Cafe Level Seven at the Tate Modern
our review
They say Galvins at Windows has the best view in London, but ‘they’ haven’t tried Café Level Seven at Tate Modern. Okay you can’t guarantee you’re going to get a window seat once the pager goes off and you’re summoned to your table, but if you do you’re in luck. The sun is bouncing off the Thames, the ‘wobbly’ bridge looks superb and boats of all shapes and sizes charge merrily up and down for our entertainment.
There is definitely a café/canteen feel to the place, which is inevitable given the size of the room and the number of small children scooting about. People who have spent a number of hours admiring the art, slump into their dining chairs taking five minutes to recover before lifting the menu. Café Level Seven has thankfully resisted the temptation to make the food fit the modern art ethos, so there are no Surrealist starters or Modigliani mains to ‘challenge’ the diner, just dishes that hit the spot for the target market.
Ceci beef with Chantais (Charentaise surely?) melon and Monte Enebro cheese was summer on a plate. The melon was fractionally under ripe so its perfume became muted, but combined on the fork with the firm air-cured beef and the pungent lemony-noted Spanish goat’s cheese it made a winning mouthful. Baby spinach, roasted cherry vine tomato and fregola slad was colourful with the tomato’s flavour intensified from the roasting and its juices greedily absorbed by the fregola, a type of small pasta from Sardinia, often mistaken for a grain by first time eaters.
Mains featured a good looking deep fried haddock (fresh from Newlyn like all the fish here) that was tempting as it wafted past, but we went for the two specials of the day; a pan roasted halibut with crab crust, summer salad and lemon cream sauce and char-grilled lamb with cous cous and chermulle, the latter some kind of posh mint sauce, as far as we could tell. The fish was excellent, firm and juicy with the crab topping adding flavour and all lifted by the lemon cream sauce. The salad was packed with intense semi dried black olives but unfortunately one of them hadn’t been pitted and I came close to breaking a tooth. After that I proceeded with some caution. The char-grilled lamb had plenty of flavour but also, as the eater pointed out, rather a lot of gristle too and so a lot was left behind. Adecent dish though, just let down by the chewy bits.
Neal’s Yard cheeses for dessert were partnered with a tart gooseberry jelly, but a few more biscuits to go with them wouldn’t have gone amiss, while peach and cherry crumble with ice cream was spot on comfort food. I’m no wine expert but the wine list at Tate Modern is compact and well chosen by the award winning Hamish Anderson team and prices very reasonable
You might not want to make a special lunch trip here; it’s busy and noisy as you might expect, but if you’re in the gallery it’s well worth taking your place in the queue and crossing your fingers that you get the fabulous view to feast on.
N.H. - July 2007
your comments review this restaurant and win a bottle of champagne
I've eaten here many times in recent years - it's the views and the atmosphere which draw me back again and again - though the grub 'n' service are pretty damned good too, even if the menu would benefit if changed a little more frequently. Also, it's not dirt cheap (though not outlandish!) I guess one pays for the view, and to be honest it's worth paying the little extra for - akin to having lunch served on the London Eye!
Great place to take friends visiting - always gives them a buzz. Will no doubt be going back again and again.
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Overall rating 
Food 5 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 6
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Food OK ( but nothing more), wine OK ( but quite pricey )and service Patchy ( at very best). Acceptable, if a bit overpriced for the quality offered. Given that it is what it is...a central London tourist place with a canteen atmos...you can go there for OK- ish food, fabulous views and an entrance that no other restaurant in London can offer. Don't expect too much by way of food or service . Enjoy it for what it is. A canteen-room with a fabulous view. Enjoyable nevertheless.
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CMR
Overall rating 
Food 4 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 4
Thursday, February 28, 2008
I had lunch here last week with a friend. Cafe Level 7 is a smart, modern restaurant, with great views across the Thames (worth coming up for even just a drink at the bar!). The food was delicious and the service very polite and efficient. The prices were a little higher than one might have expected, but it was not too unreasonable for what was a very enjoyable meal.
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Alex
Overall rating 
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 6
Friday, January 04, 2008
I used to visit the Tate Modern level 7 restaurant frequently, though until recently, hadn't been for the last couple of years or so. There's still the same old East German attitude to seating, where you roll up, they tell you they're full and they so clearly aren't, but once you've penetrated the defences, the food usually was mostly reliable. No longer. But what shocked me the most on my recent visit were the prices. What's happened? Has Gordon Ramsay taken over? 12.95 for some fairly average and alomst cold pasta. Are they kidding? 9.95 for some 'devilled' crab! Must have been all of 20g of the stuff and it didn't taste great either. And drinks prices that are now off the scale. You used to be able to get a decent dinner for two, with wine, for around 60 pounds. Try 100-120 pounds now. The service is still the same, ambling pace, where different people irregularly show up to bring different dishes or drinks, and the place certainly hasn't had any renovations. So why the massive price hike and what justifies it? It certainly ain't the food. Avoid!
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James
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 1
Saturday, October 27, 2007
I booked this restaurant for our wedding anniversary a month in advance.
I asked for and was promised a table with a river view.
I telephoned to check before setting off that this was going to be ok. I was given a completely different story but was promised that they would try their best. I had emphasized that I had called so that I might discuss any problem without my wife having to be involved so that our evening would not have a sour taste.
