I met a friend for lunch as she works in the City. It has a nice ambience, spacious and quiet, even when there a people around you. The staff are attentive but not intrusive, friendly and efficient. The set menu is £22.50 for 2 courses and a bit more for 3. I had lobster bisque to start. Absolutely delicious especially dipping the sourdough toast in it. My friend had beetroot with goat’s cheese. Also very good. Our second course of celeriac tagliatelle was a bit bland. The artichoke crisps were yummy but the truffle veloute had no discernible flavour at all. I will definitely think about going there again next time we meet up in London.
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THE place to go for a special occasion
5/5 by
Fay W on 03/05/2023
This is our favourite restaurant. You will find top class food, unmatched service and amazing views, It is THE place to go for a special occasion or date and you really get the Michelin Star vibe. It feels posh, expensive and classy without being pretentious, overpriced or unfriendly. The staff are so so attentive and make sure you have the best experience. The food is delicious and for me, being vegan, there are always a number of options, all as amazing as each other. We will be coming back very soon!
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From Lobster Lament to Venison Vexation: My Disappointing Dinner at City Social
I recently booked in to dine at City Social, Jason Atherton's highly acclaimed restaurant on the 24th floor of Tower 42. However, my experience was far from the standard one would expect at such a renowned establishment. Upon arrival, I was thrilled by the lively ambiance of the bar area, with its art deco-inspired decor and stunning views of the City skyline. The bar's cocktails were impressive and skillfully crafted, and the atmosphere was conducive to a relaxed evening of fine dining. Unfortunately, the evening's meal was anything but relaxing. I ordered the lobster, which was, regrettably, a disastrous dish. The lobster was inedible, tough, and entirely flavorless, leaving me disappointed and baffled. The waitstaff, despite their congenial demeanor, did not appear overly concerned about my dissatisfaction with the dish. I was taken aback when they brought out an alternative course without even asking. I believe this may have been an attempt to prevent me from inquiring why the exorbitantly priced lobster, which I did not eat, was still added to my bill. The main course, a venison dish, was average, lacking the depth and nuance one would expect from a restaurant of this caliber. The service was similarly disorganized and clumsy, with long wait times for every aspect of the meal. I noticed many other diners becoming impatient, with several choosing to get up and find someone to pay their bills and leave. Even the soap in the bathrooms showed a slow decline of slipping standards, where they were using the horrendous pink stuff found in depressing shopping centres that dries your hands out, and there wasn’t even any hand cream to elevate the discomfort. In conclusion, despite my previous admiration for City Social, I cannot recommend this restaurant to others in good conscience. My experience was anything but refined, with the exception of the bar and cocktail experience. I urge Michelin to reevaluate their rating, as my experience was in stark contrast to the glowing review they published. I remain hopeful that City Social can rectify these issues and return to the heights of culinary excellence that they have previously achieved.
So I brought my hot date (the lovely Jenna) to this restaurant on Saturday 4th Feb 23 and the level of service we recieved was nothing short of abismil!! The staff were all very pleasant, however they did not seem to be able to work as a team. From the get go, after ordering drinks; it took ages for them to arrive and throughout our meal we had to keep on waving and calling staff over to order drinks, food and even pay our bill. At one point we even witnessed staff arguing with each other! Anyway, we both ordered Seabass, however on arrival we realised we had forgot to order sides to accompany it and therefore ordered them immedieatly and had to wait approx 5-10 mins for them to arrive. Surely our waiter could have mentioned this when taking our orders! So after our meal we moved into the bar which I had booked a table in and we were seated by a member of staff and advised that we were welcome to move to any of the window seats if they became available. Subsequently, one became available and we moved into it only to be approached by another member of staff approx 10 minutes later advising us that someone else was waiting for the table and basically asking us to move. I had even rang the restaurant a few days before to request a window seat and I was advised it was not possible to book one. Similarly to the restaurant, staff were very unattentive and when I finally did get one of my orders in, my drink simply did not arrive! To top it all off, when i went to the bar to pay, I was given the wrong bill and ended up literally having to tell the staff what I needed to pay for!! The food, the restaurant itself and the views were all impressive but by the end of the night the service was comical and we could not believe we were in a michelin star restaurant in central london. Had I known the service in the bar was going to be as bad as the restaurant, I would have decucted the 12. 5% service charge from my bill!
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Tuesday night impromptu date night
Having been on a number of occasions in the past first time post covid and the menu the food better than ever will be back soon lovely to see the view’s again as well
I celebrated my best friend Birthday there. Food was good and amazing view. I wasn't sure coming here because a friend of mine who use to work for jason atherton told me staff was asked to work with COVID and no masks the past year. The experience was generally good though.
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Stylish and trendy bar and restaurant
Stylish and trendy bar and restaurant. Food is unique and atmosphere is exceptional. Great views from each corner. Always busy so must book in advance. Expensive but you must try at least once.
