Nikita's

Had a wonderful evening at Nikita's last night - everything was great. The Chef obviously takes great pride in the food and the staff were friendly and attentive.

I can't fault the place - I'd recommend it to anyone looking for something a bit different :)
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Lisa
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Saturday, August 13, 2011

I had the best experience at Nikita's. I decided to go because I have a trip planned to Russia in the summer and I thought it would be nice to have a traditional experience prior to my holiday. The service, in my view was outstanding. In fact, I am inclined to say that the service I received there was some of the best I've ever received in any restaurant and I have traveled to many, many countries around the world and have experienced a wide variety of levels of service in a wide variety of restaurants. Some places you can't even refer to it as service because at some places I have tried out, there has been an absence of any service. The variable that made the service at Nikita's so superior is that it was an extremely busy evening, (packed in every corner) and even so, I was given plenty of individual attention and the staff were so efficient and friendly and energetic. I didn't feel like I had to chase anyone down to get what I needed. I also felt like they were very accomodating and respectful. I get so annoyed at some restaurants, where the staff expect customers to always work around what they want. A small example of this is when service staff at some places come and interrupt a conversation, while someone is in the middle of speaking or come over to ask how everything is when you are chewing and leave before you can answer and don't ask again. They are just following a checklist, but aren't actually showing like they want to know. At Nikita's, I felt like they worked hard to work around me and my needs and that type of service is rare, I've found. I was impressed how great the staff communicated with eachother so that I did not have to explain the same thing over again, when different staff came to the table for different parts of my order, because I hate when people waste my time by making me repeat over and over again something that could have easily been communicated by a thoughtful staff member. Of course, there are times when information doesn't get transferred for understandable reasons, but basically you can tell the difference between staff who make an effort and those who don't. I just wish some establishments could learn from them. The food was also very tasty, artfully prepared and the caviar was superb and very decadently displayed. Overall, I cannot say enough about how impressed I was with my experience there and if I would have had a £100 extra with me, I would have tipped the staff that much more, because they were that amazing. I have told several people about my experience so far and hope that they go too. I will definitely be back! There was also an accordian player who was very good and hilarious too. It was a good environment overall. The only slight drawback about my experience was that the birthday party that took up half of the room were inconsiderate in some ways, but the staff worked around it beautifully and I think they are wonderful and very hard-working.
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10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, April 19, 2011

I took a Russian girl here on a date on a friday evening as she missed her homeland and its food!

The food and drink (especially flavoured vodka) was lovely, but the whole experience was let down by poor service and an incredibly annoying accordian player.

When we arrived we were asked to go downstairs and a waitress would show us to our table. We stood for five minutes before encountering any staff, during which time we wandered aimlessly. Throughout the dinner, service was quite slow.

As for decor etc my Russian date told me it was a bit 'over the top' and 'trying too hard' but I guess thats the way themed restaurants are.

Anyway, we were happily enjoying our food and a romantic chat when out of nowhere appeared a rotund tipsy chap playing the accordian and singing (I say singing, it was more like a fog-horn). He immediately waddled over to our table and bellowed through five or six songs whilst trying to encourage us to sing and embarrass one another. Finally he progressed to other tables but was so loud that we couldn't have a proper conversation. It got to the point that on his second round of tables my date pretended to cry so that he would leave us alone, and we asked the waitress if we could go into the bar rather than continue sitting at our table. Incidentally, the waitress acknowledged our frustration, as if it was a common complaint and one which she agreed with. We eventually left but this incessant noise put my date in a bad mood for the rest of the night...really not something that you want to happen!!

On the whole I really don't know whether i'd recommend this place. I suspect that if you visited on a weekday when the noisyman wasn't present things might be different. But I will try other Russian restaurants in London before returning here.
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5 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 6
Saturday, February 26, 2011

I followed a good recommendation from a colleague and went along with a group of 4 to Nikita's. It's situated on a quiet residential road and until you reach it you almost feel like you've gone the wrong way. A ring on the bell and we were in. The staff, dressed in traditional clothes are very welcoming and offered us each a drink at the bar while our table was getting ready. There was a great choice of vodkas but we opted for a white wine instead, which btw was very good and great value...I can't recall the name but I'm sure it was from Croatia. Downstairs we sat in one of the booths which was very cosy and nice...again the red walls, candles and the sound of accordion made the place seem very authentic. The service was prompt and the girl who served us did a great job of explaining what dish was what. For starter we had the delicious Pirozhki (try the cream cheese ones, trust me!) & the Ostrie Kolbaski. For mains I had the steak which was cooked to perfection and the rest of my party shared the duck & salmon, all agreed - delicious. I later heard this is where Prince Harry hangs out so I was surprised by such great value...the mains were around £15/each which is great value anywhere in London, but unbelievable in this part of town.

Great service, great food & wine...we can't wait to go back.
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Simon
10 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, October 21, 2010

Being half Russian I was feeling nostalgic and wanted a Russian meal to celebrate my birthday! This was pretty much, the most amazing restaurant I've ever been to! it had EVERYTHING! exclusivity (having to ring the bell before being let in); ambiance (a candle lit lower ground floor restaurant with traditionally decorated walls); entertainment (friendly Russian accordian player with a cracking voice and multi lingual selection of songs, incl. Happy Birthday); Food (the food...dear GOD!! amazing! It brought back memories of being little again munching on my Nanna's Pelmeny, Pirozshky & garlic sausage; for my friends who weren't brought up on Russian food, there was a brilliant selection with offerings for all palates); Drink (excellent wine selection (light rioja particularly good) homemade vodka that you can sip - need I say more?!); service (a little slow but it gave us more time to sample the vodka and absorb the atmosphere); Value (great value!); location (Fulham, but set right back away from the main high street therefore avoiding people people who didnt truly want to be there!)

I would highly recommend Nikita's! All my friends came away fully converted to Russian food and ready to tell everyone about it!!
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katy Levycky
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Monday, November 09, 2009

celebrated a birthday here. hired one of the private dining rooms, had an absolutely fantastic time! food was outstanding, service was exceptional, as was the entertainment.

had been meaning to go for a long time, will certainly go back now that i have finally been.
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10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Monday, June 22, 2009

I went with a number of Russian colleagues to Nikita's before Christmas 2008, and we have a fantastic evening. The food was very good, in particular the beef stroganoff (not a dish I would normally choose), which was the best I have ever had by far.

Combined with a couple of bottles of ice cold Ruski Standard it was a terrific evening, despite the restaurant being fairly empty mid-week. The only bitter taste at the end was the outrageous £70 per bottle charged for the vodka, which retails for £13.50 in my local off-license.

So beware and confirm the cost of drinks in Nikita's before ordering. There's taking profit, and then there's taking liberties...
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City Banker
7 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 4
Tuesday, February 17, 2009