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Beautiful venue but unsure if food and service match
Visited during a weekend to London for Sunday lunch. Glad we made a booking as the restaurant very busy when we arrived. The restaurant is beautiful with a fab outside area which I bet would be lovely in the summer months. Ordered a cocktail and was served a different one from the menu, pointed this out to the waiter and he told it was correct as he had served it before. Said he could send it back to double check; and 5 minutes late said actually yes it was wrong and they would make me the drink I ordered. 30 minutes later still no drink. Eventually after chasing it was served to me. Menu the same food offerings as other Ivy’s, no specials available as it was Sunday. Food tasty, small amount of lobster in the lobster linguine despite the high price. Probably would return for a drink outside but unlikely to return for lunch, found the food overall nice, nothing spectacular and the service as explained unfortunately did not make up for it.
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Disorganised and unhelpful staff
We were seated almost an hour later than our reservation time at 10:45am. We asked for a table of 3 with a high chair and after the wait were given a table for 2 when there were plenty of bigger tables available around it. They allowed us to move tables after we requested this. The staff were very rude and did not even apologise for the delay. We also had a toddler with us who by that point was getting irritable. We ordered 3 meals and one of them came to the table wrong so all in all a very poor and stressful experience!
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A lovely anniversary dinner!
Had such a lovely meal& experience! Everyone was so so lovely and kind! We arrived around 20 mins late (they do waive 15mins), so when we arrived they had given the table away, however we were told to have a drink at the bar and within 10 mins they found us a table. Such beautiful interior and a great vibe, was VERY busy but staff were so efficient! Food was delicious!! The tomato linguine is amazing! Our waiter was so lovely but we didn’t get his name?! (Tall dark haired gentleman with glasses) Would deffo recommend others to come! X
I booked the champagne afternoon tea for my birthday celebration with family. Love afternoon tea in general however this was a big disappointment. The sandwiches were clearly prepared days before and refrigerated. The bread was stale and dry. The cakes and scones were not fresh either. Certainly won't be returning or recommending.
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High prices, terrible food
Visited last week. We both ordered a burger, specifically asking for "medium rare or as minimum as you are allowed to cook it" i.e. NOT well cooked. The food was very slow to arrive and when it did the burgers were like rubber, overcooked and tasteless. Each is £16.95. For that you get it with chips, a slice of tomato, 2 gherkins (to fill the plate up) and a piece of lettuce. I should have sent it back but we had waited so long already and was with a friend a rarely see. Really disappointed and not cheap. The Ivy need to do better to keep customers,
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Stephanie best welcome ever !
I had very bad experiences in thr ivy in the past, I gave it another chance today with friends and honestly, a woman called Stephanie from the welcome staff made my experience SO GOOD ! 10/10 best welcome ever !!
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Average dinner. Good brunch
Amazing place with highly average food. Do not order milanesa or fish and chips, both are poor level options. I think brunch is great, but dinner is not, relation price vs food doesn’t makes sense.
