I had very high expectations for this place after reading the reviews. I only get two nights in…read moreLondon, and I decided to have one of my dinners here since I'm staying in this hotel. I didn't like the tomato basil soup. If I were home, I would add a little cheese or milk or something. It just wasn't good. I wasn't impressed with the burrata. The giant fish was good. The fries could have used some salt. There was no salt or katsup on the table. I asked for salt and katsup. They brought me pepper and katsup. I asked for a moscato or a Pina colada. They didn't have these, so I tried the banana joe because I like rum, and I thought it would be sweet. I like dessert cocktails. I was not impressed. I came back with my coworker and we tried "don't touch the bee." It was delicious. I think they get good reviews because they look nice, and it's easy to be pleased when the server is handsome and there's a candle on your table. This is not the place to go to if you're in any kind of a hurry. I asked for a to go box for my fish, and I was told that they have no boxes. Then, they just brought the fish to the table.

A wonderful, cozy spot for dinner - this was the last spot we ate in London, after a long trip, and…read morewas a wonderful way to end our family vacation. The focaccia was delicious, as was the beef and vegetable (squash) lasagna, they were ordered around the table, and all enjoyed. Dessert was also marvelous. The server was incredibly friendly and kind, and made our last night in the area a great one. Highly recommend!

Great spot in London for food! We stopped for brunch and coffee and it was excellent. Very cute…read moreinside as well!

At first walking in the place is a bit understated. Once they walk you to the back you suddenly…read morefeel the unique vibe of the place. The 6 different appetizers we ordered. All unique and surprising but very good. Everything. Fantastic with wine. The service is overwhelming, extremely attentive.

Good service. Great food. Price was fair. Everything was made fresh to order. All settings was…read moreclean. This was one of my favorite meals in London. This was my first time here and won't be my last.

Awful service from a racist blonde middle aged european waitress. Humiliated me in front of my…read morechild and partner over a small request that I made politely on behalf of my child. I didn't complain at the time as I didn't want my son to be more upset than he was by her but she ruined an expensive and what would have otherwise been a lovely day at the theatre. I'm sure I'm not the first or last person to complain about her. Just because you have a menial job doesn't give you the right to take out your frustrations on your customers.

Stopped here after changing of the guard. We really enjoyed sitting on the patio with a nice cross…read morebreeze. The drinks were tasty and the decor is adorable. Service was quick and friendly. The chopped chicken and avocado salad was fresh and delicious. Would recommend!

The most expensive dinner we had this week with the weakest hospitality and worst timing. SUPER…read moredisappointing. It took 25 mins to place our drink order- then about 30 more mins to get our food, after placing that order. Then we had to wait to place a dessert order. Then we had to wait for the check. One word for this comes to mind...'waiting'. We found ourselves waiting every step of the way for our waiter to acknowledge us. Honestly I can forgive A LOT if people are nice but that wasn't the case with our server. Low energy, not very warm and welcoming and slow. Actually to be fair, I got a smile from the busboy when I was on my way to the restroom- perhaps the 2 should switch roles if the restaurant is looking for repeat visits or nice reviews. Btw- the manager...not exactly sure what he was doing. One last thing, I've had sea bass in many restaurants and never had anyone leave the skin on-Just not what I expected. This restaurant gets 2 thumbs down for me. Go to Bills right around the corner - save some money - and get a smile from the staff and a nice greeting.

Aesthetically, the Ivy is a beautiful restaurant from the bar to the seating to the bathroom. This…read morelocation also has the perfect view of the tower bridge. I didn't order any food but we did have drinks and they were very well made. They also accommodated my request for tequila vs vodka in the lychee martini. The bartenders were very professional and would come around the bar to take your order. They even took photos for us, when asked. I would recommend for a quick drink or a special occasion.

This restaurant is just off the bridge so its a nice spot to stop by for dinner. The decor is…read moregorgeous. I ordered the filet. It didnt have much flavor so if I went back then I might try something else. However, I still enjoyed the ambiance.

