Greig's Grill

After a great evening last week at Greig’s I feel compelled to share my experience with others. Greig’s is a smart, traditional, English restaurant with friendly staff and an efficient service. It is situated on a lovely, quiet mews off Berkeley’s square in Mayfair. Although on the door step of London’s west end it isn’t overcrowded, and as result the staff are able to be flexible and accommodate your individual requests.

My husband chose the steak, which was cooked to perfection and I went for the Dover Sole, a personal favourite of mine. We weren’t disappointed - it was delicious. We mixed our choice or starters and desserts and the extensive wine list complimented every course.

We ate with friends, who recommended Greig’s to us, and it is definitely a restaurant we will be recommending to others. It’s refreshing to find such a great place in the heart of London without spending a fortune.
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Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Thursday, July 12, 2007

Very, very disappointing evening. Went to Greig's last night as a group of 16. Service was appalling - table was booked for 8.30 and we were all there and seated at that time. Due to the staff's lethargy at giving out menus and taking orders the starters didn't arrive until 9.45. Friend sitting next to me had to order a coke 3 times before it arrived. We had to chase up the wine order twice until it eventually arrived - it was then plonked down unceremoniously on the table and we were left to taste and pour it ourselves. We had to request more glasses and cutlery because not enough was put out - this took forever.

The food was adequate and no more. Deep-fried brie starter was simply that - 3 lumps of brie sitting on a plate with some jus on it. No attempt to garnish or present in any way. Same with tomato and mozzarella salad - a plate of sliced (and fairly bland) tomato with a lump of mozzarella (also not the finest I have ever tasted) plonked on top and a bit of oil drizzled over it. This is the sort of stuff that cheap and cheerful restauarants in France or Italy churn out for a couple of euros.

The steak was fine but certainly didn't live up to it's billing as 'London's finest steak restaurant' and was again not helped by the service. I ordered rare and was given a medium - luckily somebody else spotted that their 'medium' was a bit bloody and we swapped. The vegetables and chips arrived so long after the meat that it was beginning to go cold. Pudding was strawberries and cream - just a bowl of sliced berries and a jug of cream to pour over. Fine if you were at a friend's bbq, but I expect a little more from a Mayfair restaurant charging this much.

I can only imagine that the chef at Greig's is under the illusion that he is serving top quality ingredients prepared simply. Unfortunately the effect is more of decent quality ingredients served in a way that most competent cooks could do themselves at home. Top notch service and wine might have been enough to transform the whole experience into something a little special, but when the service is as bad as it was it unfortunately focuses the mind even more on the quality of the food. There are really no excuses, particularly as it was only a Tuesday evening and they weren't that busy - I shall not be going back and would discourage anybody else from doing so.
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Simon Carter
Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 4
Wednesday, May 16, 2007

With the excellent Guinea Grill closed due to an electrical fault we stumbled next door into Greigs to find ourselves in a complete time warp. How do restaurants this average survive in London? The actual room itself was promising but the empty tables all around should have been a warning of what was to come.

If i tell you the starters included 'traditional' prawn cocktail you might get the picture.

every course turned up with the tell-tale limp bits of 'salad' awful!

my friend ordered a fillet steak..a sirloin turned up..the waitresses were friendly but seriously amateur.

the chips were limp though plentiful...

if you want an Aberdeen Steak House..look for one...dont spend £100 for 2 in here..better still go next door to the excellent Guinea.
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howard greenwood
Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 2
Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Went here last night for the valentine's deal. Nearly didn't find it, have mixed feelings altogether.

The food itself was not great. For starters we had the deep-fried brie (very nice) and the asparagus (bad idea was as thick as my fingers and woody). The mains themselves were very good, lobster and 12oz fillet steak (ordered medium but came rare), however the side dishes were not the best (microwaved jacket potato, undercooked chips, overcooked carrots and brocolli). Desert was not good, I had Greig's chocolate mousse made with cheap low cocoa chocolate, it was very like eating a bad school dinner version, my companion had the vodka lemon sorbet which had some redeeming features (notably the vodka).

