Bateaux London Restaurant Cruises

Looking for something unusual to do I thought I would give this a go for a surprise anniversary. I was worried that it would be a bit tacky and full of tourists, but having read a number of the great reviews on here I thought it would be ok.

I was really disappointed. The interior of the boat was really early 1990s - in a few years it will no doubt be back in fashion in a retro way - but for now it looked tired.

We got a little bowl of bread before the meal and when we asked for more the waiter wasn't quite sure if this would be allowed - which started to make me worry.

The menu is misleading - the quality of the food is like a roast you might receive in a bog standard pub - it has a school dinners feel about it. How difficult is it to make veg taste nice? A bit of butter on the broccoli - maybe a dash of honey on the carrots? But no this was English cooking at its worst - just boiled veg - rock hard tasteless broccoli - generic unsubtle gravy and overcooked meat.

.. and then the included house wine - white was a blend Pinot Grigio - Chardonnay - Not sure who the supplier is but would be surprised if they are paying more than £2 per bottle. Can't believe the selction was based on anything other than price.

The singer and band weren't bad but you couldn't help thinking that she must be so sick of singing those same songs over and over again.

Personal choice - and recognise that this may be some peoples cup of tea. But not for me - found it a tacky & poor quality experence.
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Ed
Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 2
Friday, October 31, 2008

We booked the Valentines Lunch cruise aborad the Symphony through the View London Website.

Aside from a clerical error meaning Batauex had us doWn for a Dinner cruise, the booking went very well.

We paid slighly extra for the Elite package (£32 per person) and as promised our table was forward of the boat and next to the window. When booking, I was suspicious that at such a cheap price the food would be poor andwe would be pressued into paying sky high prices for drink. Not a bit of it though. The meal included a botle of water and a half bottle of house wine (choice of white or red) which was surprisingly good. We must be lightweights, because that was enough for us during the twoi hour cruise and the bill presented at the end was a pleasurable zero!

Upon boarding, the service was attentiveand speedy without being intrusive. The music was slightly manic (Hooked on Classics played quite loudly!) but it soon settled down as we departed from Embankment Pier.

The ambience was lovely on board the Symphony and we probably did just as much people watching aboard as sightseeing.

The meal was terrific. Three courses served piping hot. Excellent tomato and cucumber soup, great main (Ham and Chicken pie) and a tast desert of fruit crumble. Coffee followed, timed to perfection as we arrived back at the quay side.

There was absolutely no pressure to leave and we sat fora short while before dis-embarking.

The on board photographer did her rounds and the pics were ready to collect near the end. We declined to purchase, but more because of what we looked like rather than poor pictures. She didn't seem to mind a bit an took the news graciously.

To sum up - it was a cold, cold day in London, but Batauex London warmed us through and did a might fine job.

Many thanks to the crew and staff for a memorable trip!
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Andy Lockwood
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Friday, February 15, 2008

I booked the elite package for our first anniversary. I was initially worried that, having paid so much money, the night would be a disappointment. But I am happy to say that it was worth every penny. The views from the front of the boat are the best, and the front of the boat is sectioned off from the more crowded part of the boat, so you are still sitting with others, but it is more intimate and spread out. The food was, overall, very good as was the service. But I think what you really pay for is the atmosphere, which gives the evening a very special, romantic feel. Perfect for an overblown romantic gesture.

Just dont do what we did and have drinks beforehand, because you get a plenty of alcohol on board. The after dinner dancing was the perfect way to end the evenign and the music throughout dinner gave the evening a dream-like quality.

Would highly recommend the elite package, esp if you want to impress someone really special or just completely blow them away with an amazign evening.
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Rachel
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Saturday, December 22, 2007

I booked a Dinner Cruise on 'The Symphony' as part of a London surprise package for my wifes 60th birthday.

