Le Relais de Venise

Pros:
1. Basic menu (no choice except for dessert)
2. Delicious simple food
3. Love the 2nd serving!
4. Great wine menu – even the house wine!
5. Lively atmosphere

Cons:
1. Can't book, so you end up waiting in a queue outside for over 30mins every time 2. The wait staff often bring your mains before you've even finished your starters!

Reviews for Relais de Venise seem to fall in to two categories either good or bad. Notice the negative reviews have all been from people expecting to have some time for a relaxed meal and then being utterly disappointed at the set up and finding a special meal completely ruined, and I can totally understand why they would feel that way.

We only go for a quick meal on the way home from work, because we know we can be in and out in virtually the same time it would take for us to walk home and make dinner ourselves. You will probably be in and out in 45 minutes. This is fast food French style! They don't take reservations, it's first come first served and if there is a queue and you get to the front they won't let you in if you are not all present, there is nowhere to wait inside if it is raining or cold.

It is run with what can only be described as military precision, which can easily be misinterpreted as rude and brusque, but at least you know they are treating everyone the same. We always try to speak to the waitresses who seem to be on fast forward and are invariably taken aback that anyone should actually take time to talk to them! Everyone is served with the same starter, a green salad with mustard dressing, everyone has the same main course steak, sauce and chips, and there is none of that medium rare, slightly pink choices palaver. It's straight up Rare, Medium or Well Done. You get probably a medium plate full, (very small if you are used to American portions), and then they will bring you second serving. There is a choice of about 6 desserts.

Probably not a great venue for vegetarians, as the last time we went there was obviously one veggie on a table of eight next to us. Her main course was a huge cheese plate…

It is slightly frenetic, as the tables are turned fast, and in keeping with the French brasserie style you are quite squashed so you will be extremely close to your neighbours.

That said we like it very much, so if you want a super quick meal it fits the bill perfectly, if you want to take more time over dinner you would be better off going to Cafe Luc at the top of Marylebone High Street.

You got to know what this place is about before you try it … It;s all about getting there at a time so you dont have to queue… eat…drink and leave !… if that is the timetale you are on …done deal !.. quite simply…it's French …it's steak and chips with their special sauce …it's red wine .. it's pay and go ! The staff are fine… yes they are not there to have a chat and compliment your tie or blouse !… they are all about turnover… but not to the degree they will ask you to leave ! But its not a 3 hours over a meal job . The steak and chips idea works for me … house red is just fine… This one is far busier that the one in the city ..bit if I am hungry and I see a spot…i go and enjoy…others times I can't be bothered to wait for a table.. …but you have to give it a go !

This is a rather typical French brasserie so yes, the food is generally good and the service is generally poor. If you go expecting the Ritz, for a 10th of the price, then you will be disappointed.
It's not the place to go to for a celebration dinner or lunch, especially because the turnover is quite quick. It's ideal, however, for a quick-ish meal, when you feel like having steak frites.
The service is indeed quite sharp and Gallic, but the secret is not to take it personally. They don't do it because they hate you, they just like to keep up appearences…

The other views are fair – both the negative and positive ones. A set menu of salad, steak frites and pudding. It is quick, almost too quick and too prepared. The salad was over dressed and dressed too early leading to wilted leaves. My rare steak was cooked correctly and when seconds arrive you can have pretty well as much as you want. The frites, in my opinion, should have been salted more but were classic ‘allumettes’. If you want a quick meal, where you do not even have to waste time looking at the menu, and the service is more 'gentlemen's club/Oxford College' than top restaurant, this is your place.

Quick and simple and trying to be nothing else. It delivers on this.

With great excitement, I invited my father to join my husband and me for lunch at “L'Entrecote” on Saturday. My father has lived in France for many years and I thought this would remind him of home whilst on an extended business trip in London. I am sorry to say that this miserable place let him down at almost every opportunity.

We were shown to a decent enough table – all tables are small and close together, but not unreasonably so given the restaurant's popularity – and within about 10 seconds were asked how we wanted our steak cooked. I replied “medium rare”, only to be told “we only cook in the French way: blue, rare or medium”. Well why ask what I want, I thought, why not tell me what I'm allowed?

