Went during Christmas with a 2-4-1 cocktail deal Beautiful decorations and an amazing view of the city of London Nest to get the window seats Service was fine, cocktails were very tasty The location to the gherkin can be a little confusing so suggest to go early if have reservations Lovely bar read more

Searcys at The Gherkin - Inside - Modern European Near Me - London, XGL

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The presentation of the tea tower was very nice. The ambiance and view were fantastic. The service here was good. All of the staff was helpful and attentive. The downside was the sandwiches had the thinnest layer of spread whether it was the salmon or cucumber sandwich-- all of them had super thin layers which isn't what I'm accustomed too at other afternoo tea establishments such as The Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills. It was mostly all bread here. The scones and tea at the Gherkin were great. The desserts were delicious but also very tiny too in comparison to other places. You're better of going to the Ritz for a better quality overall experience. read more

Searcys at The Gherkin - Tea tower - Modern European Near Me - London, XGL

Came to the Iris Bar at the top of the Gherkin building. You pass through airport style security, then take the elevator up to floor 34, then another elevator to floor 39 and then stairs to level 40. Panoramic view across the city from the top of this iconic building. We were seated on the good side facing the Thames and Tower bridge. Windows could do with a bit of a scrub, but not too bad. Someone just needs to climb to the top and pour a bucket of water down. There were only two non alcoholic drinks available, but they were good. Also had some root crisps and rice crackers. You can walk around the floor and take pictures from all angles. read more

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Just overall very disappointing. Steer clear... Views were great- I would say incredible like the Shard, but unlike at the Shard, half the windows were fogged up so couldn't see much. Further, some of the windows were very dirty which detracted heavily from the ambiance and occasion. As for the drinks - disappointing. They make a solid Manhattan, but one of the worst whiskey sours I've ever had and similar for the American/Kentucky Mule. They didn't have mule mugs which I would expect for a cocktail bar in one of the tallest buildings in the city and charging £17 per drink. For such an expensive cocktail bar, the bartender was sadly not knowledgeable/capable. Charging £17 for manhattans and whiskey sours is also frankly outrageous without even taking into account how poor the whiskey sour was. Service quality was sadly very inconsistent - our waiter was decent but the coat woman was very cold and clearly didn't care at all. Reception staff was excellent and very warm, thank you. Pay your workers a decent wage, don't tack on a bogus service charge especially when, again, you're already charging £17 for standard cocktail and £14 for the smallest of snack bites. This is a cool place to be able to say you went to, but otherwise - steer clear. Will certainly not be returning which is sad because I really wanted to like this place. read more

Was a cute Valentine's Day experience! Nice view in the restaurant and even better view at the bar! Minus star are the tables and a little Too simple for me. Another minus star was the food! But service was nice and also very cute set up! read more

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4 stars for the view and 3 stars for the food. Before arrival you provide your names to the restaurant so they add you to the list for check-in. When you arrive in the lobby, the receptionist gives you a key card you use to get through the security gates and then head up on the elevator. Although very cool to go inside the Gherkin and enjoy the view from the restaurant, the bar upstairs has a much better view. You can easily access the bar before or after your meal by taking the stairs from the restaurant. For a similar but better view and better food, I would recommend visiting Duck & Waffle where you also get a cool view of the Gherkin from their bar. The service and food were average and although we enjoyed our time, it is not a place we would visit again. read more

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Located at the top of an iconically recognized building "the Gherkin" right in the heart of London the views are spectacular... the wait staff are top notch and the overall ambiance is great... the food itself however not so much...our group was together for a solid week so many, many meals throughout London... this meal had the most food left on the plates so for me this is the true rating of how good or not so good it was. While I licked the plates at several meals this one I could have missed and been just as happy. Scallops were very.... how to describe this.... squishy is the only word that comes to mind...chocolate desert was dry.... how do you make chocolate dry??? One wonders.... read more

The food is good here but you really come for the cool view over london much better thab the shard to my opinion. We went for the Coastline menu: Starters: salmon fish cake, homemade pork pie and langoustine and crab salad. Mains: fish and chips, bubble and squeak and lamb. Desserts: victoria sandwich and earl grey ice cream, bread and butter pudding and whipped rice pudding. Overall good food and amazing setting worth doing one or if you need to entertainment friends visiting or clients read more

