The Ivy Bar LLC Reviews

Minus-2 stars for the service. My wife and I booked a table for 5:45pm before part 1 of Harry Potter so that we could take advantage of their prix-fixe pre-theater dinner, which is offered until 6pm. I arrived early and was seated promptly at the counter; my wife arrived a few minutes later. Neither of us were presented with the prix-fixe menu and were completely ignored by the service staff until I flagged down a waiter. When I asked for the other menu, he replied that it was only offered until 6. I showed him the time on my phone (5:58) and pointed out that we d been waiting for service for more than 10 minutes. His response was to say, Well, the bar clock says 6pm. One of his colleagues then pulled him aside, and they got into what looked like a debate, after which they made a big production about how they had called the kitchen and gotten permission to offer us the prix-fixe menu.

The whole experience left us with a bad taste in our mouths (no pun intended). If a restaurant or its staff thinks that prix-fixe menus are beneath them, then they shouldn t offer them at all, rather than treating customers with disdain. We went to Hawksmoor nearby the following night before Harry Potter part 2 and had a wonderfully different dining experience.

Minus-1 star for my lamb, which was tough and under-seasoned. But I guess it s not surprising that the kitchen saves its worst cuts of meat for a menu they don t actually want to serve.

We were given seats at the bar as the regular dining area was fully booked. If anything this added a different dynamic that made our experience all the more memorable. First time at the Ivy and would recommend it for the atmosphere, menu and service - everything was first class.

We had the Shepard's pie and lamb, it was delicious. The restaurant was beautiful and well maintained. The staff was great, especially the bar staff. They try know how to make you feel welcomed. The staff also was very helpful to our needs. Food came out very quick, price is great!

Food good and reliable, so not very innovative and service can be patchy.

Very nice restaurant, but didn't feel stuffy. Was A bit more expensive than I typically pay but it was my sister's birthday. Food was great from starters through deserts. Check it out for a nice evening out.

Love The Ivy. one of my favourite restaurants in London. Good food, extensive and great wine list. Professional and friendly service. Very happy.

For the 1st time in 4 months....The Ivy wasn't a bad place to start

Will u contribute for kerala flood Victims...iam a social worker and an engineer in India... Ur currency worth more here in India... Not forcing but.. a single penny can help a lots of poors...
Don't mind if ur not interseted
Thank you

very cosy place, great food and good drinks, very welcoming.

I was brought here by a supplier and the meal was excellent. It has a formal atmosphere with a business crowd.

Best chefs in the city, especially Vic on starters :D

delicious food and amazing service in a wonderfully cosey, homey environment.

The food was outstanding and the service fantastic. The place has a great atmosphere to it. It was difficult to get a booking though, recommend calling as far in advance as possible.

Portions are not massive but the flavours and delicate textures of the food in addition to the ambience really do add to a great dining experience.

Great service. Excellent staff. Good food. Truly enjoyable experience. A classic!

Something for everyone and absolutely spectacular service.

Maybe my expectations were too high but I expected far better service than I received.
The staff were courteous however some seemed a little confused by the task almost like they were new to the job..
The main issue was having the main course brought out a few minutes after the starter an within 22 minutes of being seated..
In their defence, they did take it away and cook fresh meals to be served at a more reasonable pace.
The food itself was acceptable and desert, we had the sharing baked alaska, was pretty good, although a little alcoholic.
Not sure I will be hurrying back.

Good evening ruined with by the bill -

If you dont want people to sit at your restaurant let us know - we happy to support others who dont apply an insulting cover charge

I loved the atmosphere, the service and the food. It was incredible. Essential in London.

Full of accountants from Surrey, expensing their townie punters for a lunch or else trying to impress their younger mistresses on the same account. Otherwise unobjectional.

I preferred the layout before the refurb.. and where are my frozen red berries?!

Perfect ambiance for a sunday lunch. Excellent service. A must.

Very disappointed, but it's okay.
We had Sheppard's Pie which Google and other publications recommended.
Sadly, it was way too SALTY. Good portion, ingredients should be top class (I believe), and good atmosphere there, but the pie was like soaked in salt.
I told the waitress so, but she was not interested.
The hospitality was excellent though.

Favourite. Everything is just perfect here - the food, the service, the decor, the cocktails ...

Had high expectations and it delivered. Great food great service.

