Possibly the worst restaurant I've eaten in for a long time. The food was mediocre and that's being kind. I had garlic bread for a starter that consisted of chunks of lightly toasted bread dumped in a green sludge, which I hope was garlic. The main course was unimpressive (so much so that I've forgotten what I had) and it was far too pricey for what we got as well as the amount of time spent waiting for a table. I won't be going back. read more

I used to like Giraffe, unpretentious tasty food and a healthy amount of it. However, my latest visit was distinctly disappointing. Maybe I just don't like the venue; this Southbank branch feels like a frenzied feeding factory where customers are just units who require nutrient injections. It is busy, too loud and too stuffy. I had dishes from the Feel Good Dinner Menu, and I think it should be renamed the Feel Meh Dinner Menu. The starter of sticky sesame wings was mediocre, and the main of Katsu Japanese pork schnitzel was just the wrong combination. It was too salty and mixing crispy schnitzel with soup noodles doesn't make any sense, becoming sodden and floppy like sticks of brown meat sponge. The dessert of chocolate eclair cake was agreeable, but as a choux pedant, there was nothing eclair about it. A profiterole maybe but eclair is misleading. The service was bizarre too. The waiter lingered at our table for far too long. Awkward banter is one thing but once that is out of the way, standing there pointlessly while we stare at him to leave is definitely off-piste in terms of waitering. He'd then saunter over to the bar, turn his back, bow his head, and prod away at something at waist level. There were clearly people around us wanting service. He did this several times. He's either checking for unusual lumps down below, or prattling away on his phone, both of which are unacceptable in my books. £17 for this experience was far too much and I think I'll be giving this branch, and this chain, a wide berth next time round. read more

I mean I wouldn't say this place is bad, but I wouldn't choose to go again unless we were in the predicament that led us here - thinking Saturday night was a good time for a large group to go to Wahaca. Sadly they had over an hour wait while Giraffe was about 15 minutes for 9 of us, and we were all hungry, so on we went. I'm sure there are some good things on the menu but my own food was really uninspiring. The burger was dry and uninteresting, chips were fine but nothing special. I could have gotten better for the same price elsewhere. The service was pretty slow and we waited way too long for our check in the end. A few of my friends did like their meals though, so maybe I'm just being harsh. But there's just so much around London that's better, I feel like going to mediocre chains is a waste of time. read more

I popped into the Southbank branch of Giraffe following a recording of 'Have I got News for You' at the ITV television studios. It was rather late- almost 22:00- and we were desperate for dinner, so we were pleased that the restaurant was still busy and we easily got a good booth seat. I have been to several branches of Giraffe across London over the years (even the days before it was bought out by Tesco) and have visited this branch before. The Southbank branch is admittedly my least favourite because it is expansive and always filled to capacity due to its location- I've had incidents there where I have been waiting lengthy periods of time for my server who was desperately attempting to explain the menu to non-native English speakers! So, yes, expect a mostly tourist crowd here. On this visit, the service was very sluggish as it was towards the end of the evening- it took some time to get drinks, our food and our bill. Items were brought over to our table that we didn't order and side items that we did order were delayed and came some time after our mains. It was a bit frustrating when we saw our meals walk past us several times before they were placed in front of us (we were famished)! Our server was friendly (and dramatically mispronounced 'quinoa', bless him). The Giraffe menu always has some of the same 'favourite' dishes and a few new additions depending on the season. It prides itself on offering a good selection of International dishes, such as: thai curries, jambalaya, mezze, a good selection of burgers, peri-peri chicken, burritos and grills. It has a great selection for vegetarians and even gluten-free options are clearly marked on the menu. I ordered the 'bunless' burger with a grilled chicken breast on a bed of quinoa salad with salad leaves, avocado, tomato and a burger sauce on the side. I usually enjoy the bunless burger salad on offer at the Burgers and Cocktails spin-off sister restaurant, but this version isn't as satisfying- it was colourful and fresh, but a little dry and I found myself adding hot chili sauce for a kick of flavour. The 'burger sauce' was a non-descript pink creamy concoction that I didn't particularly like. It is a good light option, but was missing any bold flavours. I saw the Global Mezze Platter pass our table and it looked absolutely delicious (I had been tempted to greedily order this sharing platter for myself, as I am always happy with mezze). My boyfriend had the Mexican burger- a new addition to the Giraffe menu with chicken and chorizo alongside traditional Mexican accompaniments. It came with hand-cut fries and he ordered more wedges on the side (again, we were famished). I was disappointed that the wedges didn't come with a dipping sauce and he resorted to the ketchup on the table. They were still seating people as it approached 23:00 and it took us ages to get our bill and pay, so it was a bit of a frustrating end to the meal. This is my least favourite branch of Giraffe, so I would recommend it only if you are meeting near Waterloo or stuck on the Southbank. Our Picturehouse membership card worked here and we got a 20% discount off the meal (even the server was surprised, as they do not always accept all discounts and vouchers at this branch). The service is not up to the usual standard of Giraffe due to the busy location and the amount of tables. The service was slow and our food was slightly cold when it finally arrived because of the various delays. I would recommend this branch for families, as they do cater very well to children and have a good kids menu and prices are very reasonable, especially if you are eligible for a Picturehouse or NUS discount. The food always looks attractive and vibrant on the plate and there is a range of healthy, vegetarian, gluten free choices. The standard across the Giraffe restaurants is also fairly consistent, but do try another location if you can! read more

