Le Caprice

Unfortunately will not be returning

I went to Le Caprice on Friday night with my husband and two of our friends. Our table was booked for 9.30pm and we were kept waiting fro 30 mins at a packed bar, only to be seated, once pushed, at a set table which had been empty since we walked into the restaurant. We were then met with an awfully sour faced waitress who, when my friend ordered steak tartare was met met with the response “do you know that is raw meat?”. Our food was pretty much thrown in front of us when it arrived. It was an extremely disappointing evening. I love the atmostphere and used to very much enjoy dining here but unfortunately i will never be returning here again.

I re-visited this classic for the first time in years and was left wondering why I hadn't been back recently. The atmosphere (on a Saturday night) was buzzing and remained so until well after midnight, which surprised me. The cooking as I remembered was very good. It was very busy, but service was a bit slow. Overall a thoroughly enjoyable evening and I'll be back rather sooner than before.

When a friend booked a table at Le Caprice for a post-concert dinner last Saturday, I had my misgivings. I had experienced too many business lunches there, unremarkable food, the noise culminating with a very bad meal a couple of years ago. However I was to be pleasantly surprised. Our table was ready on time but we decided to have a drink at the bar. My Negroni was mixed perfectly and my companion’s Whisky Sour also enjoyed a good report. The front of the house is a lot more relaxed than in the past and service is swift and to the point. The starters drew positive reviews from the table. The endive and fennel salad with sweet mustard dressing had the right balance of bitterness and sweetness. I had the rump of veal with sweet corn and girolles and it was cooked perfectly and the meat retained the right degree of milkiness. The calve’s liver also scored well and so did the suckling pig. The portions are good size and they are sufficient without adding any sides. I cannot resist a pavlova and I was assured by the waiter that it is the strongest pudding on the list. It was quiet good, with the merengue chewy inside but the blueberries were scarce… so nothing to write home about. We had a good bottle of Crozet-Hermitage 2009 Domaine Les Chenets that helped making the gathering even more convivial. Overall we had a good experience but I still think the prices are a bit too steep for a post-performance dinner, that the room still lacks atmosphere but the service and the food have improved enormously. Will I go back? Maybe. Will I reccomend it? Maybe

I had a lunch date arranged here recently. My date called and told me he had been delayed just as I arrived at Le Caprice. I was greeted by the Maitre D' and told him I was meeting Mr X but that he had been delayed. His response was “Ah Ms Julia, Mr X told me to ensure you were given a glass of champagne on arrival”. He then charmingly asked whether I would like my drink at the bar or at the table. I chose the bar and my date arrived just a few minutes later to be ticked off by the Maitre D' for “keeping a lovely lady waiting”!!

Our food was delicious but the high point was trying a wine new to both of us, a pinot blanc from Oregon – absolutely delicious! Just to make sure that our taste buds were telling the truth we had to have a second bottle!

The service was excellent, the food superb and the atmosphere wonderful (but that could have just been the company I was keeping)!

The quality of food and service has declined noticably in 2011. On two recent visits both my wife and I who would consider ourselves as regulars over the last decade or more, noticed a marked deterioration in both the cooking and professionalism of service. This suggested staff being hired in for the evening. Whilst superficially things appeared good Caprice has slipped badly from the smooth highs of the past but the small and welcoming atmosphere, assisted by the regular pianist remains. A lunchtime visit in November was slightly better from a service perspective but the food remained mediocre at best.

Not the sophisticated, refined dining experience this place used to be. They just turn tables, we were rushed and told to leave after 2 hours. Food was fine, but totally ruined by the horrible service, and cattle market like atmosphere. Do not think to go here for a special occasion – at best quick pre theatre bite amidst the hen parties before they go clubbing scantily clad in Mayfair.

Totally overrated!

Not expecting too much, my fiancé and I booked a taple 2 months in advance to have a nice dinner out – only to be very disappointed.

To make it short: It's AVERAGE in all respects, not more. The atmosphere is NOT EXCITING AT ALL.

Waiters are rushing to take orders, we didnt feel ready when they approached us for the third time. Food was ok, but nothing spectacular – we had the chateaubriand; it was not easy to chew…

The staff was pretty arrogant at the end, when we were paying our bill; their credit card machine didn't work and they were blaming us for not having a valid card.

We have been to much nicer, cheaper, higher quality restaurants in London – definitely, Le Caprice is NOT RECOMMENDED. Look for something less “famous” – you will most probably find better quality.

I suspect we suffered from ignoring the maxim of “don't go to restaurants you usually like for lunch in the run-up to Christmas”, but I haven't been for a while so maybe it's just getting worse?

We waited 15 minutes after the appointed time for our table for six to be ready – my cynical view being that this is designed to increase bar revenue (nice Manhattan though) – and were then shown to a table that would have been generous for two and ok for four – but ridiculously cramped for six.

I had steak tartare to start, as I always do here, and it was definitely a less generous helping than usual. I had to request some toast and sauces – are they really trying to save money on bread and ketchup? This was just one of the many examples of parsimony with ingredients (my pheasant must have been on a pre-Christmas diet; the presentation was very tired and it was just about lukewarm) and sadly disappointing service. Waiting staff did their best to indicate they would rather be doing a bush-tucker trial than be waiting on our table. Not a single smile from any of them during the three hours we were there.

I've always thought this to be the best of the Caprice/Ivy/Sheekey triumvirate, and I shall go back in the New Year to see if it really is all just down to the Christmas blues…but definitely not before.

Take your best friend, let Le Caprice close the door behind you, and just enjoy, probably the most charming & entertaining restaurant in London. One can't ask for more.
Geoff Kite

I have just had the worst experience of a restaurant EVER at Le Caprice, my advice to anyone thinking of going is dont!! BAD FOOD, BAD SERVICE NO ATMOSPHERE…If you are looking for a nice restaurant you should look elsewhere , i have no idea why it has any good reviews…please avoid at all cost.