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River Cafe. London Tripadvisor Reviews
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31 Reviews
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Still amazing 25th years later..
We were there for a 50th birthday celebration. Saturday lunch. Very busy, lovely day. First went over 25 years ago. Still a fabulous experience. Some of the reviewers on here need to give their heads a wobble..this is a wonderful restaurant on every level. From reception to the tables to the service and the food .. all really great. We had the chili squid, the parma ham and the crab to start and then the rabbit ragu and the clam pasta dishes for main and the lemon almond and polenta cake to share for pudding. Every single dish and bite was so great. Not 2 star Michelin great but about the best fresh bistro type food you could imagine. This place is all about simple food with really great quality fresh ingredients. Service was cheerful and faultless. It's not cheap but don't whine about that when you arrive. You know it's not a budget meal so enjoy it as a special occasion or don't come. Lots of complaints about the tables being too close together, I'd completely disagree, I thought it made it even more buzzy. Would go again in a heartbeat .. if I could get a table!
Be the first to ReplyOverpriced for what you get
The food was nice enough, but I have to say that I was disappointed in terms of value for money. I started with tagliatini vongole which had 8 clams, of which 4 were closed - not good enough for £35 and a disappointing lack of attention to detail at the pass. My main was sole; nice, but small and overpriced. Desserts were the highlight of the meal and really delicious, although no effort was made on presentation or accompaniments. I was really disappointed at the lack of attention to the dining experience: at £150 a head it’s disappointing to have cheap paper table cloths, dated decor, overcrowded table placement unchecked toilets and no genuine engagement from who I presume were the senior staff. The place was full, on a Tuesday night, but I feel it’s banking on its existing reputation. I wouldn’t return.
Be the first to ReplyA security
Always safe to come back here, excellent and well-prepared food, top Selvapiana Italian oil, important wine list, and one of the most professional services that exist
Be the first to ReplyWinter Menu Wow
We were a party of four who had a late lunch on the winter set menu offer. The food was exceptional and the service was great. Whilst the Al la carte is very expensive this is clearly because of the quality of ingredients, the army of young chefs they have and the very well staffed front of house. I would absolutely return and pay full price particularly for a special occasion. This really is an iconic restaurant.
Be the first to ReplyGood food but a little over priced
We went here for my wife’s birthday, with our friends. The food we had was great, well cooked, fresh and tasty. I just think is was overpriced for what we had. £60 for a mains plate, £75 for a bottle of wine. I couldn’t justify coming here again.
Be the first to ReplyWorth a visit
Worth a visit. Such an iconic restaurant that everyone must go to. The food is splendid and delicious. The restaurant is beautiful and the service is amazing.
Be the first to ReplyCheaper to fly to Italy and eat aithentic Italian food
Completely disappointing....I'm British and have lived in Italy for over 15 years and the claim of eating delicious Italian food in London is untrue. Far too expensive for poor quality food, lack of warmth from staff and a main course of pigeon that could have eaten in the colli euganei for a third of the price, which would have tasted much better. I will never return nor recommend.
Be the first to ReplyTrading on past glories.
We have been visiting The River Cafe to celebrate special family occasions for several decades. We visited again last week to celebrate a 30th birthday. Sadly we all agreed that the magic of the place has gone. The tables are rammed too close together and the food was mediocre. The decor, which used to seem new and fresh now seems tired and in need of an upgrade. Finally the prices are stratospherically high. We will find another restaurant for our next family celebration.
Be the first to ReplyAs Much an Experience as a Meal
Upfront, The River Cafe is an expensive restaurant but we were looking for a high-end place with an interesting menu that would treat us to new flavors and tastes. We were not disappointed. The menu offered a variety of dishes as starters, as first courses, as main entrées and desserts. We ordered ravioli and scallops among our first dishes, they were fabulous. Our main dishes were rockfish, dover sole, and steak. These were also delicious. The atmosphere is classy and the service is top notch. You may even catch a glimpse of a celebrity. English singer-songwriter and actress Lily Allen was in the house while we dined. Paul McCartney and Elton John have dined here, too.
