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The Ritz Restaurant (∗)

Address:The Ritz, 150 Piccadilly, London W1J 9BR
Tel:020 7493 8181
Email:
Website: Visit The Ritz Restaurant website
Price: £92.00Wine: £42.00 Champagne: £70.00
Opening Hours:Mon-Sat 7-10.30am Sun 8-11am Mon-Sun 12.30-2.30pm 6-10.30pm (Sun 7pm- )

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If there’s a place in this world for waiters in tails, plucking away silver cloches beneath frescoed ceilings, The Ritz is surely it. Chef John Williams’ luxurious cuisine comes close to matching the fancy trappings. Successful first courses have included a ballottine of ham hock & langoustine, dusted with fennel pollen & daubed with artichoke purée, & a well-nigh-perfect lobster in ginger broth. Mains of, say, venison cutlet with forestière garniture, or roast sea bass with confit lemon & yuzu juice are equally assured & not over-refined, although desserts are fantasy confections that even here seem OTT. The ballroom-sized restaurant, festooned with golden garlands & a statue of Poseidon, has become slightly more accessible, with lunch now starting at £36 – although denim is still infra dig. So, dress up, enjoy the obliging service & the fantastic wines (especially the fruits of The Ritz’s partnership with the Rothschild estate: a bespoke Pauillac).

Wine List: The Ritz’s fittingly heavyweight, old-school cellar contains few surprises, just a long, in-depth exploration of France’s great vineyards (with Champagne & Bordeaux leading the way). A judicious selection from the rest of the world bolsters the list. Notwithstanding the surroundings, pricing can take the breath away. Best Buy White 2007 Grüner Veltliner, Göttweiger Berg, Kremstal, Austria, £48. Best Buy Red 2005 Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Avignonesi, Tuscany, Italy, £59.

Chef: John Williams

The Ritz Restaurant’s Chef - The Ritz chef John Williams British chef John Williams took up the prestigious post of executive chef at The Ritz in June 2004. The son of a Tyneside fisherman, he developed his passion for food at an early age. He studied catering at South Shields College & Westminster College, after which he enjoyed periods at the Royal Garden Hotel, Le Crocodile in Kensington, the Berkeley hotel & Claridge's, where he was maitre chef des cuisines for nine years until 2004. He also holds the highly influential post of chairman of the Academy of Culinary Arts. Williams is supported by Gordon Ramsay protege Frederick Forster, who is responsible for the restaurant at The Ritz.

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Reader reviews of The Ritz Restaurant:

David K.

David K. ( Over 60, Male, London )

We dined at the Ritz on Thursday 16th April. The greeting and being shown to the table were excellent and very welcoming. The smoked salmon was sliced and presented near the the table and was very professionally done. The flavour and the accompaniments certainly did not let it down.

As always, at this restaurant, I chose the Rack of Lamb. It was beautifully pink and carved and presented at the table. The vegetables were excellently cooked and presented, particularly the celeriac. My partner had a beautiful piece of sea bream. A superb bottle of Gigondas, which was very sensibly priced, bearing in mind the restaurant in which it was served. Despite the comments in Ian Fleming's ‘From Russia With Love’ we have no problem with drinking red wine with fish.

The meal was finished off with a very well prepared and served Cheese Souffle. Well, one cannot waste a good red wine.

Throughout the meal the service was attentive but not intrusive. Although a smallish cheeseboard was presented the waiter knew his product really well and was passionate about some of the cheeses on offer.

All in all a very good evening and once certainly to be repeated sooner than later.

April 2009
Overall:8
Food and Drink:8
Service:9
Atmosphere:9
Value for Money:8
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R.R.Gill
Gold Reviewer

R.R.Gill ( 30s, Male, United Kingdom )

Editor's pick

I was quite nervous on my first trip to the Ritz. It is after all an institution and a benchmark for the best of British (although it's French food). While it is still ultra-formal and very old school I have to applaud the entire team for the dining experience they provide. The service is the finest I have ever seen – the waiters have an almost ESP-like ability and seem to know what you want before you do! As for the food it was presented with perfection the warm salad of native Lobster with duck egg & caviar was divine and the main of Sea bass with artichoke one of the best fish dishes I've ever had. Atmosphere wise I did find it a little too stuffy but that's purely a reflection on my tastes and not the restaurant itself. Prices are relatively high but reflect the standard of the food and service. One for a special occasion – perhaps with the olds.

November 2008
Overall:9
Food and Drink:9
Service:10
Atmosphere:7
Value for Money:8
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