We were both pleasantly surprised by the excellence of the whole dining experience. The food was delicious and superbly presented; the service was faultless and a special thank you goes to Gosia our host for the evening. She was attentive without being intrusive, and looked after us as well as could be expected at any top class hotel.

The music and special patriotic additions were excellent, and the surprise in front of Tower Bridge was just so well executed.

We would certainly recommend The Elite Dinner Cruise to anyone considering an evening out on the Thames. For the extra few pounds that it costs we benefitted with a table at the front of the boat, a champage welcome, a choice of wines and liquers, and a delicious five course meal.

Money well spent just to see the smile on my wife's face, and to hear her telling all of her friends about it for days afterwards.
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David Stokes
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Saturday, September 08, 2007

I knew the cruise itself would be fun, but I had realistic expectations of the food. Guess what? The meal was really nice! The first two courses were as good as you'd get in a restaurant (hot, well seasoned, interesting, tasty) and the dessert was very nice too. I'd recommend this. Any feeling that you might be sacrificing quality of dining for the novelty of the cruise should be dismissed. And the wine list was good, too, if you don't mind paying for a bottle on top.
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Andrew Collins
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Thursday, September 06, 2007

We have just got back from a trip to London and we attended the Bateaux Cruise on Weds 18th July. It was absoultely fantastic. The food was lovely, the staff friendly and polite and the views absolutely amazing.

I would recommend anyone to do a Bateaux Cruise and push the boat out with the Elite package because you get to sit at the front of the boat.

We actually enjoyed the whole experience better than the Ivy. Well dond Bateaux.
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Katie & Sarah, Worksop
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Friday, July 20, 2007

We went on the Elite dinner package in early June with friends celebrating a 65th birthday. My wife and I had been on the company's Seine dinner cruise in Paris the previous year so were interested to compare. It is a great experience with friendly, efficient waiters. We had several bottles of mineral water, which were produced whenever we requested one. The food was quite good, bearing in mind they are catering for a large number of people eating at the same time. The choice of wines was very good and, at a bottle each, was more than enough even for me! Our friends were a bit disappointed with the meal and I thought that the cheese course was a bit odd (no biscuits or plates and one knife between us), but overall my wife and I thouroughly enjoyed the evening. The band and singer were very good and created a very romantic atmosphere. Worth doing if you are visiting London and I believe that the extra expense of the Elite cruise is worth it, otherwise, you will probably sit on a long table with others and not be able to see the band. With the Elite package, you have your own table at the front of the boat and better views.
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Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Sunday, July 01, 2007

I went to this restaurant with my girlfriend for our 5th Anniversary. With regards to the scenary you can't really lose. You're on a boat on the Thames by night, a romantic site. The Jazz band was very romantic and the atmosphere on the boat was brilliant. The atmosphere is so special it's not something that should be done more than once in quicj succession. The only drawbacks were that we shared the boat with a large group of CEOs and they really spoiled the atmosphere. The staff were very friendly and even announced to the restaurant that we were celebrating 5 years together.
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Walerón - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 6
Sunday, April 01, 2007

I went with a friend to the Bateaux London Restaurant for a Jazz lunch on Sunday, 11th Feb 07. We were looking forward to listening and watching the Jazz band but unfortunately we were placed on the other side of the boat and weren't able to see much of the band. The food was ok, pre-prepared like the food you would get on an aeroplane and was distributed just like on a plane: the same starter/meal to everybody and at the same time. The service was excellent and the staff were very welcoming. The views were particularly good and we were able to see all the landmarks along the river. Overall I would say it was enjoyable but would not want to go there again as I feel one visit was enough.
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Holly - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 7
Thursday, February 15, 2007

I went on this Bateaux london resturant cruise for the an elite lunch cruise whice included a three course set meal with a bottle of water and a a half bottle of wine of your choice not only is the food highly recomentable the views are fantastic and if you were going for reasons like i was to celebrate my partners birthday it's very romantic we went on 22/11/06
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wendy gray
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, November 23, 2006