Le Pont De La Tour

This restaurant has been a favourite of my wife and I for many years, since we lived in Shad Thames in the early days of being a couple. It's always been a special place, which we've reserved for special occasions, which now includes in-laws visiting from abroad, which gives us a very rare opportunity of having an eveing babysitter.

So as a pre-Christmas treat, we booked our tried and trusted exclusive place. Never again.

Things went wrong from the outset. My wife got there first, about 20 minutes early. Ushered immediately to the table and not given the chance to relax with a glass of champers at the bar.

I think we'd covered bread, starters and aperatif before our booking slot officially began! Starers, I will admit, were excellent. I was very disappointed at the menu all round; it seemed the only things I wanted were at a supplement. I couldn't fault the scallops I had though.

However, what did annoy was finally being offered an aperatif but without the aid of a menu. So of course the crafty beggars offered us what must be the most expensive champagne by the glass in the house. Nasty little sting in the bill when it came.

Already rushed and a bit put out, a certain larger than average French waitress did a great job of knocking my wife on numerous occasions and interrupting me every time I seemed to put any food into my mouth.

For once, i upped our wine budget to £100 and went with a recommendation from the Sommelier. I have never, ever, not finished a bottle of wine that wasn't corked. Until now. My own fault for not sticking with what I know – a nice St Emilion for example. But really didn't improve my mood.

Which was worsened when the chateaubriand came woefully underdone and very stringy. I think I gave up after 3 mouthfuls.

Sadly, I'm too English to complain (I reference Michael McIntyre's restaurant sketch here). Besides, I chose the wine and the beef (from a very limited menu) so felt culpable to some extent.

We gave up at that point and left to seek something decent to drink elsewhere.

Comedic moment at the end when our coats were literally thrown at us and the staff did a good job of trying to lose our bags.

Ambaince? in a word, awful. I've once (only the once though) been in a smart shirt and smart jeans when we visited unplanned. And did I feel underdressed. This used to be somewhere exclusive, an oasis of calm. No longer. It seemed like they'd dragged anyone off the riverfront to come in. I must have been the only person other than staff in a suit, let alone a tie.

So needless to say, I didn't feel for once that I got value for money. I'd have had a better time almost anywhere else in Shad Thames and at a snip of the price.

A real loss.

My boyfriend and I went to Le Pont de la Tour last night for dinner and were extremely disappointed. We ate in the main restaurant which has a three course set menu for £44.50. As it was a bit late, we decided to only each have a main course which we were told we were allowed to do and would be charge £26 each. We were fine with it. We each had a glass of wine which was lovely. The service on the other hand could use improvement. For the prices they charge you would think they could hire a bit more staff. At the end of the meal we decided to order a small cheese platter to share. It took a very long time to get the attention of the staff and when we finally managed to put in our order, it took even longer for the cheese to arrive. When it finally did I wish I could say it was worth the wait but it definitely was not. One of the worse cheese platter presentations I have ever seen. We ordered a selection of cheeses but the portions were very tiny and the presentation was disappointing. A few small pieces of cheese, 6 grapes, 5 crackers and that's it. To make it worse, when the bill came we were charged £20.50 for this cheese platter. So in the end our bill came to be over £120. We go out for dinner a lot but even for us that seemed a bit extortionate considering how little we ate and drank. Our main courses were nice but still don't think it justifies the price. I would definitely not recommend this restaurant to anyone and will not be going back.

We booked the bar & grill & chose the evening standard offer. The location is great,& the room is attractive. But we can honestly say it was one of the worst dining experiences we have had in a long time & couldn't wait to get out.
The tables are disgracefully close to each other( we had to drag our table into the room to get out ). The tables for 2 are only big enough for 1 & tables for 4 only suitable for 2 diners. By the time we had our dinner plate, water glasses& wine glasses there was no room for the vegetable dishes & we felt overcrowded & irritable.
The drinks are very expensive £8.75 for a g & t . ok this is london, but the tonic turned to soda water as the drink warmed. Poor !!! We asked for water , but never got it. Staff too busy & had no time to be attentive. starter ok, main course ok, dessert poor. Overall a very average meal.
We were also seated near the piano area. A lovely touch, but so unbearable if you are close to it. we had to shout to each other, & the general conversation volume in the room was so very loud because of this. By the end of the meal we were desperate for some peace (& YES WE DO LIKE PIANO MUSIC, but not like this).
When we eat out, obviously the food is a priority, but the dining environment is also as important.
This was a terrible dining experience, & a member of staff acknowledged it was too cramped. Shame on you management/ owners !!
We had sunday lunch at ramsays foxtrot oscar the next day, & we suggest the management take a visit & LOOK & LEARN !!!

Oh dear oh dear oh dear. Too many issues to list all of them here, Suffice to say, after selecting as a “treat” a very expenseive half bottle of dessert wine which would need a certain kind of “fruity” dessert to match, the kitchen sent out the wrong dessert. Wine wasted, waiter apologetic, but still billed us for the desserts! Told us “he didn't have the necessary authority” to amend bills – absolutely bizzaro – even just as a gesture one would have thought something should have been done – and it certainly was not about the money, as the bill was approx £250. A real shame, the dining experience seemed to oscillate between the ridiculous and the sublime!

