The Ritz Restaurant

British, French·
££££
·
Gold Award
·

SquareMeal Review of The Ritz Restaurant

Gold Award

The Ritz has long had an excellent reputation, but this grand old institution has entered an exciting new era. Still, don’t expect anything too off-piste - The Ritz is still all about classic French cooking, but few in the capital do it as well and none with quite the same panache and service.

It’s impossible not to feel some awe at the grandeur of this beautiful dining room. High above you, the ceiling mirrors a cloudy sky, held aloft by towering marble columns. Dusty pinks and greens give life to a magnificent space that has housed many a celebrity and a royal over the years. In the day, natural light floods through soaring floor-to-ceiling windows, before a procession of chandeliers take over, casting moody shadows across the room for dinner service.

Diners have a choice between a la carte and tasting menus, and we’d highly recommend the latter. There are lux ingredients galore - a perfect amuse bouche of beef tartare and caviar in delicate shortcrust tart, for example, as well as a Colchester oyster topped with Champagne. What follows is precise, faultless and spectacular. Anjou pigeon is roasted, pressed, and served with a sauce made tableside. Veal sweetbread is perfectly cooked, almost melting in the middle, and teamed with the hefty umami of Parmesan, truffle and a rich veal sauce. The best dish of an outstanding bunch is Williams’ famous langoustine a la nage, two pink langoustines served swimming in a bath of bisque, with gently blanched spring vegetables.

Even before you get to the service, which is typically measured, attentive and friendly, The Ritz has solidified itself as the place for special occasion dining. Wines measure up to anywhere in London and are very well considered - a Premier Cru Chassagne-Montrachet picked to accompany the langoustine, for example, was truly special. Yes, the restaurant is eye-wateringly expensive, but in London’s restaurant landscape it remains top of the tree for occasion dining - there really is nowhere like The Ritz.

Good to know

Average Price
££££ - Over £80
Cuisines
British, French
Ambience
Fine dining, Glamorous, Luxury, Quiet conversation, Romantic, Traditional, Unique, Widely spaced tables
Awards
One Michelin star, SquareMeal London Top 100
Food Occasions
Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch
Alfresco And Views
Outside seating
Special Features
Live music or dancing, Vegan options, Vegetarian options
Perfect for
Birthdays, Celebrations, Child friendly, Dates, Romantic, Special occasions
Food Hygiene Rating

About

Special occasions need special surroundings and even more impressive food, and you won't find a more spectacular place to dine than at The Ritz. Holding a Michelin star, executive chef John Williams MBE creates the finest cuisine, presented with the utmost elegance and precision.

Surrounded by grand chandeliers, floor-to-ceiling windows and mirrors, and magnificent statues; the dining room alone is enough to take your breath away. Join friends and family overlooking the green haven of Green Park and let the head sommelier guide you through his list of gems, or perhaps you might favour a glass of Champagne or even a taste of the Champagne of the month.

The menus draw inspiration from traditional dishes using Escoffier-inspired recipes. Each dish is composed of fine, British produce; plus the menus change seasonally to adapt to the best ingredients available at each moment of the year.

A speciality of this restaurant can be found in their Arts De La Table section - shared dishes with table side service that pays homage to the harmony between the kitchen and service. If guests prefer, they can stick to a traditional three-course affair; begin with the likes of native lobster paired with tomato and basil before moving onto a main of sea bass. You may see the likes of seasonal Yorkshire grouse on the menu, served with tart blackberry and walnuts. 

In the dessert selection, the restaurant showcases its delicate patisserie skills. The infamous chocolate souffle is perfectly risen and fluffy with a smooth, vanilla chantilly cream to match. If you don't have much of a sweet tooth, then the selection of artisan cheeses make the perfect finish.

Experience grandeur and elegance like no other when dining at The Ritz. Soak up the atmosphere of the live music performed by the resident pianist or harpist and revel in one of Mayfair's finest culinary destinations. 


FAQs

Does the restaurant have a Michelin star?

The restaurant has one Michelin star.

Helpful? 0

How much does the tasting menu cost?

The five-course offering is £182 and the seven-course offering is £202.

Helpful? 0

What is the dress code?

