The Ivy

Having struggled with the weather and transport yesterday, we were not in the best of moods when we arrived for lunch yesterday. I must say the four of us were disappointed that the tables were so close together and we could hear every word of the conversations either side of us. The food and service was good but the whole experience was not really as we had expected. The 12 1/2% put on plus £2 per head cover charge is quite extortionate given the price of the meal.

That said it was an experience and our attitude is "done that been there" but would not repeat it.
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Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 5
Thursday, January 14, 2010

i went to the Ivy for lunch yesterday to meet up with friends who have never been before. i Have never had a bad experience. Food, service excellent as usual. Were not kept waiting or forgotten, had excellent seats, and bill very reasonable. All my friends thoroughly enjoyed it and were impressed. I have lost count of the number of times I have been, and will certainly be going again. My only criticism is trying to book a table, which is ridiculously difficult
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Jean - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, November 11, 2009

My wife and I went for lunch at the Ivy last Friday. Overall I was extremely disappointed and will not be returning. We have eaten at several of London's so called top restaurants and have no problem whatsoever spending a lot of money on great food,service and atmosphere. The Ivy delivered none of these. In summary..... we arrived 5 mintes before our booking; no-one greeted us, we were just left standing like a couple of spare parts in a very crowded bar area. After 10 minutes someone took our orders for drinks and asked what time our booking was for - they never came back to apologise for delay or to give us some indication we were in for a wait. 40 minutes after our booking was due, someone came and apologised - very poor. After 50 minutes of waiting in total we were shown to a table which had us sitting on a small sofa, next to each other, with our backs to the rest of the restaurant. In terms of the food quality - mediocre at best. Soup too salty - could have come from a tin and steak/ale pie that had a lot of gristle and there was clearly a gravy shortage in the kitchen. My wife's calves liver was fine. The attitude of the waiting staff was not a patch on other restaurants I've been to and we often were left with empty wine glasses (bottle was kept in a shared ice bucket with another table so helping myself was not appropriate). All in all, very overrated and will not return nor recommend to anyone else.
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Alan
Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 2
Monday, September 28, 2009

I took my fiancee to The Ivy last night and we both had a wonderful time.From start to finish the staff were friendly,polite and did not rush you to order your food. When we choosing what to have for starter and mains there were never any waiters hovering about which I felt was very relaxing. The sparkling wine we had was very nice, sweet but not too dry and went down very well.

The starters we had were both unusual mixes but they both tasted wonderful and both dishes were colourful and had a good combination of flavours and textures. I had the bang bang chicken and she had the spiced duck and watermelon.

For mains I had the pork sausages with creamed potatoes which was a good serving,not massive but still enough to make you feel full! It was a very tasty dish and I can't fault it, the onion gravy went very well with it. She had the Raviolli which she loved. She also said the portion size was just perfect.

For dessert we both had the chocolate pudding with mint chocolate chip ice cream. We both enjoyed the dessert but it did sit quite heavy in the stomach and I wouldn't order it if I went again.

The service was great, we had a time between our meals to relax and chat about the evening without having the long wait for our food to come. Also when the food was served it was always the perfect temperature to eat straight away.

All in all a fantastic evening and I would defnitely go again and reccomend it for someone looking for a romantic and upmarket restaurant.
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Aaron AW
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, September 23, 2009

What a brilliant afternoon.

I had long stayed away as I assumed (incorrectly) that this would be one of those unpleasant dining experiences laced with condescension and substandard food. I could not have been more wrong.

A mate and I had one of the best lunches I can recall. The staff starting with the doorman and the coat check were polite, humorous and welcoming. We enjoyed a lovely table with a wait staff that were beautifully trained. Present when needed ( they have an uncanny ability to read minds) and invisible when they are not.

The food was presented beautifully, the flavours magnificent. The wine recommendations were spot on. It was one of those afternoons which you wished could have lasted and lasted.

One felt that one was a returning guest (despite it being our first visit) and they looked forward to seeing us yet again. Definitely, put it on your list.
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Rob
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Sunday, September 20, 2009

Lunched at The Ivy on Thursday 13th August 2009, and was thoroughly impressed with the whole experience.

This was my first time here, and I wanted to try it to see what the 'hype' was about. First impressions of the place were good-the doorman with the top-hat is friendly and professional, and the ambience is fairly casual-the decor and furnishings are tired and could perhaps do with updating, but at the same time it gives the place a traditional and elegant feel. I was also surprised at how small the restaurant itself is-literally just one average-sized dining room so all diners are in full view of each other. The only bad thing was how all the tables are so close together-the restaurant was packed when I was there and it almost feels like you are on top of other diners and is slightly uncomfortable.

The clientele are pretty much as I expected-mostly suited city-workers and well-groomed business types, quite a few tourists (predominantly American from what I could tell).

The service was solid and consistent - attentive staff though admittedly not the friendliest !!!

The food was good - as many reviewers have said, the menu is reminiscent of an upscale pub - mainly traditional British fare, but if you are that way inclined you can opt for grilled lobster and chips or Beluga caviar.

