The River Cafe

When are these people going to realise they didn't set out to get a Michelin Star at this restaurant. They have their style of service and have stuck to it! It's knowledgeable but unintrusive, and it's charming!

You say it doesn't deserve a star. That is your perception. If you want stuffy Michelin Star service then this is not the place for you. Equally if you want stuffy, over fussy Michelin food, this isn't the place for you.

This restaurant is about the best ingredients in a relaxed but well-informed friendly environment.

The reviewers on here know nothing about good food!
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Steve
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Some of our business contacts suggested this restaurant (we are on business here from Holland). We got a table without reservations last night. We must say that we think it is WAY overpriced and the food is NOTHING special at all, we cannot imagine that this must be one of the best restaurants of London?? Some food was even burned. The service was done by too many (badly dressed) students without personal attention. We had a 3 course dinner and left after paying 253 pounds, we cannot help it, but we felt totally ripped off. We absolutely wouldn't recommend it.
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5 Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 1
Tuesday, September 06, 2011

I went here the other night. For the quality of the food, I think it's WAY over priced. My sea bass dish was £37. It was nothing special, and very rustic. If you're looking for a really cute place to sit outside, yes its pretty nice. But overall very over priced for simple looking and simple tasting dishes.
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Lake
4 Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 2
Thursday, August 04, 2011

I have wanted to go to the River Cafe for Years. I regularly cycle past it as a local to the area and have heard rave reviews. I have tried in vain on a number of occasions to get a table there only to be told (rather snootily), that I needed to book months in advance to guarantee a table.

Last night I finally made it there with two very 'foody' friends who kindly paid for the meal.

Quite frankly I felt embarrassed for taking them. Our pasta starter was congealing by the time we got our teeth in it. When a main course costs £35 I think it is fair to expect nothing less than something exquisitely delicious. My monkfish was tasty but not particularly special. Restaurants that charge £50 plus for a starter and a main should also serve spectacular bread in my opinion. A bit of dry ciabatta did not impress although the olive oil dip was excellent.

By the time the dessert menu came we all felt rather full and decidedly underwhelmed. We had a glass of champagne on arrival and two half bottles of wine between us, a starter and a main each and the bill came to £270. I am more than prepared to pay £90 for a positively memorable, delectable London meal experience but sadly this was not one of them. Like another reviewer similarly wrote 'I wish I'd gone to La Trompette down the road for the 'just as tasty' £19.50 three course menu!
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Michelle
6 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 2
Friday, July 15, 2011

I could not agree more with the reviews on this restaurant. Have just returned from a very pleasant evening with friends which was only marred by the feeling that we should have booked a table at La Trompette instead. How The River Cafe got it's star I don't know. The food was ok and the service acceptable but we left feeling like we had been fleeced. We are locals not gullible tourists, we know that we can eat a better food for the same price or less in west London and I seriously object to paying 30 odd quid for a main and almost 20 for a starter in a place with paper tablecloths! I won't be returning...
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5 Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 2
Saturday, June 11, 2011

Seriously disappointing. We went to the River Cafe with friends as we wanted to try this bastion of the London eating scene. I am glad I checked out the reviews on London Eating first so I was prepared for the shock of the prices. Over £30 for mains, £8 for two scoops of icecream. The food was fine - but it is plain, Italian cooking not fine dining - my started or crab with aioli actually tasted unpleasant (like 'easy garlic' had been used rather than fresh), the pigeon was delicious but served on top of a soggy piece of bread which did nothing for me. The restaurant itself is in a big warehouse with a dodgy blue carpet and our waitresss was charmingly underinformed about the dishes. NOT what you;d expect from such an establishement. I can only imagine that it is kept going by one-timers like us who are interested in food and want to try out such a famous name and locals who are so stonkingly rich they are prepared to spend £100 a head on an average meal. (our bill came to just over £100 a head and we only had 2 bottles of wine between 6). Will not be returning.
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4 Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 1
Thursday, March 31, 2011

This was our second visit since it re-opened after the kitchen fire. I had read less than flattering reviews so was a little apprehensive. We did not have the same experience as others have reported. The front desk staff were very friendly. Our table was not ready so we had a cocktail at the bar. The waiting staff were very pleasant and the sommelier was very helpful. The food is very competent - my main course of scallops was delicious - and the servings are generous. However... it is eye-wateringly expensive - £16 for a starter and £30-£40 for main courses, and for these prices I suppose I want something a little more formal, more space between tables, more smartly dressed waiting staff and maybe a little less of a "cafe" feel. It is on our doorstep and we will definitely come again, but I think it is better suited to Sunday lunch on a summer's day than evening "special occasion" dining.
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7 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 6
Monday, March 28, 2011

Difficult to justify the cost and the Michelin star!

I couldn’t fault the quality of the ingredients, but none of the dishes we ordered were particularly flavoursome – it was an underwhelming experience and I felt I could’ve reproduced all the dishes with ease at home.

I was particularly struck by the lack of interest shown by staff: we were served by a succession of different people; very little eye contact was made; nobody asked if we needed any help with the menu/wine list and our food and drink was just plonked in front of us.

Despite much anticipation, eating at the River Café certainly didn’t feel like a special occasion or a treat – we felt unvalued and rushed. There are far better London eateries where the food is much tastier, the prices more realistic and the staff make an effort to make you feel special.
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4 Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 2
Tuesday, March 22, 2011

It seems that quite a few people had a pretty dismal time at The River Cafe......I'm pleased to say that when we went it was brilliant.

Yes, it's really, really expensive (I wasn't paying, so the pain was bypassed), however, the food was very, very good.

* Hostesses are not that friendly, but they are professional.

* Went for lunch one rainy Saturday in Feb - packed.

* Lots of people serve you - I didn't mind. They were all good.

* Sommelier was really nice and it was very pleasant to deal with her

* Crab salad, lemon tagliatelli, sea bass - all incredible (especially the sea bass - the nicest fish I can remeber eating)

* Wine - delcious - the menu is full of varied, unusual Italian bottles (as you would expect)

Would love to go again. Marcellous (if expensive).
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Coops
7 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 4
Thursday, March 03, 2011

The staff were rude and abrupt. We were rushed. And the fish course was cold and overcooked.

The problems started soon after we were shown to our table. We were not given sufficient time to consider the menu. The waiter came to take our order far too soon. And he returned several times before we were ready. The menu was complex and we needed a few minutes to consider it.

A waitress poured white wine into my friend’s cocktail. The waitress laughed it off. Mistakes happen. But I was slightly taken aback that the waitress did not offer my friend a replacement cocktail.

The secondi course was brought to the table within a minute of the previous course being cleared (literally). The monkfish we ordered was overcooked and cold.

For dessert we ordered chocolate sorbet. We were told that it had come out wrong so had been removed from the menu. We ordered something else.

Before we finished eating, the waiter came over to our table and plonked down the bill unprompted. We had the distinct impression that we were unwelcome and that he wanted us to leave immediately.

This restaurant is not cheap and I would expect decent food and service. We received neither.

I wrote to restaurant about my experience. They did not bother to reply even when I wrote a second time asking for a reply.

I would not return and would recommend others not to go to the River Cafe. It used to be good but those times have passed.
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2 Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 0
Friday, February 11, 2011