Be the first to ReplyVery disappointing
This was without doubt the most disappointing Michelin star experience we have ever had. The food has elements which are very good but certainly not exceptional. The clam risotto, has a very good depth of flavour from the base stock, but is very stingy on the shellfish element and is simply dumped like a flat pancake on a plate, with no attention to presentation. The grilled squid, is very tender but lacks flavour, accompanied by a well seasoned wild rocket salad. The longhorn beef, has a lovely salt crust on the three pieces on the plate but the meat itself lacks depth of flavour. The restaurant is very shoulder to shoulder with other patrons, and feels more like a diner than high end food. The carpet was also in need of a good vacuum in places (at the start of a lunchtime service). The staff were pleasant but again not to the same level of service as many other Michelin star restaurants we have eaten in. It is very expensive for the product that is being offered. I don’t mind paying for high quality food but this was really very disappointing sadly, particularly as we had travelled over two hours just to visit here. There are much better value Michelin star restaurants in London, serving higher standards of food and providing a much better overall dining experience.
Be the first to ReplyNever disappoints
River Cafe never fails with exceptional food, drink and service every time. Excellent produce always perfectly prepared and delightful staff (including the lovely valet team).
Be the first to ReplyDisappointed, overrated & overpriced
We had been looking forward to our dinner, the reputation built up over the years excited us!! We arrived on time, regrettably we booked a table outside, convinced when we booked the outside area was protected, enclosed & heated! On arrival we tried to check our coats, reception suggested we keep them as area was cold, negative start before we sat down! Booked table for 4, table shown to us was set for 4 but only had 3 chairs, poor show for this pricey overrated joint! Best part of meal was the focaccia. We each ordered a starter, 2xAperagus-bitter, i x crab very small portions for £35, i x pasta, overpriced too, probably. Mains Pigeon-Tough, tasty. 2x Veal, served cold, was supposed to slow cooked for hours?? i l complained, they took the dish away and replaced with same Luke warm portion, no improvement. For over £100 for 2 courses each not good enough!! By this time we'd had enough, paid the bill and left. Polite and kind waiter advised they did not charge for one of the veal portions. Obviously they realised the food was definitely not up to scratch! London has many wonderful restaurants, serving amazing. This one misses the boat by a mile, exists due to their celebrity clients only! Sadly we wont be back
Be the first to ReplyHOW did they get a Michelin Star?
My husband and I were very excited to try The River Cafe. Our daughters had given us a generous gift voucher because it was my Birthday and they knew we had already booked our reservation. We had a booking for 18:30. We were informed from the time we booked that we would be seated outdoors....no issue for us. We arrived early at about 18:05. The hostess informed us that the dining area wasn't open but offered us the bar where we might order a beverage. We sat at the bar for at least 20 minutes. We were never even acknowledged much less offered a drink. Once our table was ready I expressed my frustration with the situation and wasw met with all kinds of "Oh Im so sorry......"We were seated outside and our candles were never lit. The food was certainly not exceptional. The lady seated next to us was offered a refund for her main (steak) as it was "sinewy". The sommelier was excellent and our waitress was OK.
Be the first to ReplyDisappointed and underwhelmed
We've been meaning to dine at the River Cafe for more than 20 years and we finally got around to it this week. We went for the Winter Set Lunch menu which offered a reasonable array of choices. However, when the main (primi and secondi) dishes came they were a tad on the small side. I could have accepted this had the food tasted as good as it looked but it did not. For a start they were lukewarm rather than hot. The dishes lacked the robustness I was expecting in fact I would describe them as insipid with the overriding flavour of salt. The dolci were excellent but, that's not really enough to save an entire menu. I was extremely disappointed and, I am struggling see how they have a one star Michelin rating because compared to other one stars the River Cafe is way off the mark.
Be the first to ReplyLunch
Booked a lunch for a special treat with my wife - didn’t qualify for set lunch menu so was easily £60 a head more expensive. Our issue wasn’t financial more that we were rushed through starter and main and at £35-£40 an item it was unnecessary. Wine also rushed through so we had to ask for a pause after mains to try to enjoy the experience. I also moved seat as our waiter clearly being trained on the job was either permanently hovering over me or being animatedly advised at a volume louder than our table conversation. Mains were crashed down on our table with my wife’s crashed down with the server leaning over me. Fast serving, unwarranted rapid wine top ups, leaning and talking over us are small yet unprofessional things which you don’t expect to spoil your experience when paying high prices at an infamous venue. We visited last 3 years ago in the evening and had far better more experienced staff. A real disappointment given our expectations and prior excitement. I doubt we will visit again for a while but appreciate dining experience is usually only as good as the staff and service. So disappointing.
Be the first to ReplyDisappointing
Very disappointing lunch. Prices have dramatically increased and quality of of food has fallen. Mozzarella starter was tired, tasteless and rubbery, and if it came from Italy it was a very long time ago. The River Cafe used to be stand out quality but now very middle of the road, Has the management taken its hand off the tiller ? Or has all the energy gone into the new shop and on-line deliveries. Service still very attentive. John Adams
Be the first to ReplySaved by the Winter Set Menu !