This is the first '2 star' review I've ever given and the only reason it gets 2 is because one of the waitresses was quite friendly (but only one) and because there's outdoor seating. But I wouldn't go back - no way - and nor would I recommend this place to anyone. I ordered a salmon salad and the salmon was frozen! It came with potatoes that tasted like flour and it was drenched in a mustard dressing that didn't complement any flavour. I specifically asked for dressing on the side and it came on top :( But I didn't send it back as it took ages to arrive. My friend had a chicken and mango salad. Sounded tasty on the menu but came with a dressing that tasted disgusting. Apparently it was tequila dressing. Who puts tequila flavoured dressing on a salad??? We're not Ozzy Osbourne! Took ages for food to arrive and ages to get the bill - I was in a bad mood by the time we left and I normally like to leave a restaurant in a better mood than when I entered. Rubbish! read more

Giraffe boasts to carry foods from around the globe "because giraffes are so tall they have a different view of the world". Well I don't think they can see to far because the food at Giraffe is pretty basic, the best thing on the menu are the burgers, but they are happy to cater to people with food allergies, vegans, and vegetarians. They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and have a selection of smoothies which is novel in a London restaurant. It boasts to have a family atmosphere, so be prepared for kids. It is a little overpriced for the style of food but then it is on the Southbank in London among other heavy traffic areas. It it is a sunny day I would recommend sitting outside under the umbrellas. read more

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I had brunch at Giraffe on Southbank with a few girlfriends a few weeks ago and had a delicious meal. From my vegetarian "Full English" (which came with avocado, potato wedges and vegetarian sausages) to my friend's banana pancakes served with bacon and maple syrup, we all had a fantastic meal with great service from the staff. read more

Giraffe - Vegetarian Full English with avocado and potato wedges - British Near Me - London, XGL

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We came here as a group of 30 people (team lunch) and the food came out really, really quickly. I ordered the no-bun falafel burger, which came with 5-6 falafel balls, a side salad (mixed greens and grains) and 2 sauces. It was falafel, nothing special but I liked the taste of side salad. Also, everyone seemed to be happy with their meal choices so it is another plus. I'm giving them 4 stars because they processed our group and food really quickly and the serving team was nice, not because the food was above average. If you have a team something coming up and in need of a place, Giraffe is a good option. read more

Our study abroad program chose Giraffe by Waterloo Bridge as our first group orientation dinner location - the food was on them, but the drinks were on us. We all met there after a scavenger hunt across London, and my fellow King's College exchange students and I shared a few drinks at the bar while we waited for the rest of four group to arrive. I tried a South African cider that was very good, but kind of pricey. I passed by the restaurant quite often as it was very close to King's College London's Strand campus, and it was ALWAYS packed. Probably with tourists. It was a good choice for large groups because the seating arrangements were very flexible (they could just push tables together), but the restaurant wasn't anything special. Our server had to deal with a huge group with lots of special requests, but he was a good sport about it. Giraffe reminded me of all the typical American chain restaurants and served pretty typical American chain restaurant-type food. Even though I thought the name and design was cute, I never felt the urge to eat at another Giraffe while I was in London. It just wasn't that memorable of an experience. read more

This is an OK place. Everything I have had here has been OK, nothing to talk about but definitely not bad. I have had the burger with fries, their Mediterranean platter, the no bun veggie falafel burger and the full English breakfast. The good thing about this place is that they have healthy options and the food doesn't taste bad at all. Also the service is always friendly and quick. If you are in the area and want a meal that isn't too fancy or pricey I would pick this place. read more

