OXO Tower Brasserie

Food excellent, views excellent, service average, seating cramped, discretionary 12.5% service charge obnoxious.

We came here for lunch, ordering the cod and lamb, a couple of sides and a carafe of white wine. The tables are unnecessarily cramped, removal of just a few would make for a far nicer experience and atmosphere. One of the sides was forgotten and arrived late (it happens) but we constantly had to request our wine be topped up since the carafe was kept away from our table due to the cramped tables. The food itself was lovely, both the cod and lamb cooked excellently and the portions were perfect. When our bill arrived we were treated to a discretionary 12.5% charge added between handing over the card and receiving the machine, I find this obnoxious, the service was average and there were only two of us, that's a cheap trick normally designed for catching tourists and business lunches.

With the views and the quality of food this restaurant could be superb but the service and charges left us underwhelmed.
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Bruce
6 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 4
Thursday, December 29, 2011

Have had two lunches and one dinner at the OXO Tower Brasserie. Location and view are spectacular but it goes down hill from there. Too many tables, incredibly cramped, noisy and more like the canteen of a multi national PLC. Staff work hard due to thoughtless table layout. Food depressingly overpriced. If it wasn't for the rooftop location it would have closed long ago.
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Mark
4 Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 2
Saturday, August 13, 2011

Food and wine is amazing but the place is lacking soul and individuality - a shame since it's such a prime location. That seems to be part of the problem - someone has decided that such a prime location deserves a restaurant so they've put one there, without the inspiration to create a dining experience.

great views, average decoration, confused staff, too busy with tourists and no-one actually seemed to be enjoying themselves. I won't be heading back.
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Hugh Bloor - View all reviews by this user
5 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 3
Saturday, July 23, 2011

I took my friend to the OXO Brasserie on Sunday evening. We had a really lovely evening, fabulous food, friendly attentive service and they moved us to a table nearer to the river so that we could absorb the view. Despite it being a very, very hot evening (and the staff looking like they were about to wilt) we have a lovely meal. The wine list was, as others have said, pricey and the ladies loo was not of a very high standard. However, we would go back (having saved up again).
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8 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 7
Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Despite the great location and the friendly and professional service, the food completely ruined the entire experience. Not one of the two starters and three main courses that our party of three ordered was what I would rate "acceptable", which is an achievement all by itself that I cannot remember having ever experienced at a restaurant claiming to serve sophisticated cuisine .

I can only hope that this in no way represents the level at which the kitchen usually operates.
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Philip
4 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 1
Monday, June 20, 2011

Four of us had lunch there yesterday - and the whole experience was first-rate.

We had a bottle of wine first in the adjacent bar and then moved into the brasserie. Throughout, the service was excellent.

The food was delicious and the view is, of course, fantastic.

It's not a cheap exercise, but for special occasions it takes some beating. We will certainly go again.
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Rod Bryden
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, May 04, 2011

We were a party of four. The food, ambience and service was excellent. The wine was the usual outrageous price. I laughed when I saw the Constantia dessert wine priced at £75. I buy this for £20 at a local wine merchant. Mark it up by all means, but when you can buy the wine quite easily in shops this sort of price is just silly.

I would go there again, but not drink more than a glass of wine. A good thing perhaps for me, but not for the restaurant.
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Martin Fletcher
8 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 5
Thursday, February 24, 2011

I really do not know what the people who wrote bad reviews are talking about.

I took my wife here on 12th Feb 2011. It was absolutly amazing. We sat next to the window. Great views. The staff all had big smiles on their faces and did everything they could to accomodate us. The food was excellent. 10 out of 10, cooked to perfection in my opinion.

Half way through the meal, they took a photo of us, two minutes later, came back with the picture in a magnetic frame and said there you go! We have it on our fridge now!

Excellent cocktails. We got there half an hour early and the reception staff greeted us and said happy birthday to my wife which she liked.

The two of us ate a three course meal with cocktails and glass of wine for £100. they put a candle in my wifes dessert and wrote happy birthday on her plate in chocolate sauce.

I would definitely go back there. and i would reccomend any one to go there. I phoned up a couple of days early and asked for the window seat.
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Phil
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Monday, February 14, 2011

Was invited to lunch by a business colleague and as i had been before to the restaurant before I thought that the brasserie would be a good place to try.How wrong i was.The menu read like a dream but the experience was a totally different ball game.

First of all the atmosphere resembled a self sevice restaurant .Tables jam packed together and a noise level which did not make for a pleasant relaxing lunch.I could have forgiven all that had the menu lived up to expectations.It didn't.

For starters I had a supposedly spiced quail which was so bland that it didn't taste of anything.The presentation was amateurish and resembled something out of the early 90's.

For mains I had a roast organic salmon again really unpleasant.over salted and over cooked.presentation again was poor.Looked as though it had been just thrown on the plate.

The service was adequate although we were served the wrong order and we were made to feel as though we were the ones at fault. Unacceptable.

An expresso to follow came in a chipped coffee cup.

Don;t bother wasting your money here.a sandwich down the road would have been more pleasant and just a tad less expensive!.
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jackie
2 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 1
Friday, January 14, 2011

What a pity this iconic restaurant is failing so badly to live up to the reputation it had a few years ago. If it weren't for the view from a few of the riverside seats why would you bother to eat in what has become an over priced canteen. Having booked and invited out of town friends to this out of the way eaterie you are commited. Even though the school like tables and chairs are only half full you can find your party of five squeezed on to a pair of 600mm square table simply pushed together.

The standard fare during the festive season is a limited fixed menu so that even if you only take one or two of the three courses offered you pay for what you don't order. Does everyone eat three courses during lunch! Pre-made puddings maybe what the traditional London tourist expects but at these prices.

So beware, two bottles of wine, one bottle of water, two pear and cheese starters, plus three turkey and two lamb main courses add on the service charge total cost £275. Speak to the manager and he will do you a deal, make that £255 then.

When the tourist stop coming to London they'll be in trouble.
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Gary Mellon
3 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 1
Saturday, December 04, 2010