Fantastic place to take clients. Never fails to deliver

Great service great food great experience generally

Fab food, nice atmosphere BUT didnt like being told we only had 2hrs at the table at lunchtime & the extortionate service charge which we did not pay spoilt it a bit as we felt we were being had over. Lovely staff though.

Amazing food and out of this world service. Temp check on arrival and sanitiser on the table,great way to keep us safe.

Perfect London restaurant. Incredible food & staff. Every meal here is memorable, and let's be honest the people watching is a game unto itself.

The service - as you would expect - was excellent. And the classic Shepherds Pie is to die for!!

The best restaurant to go in London. And definitely, Stefano, who managed our table made our experience there incredible. The place is beautiful, well decorated, perfect service. And with a view from Tower Bridge.

The Ivy has become our #gcseresultsday Celebration venue It did not disappoint in 2019. Our meal way superb and was topped off by a surprise Celebration plate of The Ivy chocolate truffles - thank you so very much for making our evening special and exceeding our expectations

one of the most over-rated restaurants in the world, let alone london: unimaginative cooking; tragically, typically, british. particularly to be avoided if you have a group event: they have done so many they're not just jaded, they've turned all the way back down the geological scale to coal.

I found myself very disappointed when we visited The Ivy several weeks ago. From the moment we arrived we felt rushed, with the impression that they were desperate for us to finish so they could free up the table for the next cover (we booked our table 2 months in advance!) The service was mediocre and not what I would expect from a restaurant of The Ivy s supposed calibre and pricing. The food was ok, but frankly nothing special. I mentioned that we had felt rushed to the waiter at the end of the meal and he just shrugged and said that he felt rushed too! There are plenty of better restaurants in London (food and service) for the same price range so this will be my last visit.

Visited the ivy last Saturday afternoon seated right by the front desk my medium requested lamb chops were underdone quite tough and very fatty and the potato was a quarter of a whole one sliced in the middle very tough overdone very disappointed the pudding was excellent as was the staff and my wife enjoyed her whole meal I suppose I should have said something or changed my order but was having a lovely afternoon with my wife and did not want to cause any fuss complaining no just carried on chewing and smiling

I just don t know how you can not love the Ivy! It is timeless, elegant and delicious. My favourite dish is the shepherds pie. They have never disappointed me on this dish. We sometimes add on veg- like a side of peas and a side of veg and place it next to the pie in the dish. It is really nice together. Sometimes I prefer the bar and sometimes a table. The only thing I think you can knock it for is the queue for the coats. The front room fills up so quickly and if you are in a rush to leave you have to wait for them to run downstairs and find your coats. Because of this I tend to take my coat with me. The loos are opulent just like the restaurant! I tend to try different cocktails at different times but they re always good.

My personal favourite restaurant. I honestly think that if you are looking for the best all around atmosphere and food then look no further. If you go have the steak tartare small as a main, it tastes great despite what it is made of (raw egg and raw steak).

You can have a good course in England. Meat pie? It's okay

The original Ivy and still the best. The most superb cuisine and service. Personal and with amazing attention to detail. Quite simply the best dining experience in the world.

Been here before COVID restrictions and had a fantastic meal...this visit for my daughters 21st wasn't as good they didn't quite have the bookings under control..but it was the weekend after the closing at 10pm was introduced. Service was very attentive and professional, menu seem restricted...and food OK but wow factor as it has been...I just think that were trying to please all the bookings they had...but didn't quite work.... would definitely give them a chance to redeem themselves with another booking in the future....we paid a lot of money for what we had but didn't live up to expectations...again staff we fantastic all praise to them.

Staff is attentive and have a great sense of humour. Probably one of the few restaurants in London with high proportion English staff. Loved my seared scallops with risotto nero

Lovely a relaxed atmosphere great decor enjoy coming here.

Very relaxed and thoroughly enjoyable experience. Food was excellent as was the service.

We love this restaurant. The fixed price menu for the theatre is fabulous, a good buy and a good selection of items. The rest of the menu is excellent as well. They have an excellent wine list and the bartender makes a wicked margarita. The desserts. On the a la carte are to swoon over. We will return whenever we are in London. Plan on a leisurely two hours for a relaxing, well served dinner. Reservations are mandatory as this restaurant is very popular.

Service was great, food was OK. Not worth the price.

Ive dined here 3 times now and each time ive found either the food or the service underwhelming, which is a shame.

A treat waiting.. well wort it. Very cosy, gorgeous food, attentive staff.

