Rivington Bar & Grill

I wouldn't say there's a plethora of superb places to eat Greenwich, there's some damn good ones but I would rate this restaurant as excellent.

I live just down the street and have been 3 or 4 times. It's expensive but every time I eat there I can't help but feel this is how food is supposed to be.

Interesting choice of food, good wine list, some friendly waiters, the decor is classic - not hip, not overbearing, but simple, lots of wood, neutral tones, etc.

The Sunday roast is exquisite. Just make sure you ask for extra gravy.
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Giggy - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 7
Thursday, June 28, 2007

We eat out a lot, both in cheap places, expensive places, in London, provincially, abroad and all things taken into consideration this was the worst meal I have ever had.

It is vastly, vastly, vastly overpriced. The chicken I had at 27 quid for 2 was tough and lacked flavour - a cheap Sunday lunch in a pub at 7.95 for 2 meals a couple of days later was far, far, far better!

The starters were fine and the warm bread is good, but we were squeezed in upstairs on a very small table with the other tables far too close by on each side.

The place has a nice atmosphere for older couples though.

The service was close to diabolical, almost everything that was brought out for us and for the table next to us was wrong in some way - maybe they think they are being clever not writing orders down when taken, but if it means they'd get it right then I'd rather they brought a note-pad with them!

The chicken I had came with sage and onion stuffing - what came out was beef liver stuffing with the slightest hint of green on it (which I assume was the sage) and no evidence of an onion being anywhere near it. Given that I don't like liver I queried why I hadn't received sage and onion stuffing only to be told that it was sage and onion stuffing - it just happened to have liver in it as well and she walked off happy with that answer.

I wouldn't go back - even if it were free.
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Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 1
Monday, February 26, 2007

Had an excellent set menu Sunday lunch for £18 a head yesterday. Superb smoked mackerel pate starter; partner loved her parsnip and oragne soup. Lovely roast beef with cripsy roast spuds. Two big wedges of Neals Yard cheese and oatcakes to finish (which is £7.95 alone on the a la carte). Good, friendly service. You can pay close to this for an ordinary and disappointing gastro pub lunch. Excellent place. I'd previously been to the sister restaurant in Shoreditch. The menus are similar - and the cooking seems to be of the same high standard. I cannot fault either place.
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SHamilton - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Monday, January 29, 2007

Went here last night and had a lovely time. Had great table in the window served by friendly and polite staff. Food was excellent - rather heavy on the meat, but tasty and large portions. The duck for 2 people was huge!

It is quite expensive for what you get but there is a lack of quality eating places in Greenwich so this is very good. Beware though, this is a large room and it can get quite cold at times!
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sarah
Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 5
Saturday, December 30, 2006

My wife and I visited some weeks ago with high hopes. We were impressed that a restaurant from such a respected culinary heritage had opened in SE10. However, our optimism was misplaced. We found the entire experience as rewarding as root canal work. I left with the assertion that the Rivington's chairs would never again be darkened by my bottom, and have had no hesitation is saying so to my pals in the area.

We started by asking for the set lunch menu advertised on the chalk board outside. We were informed that this was a mistake, so we had to order from the a la carte menu.

My wife ordered welsh rarebit, one of her favourites. I went for the cod roe, also on toast. Around 40 minutes later, our food arrived, without apology. I haven't been as underwhelmed since I opened my snooker table shaped christmas present aged 7 years old to find a chalkboard.

The cod roe was cold, utterly so. It was as if they had fished out of the Thames and plonked straight on toast after being sat on by the van driver. Not any toast mind, but rubbery, butter soaked toast, as cold as the cods roe.

But my wife's welsh rarebit, at seven quid a pop, took the prize. An enormous white plate big enough to house a wave of Bulgarian immigrants soon was adorned by a piece of bread that had experienced heat about 30 minutes previously. On top was a film of cheese, not unlike Tesco sliced value cheddar.

And nothing else.

No garnish.

No worcestershire sauce.

Nothing.

I asked the waiter if he considered seven pounds good value for a single slice of cheese on toast, that my 10 year old cousin recently prepared for me with far greater skill than this cafe's chef. His answer was a lesson in dissmissiveness...

"It is very expensive cheese, sir"

And with that he toddled off.