My 'bang bang chicken' starter I liked-the strips of chicken did look synthetic and processed, but the sweet chilli peanut sauce was extremely flavoursome and I loved it (fresh peanuts crushed over the top). - Nice crunchy bed of salad also. The main course of battered haddock and chips with 'minted pea puree' was varied-the battered haddock was exceptional-fish amazingly fresh and nicely cooked inside, fresh and crunchy golden batter. The 'minted pea puree' was okay at best (couldn't taste the 'mint'). The chips were VERY poor-not hand-cut as you would expect in a high-end eaterie, greasy and fatty, looked like they had come straight out of a packet-worse than in many pubs. The accompanying tartare sauce was quite nice.

For dessert I had the chocolate pudding (nice and simple) with mint choc chip ice cream. The pudding was nice-rich and gooey, the mint choc chip ice cream was runny and not very flavoursome. - Poor presentation, and slightly reminiscent of an M&S chocolate pudding (which are nice for M&S, but not for the bloody Ivy!!!!) I can't comment on the wine-list because I didn't touch it. Whole bill was £50 for three courses plus 3 non-alcoholic drinks, including service charge. - Expensive really, not worth it for the food but definitely worth it for the overall experience. Gents restroom is pristine (you could easily be in a 5-star hotel) until you look into one of the cubicle's and you could easily be in a council estate pub (not that I go to them). Overall an enjoyable experience - would recommend it just to try it, and I'm sure at peak times the place is crammed with celebs. Would I go again? - Yes, but only to bring others to try it.
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jack pollitt
Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 7
Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Sometimes you want to think twice before you give an old long-established institution like The Ivy a bad review. It's tantamount to coshing a Bishop. I ate there last some years past and the food was OK but the service was sublime. The staff knowledgeable and intuitive. A great night out. So it's with a heavy heart I reach for my rubber-hose-sheathed length of lead pipe Let me kick off with the a-la-mode favorite de-jour. Bottled water. I don't mind being offered it at all but anyone who owns a double glazing company that's reading this needs to give our wine waiter a directorship. In fact; don't because I think he must already have one with "Agua is us" or whoever it is that supply it. Later after asking for more wine and waiting ages for it to arrive he happens past the table and quips "Ooo I notice that you have run out of water, I get you some more?" "No thanks, the wine we asked for 10 minutes ago would be nice though". The service as a whole was confused and stressed.

The food? OK at best. I ordered the Bannockburn rib eye as a main but had to use the steak knife reserved for it to cut through the base of the seared fois gras starter. I could go on.

In short. Too many covers. No more than a fast food joint for "Now" magazine cover stars. If eating in the same room as them is your thing and I don't blame you for that; then go. For a fine dining experience being catered for by people who really want to look after you. I can give you a long list with The Ivy nowhere on it.
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Steve Higgins
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 4
Friday, August 14, 2009

I agree with Peter I took my Mum to the Ivy last night to celebrate her 70th birthday, it was a truly dreadful experience. Firstly the tables were so close together (literally three inches apart) that you were elbow to elbow with your neighbours. This was made all the more unpleasant by the drunken foul mouthed man next to us. it appeared that his behaviour was tolerated no doubt because he was consuming copious amounts of pink champagne! Secondly the food was truly dreadful. My Mums fish was awful and the batter was sopping with grease. Of course she felt obliged to eat it. I had the Steak and Ale pie, it was OK but only OK. The other member of our party commented that the burger he had at the Gourmet Burger Company was far superior to what he was presented with at the Ivy. Finally the baked alaska that we hped would add some much needed drama was lit on a tray in the restaurant but sadly done in error in front of the wrong table. It was then lifted from then and plonked in front of us! Truly awful don't go!!!
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Adrian
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 0
Friday, August 07, 2009

Never have I paid so much for such disappointment. I had heard so many good reviews, I believe most of these people have never had a well prepared and/or cooked meal. the meat was dry, not much taste, steak tartar was not fit for human consumption, I suffered through the evening as I was taken there for my birthday, this was a few weeks ago, but never again. leave it to the chavs and Essex girls.
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Peter
Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 3
Wednesday, July 29, 2009

I was Surprised by my Beautiful Girlfriend to a weekend trip to London. It was my 30th birthday. After doing the whole tourist thing, i thought things couldn`t get any better- Then we arrived at The Ivy. We were greeted with a guy wearing a top hat which made me a little nervous as i thought for one i might be over dressed and for two i wouldn't be able to relax. But when we were shown to our table we were able to enjoy the three courses that were laid before us. The food was amazing and just enough not to have that stuffed feeling. The waiters were def on the ball, with each course not coming too quickly. And as my girlfriend was commenting on how u have to be gorgeous to work here i didn't feel too left out as unbeknown to me she had asked Lucy Lui (who was sitting at the next table) to wish me a happy birthday. So i left the table with quite a red face and a big wide smile!
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Dominic Smith
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Sunday, July 19, 2009