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Zero stars. They ruined it all for us Our last night in England with his parents. We wanted to treat them as it will be years since we'll see them again We had booked this online and got a confirmation email. We showed up on time only to be told we didn't have a booking. Only when we showed the confirmation email did they change the tone. They explained they had cancelled our booking. No reason why given. They claimed to have sent an email to tell us this - they didn't. They claimed to have tried to call us - they didn't. They ruined our last night in England and our last night (possibly ever) with his elderly parents. And they were dismissive about it. read more

Pretty good view, although the proximity of the Cheesegrater limits the view back to the West ( up river). Food as you'd expect; service OK. Getting up here a little fiddly as it's necessary to switch elevators. read more

I decided to bring my partner here for his birthday as I thought that it would be fun, exciting and the food would be decent! When you book, you have to give the names of yourself and whoever is in your dining party as your IDs are checked on the way in. Probably because its a working building as the restaurant is only at the top. We were seated to a lovely seat by the window, overlooking the city to the West. We decided to opt for three courses for £40pp which, given the circumstances, I didn't think that this was a bad deal at all. We also ordered a bottle of Riojo seeing as it was a special occasion. I opted for the lobster with tomatoes in a tomato jus type thing and my partner opted for the crab. It was... okay. Nothing in my opinion to shout home about. Probably too tomatoey for my liking! For mains we both had the lamb rump which came with a herb crust and roasted seasonal veg. To share, we ordered the potato rosti. Now this course was delicious and it was such a good shout ordering the potato rosti as it complimented the lamb really nicely! The lamb was cooked medium to medium-rare (even though I asked them to cook mine well done), however it tasted okay so I didn't mind too much and tried not to think about it! For pudding I had the Eton Mess, my partner the Creme Brulee. Both were absolutely divine! The sweet, crunchy meringue with the tart strawberries and raspberries were lovely and it wasn't too filling which was good! Finally, we went upstairs, right to the top of the Gherkin, where the point is, to have a post lunch coffee and enjoy the views. I opted for an Americano and it was very smooth and strong - just the way I like it! The service, overall was excellent, however you would expect it to be in an establishment such as this. And I did not think that the price was too bad, in comparison with similar restaurants such as the Aquashard. read more

We came here when the restaurant and bar was open to the public and was set up with a moroccan theme. We had the mid-afternoon mezze which was like a moroccan twist on afternoon tea with a cocktail. The food came and our high hopes were instantly dashed. Lukewarm, dried out falafel, soggy sardine on a bit of bread and babaganoush which tasted like cigarettes. The chickpea salad was the best of a bad bunch but very sweet and sickly. The plates were all chipped and one bowl had a crack down it. We were starving though, having saved ourselves for this treat so managed to eat some of it. The desserts were of a similar quality. It reminded me of the sort of canapés you might get at a conference in a cheap hotel. The staff were pleasant enough and when we complained they offered us a discount. The view was good but there was no atmosphere really with generic elevator music playing in the background. Don't go for the food but the view is great and the gherkin itself is something to behold. read more

The 3-star designation reflects a blend of a truly outstanding space and some off colour service. The iconic venue is open to the public (with reservation) on occasion and our group of 15 had made such a booking for a networking drinks gathering. With all the secrecy and security measures and restraint around patron treatment, you would think the place were teeming w guests however it was virtually empty. Drinks are expensive and beautiful, much like the view. Once in, it's a delightful experience and well worth a visit however be wary of the hurdles along the way- they certainly don't make it easy and that sense of exclusivity is felt each step up to the top of the Gherkin to Searcy's. read more

The City of London is a ghost town on Saturday nights, far removed from the hectic West End streets. So the perfect time to admire the architecture and mix of new and old. St Mary Axe was a medieval church, now the location of the 'Gherkin', where the top three floors are operated as a private club. The very top, floor 40, is a glass enclave offering 360 views of London. Impressive. Perfect date location, or to impress visitors or clients. Naturally there's a corporate feel to the place but it's fairly casual, they don't seem to enforce the no-trainers-or-ripped-jeans policy too strictly. (Security is strict though - airport style - and photo id required). The restaurant is best for the views, don't go for the food, which is adequate but typically over-priced. I made the mistake of ordering the special of the day, roast duck, and received a starter-size portion. Should have gone for the Chateau Briand which is excellent. Typically extensive wine list to match. read more

