Bibendum

Went to Bibendum for the first time for a family celebration, eager with anticipation, and following a pleasant welcome were shown to a table in the middle of the room, sandwiched between two serving stations. The food was absolutely fine but that's the problem, there was nothing wrong with it but equally nothing to rave about; I would prefer to say ‘it was exceptional’ but can't muster more than ‘adequate’ and certainly not worth the premium price. The dishes were generous but barely elevated beyond ‘good gastropub’. It is a lovely room, if a little noisy, but my biggest grumble was the poor service. Our experience included having water and then bernaise sauce sloshed all over us and the table; wine opened for tasting and then left on the serving station and not poured; I was bashed into a total of seven times by staff at the adjacent station; staff arguing with each other about orders within earshot, our waitress even breaking off mid-service to continue the debate with her colleague; staff shouting across our table between the stations. Raised the concern with management at the end of the meal, who dealt with the complaint courteously but with little more than platitudes. Given the accolades I can only assume they know when the reviewers are in and up their game, or perhaps this was a one-off, but they need to show more flair in the kitchen and, most importantly, improve front of house staff training. If you like this kind of thing try The Wolseley instead.

I like Bibendum. It has been there for ever and of course over the long term there are some ups and some downs, yet it has always delivered and has a really good balance between high end dining and a nice non-pretentious style. I sometimes feel it is reviewd harshly because it is compared to the wrong kind of restaurants. The Oyster Bar downstairs is fun in the warmer months and staff are always friendly and make everything possible. An underrated institution.

The food was good, it just wasn't great. Very nice wines, service was good but there was something about it that didnt blow me away. Very pricey but they really do feed you – huge portions. Felt quite ill when I left but felt a bit guilty too as I didnt manage to finish anything. Nothing wrong with it but it just did nothing to excite me. Full of tourists too.

Just brilliant – had a Friday lunch here.

Great location, fantastic menu and food, civilised atmosphere, polite but unobtrusive service, and the fixed price weekday lunch menu is good value, considering the calibre of the restaurant. Would recommend it to anyone.