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Now a Cote Brasserie with higher prices and worse food
We visited the Ivy Chelsea Garden for lunch on a Sunday and had an incredibly disappointing experience. Despite booking a table outside online, the system did not register our choice to sit outside and so we had to have a table inside. The woman who took us to our seats was rude and rushed us into choosing a table even though it was the restaurant's fault for not being able to honour our reservation with a table outside. We ordered the salmon (to be cooked pink) and a ribeye (rare) along with a bottle of white wine. The food took ages to come and arrived an hour after we were seated. To say my steak was overdone is an understatement, it was the colour of leather despite ordering it rare. Both mains were therefore sent back so we could eat together. We ordered some olives to have in the meantime because we were starving by this point but these only arrived after the next set of mains (too little too late). When the mains came the second time round, the salmon was now incredibly overcooked, despite ordering it pink. Whilst the salmon was sent back, I kept my steak as at least this was rare this time. This was a shame as we were not able to eat together and the sides we were sharing went cold for my mum by the time her salmon arrived, but I was incredibly hungry and did not want to risk being served an overcooked steak again. When the third salmon came, it was finally cooked as requested. Service felt stretched with us often having to pour the wine ourselves, despite having a table for 2:30 when the main lunch rush was over. That said, our waiter Carlos was incredibly kind and attentive. Stefanie was also lovely. Faycal the manager was great and it was only thanks to him personally going to the kitchen to supervise the cooking of our food that we actually were able to have any lunch. He recognised all of our issues and wrote off our food from the bill so that we only paid for the wine (which was delicious). These 3 staff members were the only shining stars in an incredibly disappointing meal. Having to send food back twice and be served 3 rounds of mains to get the food right is not what we would expect from the Ivy and seems to add to the chain's downwards trend as it continues its national expansion. This is such a shame as what used to be a real treat serving reliably delicious food has now turned into a Cote Brasserie just with higher prices and actually worse food. Our experience was not in isolation with the table of 6 behind us sending back 4 out of 5 of their steaks and having a poor lunch. We won't be returning in a hurry.
Celebrated dads birthday with lunch at the Ivy. Sat in greenhouse area. As always very pretty with candles and plants everywhere. The service was excellent - friendly and attentive, really enjoyable lunch.
My favorite London girly brunch spot. Spectacular interior, so beautiful. Impeccable professional staff. Be sure to make a reservation.
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Sorry but this has to be another 5*Fresh from Mother Goose
Sorry but this has to be another 5*Fresh from Mother Goose (see review Duke of York theatre), we were in a buoyant mood. Once I had found the tickets several weeks earlier, we had looked at where to eat on New Year's Eve...we are old hands at the Ivy Collection...this seemed perfect - not too far from the hotel (The Hoxton, Shepherd's Bush - see review), music and band, a good price for the set menu...ok let's do it...and amazingly they had roomWe arrived at 9 as planned, coats taken and apologies that our table was still occupied...please have a free glass of champagne at the bar - no need to say that twice!At 9:20, they returned to say, we are clearing up the table now, please have another free glass of champagne at the bar. Within minutes we were being led to the table, glass in hand..and......for openers, you get...a free glass of champagne...well that was a good start!The 3 course meal was excellent - easy choices at £75 a throw, our 2 waiters super but not invasive, noise level acceptable, the music discreet and the 3 piece walking band fun...we added a Malbec (yummy) and double espressos...oh and, forgotten why, but we ended up with another glass of champagne - oh yes midnight!Including the set tip, that was £222We poured ourselves out into the cold at1:20 to get the tube. What a great evening! If we are in the UK this year end, this could well be a place to return to (failing which, it will be the River Cafe boat in Paris again...but that is 50%+ and more, but it is a 7 course meal, your own waiter, and a DJ with dancing; leave at 3; difficult decision)So far so good, back to the hotel...there's a taxi - brilliant...it was freezing(Pictures when sorted - to follow)
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This would not be a place at the top of my list to
This would not be a place at the top of my list to recommend to people in London. It was overly crowded inside, and at one point a person in my party was served a warm beer. When he explained that the beer was warm to our waiter, we basically lost the right to good service for the rest of the evening. The food was OK but not something I will dream of.
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Our waiter was the absolute best!