The restaurant and bar on top of the Gherkin is normally a private members club open only to paying members and tenants of the Gherkin. I have actually attended a work function held on the bar level by a tenant of the building. Then I found out that for a few days a month during the summer, it is possible for members of the public to book a table either at the restaurant or the bar. My friends were very keen to take advantage of the opportunity, as not many people know someone who is a tenant of the Gherkin. You can only find out the open days the month before, but after exchanging a few emails with the receptionist, I found out the days available for June and easily managed to make a booking for an evening less than a week away. On these open days, there are set rules for what you can order: at the bar, you have to get a flight of 4 champagnes with canapés, which is for a set price of £29.49. Alternatively, there is a 3-course menu available at the restaurant for £45. I thought both prices were quite reasonable, given the steep price of visiting an observation deck in London, and in the end we chose to go with the option at the bar. On a beautiful evening, the place was surprisingly not crowded, with a mix of members/tenants drinking wine and beers, and then a few other groups doing the champagne flight and canapés. The décor was disappointing though, with clear plastic chairs set out that looked very cheap. I can't imagine that a private members club normally looks like this. Service was also fairly poor, as even though we had pre-booked the champagne flight, it took a long time for that to come out, and even longer for the canapés, to the point that it was difficult to say that it was really a pairing given the champagne had already been partly consumed. The canapé selection was a mushroom arancini, duck and sesame toast, a salmon roll and a raspberry sorbet. I thought they were delicious, and the sorbet especially unique as it didn't melt even after sitting out for 20+ minutes(!), and the champagnes were also all very enjoyable. But when one of my friends said she had a seafood allergy and asked for something instead of the salmon roll, the waiter first laughed it off and said salmon was not seafood, then walked off. When she noted later that something had not been brought out, he seemed defiant at first, before finally checking with the chef and bringing out fried rice crackers and a cucumber and yogurt dipping sauce. So while the food and drink could have been improved, the views are simply stunning. My friends and I thought it was easily the best rooftop bar in London, with 360 degree views of the city. We were seated facing St. Paul's cathedral, with a view of the Shard and other City buildings, and Canary Wharf to our back. Even though we arrived at 7 PM, we waited all the way until sunset to leave, as it was such a beautiful sight. If I were to come again, I would book closer to the time of sunset in order to take in the views during the day, sunset, and evening. These open days must not be very well known, as I can easily see high demand for this type of opportunity. I would say that over half of the tables were empty. Given that it takes weeks to get a booking in the Shard or the Sky Pod Bar, and there are probably only a handful of open days at the Gherkin per year, getting this booking was relatively painless and it definitely impressed. read more

I came here for the first time for my friend's engagement party and we booked the Pommery Champagne tasting menu, where we got to try four kinds of champagne with little nibbles of food. The food was good, but I have to say, my boyfriend and I were quite disappointed. All the champagne was WARM. Yes, WARM. For a place like this, completely unacceptable. read more

I had a remarkable experience at Searcys. Drinks at the beautiful bar, followed by dinner in the fabulous restaurant one floor below. Incredible food. Amazing views over London. read more

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Go! It's a fabulous experience. Food is good, the staff is wonderful! Go it's a treat and don't miss the bar it's amazing!!!

We had dinner and drinks here. The restaurant is actually very good and it's not all about the view like some other restaurants. The chocolate mousse dessert was exquisite. Of course, the view is very nice. read more

You definetly pay for the view here, but the view is worth every penny. The food was good, but extremely small portions and probably not quite up to the price. Come here for the view, not the food. Reservations fill up for weekends months ahead of time, so plan early! There is limited seating by the windows, which has the best view, so I'd recommend making your reservation earlier (or request a window seat when you call), and getting sat at a nicer table. It's also nice to see the sunset from the top of The Gherkin. read more

Truly amazing views from the top of the Gherkin, helped by luckily picking a perfect clear and sunny evening and timing it around the sunset with a table right next to the window. We luckily managed to get a table through one of the days they open the restaurant up to the public, as I believe it is normally only open to members and events only. Something we didn't know about it is that there is a small section of airport like security you have to go through to get into the lifts, so make sure you get there a little early if it's your first time. Service was attentive throughout. Champagne trolley on arrival. Incredible homemade butter that tasted like churned double cream. They had a set menu on the night, c£45 for three courses which had a varied selection. I ended going for a dish (mutton rump) which had an £8 supplement. To be fair I wish I hadn't had done it. Don't get me wrong, the dish was lovely but it I don't believe it warranted the supplement. My partner went for the duck which was bar far better main. Overall a lovely experience which you should do at least one. (Visit - 21/04/2015 Dinner) read more