I left what i thought it was worth (two pounds) and left without further word. I won't be back. Don't make the same mistake I did - I overpaid by two pounds.
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Anthony Kay
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Thursday, December 28, 2006

I took my wife here for her Birthday on a relatively quiet Monday night. We arrived shortly before 8 o'Clock. The waitresses were at all times very attentive, friendly and efficient and the food, although quite simple and at times unimaginative was of very good quality. I do, however, think the price tag far exceeded what was served before us, and I would have expected far better presentation.

My main complaint (which spoilt the evening for us) lies with their smoking policy in a room which lacks any form of air-conditioning. Smoking is permitted anywhere in the restaurant and on that occasion the restaurant resembled an East-End pub with a permanent haze of carbon. At the end of the meal I felt like I had spent all evening in a cheap pub rather than an upmarket restaurant. When I aksed if they had a non-smoking area I was told that if someone wished to smoke they would at all times provide them with an ash-tray.

Roll on July 2007!

It is hard to imagine that in 10 years time our kids will not believe us when we tell them that people used to smoke in areas were food was served. Time to smarten up Britain!

For us this could have been, if not for the smoking, the best restaurant in Greenwich.
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Dr Matthew Allen
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 6
Monday, December 18, 2006

As an author of one of the critical reviews below and having been here many times since, I would like to bring some perspective and point out the many positives of this place.

There is a desperate dearth of good restaurants in southeast London and it is brave of the caprice holdings group to invest in such a risky market. My experience of many years sitting alongside the “eating out” clientele of Greenwich and Blackheath is that they are older demographically, conservative, overly price conscious, and don’t seem to really celebrate the joys of eating out, compared with say the clientele of the Rivington’s sister branch in Shoreditch.

The food reflects the seasons and the menu concentrates on doing as little as possible to mess about with well-sourced ingredients. It showcases British food, sometimes putting a bold St John style dish on the menu, e.g., rook with a dandelion salad, but usually relies on wider appealing comfort dishes, e.g., fish pie, apple crumble, etc.

There is a buzzy, relaxed atmosphere. The design is excellent, enhancing light and space, and no matter which side of the table the guests are facing there is something to look at. The staff are attractive, friendly and eager to please.

I am grateful that there is somewhere, at last, where I can eat locally. This restaurant needs local support as it would be another damning indictment on the Southeast restaurant scene if the owners upped and moved to another area with a stronger food culture. Hopefully, this will be the first of many new dynamic restaurants arriving to tap the unexposed potential of this area.
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tony beirne
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Monday, October 23, 2006

I went there on Friday night with my boyfriend. It was a treat as it was my brithday. Our table was booked for 9.00 o'clock, but we got there early so we could celebarate with a drink at the bar. The bar staff were very friendly and my boyfriend mentioned that it was my birthday, the bar man made me a special cocktail, and then told me that the manager said it was on the house - it was delicious, what a good start.

It was very busy, all the tables were full. The waitress serving us was very good, she explained some of the menu to me as I wanted a recomendation. We were told to 'go for the scallops with artichokes and bacon' and 'the suckling pig is our most popular dish'. I went for it, they both sounded great. the wine list was varied and started at £12 which is reasonable, but we went for a lovely bottle of Avila Pinot Noir. The food turned out to be as lovely as it sounds, my boyfriend was impressed with his Barnsley lamb chop and bubble and squeak with lamb's kidneys (it takes me back to my youth! leftovers anyone!). We shared a cheese and hokey pokey ice cream (honeycombe and vanilla - I had to ask too) wow.

I had a great evening, the staff and atmosphere were brilliant. It great to finally have a decent local restaurant, quiet expensive, but it was worth it!!!
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Sally Meir
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 8
Tuesday, October 10, 2006

went in the middle of day for a birthday so hard to judge atmosphere potential but starter was delicious poached duck egg & liver with scottish girolles (mushrooms apparently!) had decent fish & chips for main with the chunkiest chips i'd ever seen, came with homemade tartare & 'posh' mushy peas. worth a visit just for the starter alone. had a cigar 'vending machine' however, had people been smoking i would not be keen to visit.
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dave drury
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 5
Sunday, September 17, 2006

We have visited Rivington in Greenwich on staurday night, great food (scallops and lamb were superb) and great atmosphere!And most of all really reasonably priced. Wine was excellent and so was the service, really friendly.And it is probably one of the placeces in Greenwich I would recomend without a doubt. We will go back soon taht's for sure
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Ed
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Monday, September 04, 2006