We came in on a Sunday for a relaxed, sit down meal with proper food. We were greeted by a friendly woman in the door whom kindly guided us to our table. We were three adults with a beautiful four year old autistic girl. The waiter, Pascal, immediately understood her needs and said he would prioritize her meal, as she was very hungry and started to get some what flustered. When he came with our drinks he saw her getting worried for the food, and offered to get her a scoop of ice cream ASAP. The food arrived and we had an amazing dinner all in all - much thanks to Pascal! Would come back and will recommend the place to friends visiting :)
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Flamboyant Decor and Gorgeous Food
Wow - the decor was what drew us in for dinner, eclectic, interesting and very pleasing. The meals on the menu sounded quite mainstream, however they were something rather different and unexpected. I have never seen or eaten a Shepards Pie quite like this one - it was sensational. Other meals we ordered where calamari, Fish and Chips and Roasted Chicken - all rather everyday but delivered taste and presentation on another level. Service was professional and friendly and we really enjoyed a memorable experience here in this busy and vibrant restaurant. We will visit again when next in London from Sydney
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Beautiful place, some of the best gin and tonics I've ever
Beautiful place, some of the best gin and tonics I've ever had and the chicken rostisserie was delicious.
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I love this restaurant.
I go here every year for my birthday because the people are lovely, service is excellent, the food is delicious, drinks are tasty, and we always have a wonderful time.
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Lovely food, fantastic surroundings, but very slow service and tables too tightly packed together in the garden.
Been to a few branches of the Ivy (see what I did there.... ?). They never disappoint. Love the menu and in my opinion, it is always well priced, especially considering it is an upmarket, high quality brand. The Chelsea Garden did not disappoint again in terms of food, drinks and prices. The decor is really stylish and the outdoor, garden seating area, for which it is best known, is a lovely space. We loved the all encompassing garden surroundings, which made for a lovely ambience for dinner. In fact, all four of us agreed that it is probably the nicest of any of the Ivy restaurants we have been fortunate enough to have visited. However, we felt that the tables were actually too tightly packed in and there was not a lot of room between them, which made it all feel a little tight and on almost on top of nearby tables. Don't expect to be able to hold a private conversation! On this occasion, even being a Monday night, the service was dreadfully slow and we had to chase our waiter several times. When the food did arrive, it was delicious and accompanied by a couple of bottles of great wine. Overall, very good. Top marks for the lovely, stylish garden, food and the value for money, but not so great on the speed of service and the lack of space.
I agree with recent reviews WORST IVY RESTAURANT EVER. Arrived early sat at bar, 15 minutes to get served. Got to table, 50 mins and still not ordered a drink, had asked 3 members of staff. Service was appalling and staff so miserable. This place is an absolute disgrace, go to Victoria branch instead. Wrong sauces brought to table, waited 10 mins for vinegar and bellini was about 3 quarters full
1/5 by
Ediz on 07/30/2022
Just terrible management and service, can't describe how bad our experience was. I have been living in London for 10 years and been to Ivy Chelsea Garden multiple times before but I was shocked the see the rudeness and arrogance of the managers this time around. I don't think I'll ever come back nor visit any other branches. I would recommend people to avoid if they want to enjoy their weekend. Don't believe me? Read all the comments below; seems to be a similar experience by everyone. They really need to do something about the managers and do a cash analysis to see what's going wrong here; I have never seen something like this before.
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poor service from the moment we arrived !! wake up guys....
i see i am not alone in having a frustrating experience at the ivy chelsea last night! the service is appalling for any restaurant never mind one that rates itself so highly. the door staff are actually very good but once seated we were basically abandoned for 15 minutes until we could catch a waiter to order a drink! we then had to self serve our champagne as total lack of service . i had to get up to take form the empty table next to us a replacement fork, then salt and pepper despite asking a waiter for them! we had to then grab a waiter to place our food order! maybe it was because we were in the garden area. total lack of service out there. the food was fine by the way! i was at the Delaunay the day before and had a lovely meal and excellent service so i know its possible even in these tricky times. come on guys you need to step up as it was as poor as I've ever experienced in any restaurant. managers need a reality check.
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Sadly standard has dropped both food & service!!
