The Anthologist

Talk about style over substance. This is truly an awful venue and will be avoided by me at all costs! The menu was interesting and showed some promise but the end results were just hopeless.

To start we shared an Antipasto Board that consisted of really cheap Italian cured meats and mass produced antipasti-just awful. This was followed by Crab linguini (the worst plate of pasta I have eaten anywhere for a long time), a very average beef burger and mediocre fish and chips.

It looks like they have decided to buy the “economy” range from a mass catering supplier and then build a creative menu. As for the décor, it gives you a headache.

So much was wrong with the service and our meal last night. I was a guest at a table of nine. Having ordered wine, a Chateauneuf du Pape, we waited 20 minutes to be told that they didn't have any. We then selected a Zinfandel and was told reasonably promptly that they didn't have that either. We settled for some wines from the main list. Its a poor selection on offer and the wines were over priced and very ordinary. When we came to order our meal. The beef had sold out, so at least three of us were compromised with our selection. First courses arrived cold. Its easy to see why. the kitchen turns out the plates and then they sit under lights waiting ages for collection and the accompanying meals for a table. Main courses were disappointing. For some the food was inedible and I'm still living with mine now. Then a bottle of Zinfandel arrived, somewhat of a farcical event given what had gone before. Our host attempted to discuss the situation with staff. However, they failed to recognise that the Anthologist was falling way short of an acceptable standard. With excellent restaurants less than 200 yards from this venue, I will give the Anthologist the wide berth it deserves in future.

Been here a few times now, purely for convenience as its underneath my office.
Do not, and I repeat, DO NOT waste your time or money going to the Anthologist. The Décor is quite good, the food is average and the service is astonishingly bad. The waiters/staff are so rude, ignorant and downright obnoxious you will be actively shocked. I endured one waiter shouting and swearing at the top of his voice in the middle of the restaurant for some 5/6 minutes. Once I asked him to be quiet he rolled his eyes, offered no apology and simply walked off to other recount the story to the other staff, only for them to find it particularly funny.
The bad service continued for the rest of the meal. Be carefull if you choose to use this venue for a business lunch/meeting as you will be left embarrassed.

Big, big waste of time. Somebody's obviously put a lot of money into decorating this place but is NOBODY keeping an eye on the staff?

Finally, a refreshing new venue for the city that isn't a Davy's, Balls Brothers or some other dark basement-type city dwelling. The Anthologist brings a new sense of adventure on Gresham Street, which is just perfect for these dark wintry city nights. The bar, restaurant and canteen formula works a treat for lunching city workers and those in the area looking for a place to catch up over a quick drink. Whilst at Anthologist for business drinks I was hosting, I was impressed with the chilled atmosphere (though beware, lights get lower ever hour or so!) and comprehensive wine list – everything from your usual house pinot grigio to a fine wine list, including a Château Musar from Lebanon. Food wise there is plenty to choose from, though I'm pleased to say it passed my test for a great bar – a perfect bowl of chips that also doesn't cost a small fortune! Only one bug bear, service was a little slow to begin with, despite us originally being one of two occupied tables. Thankfully this improved as the night went on.

I have been to the Anthologist a few times now and every time I am always impressed by the place. Not only is it a great bar but the food is always very creditable (and not overpriced). Somtimes it can be a little noisy if going for a quiet lunch (but the tables at the bottom of the restaurant make a big difference).

Like so many before it, this trendy new restaurant will die a miserable and lonely death when everyone realises that the food is rubbish and the service non-existent. Some genius had the idea of serving chips in garden pots which wobble precariously on the rustic wooden boards your steak arrives on; one of which ended up in the lap of a colleague (much to our amusement; less so his) – no recompense from the waitress who'd put it there. Mains finally arrived to a table already littered with plates from the first course. Couldn't help feeling a certain schadenfreude as the bemused waiter stood there wondering what to do with the arm full of plates he was already holding. Gothic candles served only to form mountainous waxy terrain across the table; finding a level surface to balance your plate and/or glass was another of the evenings challenges. Lack of cloak room served only to litter dining area in winter attire which could not be hung on the comfy bucket chairs (oh look, a positive). The pain might have been easier to bare if we'd sat there and got drunk (in which instance we'd have minded screaming at each over the music a little less). Alas, they gave us ample time to sober up between each round while we enjoyed another game of ‘stare at the empty glass’.
I hear lunchtime dining is less hectic; try that if you must.

I've been to The Anthologist for lunch on a number of occasions, and recently hosted work drinks there.

It's great for a relaxed work lunch (in the restaurant bit, not the main bar section) – very Manhattan, good food, not expensive, good atmosphere.

When we decided to host drinks there we decided not to go with the private room as it's underground and our party (25 people) was a bit too small to fill the room. So we were offered a section in the upstairs bar. There was no venue hire, the nibbles menu was well priced and the events team were extremely helpful throughout.

On the evening I was less impressed – rather than being in one of the large booths in the bar we were stuck over at one side, by the restaurant door. The place was rammed (as it always is – which is fine, we wanted somewhere lively) and because we were in such an odd place none of our guests could find us. We had to keep walking around to find them and herd them towards our strange little spot on the doorstep. Very annoying when we booked two months in advance. So if you are planning to have an event here, be VERY specific about which section you want to have it in.

