Levant

Had a great Christmas party at Levant, great service,great music, friendly atmosphere, and excellent food! I thought the main course could have done with a bit more salt or flavour, the meat was lamb shank which just fell off the bone and the burghul was a nice change from couscous and rice...The cocktails I thought initially quite expensive for 12 pounds a cocktail but once you see the size of them, two should do you for the night....The belly dancers were amazing the lovely Tania - amazing muscle control....a new bellydancer whom I haven't seen before maybe because I go out a lot less these days... but who also was very pretty and danced beautifully...its hard to get belly dancers that not only look good, are technically proficient but actually dance as if they are enjoying it...both ticked all boxes....I do agree with the rest of the reviews when they say that the tea is expensive as they charge per person rather than per tea pot which does work out quite expensive....forget the tea...buy yourself some green tea and a bag of fresh mints, add sugar to your taste and make it at home...don't miss the whole experience for the tea...Levant, I would really look at this point as most of the reviews put you off only for this point and its such a shame...as you seem to have everything else going for you....
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Nadia El-Guechi
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 8
Saturday, December 05, 2009

The decor is indeed lovely, but the ambience was spoiled for me by being crammed into the crowded restaurant. The evening lost all intimacy when my partner and I found ourselves closer to diners on either side of us than each other.

The food was actually very nice, if slightly overpriced. BIG mark up on the wine.

But what killed the evening for me was the belly dancers. These aren't just Thursday and Fridays any more; it's every night a week. Completely unfair to turn the music up so loud that conversation has to stop. Do not want. Will not be returning.
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Ben
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 3
Friday, November 27, 2009

I am so impressed with this restaurant! The food was delicious- we had the meat feast meze - which incidentally was loads of food to go round (so ignore those who deride the alleged small portions). The venue is really authentic with a great atmosphere and the staff were attentive. Im just pleased that i didnt listen to the negative reviews ive seen!

We were also on a tastelondon discount and so it was extremely good value but i would not have complained at paying full price. There are a lot of very average middle eastern restaurants in london but this isnt one of them.

The belly dancing is a great touch!
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Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 7
Friday, October 23, 2009

Fantastic venue!

Went the other night with a group of friends and the place was packed!

After reading some of the reviews on here we were very sceptical about what to expect, but on a freinds recommendation we are glad we went!

Straight away we felt transported to an oasis, greeted by Lee the manager at the door we were invited to enjoy shisha and drinks outside....different but worth it...cocktails to die for especially the Mojito with strawberry!

After our drinks we were envited to go to our table, what a shock when we entered the restaurant, it was beautifull! The atmosphere was really nice, the belly dancers had just started, people dancing and clapping!

After been showed to our table by the hostess we were greeted by another manageress and got to be introduced to our waiter. We were very well looked after, service was attentive yet not intrusive....very friendly and relaxed!

We opted for the feast menu with lamb shoulder for a main course....so much food...too much infact but everything was fresh and nicely served with explanation as well.....does not happen a lot...was a nice touch!

Lamb was incredibly tender although far too much for us to finish, dessert was sent over which finished us off....fruit platter and baklava...it was my friends birthday so they also sent a dessert with a candle and the manageress and waiter sang to my friend....note we were not charged for dessert which we thought was a nice token!

In all we had a superb evening...thanks to all at the restaurant for making my friends birthday so memorable!

I would recommend this restaurant to everyone!
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Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Saturday, April 11, 2009

We went there the other night, with a group of 6 friends... We found the food to be grossly overpriced to what is should be. Its quite a con. Yes the interiors are great, but the let down is the overpriced food. The menu is inflexible, we were made to order set menus, having a couple of teenagers on the table (watching their weight), they asked to share a meat feast, at which the waitress had to seek permission from the manager - what? Im sure they would not have to do that had they ordered more, i.e an extra meat feast. The manager 'allowed' us to order less, TELLING us next time it is one each - is this a joke. This is a restaurant, you should be allowed to order as much and as less as you like. The food was fresh, but again less, to explain at starter points, 2 mini-dips were placed amongst several people, which we had to ask to be increased ! Drinks were ok, later we asked for water and it took 20 minutes to arrive. The main meal was if Im honest slightly bland , tasteless , yes fresh but not leaving you wanting more, yes leaving u hungry . Belly dancers did come on, but were nothing superb, just the shiny outfits did it! It was drafty in the place ...