So I am leaving the UK and I am therefore meeting with friends for farewell lunches. Yesterday, we chose to go to the Ivy Chelesa Garden. I had been before last year and the service and food had both been good. Sadly, yesterday the service was dismissive, unfriendly and the food was mediocre. It appears the restuarnat is very popular and therefore the staff can behave abrupt and unfriendly. I arrived and despite requesting a nice table in the garden, they allocated a table which was situated in such a way that all the staff and guests kept brushing pass. I requested to move and they then allocated a table effectively it ses as if it was slotted in by the fountain with no room to manoeuvre!!!. Our waiter was ok but no warmth emitting from him and like I said the food was ok nothing special in terms of taste. We ordered the Korean glazed chicken and milanese chicken with sides of cous cous and tomato salad. Unfortunately they did not have the apple tart on the menu so we passed on dessert. Look the ivy chelsea garden is pretty and you are paying for the setting. Even the sitting inside the restuarant would be nice as the decor is lovely. But considering the bill came to approx £80.00, my dining experiences at the Orrery and Elystan Street was far more superior and worth the money.
Took my friend for lunch 2 weeks ago. We were sat in the middle of the conservatory walkway with some people practically sitting in our food while taking photos.. I ended up with fish poisoning which has led to severe dehydration after eating the scallops and am still unwell. Sent a message twice through the enquiry form, not even an acknowledgment. I have been to a lot of Ivy Grills over the years including this one but i won't bother anymore. Disgraceful customer service.
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Great Food, but Service Lets it Down
Dinner for a family of three, a very warm July evening. We had booked in advance, and had a table for the three of us set outside in the garden which met our requirements perfectly as this was a family catch-up, and we wanted to be be able to hold a conversation; it can get quite loud inside. We arrived for our 18:15 booking, and it was obvious that it was already busy. The lady manning the reception booth was doing sterling work sorting out who had reservations, who didn't, who could possibly be accommodated for dinner later in the evening, and coping well with one individual who let their emotion overrule their good manners! Once through, we were shown to our table in the extensive and fully occupied outdoor dining area, although our table was right in the corner, fully covered and that suited us perfectly. The initial order for drinks took a little longer than we would have liked, as did the order for our main course, although thankfully the food did arrive within a reasonable time from order, and arrived together. And to be honest, the main course was very good. So onto dessert, and this is where it all went slightly wrong. It took a long time to get service, and it did seem that the communications between the staff was a little fraught, I certainly had the impression that the customers outnumbered the staff and it was all a little too busy. We ordered two frozen berries; only one arrived and as it was impossible to get the attention of the staff, I shared mine with my daughter. Of course, the bill reflected that we had ordered two, but once we pointed that only one had arrived, it was corrected (though I must say with a very minimal apology). We were there for nearly three hours, which reflects the service and was a bit longer than we had been planning. So a bit difficult to review in a way. Not as outstanding as it's reputation, in fact a little underwhelming, and I do wonder if it is suffering similar difficulties that seem to be blighting the hospitality industry.
Poor service, poor food, poor ambience, never again! Appallingly Rude staff, lukewarm food, painfully slow service. Better places to spend my hard earned money.
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Shambles due to bad management
My birthday treat was a big disappointment, table pre booked for 8pm, arrived early for pre dinner drinks told they were busy and “if we liked to go off for a drink for 30mins “ !! They had clearly overbooked with low staffing. Food was very tasty but the whole experience was not recommended. They know they will still get bookings due to their name and really don’t care how they treat their customers. We were surrounded by tables that never got cleared and due to not getting our booked table on time we eat very late and had to finish our evening inside !! Not the plan. As it is a garden experience. My tip is avoid for evening meals til the sort this out.
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Worst Service Ever Experienced
This used to be a regular favourite but the service was so shocking that I will never set foot in there again.
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This place is everything! Gorgeous inside and out.
The beautiful people watching. We sat for hours enjoying the back patio and sipping champagne, watching people come and go... The food is delicious. Tomato soup was perfect! We had the endive chicken salad and the blackened cod with foam. You must make a Rez, or it's a no go....The music inside felt incredible, a bit like a club scene, but not as loud. We can not wait to return to this ... Xanadu of a place~
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Great place for afternoon tea or lunch.