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Great View, Excellent Time
I came here for dinner with work friends and we had a great time – talk about a view from your seat at the restaurant – and the food was very good and the service was excellent. We had a variety of appetizers, and it is hard to say what was better the steak or the lobster ravioli: I’d also recommend having the bartender shake you up a vodka martini. If you walk out of here hungry, something is wrong!
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I came here for dinner with work friends and we had a great
I came here for dinner with work friends and we had a great time - talk about a view from your seat at the restaurant - and the food was very good and the service was excellent. We had a variety of appetizers, and it is hard to say what was better the steak or the lobster ravioli: I'd also recommend having the bartender shake you up a vodka martini. If you walk out of here hungry, something is wrong!
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Come for the views, not the flavor.
Mediocre service and flashy food that lacked inspiration; not the dining experience we expected from a Michelin star. As you approach City Social, you're greeted with a metal detector and a coat check and then you head up the lift for what we hope would be a memorable London dining experience. We were early, so we were sat in front of the window at the bar area. The views are truly spectacular and definitely the highlight of the evening. After sometime, we were greeted by a server to take our drink order. We ordered two specialty cocktails and it was quite obvious the server knew very little about the menu. The drinks were fantastic. City Social's best people seem to be behind the bar. We also had a great experience with the sommelier that was as fun as they were knowledgable.We sat for an extended period of time before someone finally came over and took our order. We ordered the scallop, the prawn/lobster ravioli, and the lobster tail salad. The appetizers looked nice, but the flavors fell flat. The prawn/lobster ravioli was my personal favorite, but even that was underwhelming. When we come to restaurants like these we hope to taste something new, but the appetizers were just not that interesting. The main courses were more of the same. The duck was good, but pretty standard. Nothing to write home about. Dessert was good. I would actually say the drinks and dessert were the only shining moments of the evening. If I were to come back to City Social, it would likely be for drinks and a dessert and to enjoy the views. That being said, if you're coming for an inspiring Michelin star meal, I would look elsewhere.
Nice view and good location. Service was alright but nothing out of the ordinary. We had to make contact with waiters outselves to get service, they did not come automatically. We were charged for desserts that we did not have. The food was alright but very overpriced. I would rate it higher, if the price had been half of what it was. We were two persons, had two courses and two glasses of wine, and we were charged 276 pounds. I'm from Scandinavia and used to expensive dining, and even so, I find this highly overpriced.
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I was invited to this restaurant for an exclusive
5/5 by
AJ R. on 12/06/2022
I was invited to this restaurant for an exclusive networking event. It was a 5 course meal that did not disappoint! Everything was delicious. It is honestly the most beautiful meal I've ever had. Every dish was explained and there was plenty of wine to go around as well as cocktails on demand. I wish I had taken pictures of every dish, but I was too distracted being immersed in the experiences. The company putting on the event hired the Chef's table which has a beautiful view of St. Paul's cathedral and central London; as well as a window into the restaurant's kitchen where you can see the food being prepared. The room was just the right size. Even though there were about 14 of us, it felt intimate and everyone could talk with each other around the table. I was surprised as usually round tables of 10 are very awkward yet this one, which was for a bigger party felt cozy. I definitely recommend it.
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We were excited to celebrate my wife's birthday at City
We were excited to celebrate my wife's birthday at City Social which is decorated with one Michelin star. The view at the restaurant is impeccable! It's located in the heart of London with lots of high rise buildings. We were able to see the Shard and the Gherkin! We arrived early around 5 pm, so we were guided to their bar area for a few drinks. The cocktail, wine, and spirits selections were wonderful. My cocktail Honey Moon was great! They even have non alcoholic cocktail option that was good as well. It was a beautiful restaurant surrounded by all the city lights. When the dinner room is open, we were invited to the dinner table. Their sourdough bread with onion and chive butter was great! Very delicious. We started with their beef tartare and scallops. The beef tartare was different than the typical beef tartare. The beef was in bigger chunks and the sauce was more vinegar based. I felt the flavor was simple, almost too simple that I wasn't impressed. The scallops starter was wonderful! Layers of flavors and beautifully plated food. It was the highlight of the evening. My main entree was the sea bass with calm chowder based sauce. Beautiful plate, but the overall taste was too salty for me. The portion was solid, but I wasn't impressed by the flavors. It wasn't bad, but I was certainly expecting more from a one star Michelin restaurant. The rib eye steak wasn't impressive neither. We definitely had much better rib eye from a regular restaurant before. Overall, we enjoyed the opportunity to celebrate the birthday dinner at a beautiful restaurant; however, I was disappointed by the food. I was hoping to be blown away by their award winning flavors.
