Hanna Sinclair

Review of Ivy Oxford

There are better restaurants in this class in Oxfo...

There are better restaurants in this class in Oxford city centre, that may not have the trendy factor, but are better value for money, and have better service.
The experience of dining at The Ivy generally lived up to the (significant) hype. It is stylish, spotless, and well-managed, with the level of service that you would expect from a prestige chain. However, it did feel a little like a soft open, with the details not quite worked out yet. The food was just fair, with some dishes overseasoned, overcooked steak (despite asking for 'pink'), and lukewarm soup.
The biggest drawback was the individual service from our waiter, who was responsive, professional, and followed all foodservice etiquette, but screwed up our order in several ways. The wrong starter was brought to one of our group, then one of the steaks was delivered as well-done, despite clearly ordering pink (the other steaks were overcooked 'pink', this was a chewy well-done), and a side order was forgotten.
We were also disappointed to see that social distancing was not observed very well. Yes, they take your temperature at the door, and there is anti-bacterial spray on the tables. But unlike other restaurants, tables were still very close together, no dividers were up between them, and the staff were not wearing masks.