Landed after a 10-hour flight, half alive, fully starving. One thing on my mind. Fish and chips. A…read morepint. Bit of fresh London air. Balans gave me the lot and then some. The cod? Massive. Battered like it owed someone money. Crisp on the outside, flaky in the middle, seasoned right. Chips were chunky, like they should be, not those little frozen fries that taste like sadness. Mushy peas weren't shy either. Tartar sauce had enough punch to remind you you're in Britain, not on a cruise ship. My bruv was with me, the one who's always got it all figured out. While I was neck-deep in cod and joy, he's sat there with a pot of tea and a steak omelette like some kind of Soho aristocrat. Didn't say a word, just nodded at the first bite. Man knows what he's doing. Service was sharp. Our waitress had that no-nonsense, bit-of-a-tease energy. Proper London. Never hovered, didn't push us out, and no fuss about the tip. Let us eat, drink, breathe, and get our bearings. We sat outside, under the red umbrella. Sun peeking through the trees. Locals walking their dogs, tourists trying to look like they belong. Great crowd. Better view. Felt like I was back, in all the best ways.

My parents live in W8 and we're all huge fish & chips fans. The way London (esp. KHS) changes,…read moreit's hard to retain a fave F&C place (with closures & such). So when we visited in 2024, the parental units said "We found our fave F&C place, Balans." So me & the boy went one night for dinner. About have full and we were seated right away & a server was with us in a few minutes, his name was David. Wow, what a fantastic person! He was charming, around when needed and I feel I cannot say enough good things about him. Onto the meal, I had the F&C (ofc) and the boy had the roast chicken. The PU's were not wrong, literally the best F&C I have had in a very long time! The alcohol prices were better than the local pubs & the ambiance here is out of this world, just beautiful! Do yourself a favor & eat here.

The restaurant is beautiful and the drinks were good, but that's where it ends. After being sat, we…read morequickly received water, but it took about 15 minutes for anyone to take our drink order even though the restaurant was empty. My wife ordered the Wagyu sliders and the portion was disappointing. She received 3 sliders and each was smaller than a macaroon. Considering the sliders cost only £3 less than the entire wagyu burger, we expected a similarly sized serving. I ordered onion rings as a side for my steak. Our food was brought out without the side of onion rings. I asked the server about the onion rings and was told she would check. She never came back, I finished my meal, and the table was cleared. I never received the onion rings despite asking multiple times. Our original waitress never returned to our table, so I couldn't even find out if she ever put in the order. I ordered my steak medium rare, but it was cooked closer to medium and even leaning towards medium well. Unfortunately, we won't be returning to Christopher's.

Were the pancakes good? Yes. But oh my god was the portion I received worth the price I paid for…read moreit? Absolutely not.

A very good choice for breakfast and dinner, but my dinner experience was better. The service at…read morebreakfast was rushed and chaotic, although polite. The atmosphere is comfortable but classy. Service at dinner was mostly attentive and courteous. A very nice list of wines by the glass, much larger than offered by most restaurants. Oysters were fresh and properly shucked. I thought the heritage tomato and burrata salad was very good, except one of the tomatoes seemed rather underripe. The excellent Dover sole was de-boned table-side. I ordered the plate of five-cheeses for dessert (pudding?). All were excellent, my favorites were the cheddar and the blue.

We had a truly amazing High Tea at The Game Bird, located inside the very fabulous Stafford Hotel…read more It was expensive and requires reservations, but I'd do it all over again! The service, food, tea, and pastries were outstanding. The little pastries on the tea tray were as delicious as they were pretty. But the best part came after the meal. I had heard that they had a wine cellar, and that one might be able to take a peak if they weren't busy. So I asked, and the manager on duty came out and took my family and I on a personal tour of the cellar. It was like a London history lesson onto itself - dating back to the middle ages, and with artifacts from when it was a bunker in WWII. I'm getting chills all over again when I think about it. Plus there's the wine collection and some really cool old candelabras, barrels, etc. Then the manager took us back upstairs and showed us the original Picasso they keep in the lounge, and the private room where Queen Elizabeth used to come for tea. I was practically welling up with tears of gratitude by the end. I can't believe how kind he was - and we weren't even staying at the hotel! Go there if you can, and check out The American Bar for pictures of the female spy who used to hang out there and tell war stories. Do it now!