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First experience at a Michelin restaurant, it did not
First experience at a Michelin restaurant, it did not disappoint. Was very luckily to get a reservation on short notice. Everything from drinks, food, dessert and service was beyond anything I've ever had. The view was pretty nice as well. Will definitely try and visit whenever in London.
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Upscale dining with a spectacular city view
While we dined in a private room, the service was crisp and welcoming. We were celebrating a special occasion and the staff adapted to our spirit. The menu was creative and courses quite varied. It helped that our small group picked its selections in advance so all courses were served at the proper temperature. The food did not disappoint. This was my first time at City Social and first London visit post-Covid…I look forward to my next dinner here.
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Amazing food and incredible views - plus the service wasn't
Amazing food and incredible views - plus the service wasn't to be matched. The staff was courteous and friendly, and even took us on a tour to see multiple views and a peek in the kitchen. Overall a great experience!
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Anniversary dinner... started ominously
Friday evening, in the middle of tube/rail strike week. Dinner booked at 1930 but we arrived early so we could enjoy some champagne with the views... and the restaurant and bar area were absolutely deserted, save some tourists clearly there for some quick insta shots. Not the optimal atmosphere we expected. We cautiously settled down in one of the window seats for champagne and crossed our fingers. But, we needn't have worried! My wife and I got carried away in conversation and before we knew it, the front office popped over to say that one of the top tables had just been prepared for us. We look up, and the restaurant area is heaving with a lovely (social-distanced) vibe. We tried almost every course on the menu - including the caviar and truffles extras - with almost every coravin wine available. Service was great and the scallops starter was the best scallops course I have had in a very long time. The apple trifle dessert (paired with some d'Yquem) was ridiculous. A perfect 1-mich restaurant.
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Private dining experience
We were celebrating my friend's birthday and we were lucky to be in one of the private dining rooms so my review is based on this experience. There was a long table that had seating for 20 people and was stylishly decorated. It was a good size space with plenty of room to stand and chat and take pictures by the wonderful view of the London skyline. I had mackerel to start followed by turbot and eaton mess and all the dishes were excellent and looked beautiful. The wine our host had selected was delicious and the service was the best I have ever experienced from Simone and his team. Were had a few rounds of cocktails and these were excellent too. All in all, I would highly recommend this restaurant and would love to visit again and recommend it to friends. The private dining is a special treat but again if you have a special event to celebrate you can't pick a better venue.
Excellent service Excellent location Excellent views Outstanding food. We were a party of four & we all made different selection for our three course, and all agreed that we could not fault the food. Would definitely recommend this restaurant. Particularly for a special occasion and will definitely be returning.
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Great food, great views
Fortunate enough to have a private dining experience with a tasting menu. Very nice food, good wine and an altogether wonderful experience.
5/5 by
Mike. on 05/22/2022
My wife and I went last night for our 20 year wedding anniversary. Extremely well presented and amazingly tasty food . The staff were very attentive and the views were exceptional. We weren’t crammed in and never felt like we were being rushed to finish up like some other top restaurants we have been to. Many thanks to all the staff for making it such a memorable evening.
4/5 by
radu on 05/21/2022
Lovely place with great aumbiance. Enjoyed beautiful city scene from the huge glass window while dining the most delicious food . Thanks for getting a surprise cake on the table n delicious petit four along with coffee after dinner.
This visit was to the chef’s table, hosting clients. Food was fabulous, and the setting and views sublime. Service very good too.
This was such a lovely experience. The food was delicious and beautifully presented. I particularly enjoyed the Devon crab starter and my steak was excellent. The lamb raviolo was spectacular. I am not sure the earl grey soufflé needed sorbet placed in it (by the waiter, without asking), but the dessert itself was really lovely. As you would expect, the wines are pricey, but for a special occasion there is plenty of choice. The views are spectacular. Oddly, the lighting was adjusted several times and the restaurant went from dull to very dark, which made me feel sleepy!
Took clients to The Social for dinner and drinks. Amazing views from the restaurant. The clients thoroughly enjoyed the dinning experience. It was busy but the staff coped brilliantly and professionally.
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Don’t miss this one if your in the area
We arrived early for some pre drinks in the bar area. A very relaxing atmosphere, excellent service and a good wine by the glass menu as well. The meal its self was, well, lost for words. Every mouthful was so tasty i had to stop myself from licking the plate at one point, that was the Balmoral Estate venison, incredible……. The restaurant was busy but there was enough space between tables that my wife and i could still have a conversation without the felling of being overheard. 10 out of 10, wonderful evening.
Nothing to say apart from wow! This is not cheap, but is a special occasion restaurant. Absolutely fabulous food. We had the crab, the langostine crevice and the scallops to start. The Turbot, the Lamb Ravioli I and the Venison. All wonderfully cooked and presented. Service, as you would expect, was perfect.