Bibendum

They need to pull their socks up. My first course was delicious. Grilled sardines with harissa and aubergine. Very, very nice. We waited for what seemed a very long time for the main course.

I ordered hake (they brought sea trout). It was sent back. The hake came some time later…it was nearly raw. I sent it back (again). Third time lucky my main course arrived (everyone else had finished their main course) and it was delicious.

Pudding was alright, but nothing extraordinary.

Service was appalling. Two and a half hours to eat lunch…ridiculous.
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Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 5
Monday, June 30, 2008

My wife took me for dinner here last to celebrate my birthday and we had a lovely time. I have always wanted to try Bibendum, from the outside it looks the most impressive restaurant in London. Eating upstairs we entered a lovely light airy room which for central London is a big plus. The room had a good buzz and a good mix of people. We went for fish which was extremely good but I was pleased to note a good meat selection on the menu. We had a really good bottle of sancerre that wasn't madly expensive. The staff were really friendly and attentive. They looked like they were enjoying working there. My fish soup was lovely and I was extremely pleased to see the scallops were served with their roe. It really was a special experience all the more so because the table next to us who we had been chatting to bought us a half bottle of champagne to celebrate my birthday. Really looking forward to going back.
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David Ginsberg
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Bibendum is one of the loveliest restaurants in London, highly recommended especially downstairs at the oyster bar where the atmosphere, decor and food are wonderful. I can’t wait to go back!!!
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Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, February 13, 2008

I have been a regular at Bibendum for nearly 18 years and I have always found the food, service, and ambience to be of the utmost quality. My sister comes all the way from the Channel Islands for lunch (& a bit of shopping), it's so good. Dinner is pricey but the lunch menu is excellent value.
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purplelil - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Friday, January 18, 2008

We had a rotten experience here. Our guest was served a steak which was so full of gristle it was inedible. They did replace it, but without a word of apology. The rest of us had to sit with our meals going cold while they cooked the replacement.

This was an expensive meal, but the food was generally mediocre.
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Ruth Breddal
Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 2
Tuesday, October 23, 2007

I'm going to have to disagree with the last reviewers,these people are clearly cheap.If you want to eat very well go to Bibendum,if you want to be tight and cheap go somewhere else.Bibendum NEVER disappoints.I have been going there for the last 15 years so I know.
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Matthew Johnson
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Saturday, October 06, 2007

Very disappointing. We took a client who ordered rib steak - it was inedible. She struggled on for ages trying to chew through gristle before we noticed.

The head waiter said "well, you can have another one, but it will take 20 minutes". So everyone else's food got cold while we waited. No-one really apologised and no free drink to say sorry.

Shan't go again!
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Ruby Gale
Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 3
Tuesday, September 04, 2007

Did I have dinner at the same restaurant as the other reviewers?

I found Bibendum to be a huge dissapointment.

We arrived a few minutes early and were served drinks huddled around cruddy 1980's MFI furniture in a poor little area just inside the door (more Travellodge than Conran), with some of our party of 6 left standing. A bad start.

When we took our table I found that the look of the whole place was very much what you'd expect if you allowed a 54 year old lady from Berkshire called Barbara, with a taste for tweed suits and good value Marks and Spencers trousers, to design a restaurant. Not chinzy, but decidedly sensible. The place was full but lacked any discernable atmosphere.

The service was good, not great.

The food: the same. Nothing to write home about on anyones plates. One expects more at these prices and with this reputation.

The winelist was heavily biased towards the heavyweight, £50+. A great range at the top end, but I wouldn't want to spend like that on wine to go with average food.

This place badly needs a shake up (prefereably not by Barbara from Berkshire).
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Kev - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 3
Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Having read the 'excellent reveiw' written by Michael Winner in the Sunday Times we decided to try the restaurant for our anniversary dinner. Table, service all fine,if a little over attentive. Starter, crab with aspic and creme fraiche, was good and something different, we waited for a good 45 mins for our main course,not a problem. We had many waiters pouring water and wine, bread plate was removed after the first slice of bread ! Main courses arrived,firstly the tornadous of beef with mergeaux sausage and foi gras. also 2 field mushrooms (£3.75) the beef was seriously in edible,so salty and tasted of bacon only, which was not mentioned on the menu,my husband had the halibut with pois al la creme sauce and anchoide crust,again incredible salty but the fish not so tender. I did mention the problem to the maitre de who handled the situation exceedingly well and professionally,offering alternatives and making sure that the next course ordered was perfect,and complimentary drinks also followed.

Having had such a glowing review in the Sunday Times my husband and I were so bitterly disappointed.
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mrs sue weigl
Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 5
Sunday, July 29, 2007

We visited Bibendum on Sat 2nd July, Having started as a disastrus evening sitting in a traffic jam in Park Lane for over 2 Hours due to road works, our table was booked for 8.30pm I phoned & said we would be late, I was told they would hold the table for us without any problem. We arrived at 10.30 taken to our table in the window. The sevice was 1st class, table a little cramped as we were sitting right next to the people on either side, it was hard to have a conversation without waiting for the dinners on each side to stop there conversation.

The food was excelent far better than Petrus or other very expensive resturants in in London we have tried.

At the end of the evening the head waiter was removing the Michelin ashtray's as they would no longer be needed (smoking ban) and kindly gave us one as a souvenere. We would most definatly return again. GOOD FOOD! * GOOD WINE !*GOOD SERVICE!* GOOD PRICE (£145 inc wine) * . What more can you have (just a little more room between the tables please)
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Berry Collins
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, July 04, 2007