Salad and bread arrived. The salad was small, but I have to say delicious with a strong mustard dressing and a few walnuts. But when my husband asked for butter, the true nonsense began. The waitress replied that we could not have butter, as it's a French restaurant. He asked for the manager. The waitress explained the manager would say the same, but agreed to get her anyway. The manager said “this is a French restaurant, we do exactly what they do in Paris and so we don't serve butter”. When asked if the restaurant was in possession of butter, she replied, “Yes, but only to be served with cheese”.

Her manner was that of someone explaining an important and inalienable principle, rather than someone making a petty point of denying a paying customer's simple and reasonable request. At this point we would have left but for the fact that we were entertaining my dad and did not want to spoil the occasion.

The steak arrived smothered in a sauce which would have been nice were it not for the sheer quantity on the plate – and I say this as a lover of sauces of all kinds, and someone who oftens asks for more. The meat – delicious beef which I believe is from the excellent Donald Russell – barely stood a chance against the tarragon-heavy gloop. The fries were very nice, but rendered soggy by the aforementioned sauce, which was a shame.

The bill was £95 (which included 2 small glasses of wine and 2 small beers). Considering the constituents of the meal – lettuce, beef, potatoes, sauce – it seemed steep. But to be honest I don't mind paying that for a good, if simple meal, assuming all parts are well executed and the service good.

In this case neither was true, for even the good bits – salad and the meat – were spoilt either by their accompanying sauce or accompanying attitude and so I just felt ripped off.

If you've read this far then I'm sure you will not be surprised to read that I will never be going back to this ridiculous place. France is a country of wonderful food and extraordinary restaurants (some of which admittedly have service less gracious than one might expect, though in my experience nothing to compare to the lows achieved by L'Entrecote), and it's truly shameful for this restaurant to suggest it has anything in common with it.

What should have been a pleasant lunch on Mothering Sunday turned into a complete headache.

No sooner had we got our bottoms on the seat than we were asked how we wanted our meat cooked – I asked if we could look at the wine list first – NO came the reply from the rude waitress. So we asked for the meat to be cooked medium – beware you are not warned that medium in England equates to blue in France. I went off to wash my hands – when I returned the small salad had been served. Surely it is good manners to at least wait until the diner is at their seats and why aren't customers allowed time to wash their hands . Do you have butter please – NO came the response. No finesse here. The salad was soggy and accompanied by two little bits of walnuts. Mid way through eating the salad the surly waitress came with steak and fries. Do you mind waiting until I have finished I asked – can't you put the salad aside she said. I made her take it away and keep it warm whilst I finished my meagre salad. My plate was whipped away before I even had time to put the cutlery down and the steak and fries whacked at my place setting. Steak was mediocre – chips over cooked and not pleasant. No ketchup (this is a French restaruant if you ask for it) – second portions were average – same batch of chips – now cold and overcooked.

We decided to go home for dessert – I could not take anymore of the surly behaviour and attitude. I have never been to a restaurant that bombarded customers the way Le Relais does – they have no respect for their patrons – it is ill mannered to serve the main course when the customer has not finished their appetizer. It would have been nice if we were allowed to relax a bit as well before courses – it's not as though this is a cheap restauant. It's a shame as what could be a nice environment has been ruined by this brusque service. Wine is well priced.

I will not be going back here again – not because of price or environment but due to unbelievably rude staff and being forced to eat “on the clock”. If I wanted a quick meal I would have gone to McDonalds – in fact the chips looked amazinly like theirs.

A lady at the table next to us asked if she could take her portion of uneaten food home – NO came the reply. Now why doesn't that surprise me.

This is the worst restaurant i have ever been to. The staff are rude, the food is disgusting.

We went for my 30 birthday as we were told it was french, fun and served great steak. We were a party of eight. Two guests arrived 5 mins after the other six and we were told they were going to have to ask us to leave if the guests did not arrive after sitting for only 3 mins .. it was a tense two mins till they arrived!

We ordered our drinks and were then asked how we wanted our steak. Rare or Medium. (Rare we were told was the equivalent to blue and Medium was medium rare) I asked for Medium Well as i am pregnant. I was told this is a french restaurant, French women eat rare steak and i should as well. There was a vegetarian among us … she was to intimidated to ask for anything else.

The bread arrived, we asked for butter .. no this is a french restaurant, we asked for olive oil … yes we could have that. Thrilled we waited for it to arrive. Ground nut oil was placed on the table … again the reply was this is a french restaurant no olive oil (there was no apology for the fact we had been told olive oil was on the way).

