Hix Restaurant & Champagne Bar at Selfridges

Overall it was a very disappointing experience. Unwelcoming greeting. We wer you are told to wait FIVE minutes while they pop their head around the corner to see if a table is free. We ordered two glasses of champagne, the rose arrived very flat, told waitress. She said she would fix it. As we were close to the bar I could she her return the champagne to the bar tender, he poured a little out then top it up with some ‘fresh’ champagne. The waitress returned it. We tasted it and it was still flat, of course. I then asked the waitress to come back and said it was still flat, she said it had bubbles and was fine. I told her it wasn’t. Finally got a non-flat glass with the head waiter now saying if there was something wrong with this then there is something wrong with the bottle, making us feel very awkward. He was unaware of what I had seen. Our bread arrived after our entrée, and only after we asked, no butter (comes with butter), had to ask for this also. Overall service is poor and unfriendly and seriously, you don’t top up a flat glass of champagne to make it fresh, this does not work, open a new bottle and pour a new glass, especially if I am seated five metres away. Avoid.

Where to start? I knew that we would be pushing our luck getting a table at 1400 on a Saturday, however, we were told “15 mins” and we could wait in the bar which we duly did. Wait, I mean. Couldn't find a barman for love nor money, then finally a suit jacketed man (Ian) appeared curtly asking “What's the matter?”. Not the usual opener when sitting drinkless in a bar… So I ordered two glasses of champagne, letting him know we were waiting for a table. He looked incredibly put out. Whilst waiting (you will see a theme emerge here) for our drinks, I saw two lots of tables come in and be seated immediately. So I wandered over to the entrance to be rudely asked again by the lovely Ian “Is there a problem?” at which stage I explained the situation and he replied, “Well I thought you were in the bar!”

We were escorted – a phrase I use loosely – to our table with the phrase “Well come on then.”. As you would imagine at this stage my friend and I are gob smacked. After 5 minutes of waiting, I ask for a menu, after 15 minutes of waiting I ask to order. I think that they were fermenting the wine, it took so long to arrive, the first course took 20 mins to appear at which stage we had finished our drinks and were bereft of the rest of the bottle. The only wait staff I could see on the floor was the hostess, whom I asked to locate our wine and preferably pour us a glass. For some unfathomable reason, our wine was reclining in a bucket two tables away, once found she made a huge production of serving it before exclaiming “You see, I am not a very good waitress!”. To which my response was that no one in Hix was a very good waitress. The dirty plates remained in front of us until the main course arrived which was another 20 mins after the first.

Finally the bill. I asked for the bill, which was the only thing to be delivered promptly. After 15 mins, with our credit cards in full view my friend and I collected our things and went to the bathroom. I waited at the bar to pay for another 5 mins and then sauntered downstairs. I bought something in Kiehls, something in the perfume room and then left the building. No payment, and I can safely say we earned that meal.

Three hours for 2 starters and two mains with the most disgusting service I have ever experienced, including Chinatown in the 80s! DON'T GO.

Been here a couple of times now & the service is consistently slow, but it doesn't detract from a well-located restaurant in Selfridges.

Family friendly and ladies-who-lunch friendly, you'll find a lot of tourists in the mix.

It is good for a break during shopping, but I wouldn't make it a destination. A relaxing in-store option.

I went here in between shopping and its very much like the other HIX in Soho, enjoyable British food. Puddings were great and it should be a great place to rest before you head out again.

The only main gripe i have is service was terrible – hardly anyone in there and just didnt get served for at least 15 min – this continued between courses! What should have been a quick meal just took forever. Plus the waitress slammed down the drinks/plates like she was completely fed up with the place. Very poor and offputting – Mark Hix needs to get better trained staff as this did put a dampner on things.