My friend and I came here while we were walking along the river. The smoothies are fantastic! Even came with a giraffe in it I had the full English breakfast which was very good, and she had the veggie breakfast which was also good! It came with a veggie sausage, which I had never had and I very much enjoyed it. The service was great as well! read more

Giraffe - Full English breakfast - British Near Me - London, XGL

This Giraffe does have an outstanding location, on the South Bank right by the Thames. While the food is not the most amazing in the world, it does make a very convenient place for a reasonable meal. The first time I ate here was in the late afternoon/early evening, when their special-price two-course meal proved an amazing bargain. Choose from 3 or 4 starters and main courses (all of which appear on the ordinary menu, they're not cheap 'specials') for just under £7; if you're drinking, a lot of cocktails are two-for-one at this time too! However, they did lose points for seaing me at the bar when tables were free - why do solo diners always get shoved here? The second time was with a friend and a young child, and this is where Giraffe probably comes into its own in the daytime. It has a nice children's menu, provides crayons and balloons, and above all the staff are friendly and laid-back. (As a result, Giraffe is popular with families and therefore perhaps best avoided in daytime if you don't have/love being screamed at by toddlers). This branch of Giraffe does its job well then, and while I wouldn't go out of my way just to eat there, it's certainly a great option when you are near one and want something reasonably priced to eat with friendly service. read more

Not overly impressed, to be honest. One of those cheeky chains that will ride on their brand rather than trying to create a good experience every time for each customer. The food's alright, usual giraffe menu, nothing amazing and verging on being over-priced. The wine I was recommended tasted like nail varnish remover. Which was a shame, really, as I needed something to wash down the dry wedges, which, might I add, were not what I ordered, but they 'forgot' to tell me they had run out of my first choice. Cheers. Not only that, but they do that sneaky thing where they very kindly add themselves on an 'optional' 12.5% service charge. I opted to remove that and just pay the bill. Ducks to avoid flying insults read more

I went a couple of weeks ago and was impressed. We were seated in 15 minutes on a very busy Saturday and managed to get seats outside which in the sunshine is absolutely divine. Our food was perfectly reasonable in price and the waiting staff were very attentive and friendly. Once sat we didn't feel pressured or that any table turning was taking place. For a Saturday afternoon lunch on the Southbank I found Giraffe to be more than adequate. read more

Chain restaurant with chain prices, but on the South Bank so great views! Wide variety of food, reasonable prices. Strange tendency not to use plates I received a sandwich on a breadboard. Weird. read more

The people were really nice here, they have avacado, onion rings, ginger smoothie, I don't even remember what else we got but the atmosphere was nice, it was right on the river and we were happy with the entire experience. read more

Food was bland and the service was terrible. The fish and chips tasted like they were thawed from a frozen dinner and the salad tasted like it was from old produce. You literally have to stop a waitress or a waiter before you can get any service. Then, to add on insult to injury, they put an automatic 12.5% service charge after making me wait 30 minutes for the bill. At that point, I was more than eager to get out and leave. read more

Oh my goodness. After a freezing yet satisfying first time on the eye, my girlfriend and I were famished. So we looked up and down the lane by the eye and looked for what looked good, I am picky, and what was even open at 11 am. We popped into Giraffe and man, we should've kept walking. My gf and I both love giraffes and too it as a "sign" that we had to eat here and they still served breakfast so it all should've been a plus. We were say down by the short pixie style blonde and then that was it. I am not joking, that was it. We say and waited for fifteen minutes, with no greet, no water, no "hi I'll be right with you" read more

On our previous visit to London we dined here for lunch and knew we could get a good meal. My husband ordered his usual sweet breakfast of pancakes with a side of bacon. I decided to give the Shakshuka a try. Shakshuka is a North African dish of eggs cooked in a tomato sauce with herbs and served with crusty bread. I was hoping to include chorizo but that item contained dairy. The service was friendly, fast and the food was good and filling. read more

Visiting London a few days ago and after walking along the river we decided we were pretty hungry and needed to grab a bite. They have a menu posted outside which was nice, it let us get an idea of offerings before we put our name on the list. Pretty big menu that was very diverse. We sat down and were greeted by a smiling server named Hogi (sp) she was friendly and very helpful. We ordered our drinks and found out they were buy one get one free and after our 10 hour flight that seemed like a magical idea. Food was good, we got steak and being from the states it wasn't my favorite but a little salt and pepper made it better. The drinks were great, try the strawberry mule! 5 stars is for service, it was a very welcome first night in London. read more

Seated us and then were completely ignored for 15 minutes before we finally left in disgust.