I have to say that the service was absolutely exemplary and the staff were almost psychic in being able to tell what we needed and when. On the way out the Maitre D' had a good friendly chat with us when we were being brought our coats and it is good to see that sort of customer service in a restaurant these days (and rare to find).

Atmosphere was a little packed, but then it was valentine's day and therefore one of the more busy days of the year. We were the first to take our seats so didn't have to squeeze to hard between tables, but felt sorry for those who did.

Overall I thought that it presented poor value for money. The menu was expensive for the quality of 2 of the 3 courses and it was packed, having said that the service was a rare gem.
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Paul
Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 4
Thursday, February 15, 2007

Another splendid evening spent in London, and this time at a great traditional English restaurant in Mayfair. The evening was thoroughly enjoyed by all in our party and we will be returning very soon. Compliments to the chef for his excellent cuisine.
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Mrs Torton
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Saturday, November 04, 2006

So delightful...that I've come on-line to write about it...! Complements are not for keeping I was once told but for passing on...

First time I've bothered to actually review a restaurant but I have to set the record straight here: This is indeed a hidden gem. I took my parents here for my mother's 60th last saturday. I had been about 4 years ago on the advice of a London friend and remembered how tasty the steak was. Now I live here myself, I'm more picky than ever about where I eat. 3 Reasons why this is my favourite dining experience:

1. The steak is sublime and cooked to perfection.

2. Don't ignore the house wine - it was a full-bodied delight

3. English atmosphere - I don't know why but it felt like what a London restaurant should feel like: Discreet, quality-conscious with history in the walls.

4. The portions were very impressive. If you like plenty of food, you will not be disapointed. For the starter I had the fried brie, it's so rich but so morish that what at first looked like too much was 10 mins later crumbs front of me!

4. The service was genuine and honest. This was a fine dining experience but the waitress still had a true smile and a good sense of humour which sometimes is lacking in trendy Mayfair.

5. The value. I'll be honest, I did have a voucher but we all came out saying that it would of been worth paying full price.

As a Londonner now, I look forward to taking foreign friends here when they visit so I can show them a true London resturant (which doesn't need the glitzy, mirrors, funky colours etc to prove itself!!!).
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Daniel Hughes
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Saturday, November 04, 2006

Last night at Greig’s was an evening to remember. From the moment we arrived I sensed it was going to go well. A lovely waitress, with a beautiful smile greeted us and promptly took us to our table. The table was chosen well and the service was excellent from start to finish.

Our aperitifs arrived, without disturbing our chit-chat, which set the standard for the evening. For main course, I chose the Dover Sole and my husband the fillet steak, both cooked to perfection. I know I speak for the whole party when I say the food was presented well, served correctly and above all delicious.

The ingredients were carefully chosen and of the highest quality, and it was refreshing to have a chef that was happy to accommodate the special diets in our group.

An evening I thoroughly enjoyed, with restaurant staff who obviously enjoy their job and take pride in what they do.

What a pleasure the evening was, and one we look forward to repeating again soon. A restaurant I would happily recommend to family and friends.
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Margaret - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Friday, October 27, 2006

Great Restaurant. Not much has changed in the thirty years since we have been going and that's just how it should be. Perfect martinis, friendly service, great steaks and in an ideal location for visitors staying in one of the nearby hotels. We always recommend Greigs to Friends coming to London.
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Jo Mastriani
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, October 25, 2006

The service was absolutely pathetic and waiters were dirty. The steaks were really uncooked. I will never come back and i hope the owner is aware because this is a really bad restaurant.
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Paul Smith
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Friday, October 13, 2006

It's a good thing that Misleading Advertising Directives apparently do not apply to web sites for restaurants. A very disappointing experience, perhaps because there was a large function in most of the restaurant. Medium rare steak came as medium and medium as medium rare; plates taken away while people were dining; dover sole on the bone came as sole fillets very much off the bone; service gruff, unprofessional and unobliging. Best to close the restaurant to other diners when there is a function, perhaps. Sorry - but give it a miss.
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Graham Wynn
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 1
Wednesday, October 11, 2006