They're busy at anytime during the day so you'd better off making a reservation specifically if you want to sit in their lovely garden. We tried the afternoon tea combination and the scones were phenomenal
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Gorgeous restaurant and outdoor dining area.
Fun cocktails such as Gins & Roses and French Garden 75. Our waiter did not pay attention to detailed requests on two orders. Delicious food such as Shepard Pie and the halibut but portions are small. Nice wine list but the waiter knew very little about the wines. This is the perfect place for drinks or dinner after Chelsea Flower Show. When booking reservations be clear when booking for The Ivy or The Ivy Asia which is next door.
Staff - untrained, impolite, rushing us, not very diligent, condescending, laughing between themselves,
food - starters very average, main curry very average - ( except the duck which was really good quality) - but overall nothing at his finest...wine at disputable temperature - waiter offered to put ice cubes in my glass to chill it down ....
Not suitable for families
asked to be away from the entrance door when I booked a month in advance
drove to the place before to re-ask about my table ...guess what... I got THAT table with view on front door ...and I was told "first one firs served...- live with it..."...
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Great Dining Experience
We had a lovely dining experience here! The setting is wonderful, albeit slightly loud. We both had steaks, which were beautifully cooked. The desserts were superb too. I definitely would recommend but make sure you book in advance.
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Worst Ivy in London - Avoid
I eat out 4 or 5 nights a week, and this is without doubt the worst restaurant I’ve been to in London over the past 4 or 5 years. Service was slow, the staff lied and the duty manager was incompetent. Unfortunately it was a family trip out for my Mum’s birthday - which I had informed the Ivy in advance.
We waited half an hour for our reserved table, despite being told it would be a few minutes. When I finally complained after about 25 minutes the lady at the front desk said she’d arrange for a complimentary round of cocktails…. which never arrived.
Ordering was very slow and food arrived painfully slowly. We ordered some simple nibbles (bread, arancini, zucchini) to start and mains. Half an hour after we had finished the nibbles, and over an hour after having been seated, our mains finally arrived. Nobody had come to clean the table between courses, so the waiter tried pushing the empty dishes around to make space. He then started cleaning the table once our mains had been served. This was tacky and unprofessional, so we asked to speak to the Manager, who never appeared.
When the mains did arrive, there was a hair in one of the dishes, which was noticeable at first glance.
We were planning to order desserts and coffee, however, having waited over 10 minutes for our dessert order to be taken (and having been in the restaurant 2hrs 45mins) we abandoned.
To make matters worse, we were lied to by several members of staff. When waiting for a table we were told the General Manager was getting it ready. When we complained about wait times we were told the General Manager had been informed. When we asked to speak to the General Manager for the third time, we were finally told that the General Manager wasn’t actually working today. The alleged duty manager came over and pretended not to know anything of the issues…. despite having been the one to serve us our food. He pretended to write down our issues before going away to knock about £25 off the bill. I’ve never seen someone look so reluctant to apologise.
Don’t waste your time here. This was all unacceptable and shows this restaurant has absolute contempt for customers, zero accountability and absent leadership.
There are plenty of great Ivy’s in London (Soho, Victoria, Richmond). This is certainly not one of them.
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Last Reply by CelebratedStreet63 (03/15/2023 4:29 pm)
5 Replys, 2 comments
It can be under your name or a name you choose! Some reservation offers already include the AppointmentTrader Transfer Service which will transfer the reservation in to your name. If its not included you can add it on after buying the reservation for a small fee. One thing on that though: As many reservations become available at last minute, taking a reservation in someone else name is quick and great for privacy. Most reservations on AT are listed with a virtual phone number, so all you need to do is present the phone number at the hostess stand and you are good to go!
Best answer by ColorfulRod45 (07/09/2021 5:17 pm)