Our first course was lettuce leaves which was over dressed and then covered in a couple of walnuts. When i asked what was in the dressing (in case there was blue cheese … or anything i could not eat) i was sneered at and told it was dressing. The main arrived … the others had all asked for their steaks medium, they came medium rare which we were expecting, they were about an inch thick and looked delicious. It was agreed i could have Medium Well, which should have come as medium in an english restaurant … I was given steak that was much thinner than the others .. 1/3 of an inch thick and looked like it had been boiled. It was so tough, i could not eat it. They also covered it in a sauce, which they would not tell you what was in it, there was no question of this being on the side as most of our party would have liked after tasting the sauce.

The staff did not care about is, everything was to much … and they new it was my 30th, we were very shocked.

I decided to eat the chips … we were not allowed ketchup or mayonnaise … this is a french restaurant was quoted again.

We have a house in france and my husband has lived their playing rugby, we have never come across this attitude in the many french restaurants we have eaten in. Or any restaurant for that matter. Eating out when you are pregnant is hard, i like to be responsible and check what i am eating, this was not acceptable here.

The most ironic thing was when the bill came there was a 12% service charge added on to the bill … as my father said … that does not happen in France. Tips are paid in cash and an amount not specified. He refused to pay service and instead we gave a cash tip to the one waitress who had made an effort (she, you could see did not agree with the way we were treated). The manger did not bother to come over to find out why we were unhappy …

We left what should have been a fun evening feeling incredibly disappointed. I would never return and recommend that you never eat here.

Food was great as usual, though I think the portions have siginificantly been reduced (especially french fries) compared to the past few times I have eaten in there.
The queue was long as usual, we queued an hour before we could get in, and as busy as it is, the service from one of the waitress was horrendous when we asked her to explain the French words on the menu.
Might not be worth the effort going there and lining up. Steak sauce was admittedly special, though insufficient for the reduced portions meat. Insufficient staff as well and when we dined, there weren't enough glasses.

This must be such a cash-cow.. already when I moved to Marylebone in 2006 people were queueing to get in, and that has been constant over the three years since. The concept is very simple but it definitely works. You arrive and get asked how you like your meat and what you'd like to drink, and that's it. The salad and dressing starter is really straight-forward but good, and the same goes for the meat and fries you get with it. They do seem to take pride in their “secret sauce recipe” and so they should. A big bonus is the fact that you get seconds.

As you've noticed, I'm a fan. This is the perfect place for a (smallish) group of friends with somewhere to go after, but who don't want to get there hungry. I don't mind the queue much, but if you have a problem with it, do make sure to go there on off-times.

I tried this new restaurant with a client today for the first time.

Their “no choice” standard menu came out at £63.20 with a glass of wine each, no dessert but water and coffee. They bring the food twice (you get seconds) which is odd – an idea we didn't like. The steak came with an off putting green sauce on top – it would have been better on the side.

The starter of lettuce with walnuts was pretty dull. The steak smothered with the sauce. There is no healthy alternative to the fries.

The East European waitress was gruff – not at all friendly and we felt we were being rushed. Disappointing.

This place is all about rare entrecote and the fantastic sauce – it's why you go there- there is no menu – just one option – salad to start and the amazing entrecote with sauce and chips.

Bad place for big groups of people – you queue, you eat, you leave – take it for what it is and have a great meal.

I cannot understand why people queue outside this place to be insulted by an extremely rude staff. OK, the food is good, but not inexpensive. But the service is appalling. We were a group of 5 to celebrate a friend’s birthday. Two of us had a business commitment and could only go arrive when the other three were already halfway through their main course, hoping to have dessert with the birthday girl. The manager was very fast to announce that there was a minimum charge of £19 per person and we said that was not a problem. We were going to spend more than £100 among us, including the drinks it would cost even more. The manager replied that we had ALL to order main courses and since there people waiting outside, the last 2 arrivals had to go out and wait for another table!!! Even if they were not taking anybody’s place (the 5 of us squeezed in the table previously occupied by 3) and if nobody was going to wait more because of us (we just wanted to join our friend’s birthday celebration with a dessert!). The only reason the two left and we did not argue more was because we did not want to spoil our friend’s birthday even more. I have never heard of a restaurant that forces everyone in a group to eat even if they are not hungry! Stay away from this restaurant!