressed. Every dish was mouth watering. We sat in the open air on the terrace over looking Covent Garden and had a fantastic night. The service is close without being intrusive, the wine list is extensive and a reasonable price range (from £20 to £250) and the food was faultless. I spoke to the manager about france and the pro'venance of the meat and he was very knowledgable, "as he should be". This is not a cheap restaurant but is well worth it when you count where you are and the quality of the experience. Top marks!!!
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Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Saturday, September 06, 2008

Excellent food served in a fantastic location. Very busy restaurant even at 6pm on a Thursday. The service was friendly and efficient and nothing was too much trouble. The steak was the best i have ever had and the Marmite of fish was Excellent. Will be back! total bill £160.00 for 3 x two courses and wine, inc service charge. well worth it.
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Jam
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Sunday, August 17, 2008

Absolutely terrible. My parents were up in town to visit us and after a great day out we'd booked a table here.

For me there are two essential elements that are really easy to get right: 1) The customer should be offered drinks as soon as they are seated. 2) Someone needs to check that the food is OK after few moments to give the customer an opportunity to raise an issue.

Even this couldnt' be achieved here because the staff are overworked and disinterested in good service and some had a faily limited grasp of the English language. And even the food was bad.

Way over-priced (thank you tesco vouchers for easing the pain) for pretty standard fare.

Forgotten items that had to be asked for. First a spinage side was served cold which makes me think that it is precooked and then warmed through! Spinage takes about 2 minutes to cook! When it came back out it was scalding hot and very gritty. I sent it back.

The steaks were overcooked. My wife asked for a dessert without creme freche and it came out with creme freche on, after being sent back it came back out with the creme obviously scraped off and replaced with the requested ice cream, unbelievable!

I did have to laugh when the bill came with the service charge preapplied. Yeah right!

DONT GO!!
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Matt
Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 0
Monday, July 14, 2008

Utter disgrace- service was slow; when it did come, the waiter seemed to forget the things we had asked for (must be stretched pretty thinly..).

Food was overcooked and overpriced. My daughter's ice cream came swimming in a warm unidentifiable gloop - neither cream nor ice cream- its molecular structure had broken down in the long wait, no doubt. Neither the waiter nor the manageress seemed to know what it was. They promised to bring me just ice cream as requested- 15 minutes later, they bring me the same...without a spoon.

To add insult, they added the "cover charge", included 12% to the bill, then tried to get me to add an extra gratuity on top.

Will rather starve than go again- would advise others to do the same. Simply appalling, and all that is wrong with rip-off restaurants in London.
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Nick
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 0
Monday, June 16, 2008

I dine regularly in London as a major aspect of my job is wining and dining clients. I took a senior guy out there today, and quite frankly the service was shocking on every level. One word for this place: rubbish. They clearly base their business on passing tourist trade, maybe this is why they are so complacent and their standards are so low: AVOID!
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Daniel
Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 1
Thursday, June 05, 2008

Ate at Chez Gerard yesterday, and was very disappointed. Booked a table in the restaurant, and asked to be moved into the grill area, as the table they gave us was so tightly pushed in the corner it was hard for both of us to sit at the table comfortably. On top of this, there were workman drilling on the floor beneath us and we could hardly hear ourselves talk. When we ask to be moved, we were told they were busy, which was true, but no alternative was offer, or apology given, and I had to suggest moving to the grill/cafe area. We ordered two medium rare steaks, which were medium when the arrived, our side of green beans and mushrooms, arrived when we were 3/4 of the way through our meal and they even managed to bring us the wrong sauces. Very disappointed.
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Stewart
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 3
Thursday, May 29, 2008