Do NOT eat here. I had the San Fran Super Salad with extra chicken and ended up getting an extra helping of PARASITIC FOOD POISONING. It was on day 2 of a weeklong trip. I battled a 6 hour fever where I could barely crawl and the lingering effects (of which I will spare you the gory detail but involved being in proximity of a bathroom at all times) lasted for the rest of my trip. It's been 2 weeks and I am still on meds as I attempt to recover. I know this is what made me sick because I was traveling with my friend and this was the only significant difference in our dining that day. He had a burger and fries. I thought I took the high road by getting a salad, but ended up paying the price. I repeat: DO NOT EAT HERE. read more

Giraffe was pretty good, we enjoyed ourselves by sitting outside on a beautiful evening but weren't overly impressed with the food. We ordered a chorizo chicken burger that was pretty dry (but good otherwise!!) and our beer battered onion rings never made it to the table. Thus the three stars. That being said, the NACHOS were amazing!! If i were to rate just them, 5 stars across the board as they hit the spot! We both thoroughly enjoyed them and added chorizo into the mix. It was a sliced chorizo that looked like salami which added a lot of flavouring to the whole pile. Beans, corn, cheese and chipotle flavoured tortilla chips made the appetizer a heaping mound of deliciousness. We'd definitely go back to giraffe just to have a few rounds of nachos and some tasty margaritas. read more

Outstounding location with lovely indoor/outdoor option (al fresco dining!). Really huge space, so you'll never wait long for a table. More a coffee shop vibe than that of a restaurant, but I suppose that tends to fit in with the Giraffe theory anyway. Honestly, I've never been to a Giraffe for anything other than breakfast. I go here when I crave a bit of Americana in the mornings. The pancakes are FANTASTIC - fluffy and perfect covered in wonderful fruit and maple syrup. They offer freshly-made juices and international coffees. The Mexican-style egg tostada is almost one of my favorite dishes - eggs, chorizo, salsa, black beans and cheese grilled on top of a large corn torilla. Usually my husband and I split these 2 dishes, because I can never decide! The Belgian waffles are also very lovely & they do a mean granola! Around £20 for food and coffees/juices for 2, it's not a builder's breakfast, but worth it for a Sunday brunch treat. Always had good service, though occassionally a bit slow if there's not enough staff on. read more

Full post and photos @ http://www.thecattylife.com Giraffe is a chain of groovy restaurants around London - I especially love the Southbank branch on a bright sunny day. I'm usually there for breakfast/brunch and the menu is fabulous. Make sure you try one of their excellent fruit smoothies! read more

Amazing experience with really flavorful food! Started off with one of the best Nachos I have ever had as the technique of slightly roasting the chips does wonders. The mains were simply a delight. Special mention to the Katsu noodles as it served a wonderful amalgamation of various cuisines together. The blend of crispy chicken, Chipotle sauce, Asian Katsu noodles and coriander gave it the right mix of Western and Eastern cuisines. To top it up the service was great and the pricing is pretty reasonable compared to other places on the Southbank! Will be back to try more soon! read more

Great place for a casual lunch. We were looking for a good kid friendly place for lunch. Giraffe has a great selection for kids and parents. My sons chicken breast came with veggies he would eat (lettuce) plus French fries. My salad was delicious as was the Bloody Mary. I asked for it very spicy and they did not disappoint. Service is friendly and quick. read more

Giraffe - British Near Me - London, XGL

This was a tourist trap that we both knew going in but it was late and we were both hungry and there was no wait. Boy did it live up to our low expectations. The food menu in my opinion is all over the place, so i stuck with what i thought was the safe choice which was the burger, wrong. We left both wishing we went someplace else read more

Ate here before heading to the globe and it was immense. A great menu made even better by great service and an amazing location. You will more than likely have to queue but it does move fast just like everything else in london. There's a lot of options around here to eat and this always is busy, the masses cannot be wrong.......can they??? read more

The food was quite exquisite and if it was an option I would give a 4.5 stars. The service was okay but you can't really get much better in London. There is no A/C so it can get quite warm and it doesn't help that the water is served without ice. They were very kind to bring us a cup of ice though. The chicken schnitzel was very good along with all the burgers made from cows right here in London. Also, at the end of the meal they give you really cool complementary plastic giraffes. If you are in downtown London, it is definitely a place you should try for good food and not too high of a cost! read more

