Marine Ices

I'd not read the news that Marine Ices had been taken over by new management, but I noticed pretty quickly this evening that this was the case. It was quite a disappointing experience overall, despite staff trying to convince us that everything was the same. It's not. The atmosphere doesn't match up to the old Marine Ices; the menu has just 5 pizzas - tiny by comparison to the old menu; the walls covered with autographs are gone, replaced by generic photos of coastal Italian towns; and the food was fine but equally nothing to write home about. If the new owners want to keep the Marine Ices name, then at least try to maintain something of what made Marine Ices what it was. As it is, nothing remains. It's a shame to have seen the end of this north London institution.
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4 Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 4
Monday, April 01, 2013

Very disappointing indeed. Last time we came it was good; this time appalling. The service was bad. We waited 45 minutes but no sign of food despite asking 4 times. They'd told us we could only have the table to 7 and since we were going to a play at 7 that was ok but when the food hadn't arrived by 6.45 we had to leave. Our waiter asked us to wait for the manager but the manager got distracted and decided to deal with something else rather than talk to us. We made a fuss when he finally came to us but he did nothing at all. Awful. The service was chaotic and inattentive. We weren't the only ones who were upset.
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Charles
0 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 0
Saturday, February 16, 2013

Wonderful ice cream, great variety of ice cream.

Excellent food, the service was fast and the waiter even advised the wine to match with the meal I was choosing, also he knew straight away the ice cream to advise to my sister that is egg allergic, very good value for money (very satisfactory meal portion), the atmosphere was not the top.

However I will certainly come back to eat there.
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Alan
9 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, November 30, 2011

I hadn't been to Marine Ices for many years having grown up going there very regularly. Unfortunately I will not be going back except for a takeaway ice cream.

The interior is dated and a bit shabby. We decided to go for an ice cream dessert zabaglioni, big mistake. Tasteless and the quality control was low, mine turned up with no topping and they had frozen the soaked sponge so it was inedible without a chisel. On the other hand the 2 others in our group had sundaes which were lovely.

The worst thing about our visit was the Manager, the rudest manager I have ever met, which actually caused the couple who was waiting to come in turn away and eat elsewhere. When we complained about our desserts he barely let us explain and and mumbled under his breath walking away. He did however take it off the bill.

Whilst we were leaving he ran after my partner and raised his voice to him and said 'Have you even paid your bill?!' in front of the whole restaurant. We had and if he had checked he would've known. We were embarrassed and very angry at the way he treated us. To be honest we should have asked for our money back after that!

Don't go here unless your getting a takeaway or just stick to ice cream scoops, and certainly hope not to bump into the Manager!
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Helen
2 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 1
Thursday, August 04, 2011

I have been a fan of Marine Ices for many years. But I don't know whether the quality there has slipped, or if they just haven't kept up with the rest.

The ice cream is a real treat. The same it's always been. Delicious and generous portions. However, quite a few Italian gelato outlets have opened across London and have certainly raised the bar on quality and authenticity. Most of them beat Marine Ices hands down. Key indicators is the pistachio ice cream. a good quality authentic italian pistachio gelato is made with high quality pistachio paste and no colouring. The resulting ice cream has a rich nutty flavour and a khaki colour. Not bright green.

Service at Marine Ices is perfect. Friendly and efficient. It has a real family business feel.

The restaurant food is sadly very mediocre. On my last visit, our calamari arrived limp and rubbery (no sign of crispiness in the batter), and the quoattri formaggi pizza was bland and some of the cheese hadn't even melted. Stuffed mushrooms were oily and just tasted of salt. breadcrumb and parmesan topping on the mushrooms was soggy and greasy with a lack of any signs of being grilled or baked. I thought they were microwaved or reheated.

I will probably go again sometime for ice cream if i am in the area, but definitely skip the restaurant food.

The most authentic gelato in London is no longer found at Marine though...
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Delores VanCartier - View all reviews by this user
7 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 6
Monday, February 14, 2011

The ice cream was delicious.... but i wish that they had put it in a bigger dish, my chocolate sauce was dribbling down the side. I recommend the Jamaican rum and raisin ice cream with the banana split!!..... mmmmmmm yummy!

I also recommend the hot belgian waffles with a scoop of tiramisu ice cream and hot chocolate sauce dribbling over............my idea of ice cream heaven!! :)
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Ava
8 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 7
Saturday, July 31, 2010

Slightly offbeat ice cream outlet that also serves food. Don't let the name fool you. It may be called Marine Ices, but you don't just have to come here for dessert. They'll cover you for the main course as well.

Although I feel this place could do with a fairly radical refurbishment, it still serves great food at a great price with pretty good service. They've been making ice cream since before many of us were born, so they're quite good at it these days.

Parking can be a bit of a pain, as they are located on a junction with lots of yellow paint, but they are right outside Chalk Farm station, so it's still easy to get to.

I really like the Chalk Farm area in general, and I'm pleased to say that this restaurant adds to it. Recommended.
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Alan Ingham - View all reviews by this user
8 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, May 26, 2010