The Ivy

I took my wife to the Ivy for our 10th Wedding Anniversary 08/07/2010, as a pre theatre treat and I have to say that it was superb. We were shown to our table upon arrival and served like we were film stars. The waiting staff were very attentive and pleasant. We each had a 3 course meal and drinks, could'nt believe my bill was under £100.

I do have to be a little critical of the Ivy's booking system. I was not allowed to book more than 8 weeks in advance, which I think is a nonsense, but still a very enjoyable experience.

I also think the outside could do with a coat of paint.

Ralph Anderson

you hear stories that it takes weeks even months to get in to this place…why!! we arrived on time 8pm and where told to wait at some crappy bar in the corner by reception for 15 mins we were shown in, retuararnt is nothing special at all, reminded me of a grotty east london pub. Food is nothing special, is posh pub food nothing more and very expensive, service was rushed and sloppy, like they doing me a favour, we left after an hour or so, i will never go back. These stupid celebrities up the anty, my wife saw Dale Winton, that was the donwer of the evening!! A truly awful experience.

I took a friend here this week – he'd never been and had a few pre-conceptions “its very expensive, with flashy food and its so posh”. How wonderful it was to change his mind on this.

We turned up without a booking at 8pm on a Wednesday night, we were seated within 5minutes! Lucky to get in between the pre and post theatre crowds no doubt.

The menu is wonderfully simple – every comfort food you can imagine plus a few more refined options. Where else can you start with a tuna sashimi followed by a chicken curry!? Everything on the menu is so appealing. It is not a culinary experience, but more of a whole package experience – good food and a great atmosphere, with some celebrity spotting if that is your thing.

The bill was very reasonable: 2 aperitifs, 1 bottle wine, 1 half pudding wine and 3 courses for 2 was easily under £200.

A fun place for dinner, though don't go expecting to be knocked over by complicated pretentious food (there are plenty of places to do that in London) – more a place to sit back and enjoy a fun meal!

I have been going to The Ivy for a couple of years now and it's always a lovely experience. It's always a bonus if you spot a celebrity there, but even if you don't the food and service stand up by themselves. When you first arrive you are seated in a small bar area where you can select from a good wine list or have a rather nice cocktail made for you from the extensive list, before being moved into the main restaurant. I seem to have struggled finding a decent starter (I'm not as fond of the Bang-Bang Chicken as many seem to be), but in my two most recent visits I've had the Tiger Prawns and the Spaghetti with Atlantic Prawns, both of which were lovely, although in both cases I'm not sure how well they'd square up as a main. While there have been complaints that the food isn't something special, I can safely say the Bannockburn Rib Steak is one of the best steaks going, and the pomme allumettes (chips/fries for people who fear those words) are absolutely fantastic. Desert-wise you are spoilt for choice, my personal favourite is the Sticky Toffee Pudding, which… More

Sadly, I have returned home from my first visit to The Ivy today bitterly disappointed. Being a regular at Le Caprice for the past 3 years and more recently sampling the delights of Scotts, I have to admit I was expecting great things. A casual leaving lunch for a work colleaue, I had effortlessly booked a table online for 4 only days ago and things were looking good.
On arrival today the doorman was delighful, however once inside the cloakroom assistant miserable and unable to find room to place my colleague's overnight case in the secure area and asked her to leave on the windowsill in the entrance area until there was room?
Making way to our table I was very aware that this can no longer be a lunchtime hang out for bright young things – no spring chicken myself at 33 but the average age must have been 65!
We decided to dive straight into a main course with a view to possibly having a dessert afterwards. I chose ‘The Ivy Burger’ which I asked for to be cooked ‘medium’ and recommended to my colleagues the ‘Fish Cake’ which I have lost count of devouring in Le… More