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The decor is pleasant with a glass front overlooking the river Thames. Wooden tables throughout with a semi open kitchen and tasteful lighting. Outside seating available but not recommended unless it's summer. My friend had one of the burgers which was presented well, tasted good and was average value for money at £10.95 plus £1.00 to upgrade to sweet potato fries. My choice was more expensive at £16.95 the same price as a sirloin steak. I ordered smokey BBQ ribs America style. Unfortunately when my meal came out it was just a small rectangle of meat placed on a bone with the tiniest drizzle of BBQ sauce. Definitely not what I was expecting for the price I paid and from the title. Ribs suggests more than one for certain. The skinned fried were adequate and the meat was nothing special. I definitely would not have this dish again and was disappointed though my friend enjoyed hers. I have had breakfast here before which was lovely, so this was a bit of a disappointment. Service was also slow, we were not offered a desert menu and didn't get a single check back. Better luck next time Giraffe! read more

Really nice view over the thames. Been here for dinner and breakfast - both of which were really nice. For breakfast i had there scrambled egg and salmon with a bagel and dinner i had the Giraffe Burger. The smoothies are really tasty. Well worth a visit. read more

Right along the river, gorgeous view! Ok service, none of them seemed too happy to be at work but you gotta suck it up and do your job. First walking up and looking at the menu, I didn't know if the man who greeted me actually worked there or was just friendly. he wasn't wearing anything that showed me that he did indeed work there. He was quite nice and I was told of a 15min wait for outside and was seated in about 6min. I had the soup of the day, some sort of spicy Mexican bean soup. Wasn't spicy, rather bland had to add salt, pepper and tabasco. Also had the chicken pot stickers. Again nothing to write home about. Burgers looked amazing at the other table so I would say try one of those. Originally was going to give it a 2 but they weren't rushing anyone to leave quickly and when asked for something I promptly received it. Probably wouldn't return unless I hear more from someone else. read more

Looked online at the many restaurants in the area. Decided to eat here with my Mum. The place was very busy. The wait wasn't too long to get a table. The food was very good. My meal cost around £12. read more

Giraffe - Rodeo chicken sandwich - British Near Me - London, XGL

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Terrible service. Really slow and very unfriendly. We both had a chicken curry which was so mild as to be bland even after we added all the hot sauce they included. It also consisted of a bowl of curried potatoes scattered with a sprinkling of chicken that was obviously not cooked in curry. On the side was a price of nana and a bowl of white rice. So not at all a balanced meal, three starches and pinch of chicken. The only saving grace were the cocktails which were really nice. Only once we wanted a second one, it took ages for someone to bring us the list back, so we stole one from another table. Then we waited a really long time for someone to take our order. They also refused to do a discount that was advertised online for the establishment. Very strange. This seams like a spot that relies on tourist... no need for repeat customers. read more

Had ginger blast smoothie, chicken katsu noodles. 1. Starter and food took forever to arrive. 2. Ginger blast was most head instead of juice. 3. Chicken katsu was moist but meat and noodles were bland and not seasoned at all. It was a TGIF experience at posh prices. read more

Giraffe - Ginge blast - British Near Me - London, XGL

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This Giraffe location is huge, but has a smaller menu selection that the usual smaller locations. Good service, but quite slow. Very loud and a bit cramped, but the food was up to the usual standard. Yum! read more

Everyone here looks like they hate their job. The service is terrible, the food is undercooked and soggy, and the servers are mean. How can you mess up fish and chips in London??! Don't come here!!!! Waited 30 mins to even order, and forget about getting a refill on a drink. Awful! read more

While exiting the London eye we got hungry and it started raining so we had to find a food area quick since it was pretty late about 8-9pm. I saw this place and it was packed so we decided to give it a go. Right when we entered someone came out to the post and asked us how many people and seated us away. Someone in our party went the loo. Our waiter came and asked us if we're ready, we said were waiting on someone to come back from the loo. So, our friend came back and we seriously waited about 15-20 minutes until our waiter came back. We just were hungry and wanted to eat at this point. I ordered the duck sesame noodles. The food came out at a reasonable time. Not once did our waiter came back to see if we needed anything else or how the food was. The food was good. I'm not sure if that's just how London's is with customer service but I think as a customer it should improve. read more

was amazing! our waitress Mani was so lovely & accommodating & was very efficient ! would recommend and would absolutely come again! :)