Four of us went for lunch today. We each had the three course Winter set menu plus a bottle of wine and a round of coffees. Came to £85.00 per head or £340.00 for the four of us. While the a la carte menu at River Cafe is extortionate to the point of absurd (£29.00 for a puntarelle salad as an antipasto - Mamma mia !!!!) the set menu is not bad at all. I had taglierini al ragu (First class-pasta that was far better than, say Brutto) and coscia d' agnello ai ferri - the lamb was pink and superbly cooked. The accompanying contorno of finocchio was delicious. That was followed by a scoop of zabaglione gelato that was also alcoholic and memorable. The test of a good restaurant is if it is offering you something that you couldn't remotely do at home - and here it passed with flying colours. I lived in Rome and that taglierini was as good as anything you can get in Italy. Positive points: restaurant buzzing and full on a weekday lunchtime, lovely and bright and the service smart and impeccable and lots of it. No muzak. The Tuscan bread offered at the start was excellent. Negatives: don't you dare go near the a la carte menu unless you're stinking rich or totally mad. Mains are around £55.00 !!!! Wine list is one of those ones that has a couple of bottles at £45.00 and everything else is madly priced. But ...I expected to be disappointed and wasn't. As long as you stick to the set menu you won't be bankrupt.
Be the first to ReplyNow no longer what it was.
It used to be a place thats aim was to make people feel good, now just a place to make money. A sad demise. Ok food with child sized portions. If I have a main of spaghetti vongole I expect more than one clam and a few strands of spaghetti. Scallops as a main? Don’t expect to get more than two small ones. Allergic to cream but can eat ice cream with your desert. Well that’s an hefty extra charge. If I was surprised by all this you only had to listen to the tables crammed in around us to realise the all had the same comments. You shouldn’t leave a restaurant feeling cheated. A feeling only made worse by seeing staff tucking into plates piled high with food the other side of the window whilst you struggle to get your bill.
Be the first to ReplyDisappointing!
Having arrived in London for a few days we were excited to get a cancellation for lunch for our party of 7, that was until we got there and were shown to our table, (the only vacant table in the restaurant), this table was right next to the open fire oven, which was way too close to this oven with that level of heat, also staff constantly buzzing around this particular area. It didn't exactly exube ambience at this table. This seating should not exist in this particular spot. The main course was enjoyable, however for afters the chese selection option was really dismal in presentation , we opted for 3 cheese option and were presented with 3 rough cut cheeses on a plain white plate with no form of decorative presentation, this was accompanied by thin flatbread that crumbled wen trying to pick it up. Let's just say at the price we were paying we felt deflated in the experience we had.
Be the first to ReplyOverpriced perhaps. But very good.
As an Italian who had parents in the Italian catering business, I am picky when it comes to Italian food. I’ve been to most places in town but I must say the food here was the most authentic and tastiest. It was kept simple, as good Italian food ought to be. So if you are one who wants all the Knightsbridge glitz, this isn’t for you. Having said that, it’s expensive. My monkfish thought was huge…but the scallops as a main, was minimalist. A lovely sunny day by the river added to the experience. I would certainly recommend it, but bring money.
Be the first to ReplyExperience at the river cafe
Me and my three friends visited the river café for an engagement party and although the food was delicious, we experienced poor service in regards to our drinks. I had the coda di Rospo con Vongole to eat and it was absolutely delicious, would come again in regards to the food. However I ordered a simple negroni and unfortunately I had to send it back three times due to the fact that I couldn’t taste any alcohol as it was so weak. At such a fine restaurant I really did expect more in reference to the drinks. The person who was preparing the drinks had ginger hair but unfortunately I did not catch his name. He seemed to not care at all for us as customers and would pull funny sarcastic faces when we would send our drinks back. This also happened to my friends whom had ordered different drinks but still had a similar issue with what seemed like no alcohol in their drinks. Overall I would come again but I would suggest that the management had a word with this employee because the experience of his judgement of us put a sour taste in our mouths during our visit.
Be the first to ReplyUnderwhelmed
We went for the winter set menu. I thought this was good value until I realised our portions were half the size of other diners. The food was underwhelming.
The tables were very close together and there was little ambiance and a lot of staff standing around chatting to each other.
I suggest going to SAMs 10mins away if your hungry.
First timers
We went for our wedding anniversary and had the excellent value ