Il Convivio

This was by far the best Italian food I have eaten in London. It is authentic, yet modern and original. The presentation was outstanding and all the staff were incredibly polite and knowledgeable. Places like this are few and far between in my 'humble' opinion.
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Su Jackson
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Food was fine, not thrilling but acceptable. Service was less so - particularly when I was told off by the waiter for eating only half of my main course and interrogated as to why I had left so much. The restaurant was also dead. I would most definitely not go back.
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Annabel Phillips
Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 4
Monday, January 21, 2008

I went here last night after not having been for three and a half years. The last time I went I had a very good time. This time, less so.

Everyone agreed that the food last night was very good. I had the veal which was delicious. The homemade cantuccini to go with the vin santo were excellent. I did not think that the overall level of the food was outstanding though. Similar, if not slightly better than, a restaurant called Carpaccio on Sydney Street. I do agree with the comments made by others that it is a bit of a con when half the dishes on the menu have a supplemental charge to the set course cost.

The disappointing element of last night's visit (a Thursday) was the fact that the restaurant was dead. There was only one other table of people and they left at about 9pm. There was no atmosphere which was a real shame. It also surprised (and annoyed) me therefore that the service was so slow despite numerous waiters milling around and chatting. In my opinion, there really is no excuse for this. If they want to mill around and chat, that is absolutely fine but they should do so out of the customers' view as it looks unprofessional.

The starters took an age to arrive. I suspect that they may have cut back on numbers in the kitchen during August. The waiters were charming one minute and then dismissive the next as if it was a real chore for them to be working in August. From a group of them, one waiter clearly watched me finish my glass of wine and wait for a minute or so before I then reached for the decanter and started pouring my mother and my girlfriend some more wine before he then sighed and came to take over from me like it was a real hassle to do so. That grated on me, particularly as we were the only table in the whole restaurant. I don't want to make it sound as if the service was terrible because it really wasn't. It just was not as good as it should have been given the general standard of this restaurant and the prices it charges.

Given how many other restaurants there are in London to choose from, I am not sure I would go back. It is worth eating here though. Avoid going in August would be my recommendation.
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Rick Brown
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 6
Friday, August 17, 2007

Visited for dinner recently and had a so-so experience. Service was fine, wine list not too badly priced for London and food was also fine (although they need to go easy on the salt shaker).

Two problems however: firstly the deal here is that you pay for the number of courses, rather than per dish. Normally I'm a big fan of this, but it's not so good when - as at Il Convivio - the restauarant slaps a hefty supplement on anything slightly out of the ordinary. Here we have £4 extra for lobster, £5 extra for veal, etc. meaning that the final bill is likely to be a bit of an uplift compared with what you were expecting.

Secondly they have crammed in far too many tables, so that when the place fills up the noise levels beocme unbearable. Not so bad if you're on a round table for 4 or 6, but if you are on a table for 2 separated by a mere 6 inches from the table alongside then you can forget about your privacy as soon as they seat someone next to you. Great if you have a morbid interest in the minutiae of strangers' lives; not so great if you actually want to hear what your fellow diner is saying and want to be able to move your arm without elbowing the person next to you. So what's the excuse for this? Well there isn't one - more covers equals more profit, so it's down to pure greed.
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Gekko - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 5
Monday, May 21, 2007

The last comments I read on this restaurant were so far away from how we felt after a recent visit. The one thing that stands out about this place is the FOOD. It's exceptional. No further comments!
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Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Thursday, March 15, 2007

I have been going to Il Convivio for about three years now and it has been consistently good. Lunch is excellent value, with a strong wine list and the service is spot on (attentive but not overbearing). The only thing is while it is good, the food is not particularly exciting or memorable. A good place to take to clients, but for a special occasion you might want to look for somewhere with a more distinct menu.

A good restaurant -especially for lunch!
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penny
Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 8
Saturday, February 24, 2007

Everything a top class Ialian restaurant should be and more! Impecable service mixed with a great atmosphere plus fantastic food and wine at reasonable prices. We only manage one trip to London a year but ensure that we include a visit to Il Convivio every time.
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Jasper Collins
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, December 13, 2006

I have to say I was a bit disappointed after the rave reviews here. Admittedly it was a quiet Thursday evening and very few tables were occupied, hence there was no atmosphere. The food was fine but I wouldn't rave about it, I would say it was a standard 'new wave' Italian. The service was fine too - everything was fine rather than exceptional and I wouldn't go out of my way to go back although I wouldn't avoid it if I was in the area either.
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Roz
Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 5
Friday, October 27, 2006

Our best dinning experience in London. After catching Wicked we made our way to this restaurant with help from the Zagat guide, London and were not disappointed. The service is second to none. Incredibly well informed professiomnal staff. The wine sommelier was friendly and helpful, the head waiter was a total professional who could run any high caliber restaurant in the world. His explanation of the food and his attentiveness to everyone's dinning experience was a joy to behold. Even the hostess was warm and ingratiating. It began to rain durng our dinner and the restaurant gave us one of their huge umbrellas to take with us. After our fantastic dinner we decided that we would return here for our last night in London. The hostess remembered us instantly from 4 nights earlier. The food was mouth watering from the seared scallops in a balsamic reduction served over asparagas, to the creamy mushroom risotto or the grilled black cod with sweet grapes and the special angel hair pasta with mussels and clams to the wonderful desserts like the pinapple carpaccio.

This is a special place with a warm yet sophisticated ambience and some of the best food that defines elegant dinning
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ED - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Sunday, October 01, 2006

I took my parents to Il Convivio for their 25 year wedding anniversary. We hired the private dining room and were treated like royalty. We had a special menu done and all of the staff went out of their way to make sure we were well looked after. The food was amazing, probably the best meal i've ever had...my family agreed! Thanks so much.
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Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Friday, September 22, 2006