First time here, came for lunch with my daughter, absolutely wonderful, food I couldn't fault and the staff so friendly and helpful.. Unfortunately didn't see anyone famous, but next time make a point of going in the evening. Thank you all very much.

Really cool place to come for lunch. Food is OK and a little over priced

Birthday lunch for the wife, very enjoyable and amazing food!

Friendly professional service. Lovely surroundings and great food. A must go to restaurant when visiting London.

When you need to moisten the southern necessities of a young lady friend whom you may be able to find the courage, after some booze & tele tonight, to ask if she may enjoy rolling down your bespeckled turtle neck; make sure to start the night here.

Delicious! Great wine list, delicious food [known for their shepherds pie, and for good reason] and attentive service.

What an institution. I've been here God knows how many times and loved it every time. The refurb is a complete success and adds a wonderful bar perfect for a martini or a negroni.

However they did lose the usually delightful coat check.

Tower Bridge Ivy - Waiters linger around then when you actually need them they are no where to be seen unless you flag them down. I've had to leave my table twice and walk to the till just to have my bill finally served.
My mother, Sister and I had the set meal yesterday and I've never had such terrible food poisoning in my life all of us were sick.
I have never complained before but it seems whenever I go there and I have been 4 times these past 3 months already, every experience the service has been seriously lacking though the initial greeting and goodbye are very nice, general service needs a lot of work.

A great experience in a really special place. The decor and attention to detail are simply amazing and this is one of the best Ivy Restaurants from the franchise.

Really tasty food, staff were polite and accommodating for me and my mum, and we will be visiting again when we are back in London

The food and surroundings are stunning, the staff are professional and can't do enough to help, we have never been disappointed nor found fault and we are fussy monkeys who have eaten all over, if you can go I gaurentee you will be impressed and eager to return a cleat 5. We are going in on Thursday for a late after show supper (honeymooning) See you there

Food beautiful. Service excellent. Cant wait to go back.

Professional staff, friendly, nice laid back atmosphere for a lunch date with friends. Normal everyday fayre, but cooked to perfection. Couldn't fault it!

Worst restaurant dining experience in my life. I had a dinner with my friends to celebrate birthday, but the waitress told us to shut up and not to laugh, cause according to her we might disturb other visitors. Later we wanted to take a picture all together with my friends, but the waitress would not allow as the restaurant might have some celebrities and they would not like to be captured . We don t care about them, we just wanted take picture of our small group of friends as something to remember. The food is average. I am travelling a lot, but I never seen this kind of rude staff in my life. My other mutuals had the same experience in a different branch. Definitely not going come back. Always warning my friends and mutuals to avoid this place at any costs. Never heard a good review about this place from personal experience. I guess there is a reason for that.

Very popular club for wealthy people. I remember that thanks to God they do not accept children.

Have eaten here before, food was fine, service was good. However I have heard how two women who, because they complained to the Ivy that their tips were being used by the restaurant to supplement their wages, were sacked. The company is only paying the minimum wage and using tips to make up the difference for their contracted hourly rate. All monies remaining are being retained by the restaurant. Really unimpressed that such a successful restaurant known for high profile clientele is stingily withholding tips from its employees and dismissing them unfairly, which is illegal.

Pre-theatre perfection from entry to exit. All the staff are welcoming and the atmosphere is full of creativity.

Hard to get a table and never overly full when I am here. The food is superb and the service is fantastic, well done to the staff as they are the people that make it happen. It just needs to be a little easier to get a table.

After recently being refurbished, I thought I would give this place a go.

I arrived for lunch without a reservation and was warmly welcomed and asked to sit at the bar. The bar staff were great and happily made up a very moorish virgin cocktail. Unfortunately I can't remember the name.

I went classic and had sausage and mash. Truly amazing. Perfect gravy and a surprisingly healthy size portion based on a restaurant of this standard.

Highly recommend a visit for those classic dishes, with a high level of service to make it feel extra special. (Visit - 28/07/2015)

Excellent experience. Loved it. Being told we were 7 mins over our booking lost a star.

Came here on Sunday 12:30pm.Nice atmosphere, astoundingly magnificent food and exceptional service .For an 11 year old kid that has traveled a lot and eaten at a variety of restaurants this place was one of the best!I ordered the crab linguine as a main dish and chocolate bombe as a dessert.They were both unbelievably delicious!