The desserts menu left much to be desired, a small selection of turkish delight, a few mini bite cakes, + pishatos + fruit + mint tea... Sugar took 10 mins to arrive... Id give my eating experience 4/10, the places decor, atmosphere, overblaring arabian beats 6/10. No, for the prices they charge, I expect better service, we for one will not be returning her again .
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Sheila
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 2
Monday, March 30, 2009

We used to go there a lot mainly because of the great atmosphere and the food is not bad neither. I was near Bond Street with a friend so we went in there for a quick drink. The waitress who served us was possibly the rudest person I've ever met in London. She was impatient, patronising to the point that I actually felt being hassled rather than being served. It was a Monday night and the restaurant wasn't busy. Perhaps that was the reason why she kept coming up to us to ask if we were ready to order and if we wanted to look at the dessert menu every 5 minutes. I made it perfectly clear that we are here for a quick drink so they seated us at the Drinking area. But still I felt like I was being pestered and hassled into spending more money. As we were leaving the restaurant, the rude waitress's colleague was being very sarcastic to us too. This is by far the most unpleasant experience I've ever had in any bars or restaurants. Not just they do not care about their customer service, they obviously not very professional in the way they do business. Very disappointing, but then, hey, there are plenty of other nice places to go to in London!
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K Fun
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 7
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

We booked a table for 11 and needed to be at a concert by 7.30. The lady who took the booking gave us good advice to leave at least 2 hours to experience the meal.

On arrival we were welcomed and made to feel at home. For large parties they only offer the set feast menus but they advised us to underorder. Even 9 feasts for 11 gave us 2 full doggy bag after we filled ourselves. The food was served efficiently and politely with announcement of the nature of each dish. The mid east wines were worth a try. I am not a great fan of Chateau Musar so was keen to try others - I was pleasantly surprised by the Moroccan wines on offer.

In short we were very pleased with our evening and would return. The other contributor who had a bad experience here may either have had bad luck or initiated a change of attitude. Either way our experience was memorable and I recommend it to those who wish to spend time over their meal, The service is good and fast; the time is because of the unending servings!
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Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Absoultely terrible service - the worst I have experienced in London yet! Even the nice presentation of the restaurant couldn't save the night, with the waitress being very abrupt, managing to over charge us, and when we queried this, was then extremely rude, not bothering to apologise and effectively ignoring us the rest of the night. . Her colleague was also very sarcastic to us as we left, purely for pointing out a small error with the bill! Added to this, the prices were beyond ridiculous for what the food and drinks were, and the awful service just topped it off. Will not be going back or recommending to any friends or clients - in fact, would warn them against wasting their time of money.
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rebeccad - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 1
Monday, February 09, 2009

I have eaten at this restaurant four times, chosen both from the set and the a la carte menus, and had an exceptional experience on each occassion. I have dined for lunch and supper, during both quiet and hectic periods, including Saturday night. Cocktails are to die for, staff have been charming and the food sublime.

The menu is not inexpensive, but then I compare the quality of the dishes to that of the Michelin starred restaurants I have dined in, an opinion which has been seconded by the half dozen or so friends I have now introduced to this restaurant.

I highly recommend the set menus. Whilst individual dishes are not large, food is bountiful - just when you think what a nice meal you've enjoyed, you realise you've only eaten the starters - the selection is wonderfully complementary and as for the wines, I'm no buff but it is certainly very drinkable.

Staff work their socks off and on every occassion that I have dined at Levant I have not only felt well taken care of, but very welcome and happy to leave a more generous tip than is suggested by the house.

When the restaurant is full the tables are cramped, but it actually seems to work with the feel of the place as a little slice of the Mid-East. The atmosphere is lively, with belly dancing and music and it's a great place to spend a whole night, if you wish.

For peace and quiet try lunchtimes or early evening meals and you can savour the food without the fanfare. You'll be missing out, though!
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Stacey Gramlich
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, January 08, 2009

I took some friends to this restaurant for their 40th birthdays - and I have to say, we didn't have the best time. The atmosphere is busy (too busy) with belly dancers, incense, great decor with a loud party feel.

On seating, we were told that we could only order from the preset menu at £40 per head and so we did not really have much of a choice. Secondly, we had 3 vegetarians and 1 meat eater and were initially told we could only have 2 veg and 2 meat set meals - after some debate, they finally allowed us to have 3 veg, 1 meat. For £160, we had a few tasty dishes (meze style) - all fresh and well presented but rather small - moussaka and lamb main dish, again tasty but not hot - a rack of deserts, fruits, nuts and mint tea. We also purchased some wine which was too young and fizzy and asked for this to be changed - the staff seemed rather surprised! At £21 a bottle, I would say I expected a good wine.

Overall, the food is great but grossly over priced and the lack of choice in individual dishes (because they said they were just too busy) is a real con forcing you to spend £40 each. The service is poor, unfriendly and reinforces that this place is set up to make money and not to provide customer value and service. I personally would not recommend this place.
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Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 1
Sunday, December 07, 2008