Embassy London
special offer
Special Offer only available online - please book above
2 courses for £16.95 & a glass of Champagne
Offer Details: ...from the new a la carte menu (three courses for £19.95) Please note entrance to the Members Club is subject to availability and will incur a £10 concession fee. Includes Vat, excludes service.
Available: Tuesday to Friday 12:00 to 15:00, 18:00 to 23:00
Maximum people: 20
Terms: Expires 11th July 08
our comments
The Embassy has been around a bit and while the focus of young upper class kids after a bit of a dance has moved on to other places, Embassy still exudes a smart air. Partly that’s due to Gary Holihead’s unswerving dedication to classic cuisine served in a swanky style. Food wise this is a fashion-free zone with Holihead unafraid to serve breast of chicken or fish and chips with no unnecessary apologies or attempts to style up the simple.
The new outside terrace is a cool idea for the summer months, designed with a low wall between diners and passers by so that you feel separate from, but not separate to, the life of Old Burlington Street with its endless parade of glamorous cars, men and women. Okay so someone tried selling us the Big Issue over the wall, but he did so with an accent that was more public school than public convenience. It’s a nice area, even down to the homeless.
On the menu on this day was a set lunchtime deal at a reasonable price for three courses but we thought we’d stretch the envelope by going a la carte. Here, rather unusually for a starter was belly pork with a glaze of chilli and ginger which arrived as sticky as a toffee apple in a tubby kid’s hands. The pork and fat were perfectly cooked and the glaze worked well, although a bit more chilli wouldn’t have gone amiss. A salad of feta, roast peppers, beetroot (so fashionable this year) and caramelised walnuts was quite a plateful design-wise and as a mixture was hard to fault; the salty tang of the feta neatly balancing out the sweet beetroot with the crunch of the walnuts bringing in a good contrast.
It’s hard to resist fish and chips on a menu, it’s so comforting and the only place (or plaice) you can get it these days is in a restaurant; most chippies having now gone kebab. Here the fish came served rather bizarrely in the sort of ridged cast iron pan that’s always being promoted on the Shopping Channels. It seemed a bit lost rolling around in this large pan; the fish, the chips, the mushy peas and the tartare sauce should all have been served on one nice white plate. That’s the only complaint as the fish was excellent with good crisp, oil-free, batter. A decent quantity of tartare sauce (I hate it when people are mean with it) and good chips too. My Tunisian style chicken breast had the skin on, earning top marks and was happily paddling about in a tagine-style sauce that promised preserved lemon and harissa, but which only hinted at those ingredients in practice. Nice chicken, nice sauce, nice cous cous too, it just needed the levels turned up a notch.
Raspberry Soufflé with Mascarpone Ice Cream was perfectly done, the well-risen soufflé easily surviving the journey from the kitchen, as well as the effects of the breeze outdoors. Sticky Toffee and Date Pudding did what it said on the menu and couldn’t be faulted. Desserts aren’t really my thing, not having much of a sweet tooth, but it was obvious care had been taken in both cooking and in presentation.
Overall The Embassy continues to tick boxes but needs to push a bit more to become more exciting. There’s a sense of sticking with what they know because it’s easiest. A little bit more fire is needed in the kitchen if it’s to become a hotter destination.
N.H. - June 2007
your comments review this restaurant and win a bottle of champagne
I think the comment above is not fair, i have arrange work party there, it was quite but picked up later on, we had great food, nice service (too much fuss) but since we were the only one, we arravied at 7pm. it was ok, the club open very late (after 10pm) but we had few drinks by the bar & got downstairs for free, which helped as drinks is very expensive.
Overall i will give it 8/10 not bad. ohh i forgot about the music- very very good mix Urban & commercial cool place in deed.
i have been to the club as guest list about 8-10 times, (paid £20 every time) but never dine for food, and i was not disappointed at all. The crowed is yang professionals.
i must say the organiser (PR) Sam / Natalie i think is very efficient. so go for it. We had great time.
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Fiyori Belay
Overall rating 
Food 9 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 9
Thursday, August 16, 2007
I went here last month with my boyfriend for dinner, after taking advantage of the offer on this site.
It was a Friday or Saturday night at 9pm- we walked through to the restaurant (which was much smaller then expected) and were surprised and embarrassed to see we were the only ones!
A couple more tables came over the next hour but it was still embarrassingly empty.
Service was friendly enough. I am not a massive fan of restaurants that serve English food as I usually find them completely lacking in atmosphere, compared to their more exotic counterparts.
Sadly, this was also true here. The atmosphere was awkward and quiet. The food, when it came, was very nice, but at the end of the day it was just chicken/beef etc with gravy..hard to get wrong!
The atmosphere got better as bar got busier. Good wine list etc. After dinner, we sat at the table for half an hour and got hungry again, as portions not that great. We were not allowed to order anything else though, as kitchens were closed (it was about half 10!)