Have been here twice now and the food is excellent with very good prices. The place is really buzzy (a little noisy for a romantic meal, but honestly what City girl wants to be taken to a bar like this for a 1:1 date?! We were a group of 4 and all had something different – The burger was enormous and a little unweildy between two giant chunks of chiabata, The steak sandwhich was a much cleaner option, nice cuts of meat and the right amount of bread – the chicken club and the salmon salad again worked a charm and filled us all up nicely. Trouble is the dessert menu of knicker-bocker-glory and banana split is great but after the huge mains you have no room to even try them – next time I'll share a salad and cram one in :) Staff are attentive without being over-bearing and service is great.

A lot of money has been spent on the aesthetics of this bar restaurant, and it hasn't been wasted. A large space with a mix of retro-industrial fusion with cosy corners it can feel as cold as a jar of Island Mango cocktails. I like it. It is an improvement over Browns and Coq d'Argent just around the corner.

As you walk in you find a long bar fronted by rows of high tables. There were no chairs on the evening I was there which really did not suit my female guests with heels not suited to the task of standing. There were a few seating areas but they were all reserved. The first round of drinks started with wine. The list is reasonable but not impressive. There are wines for most pallets but I felt the selection a bit hap-hazard. The service at the bar was efficient and friendly.

The crowd is what you'd expect for a City haunt – suited professionals out for after work drinks and food. Our next round started on the cocktail menu. A friendly waiter came to us as we stood and took our order which saved us a trip to the bar. The menu is divided into skinny and signature (read fat) cocktails with the kcals displayed against the former. We universally said the same thing, “If I wanted to lose weight, I wouldn't be drinking.” Nonetheless I liked the sentiment. We went for the jar of cocktails for four. And they were literally jars! Novel for sure but pretty difficult to pour and depressing to accidentally drop.

We decided to sit for dinner and were bemused by the music selection in the dining area – techno/dance. Eventually the DJ calmed down to something more agreeable. You are in a very open space so there is a lot of noise. There is nothing intimate about this part of the restaurant and is more suited to a group of friends rather than a date. We selected a mid priced bottle of wine and food from the menu. The service was attentive and not over bearing. The food arrived in reasonable time and was presented well.

This however was the highlight of the food. The taste was mediocre at best – I would go as far as to say pretty disappointing. The chunky chips were fat, soggy lumps of mushy potatoes. The fish was just on the edge of freshness and what little of it there was, got murdered (overcooked) by the chef. The steak cooked to the right level lacked flavour. The burger was drowned in ciabatta.

The bill was pretty respectable at about £40 per head. This place could be great but the chef needs to step up his game a bit.

This is the place to get your morning coffee fix! The Italian lady makes a killer latte & you can always count on it being hot & consistantly delish! Since I enjoyed the coffee so dam much I decided that I would give a lunch time a whirl, as Sabrina suggests in the above review, book in advance! I managed to get a reservation on a very busy Friday in a very cute cabanna table, in which you can get a view of just about all of the huge place.
Although it was clear the place was busy, it took longer for me to decide what I actually want to eat then it did for the meals to arrive. The menu is huge & no matter what your feeling like you will find something tingles your taste buds! Seafood galore, Pecking Duck Flatbread (my personal fav), Beef burger, Fish and Chips, Thai Beef Salad and the list goes on! To compliment this devine menu, a huge selection of wine, starting @ an affordable £13.95 a bottle. And if your a cocktail drinker, the cocktail list has some real treats! I am glad there is finally a decent place in the city that doesnt break the bank!

I agree with the previous reviewer regarding this bar. It's a welcome change to some of the other city bars, and is priced fairly reasonably, nice menu, good atmosphere, lots of seats for city girls in their too high heels etc. However it does need to learn a trick or two from the other bars as well…

They shy away from allowing you to telephone book, putting the phone through to voice mail at lunchtime, which can be a pain if you are ringing to tell them you are running late, canceling or just to find out if they have any last minute availability. They also keep some tables back from booking to allow for walk-ins. I understand the ethos for this, however it seems crazy they turn down someone wanting to book a table in the vain chance that someone else will walk in off the street. The website appears to be the best way to book but it's not the easiest to negotiate and of course isn't instant which in the City just isn't acceptable!

The service is a bit hit and miss. We waited a while to give our order and then as my partner put his fork down having just finished his starter they were hovering over us with the main course – having to ask one of the other waiters to clear our starter plates to enable them to put the main course down. We then waited a while to pay.

That said I will definitely be going back again (for the mango mojitos if nothing else), but I do hope they learn the magic words ‘Happy Hour’ very soon…

Hallelujah! Finally, the City has been given a decent restaurant and bar that offers great quality food without charging ridiculous prices. Not everyone in the City gets a fat-cat bonus at the end of the year you know! Not only is The Anthologist welcome but it is a breath of fresh air. A huge bar coupled with so many different dining areas, each unique from secluded tables for two to bench seating, bar seating and even deli counter seating, there is something for everyone here. The decor is lovely, the open kitchen does lots to keep you entertained. They have a fab seafood bar and a proper deli that sells all kinds of delights including speciality teas and wonderful olive oils. Anthologist caters to everyones needs. The menu is really varied, peppered with lots of City boy favourites like burgers and what can only be described as the biggest club sandwich I have ever seen, so large that even me (mouth-almighty) could not get my mouth around it and I cant believe how reasonably priced it all is… Did I mention it was resonably priced? If sarnies aren't your thing, fabulous seafood, spaghetti vongole, steaks, chicken, sharing platters, prawn and lemongrass lollipops, calamari – well, the list is endless!

Desserts are super cool with childhood favourites like banana splits and knickerbocker glory on the menu, its official, I'm in love. The only problem is that this place is so busy, you really need to book a week in advance, which is a bit of a dampener for a spontaneous lunch or dinner… But its well worth it!