Incognico

A very, very average restaurant.

3 of us ate here on saturday night and all left rather dissappointed. The food was ok but for near £40 for three courses it was not up to scratch. Service was below par, with drinks forgotten and the bill taking a long time to come.

Overall at £200 for 3 people including 2 bottles of wine there is much better value to be had in London. I feel this place is a bit of a tourist trap.

My first and last time in Incognico.
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Chris - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 4
Monday, April 21, 2008

I had been to Incognico once before on a Saturday night for a business dinner with some colleagues from the US and was pleasantly surprised by the food and service, as were they. With this in mind, when I saw the £25 per head for three courses and a glass of champagne I had to book it.

I went along last Friday night with two friends and it was delightful. The dining room, which could formally have been a bank, comprises two main dining areas and is nicely lit with a separate bar if you’d like to have a drink before dinner. The service was polite, friendly and attentive. We were served our champagne before dinner and my starter of fried mackerel on a bed of beetroot and horseradish was refreshing and the mains of rump of lamb with spinach fondant and salmon on a bed of lentils were supreme. I had the pear and almond tart for dessert, which was very good, but the dessert winner was definitely my friend’s strawberry cheese cake, a real taste of summer.

All this and a modestly priced bottle of NZ Sauvignon Blanc and one espresso came to £123, service included. I’m not sure why this restaurant isn’t always booked out, it may just be down to where it is on Shaftsbury Avenue, but it isn’t and this is good news for people like me looking for somewhere pleasant to eat, where the food is first class and isn’t over-priced. I have lived in London for seven years now and have eaten in many places on the Top 10 Restaurant list and I can tell you that Incognico is worthy of comparison. I’ll definitely be back.
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Sean O''Neill
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 10
Monday, April 14, 2008

I went to this restaurant because it was close to another venue I was going to after dinner. I called to make a booking for 5 people, confirmed the booking with a card number and was then told if there was any cancellation at all, there would be a charge of 25 pounds per person!! Thats, right, read that again. I expressed that I though it was a bit extreme and the person taking the booking put the phone down on me! Some time later, I forgot that it was the same restaurant; I made a booking for a birthday event with one of their special offers. The resturant remained empty for most of the night. Not bad overall, but the food varied a fair amount. Mostly above average, but possibly not worth the price paid. The bill was over 300 pounds. I remained them that they forgot to give us the free glass of champagne at the end and they responded by saying it was normal to give this after deserts and coffee. Sounds like a cover up to me. Service overall was above average, but I think you can have a much better experience at some other restaurant. I will certainly not be in a rush to go back there!
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- View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 3
Saturday, January 12, 2008

Seven of us attended on the £25 menu, four arriving early and enjoying a good, but pricey drink (Sancerre, at the bottom of the wine list at £38) at the bar. When our fellow diners arrived we were shown by attentive staff to our table who took great care of us throughout the meal. All starters and mains were excellently presented and I enjoyed the duck which was tender and tasty. The complementary champagne came after a little prompting, and arrived with dessert, the birthday girl's chocolate tart decorated with suitable words in icing.

There was a pleasant buzz in the restaurant, but not at all off-putting; just the sound of many happy diners enjoying their evening out.

This is a very good, contemporary design restaurant which gave us as special offer diners a first class service on a Friday night, with food of a quality to match. I highly recommend it, but would struggle with the full prices for anything other than a family celebration.
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James Valentine
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Thursday, November 08, 2007

We were warmly greeted by all staff and made to feel really welcome, the service was efficient yet friendly, my daughter aged 13 was treated like a young lady which rarely happens in this county! The food was really good and the staff really knew what they were serving. The waiters made sure that they asked my two children if they had enjoyed their meals (although empty plates told there own tale).

If I have to make a criticism the puddings were all a bit pre-prepared and cold but at £25 for 3 courses including champagne i'm being really picky because everthing else was cooked to perfection.
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- View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, June 12, 2007

This is my favourite London restaurant! Been here countless times, and have never been dissapointed. Good is always good, and service is excellent. Menu as a good selection and I always go for the foie gras to start and haddock with poached egg for main. Because the portions are so large, we seldom get to the dessert course. My partner tends to hae the beef for main and it was delicious. When asked where the beef was sourced, the chef quite happily told the exact location it came from! Quite impressive.

The only criticism I would have is that the "special" menu is always the same desipte the number of times I have been there! But I don't mind, since it consists of the fantanstic foie gras.

I guess that some of the bad review are probably pure bad luck or clearly clueless about good food.
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pyterrier - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Monday, May 28, 2007

I had a mixed experience at this restaurant. We were early, so sat at the bar and had a drink which was very pleasant. We were then taken to our table and given complimentary water an a basket of bread. I chose the “San Daniele” Ham with Rocket and Pear Salad for starters, which was delicious as was my partner's Grilled Fillet of Mackerel, Beetroot & Potato. We both had the Asparagus Risotto as a main, which was OK but not too filling - if I hadn't been on the 3 courses for £25 I would have felt quite cheated. It's at this point that it all seemed to go wrong. We waited around 25 minutes for our desserts (part of the deal) and when they arrived I was disappointed that what we got were two small slices of synthetic pudding with some cheap wholesale sauce around the edges. It then took a further 20 minutes to attract anyone's attention to get the bill. What had started as a lovely evening fell flat halfway through and I left feeling that the restaurant were too keen to get bums on seats and not keen enough on making sure that the customers were attended to for the duration of the meal. It was a fairly quiet Wednesday night too.

Sadly, I wouldn't recommend this restaurant.
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Claire Dickinson
Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 5
Tuesday, May 08, 2007

Very good indeed. Enjoyed the the three course meal offer promoted on this site, and the food, service and ambience were all excellent.

The salt cod with aioli was perfect: light, flavoursome and obviously freshly cooked. The main course of duck was equally superb. Desserts were good too, although not the highlight of the evening. Service throughout was polite and attentive. Overall, the evening was faultless.

I would highly recommend this restaurant, and will definitely be returning.
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- View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 10
Monday, April 30, 2007

We dined here last Friday night with some friends on the £25 special offer. This is the second time we've done this and both times it was a delightful experience. Great food, service and location. The food was beautifully presented and had the flavor to match. I particularly recommend the duck, but you have your choice of the al la carte menu. so it is a good selection. Definitely one to put on your list!
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Gayle - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, March 22, 2007

I went to Incognico for my 30th Birthday celebrations and would recommend it. The restaurant itself is elegant and understated unlike a lot of west end restaurants which rely heavily on the wow factor of their interiors to do the work that the food can't do. It was very lively, which was expected for a saturday night, but not so noisy that we couldn't hear one another speak. The tables were roomy and the chairs comfy. The staff are charming, polite and extremely attentive. The food was tasty, but not exquisite, with some dishes packing a better punch than others. The special carpaccio of beef starter was a winner, as was the tian of crab. The steak 'rossini' was apparently to die for, whilst the duck was a bit of a let down with a decidedly hard fondant potato. Overall it was a lovely evening. Incognico provides a classy atmosphere without the pomposity and stuffiness of so many of its competitors, as well as lip smacking food.
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H.M
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 7
Sunday, March 18, 2007