Dinner was expensive but this not a surprise considering it a West End restaurant/club. Went down to club after dinner and was completely put off by the massive amount of scallys/chavs etc. (Girls walking about in their knickers, old old men with 18 yr olds... etc) Did not stay long at all!
The whole thing was really strange as the restaurant, while not bad, obviously thinks it's very prestigious. And the club is completely opposite!
If this your thing you might enjoy, but I would never ever goback. Waste of £100.
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Hannah S
Overall rating 
Food 8 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 3
Thursday, August 02, 2007
We went to the restaurant last Tuesday and Wednesday (6 AND 7 MARCH) and we had the best dinner we ever had in London, the best food served with a smile from the begining to the end.
Some of the reviews I read on this website are very wrong.
Personality on the floor and very good food on the plate, MAGNIFICO.
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Massimo Menea
Overall rating 
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 7
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Went here on a friday night evrything was lovely, we were shown to our seats quickly then we ordered a bottle of wine the waiter had taken the order for the food, so me and my partner were sitting there chatting when the two plastic fantastic pair next door started smoking i couldnt believe it when i asked the waiter to be moved to the non-smoking section i was told there wasnt one. I was totally disgusted, we were meant to have 3 courses but didnt bother we just had two as the food wasnt great! Then half way through the meal through the cloud of smoke sussie from big brother turned up so everyone from the bar then came through to the restaurant to have a look! Then at the end of the meal the waiter came over with the bill which was wrong, i had to explain that i had booked it on a deal through there own website and the waiter looked at me as if i was mad, it was very embarrassing! So i was glad to get out of there, we then went down to the club which was gr8 the music was good and there was a gr8 atmosphere. So all in all i would say dont bother with the restaurant just go to the club!
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helen
Overall rating 
Food 6 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 5
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Don't understand the negative comments.
Excellant food and Service, value for money and great atmosphere.
Looking forward to going back.
Thomas
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Thomas Culling
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Saturday, August 12, 2006
A party of eight of us visited Embassy on the night that England lost and exited from the world cup only to be further disappointed (Saturday 1st July). Everything was fine until the waiter annouced that there was no fish on the menu. In such a well established venue and with the service it promotes, this was very disappointing. The main course list was ultimately chopped in half and only four were available to eat. The staff were very understanding and the meal was given free but it just put difficulties onto a enjoyable evening out for a birthday celebration. It was just difficult to understand how such a respectable restaurant would not have a backup plan in such situations. They proclaimed their fish delivery had failed to show. Frankly that wasn't good enough justifcation in my opinion.
Nevertheless, what we did have was very good. The lamb and the duck was exceptional. It wasn't a total disaster but I feel the evening could have been better.
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Sean
Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 4
Monday, July 17, 2006
Embassy is a strange place when you think about it. It serves delicious food, in a lovely environment. Ideal. What's strange is the nightclub that lurks down the stairs! And the promo girls in furry skirts outside!
Nevermind.
Embassy was a great place to eat. We went on an offer, and we received excellent service. Unfortunately the waiter confused my order, but his efforts to rectify the inconvenience were fantastic--free wine and I didn't pay for my dessert either.
The food was delicious. Fresh fish/meat, rich flavours, great presentation! I had the home-made bread with cheese for dessert which was also delicious.
Overall, I'd have to recommend the place. Good staff, great food, a lovely environment....and, if so inclined, a nightclub to roll into afterwards!
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LT
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
I went for dinner with some friends on Friday, 12th May and I can’t understand the negative reviews. We thought it was just wonderful.
We started our evening with a couple of very well prepared cocktails at the bar. Later at the table, service was very attentive and we didn’t miss a thing. The food was absolutely delicious and we were about to ask for more, it was a shame that we couldn’t fit anything else in.
We finished a great evening at 3am. The private members club & bar, just below the restaurant (you have complementary entry as a restaurant guest) is one you have to see, simply stunning and great atmosphere.
Go and try it yourself – it’s a great place for a really good night out!!
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Kristin
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
I went there on my birthday with 4 female friends. It was absolotely nightmare..! Service was too slow,,starters and main course was extremely late. Staff was rather inexperience or too irresponsible. Bad choice..very dissapoimting place!
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Selda A.
Overall rating 
Food 4 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 4
Monday, March 27, 2006
Terrible, terrible, terrible!!
I am afraid that I have nothing nice to say about the place. Tried to call and make a reservation and rang 6 times during normal business hours and was kept on hold for over 5 minutes. When I finally did get through the girl on the phone was extremely unhelpful and rude.
Bearing this in mind I shouldn't have bothered coming because it was money down the drain! Bad food, bad service, bad staff and bad wine list. Tried to complain on the night but the manager was not interested.
Really - don't bother!!
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Sally Atwell
Overall rating 
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