After dining at many of the D&D restaurants throughout London, I'm never disappointed at Le Pont de la Tour. As we arrived early we were invited to take drinks in the bar, where a very talented singer and pianist, kept all the guests in high spirits. Alternatively, The restaurant is of a very different atmosphere, with a beautifully tranquil feel throughout. The Chef Lee Bennett never fail to amaze us with his continuously outstanding attention to detail. And on this particular occasion, the personal touches they included especially towards our child really made the evening a special one. We look forward to returning upon our next visit to the city.

I feel the need to express what a fantastic time we had, when visiting Le Pont de la Tour over the weekend. The food and drink exceeded all expectations, but more than anything it was the incredible service, from the young ladies on the front desk, to the cloakroom attendant upon departure that impressed us above all. The team were so accommodating, and since we were celebrating a birthday it was evident to see how far the staff went out of their way to ensure that we had a fantastic and enjoyable night,. As previous reviews state it was very busy however I felt this contributed to a great atmosphere, as was the pianist well received. This traditional and well established restaurant definately lived up to its name.

Dined in the restaurant with my colleagues (12 of us – put on two separate tables) on a lovely summer's evening – which meant it was very warm inside. The service was extremely slow – we waited a long time before any waiter approached us to take a drink or food order, and mostly thereafter we had to flag down waiters to ask for anything such as salt and pepper, or for a refil of our wine glasses. The starters were generally fine, and the colleagues who ordered the seafood platters as mains were pleased with them. However, 3 of our group had other fish dishes (mullet or dover sole) and were unhappy with the quality and freshness of the fish – to the extent that none of them ate their meals (one got halfway through!). Other comments on the steak and lamb dishes were “fine”, not “good”. Even the sides were somewhat disappointing – the “seasonal greens” consisting of a small plate of cabbage. After waiting for too long again to place our dessert orders we gave up and got our bill – which they had reduced by the cost of the two mullet dishes following our complaints. An expensive and disappointing dining experience, the final straw of which was the bad body odour of one of our waiters which was overwhelming in the hot restaurant.

The bar and grill at the Pont has been part of my life for at least 20 years, and the place to celebrate the kids successes – “Surf and turf, please Pop”; entertain the more amusing clients and celebrate colleagues hi days and departures, often sending an advance guard to occupy a stretch of red blanquette in the days when bookings in the grill were not taken. Well, that problem has certainly gone – on a dry if cold lunch time in late May only two tables were occupied inside and five on the terrace. A warning perhaps of what was to come.

The Salmon rillette was tasty and well seasoned but the plate of charcuterie was pretty dismal with a few slivers of salami and a decent piece of Parma ham. The bread though was excellent, warm crisp – perfect. I though was there for the shellfish and so went for the langoustines. Is it fair to judge a restaurant on just one course? You decide.

The langoustines arrived stacked like logs – a base of three with two on top of that. Yes, that's it – five. I would have thought that a sixth would have provided a pleasing symmetry but it was five. I then noticed that they all each had one claw. How perverse – my companion sugested that there might be some sponsorship tie up with the London Paralympic Games but it wasn't mentioned on the menu.

And then to pick one of the little fellows up: when I broke the head from the body there was no snap and when I pressed the sides together to break the cartilege it was soft. They weren't off, but they were stale.

Did I complain? Nope – I'm English. But that kitchen would have known when those langoustines left them that they were sub standard and for a restaurant which is supposed to pride itself on its shellfish that is not acceptable.

My guess – some time very soon the Pont, or at least the grill, will be closing for a major refurbishment and until then I wont be going back – not with standing all those happy memories and one of the best views in London. Such a shame.

Le Pont de la Tour – Le Pont de la Poop more like.

Using the Evening Standard and D&D London offer for two courses for £10 in the Bar and Grill section of the restaurant, I dined here on Friday night with one other.

I'm really disappointed to say that as far as the food goes, my expectations were far from met. The starter was fine, a vegetable tart with pesto which was nice, but my main was a huge let down. I ordered the mussels in a fragrant broth, which turned out to be mussels in watery mud. They had clearly not been properly washed and my hands ended up filthy black as a result of it. I did complain and the waiter did offer me another dish, but I was put off. The mussels were removed from the bill, which you would fully expect, but the staff were not very apologetic.

I also heard the table next to ours complaining, having specifically asked for no cheese in the salad – due to an allergy, only to find cheese in the salad.

Such a shame because the setting is ideal and the pianist of an evening is a really nice touch.

Disappointing overall.

I had been to the restaurant previously and had high expectations of my second visit that were unfortunately not fulfilled. We visited on a Sunday this time without realising that we would be offered a limited menu only. Our starters were bland, served luke warm and brought to the table when one of the party was in the rest room – I would have expected a more attentive service for the venue and price. The wine list is very pricey with very few bottles under GBP40, the first three bottles I ordered were unavailable. On the limited dinner menu one of the starters and one of the main courses were off. Of the food we ordered the portions varied greatly – I had a plate full including vegetables and did not need the side dish I ordered whilst one of the other main meals was meat only and benefited from my surplus ! For sweet, my creme brule arrived in what I can only call a pasta bowl – it is my favourite dessert but a ramekin size portion is always enough. On the plus side, the tap water we requested was constantly replenished, the waiters were generally attentive and the view onto the river is excellent. However, there are a lot of good restaurants in the area and as it was not a great evening out for what was a special family occasion we will not be returning.