A jacket and tie for gentleman. No sportswear, jeans or shorts are permitted.

Helpful? 0

This venue also offers

Location

The Ritz Hotel, 150 Piccadilly, Mayfair, London, W1J 9BR

020 7300 2370 020 7300 2370

Website

Opening Times

All day
Mon 07:30-21:00
Tue 07:30-21:00
Wed 07:30-21:00
Thu 07:30-21:00
Fri 07:30-21:00
Sat 07:30-21:00
Sun 07:30-21:00

Reviews

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29 Reviews 
Food/Drink
Service
Atmosphere
Value

Malcolm F

27 December 2022  
Food & Drink 5
Service 5
Atmosphere 5
Value 5

Years of stability and exemplary leadership of master chef John Williams shines through at every level. Wonderful experience. Please put it on your bucket list !

Fiona S

27 December 2022  
Food & Drink 5
Service 5
Atmosphere 5
Value 5

Best turbot in the world

Matthew W

01 December 2022  
Food & Drink 5
Service 5
Atmosphere 5
Value 5

A treat if ever there was one.  It may be safe, it certainly is expensive, but everything works.  Warm hospitality and incredible sourrounds.  It may not be 'cool,' but it is spectacular. 

Andy H

06 August 2019  
Simply the best high end restaurant in London right now.

Avril P

27 July 2019  
A place I used to take clients to fir lunch 30 years ago and now take my family. Everything is superb. Love it here.

Anon

28 June 2019  
I had the most beautiful lunch here the food was amazing both in quality and taste. The service and decor are exceptional.

Paul A

04 September 2018  
Food & Drink 3.5
Service 3
Atmosphere 2.5
Value 2.5
Not up to expectations
It was quite clear that most of the customers in the dining room were there either because they were staying in the hotel or because this was The Ritz and not because they were looking for a fine dining experience worthy of the ratings it has. This must present the chef with something of a problem when it comes to compiling the menu - logically he must stay within certain traditional boundaries imposed by the expectations of the clientele while keeping up with the ever improving visions of the UK restaurant scene. If you have a grand dining room preserved in its original state, waiting staff wearing tailcoats, cloches used to present one or two of the dishes, a vocalist and string quartet accompanying your meal and you are not permitted to have any idea of the sequence of dishes on the Menu Surprise (because otherwise it wouldn’t be a surprise!), you do start to wonder. Happily our table was not too close to the live music, and initially the almost exclusively Italian front of house staff seemed up to the task. However, from the point when I consulted the wine waiter on which half bottles would best suit the tasting menu, got no real advice, chose anyway from the singularly overpriced list and received no information about the suitability of my choices, things seemed to go downhill. The menu was well-balanced but we found it very much on the safe side, with no surprises and not a single dish that we could express any real enthusiasm about. It was obvious that John Williams is competent but perhaps having to work within limits. For the record the Menu Surprise consisted of some good canapés, sweet lemon meringue with salmon, a duck liver cigar - crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, and a parmesan biscuit sandwich, then a consommé of dehydrated heritage tomato with a lemon verbena sauce, parmesan espuma and elderflower head, followed by a duck liver terrine with port, cherries, cherry and port purée, crême fraîche, and toast. This was followed by girolle agnolotti with a red wine sauce and a slice of pecorino, and then the first course that actually suited our white wine, Cornish turbot with a good butter finish but slightly too firm for our taste, accompanied by braised leeks sitting on top of the fish, cauliflower purée and chervil. The meat course was loin and cutlet of new season lamb with a basil and tomato sauce. Disappointingly I found some bone in my serving of loin. A cheese course of Tunworth with Australian truffle, candied walnuts, poached pear and herbs was curiously the most enjoyable of all the dishes we had. The two desserts were peach sorbet with almond crumbs on an almond tartlet, and what was designated milk chocolate with hazelnuts and ice cream, but the hazelnut fudge and caramel rather dominated.

Jan F

31 July 2018  
Service and quality of food second to none. Has to be experienced for a very special occasion. Very innovative menu . Staff first class as is everything.

Andy H

27 June 2018  
Superb food and service in a grand setting.

Stephen W

27 June 2018  
Wonderful old school service BT friendly.
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020 7300 2370 020 7300 2370

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