On arrival, we were given a very good table with a river view. The manageress though felt the need to tell my wife that she had asked a couple to leave this table half way through their meal so that it could be given to us.
That story was hard to belive as there was one other table free right next to the windows. It was a calculated comment aimed at making me feel guilty and it only served to upset my wife.
The bill was £120 for two courses plus one pudding with wine, so take a reality check on the prices noted here.
The view was sensational and it is the view that you pay for. The food was distinctly average. The salt marsh lamb for £15 was nothing more than a fatty lamb chop.
I shall be writing a formal complaint about the manageress' conduct and will post ther restaurant's reply on here.
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The Galloping Gourmet - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating 
Food 4 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 2
Friday, October 05, 2007
This restaurant has great views over a great city. It has some really nice food on the menu (the fish and chips were superb). The wine list is interesting and both bottles we ordered were enjoyable. So what's the problem ....or problems.
First problem is that it took 30 minutes to place our food order and a further 90 minutes before our main course surfaced. This in no way reflected on the very pleasant waitress serving us but did reflect on the fact that she was totally run off her feet. A word to the management....if you want to charge up market prices for what was nice food then don't mar the experience by cutting back on staff salaries.
Second problem. Do not go here for a business lunch. way too noisy and way too touristy.
Ok, whingeing over with, I have to say the food was enjoyable.
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Paul Whytock
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 6
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Southbank is my favourite area in London, you cannot beat a walk along the Thames, the life line of the city and of course countless visits to the Tate, I never tire of it. What better way to spend a Saturday evening then that 7 floors up in the Tate Restaurant with the city lights surrounding you.
We were swiftly taken to our table (we had reserved in advance) and menus placed in front of us. Always a good start for me, not having to wait around, especially since the bar was heaving with the usual tourists and children running around their feet. 2 slices of dry toast arrived and not for the first time in the evening did Dicken's Oliver Twist spring to mind. It was free so I won't investigate the pros and cons of that one here...
The wine list was excellent with a good range to suit everyone's palette and purse, we chose the beautiful Stella Bella from Margaret River were we visited late last year and probably that was the high point for me apart from of course my lovely partners company!
Vegetarians seem to pose most kitchens a problem - I expect if visiting a restaurant with prices like the Tate to be catered for with at least a little bit of thought and imagination. There were starters to choose from, my partners celeriac, apple and thyme soup was hearty and intesting ticking all the boxes apart from the huge hunk of crusty bread which was bigger than the bowl of soup and might have been sitting at the top table in Twist's day... My roast beetroot salad with goats curd was mediocre, some words to describe it, slimy but edible the delight (there was some) was the curd which was tasty and creamy.
There was only one option for the mains, soft polenta, wild mushrooms and gorgonzola cream. Polenta does not fill me with hope, nor not one of the other veggies I know. Does the chef ever consult a vegetarian when they decide on this dish, it is the one dish that has to be absolutely right because their is no other option for this customer when they walk through the door?
The waiter helpfully suggested perhaps we order the greens for this dish which thankfully we did - the colour itself helped. My partner and I laughed when the dish arrived in front of us, the polenta resembled a huge blob of mash (enough for 15 Twists I am sure) swimming in cream. The mushrooms faired better on top but looked like they might succumb under the polenta 'swamp' at any moment. Don't get me wrong it tasted good but there is no way anyone could eat all that polenta - too too much! The cream, the mushrooms, it's wrong. Perhaps if the chef is convinced that customers like his polenta a small mash like mound with mushrooms and a green could work but not this monstrosity.
We dared to order dessert at the end, a chocolate and almond tart which was absolutely delicious which we dipped into creme fraiche - a rather rich, delicious ending to the meal.
Hmmm, maybe it's the view, the good service or the dessert but the polenta hasn't scared me from a future visit (perhaps for the wine and dessert only), I am hoping the chef might read this and rethink the polenta, 'Please sir, no more!'
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Michele Buchanan
Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 6
Sunday, April 01, 2007
We had a prefectly good evening meal there, the service was good (though it was half empty) and the views stunning across the Thames to old St. Pauls's. I was overcharged by mistake, but the re-imbursed me when O raised the problem with them via email.
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Steve Watts
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 7
Thursday, March 01, 2007
I was unfortunate to eat Lunch at the Tate this afternoon, it was eithout doubt the worst restaurant I have ever had the displeasure of visiting.
We were given a pager and told we would be paged 30 minutes later for our table, 45 minutes later - nothing. It turned out the pager was broken and they had us as a now show - still they promissed us the next table and all seemed well again.
Our starter arrived and were average at best. Our drinks sat for ages on the bar before any of the confused waiting staff bothered to bring them to the table.
After the starters we waited nearly an hour for them to bring the main course after they apologised and blamed a computer error?! The food arrived over cooked and cold, it had cleary been sitting for 20 minutes or so. The only upside was that we didn't get charged.
I ate heare a few years ago and it was great, they seem to have lost all competence in the kitchen and service.
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Dan Wilkinson
Overall rating 
Food 1 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 1
Friday, December 08, 2006
I bought the family here for lunch yesterday looking to do something over the holidays. We had a great meal, really nice food and good service. The place was busy, but we were well looked after, got a table quickly and enjoyed the food and the outstanding views over London. We'll be back!
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DW
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