Had a lovely evening here celebrating a friend's new job. The food couldn't be faulted – especially my sea bass main course – but what made the meal really special was the wine waiter who picked up that we were both wine lovers and made some really interesting recommendations, including a dry Hungarian Furmint which went brilliantly with the food. We'll be back!

I visited this restaurant for Sunday lunch with two small children and a group of friends, attracted by what I thought was a reputation for good food, a reasonably priced set lunch on a Sunday, a suitable place to take (well behaved) children and a nice setting by the river. Well, the setting was pleasant, the waiting staff were polite, they provided high chairs and colouring pencils for the children. However, the food was very average and our bill appeared quite inflated by unnecessary additional costs. For instance, we asked for tap water, perhaps a jug of it for the table, and we were brought a bottle of mineral water. We repeated the same request on two or three occasions and each time a bottle was put on the table. We did not want to make a fuss and I know some restaurants which provide table water in bottles, so I did not necessarily expect to receive the hefty charge for bottles of mineral water which appeared on our bill at the end. I selected langoustines as a main course, which carried a supplemental charge. I believed I would receive a main course size portion of langoustines and I believed the menu described this as coming with chips (or french fries). Six, cold langoustines appeared before me as my main course, without any accompanying salad or chips. I queried the absence of chips and was brought a portion of chips; which then appeared as an item we were charged for on our bill at the end. My terrine starter was fine; nothing special. My chocolate tart for pudding was really quite nice and probably the best pudding amongst our group. I won't go on, but suffice to say I do not feel I received value for money and I won't return. If i could afford a home at Shad Thames, perhaps this kind of fare and bill would seem just fine, but for me, this was an over-priced, poor meal, which left a sour taste in my mouth.

Chose the Lobster and it was raw/uncooked and was offered to pay half the cost which you could argue would be reasonable if only half was raw.

the waitors were extremely arrogant and conceited. Had cheese and asked for a selection with no goats cheese and it came with all goats cheese.

had been lots of times before but not again its original reputation seems to have outgrown it,extremely dissappointing.

I was a guest so I could not complain but the food was inexcusably poor. We were a party of 4, our main courses had been left under the lights and looked tired. The portions were tiny. My sea food linguine was miserable. I can and do often rustle up something far better for myself, using a bag of M and S froxen mixed sea food. One of our party had a horrid looking veal chop, smothered with violent orange cheese, that looked like the topping for a bag of Dorritos. Shameful really and only relieved by the setting and the fact that it was the first nice evening this summer.

Whilst I cannot fault the food and drink my recent experience means I rate the customer service as awful.
I recently visited the brasserie for a celebration which resulted with 2 of the party of 4 covered in champagne cocktails and broken glasses on the floor, the fault of the waiting staff. On the night itself the response was lacklustre and slightly confrontational and I am still trying to get my drycleaning costs reimbursed nearly a week after the event, we are only talking about £32.00 here.
My first email suggested they review the way the drinks trays are handled and I made it quite clear that we hoped the waitress was still employed and that we only wanted our costs reimbursed.
I have not received a response to either my calls or emails which is not something you would expect from a restaurant of this calibre. To be honest I have experienced better customer service in Pizza Express!

This review is for the brasserie, not the restaurant.
It's a lovely place in a great location. However, the brasserie menu is not French food, it's English food, with smaller portions, but with the meals named rather pretentiously in French. The waiter took our wine order, then forgot to bring us our wine, even though the place was nearly empty. My friend had the steak pie, was was OK, but not as good as say, Wright Brothers, down the road in Borough. The potatoes that came with it appeared to be crisps.

I knew I'd ordered plaice and some kind of potato but I was surprised to hear the waitress announce it as “fish and chips”. If that's what it is, why isn't it called that on the menu?

The plaice was nice, the chips, all five of them (!) were underwhelming. The service was poor and I could see no reason why I was paying so much for such ordinary fare and shoddy service. I shan't be going again.

Another reason to avoid French restaurants outside of France!
It just seems impossible to find a decent French restaurant outside of France.
ok, the nice fella who seemed to be the head waiter was good but the others were rubbish!
We asked for a sweet rose' wine but sweet it definatly wasnt, but the wine waiter almost flatly told us it must be down to individual taste and he was right and we were wrong.
so we went with Pol Roger champagne at about £60 and it was a nice surprise to taste something at least as nice as our Fav Tattinger, and we wernt gonna pay £100 a bottle for that!

The menu wasnt very varied at all and if you wernt a fan of fish (not much choice either) you were out of luck basically. still, the meal was cooked well and tasted ok but were still left with a bad taste when we asked for the desert menu twice and still didnt get one, asked for brandies twice and still didnt get one!

Nice view of the river & tower bridge but lack of atmosphere and poor service let this place down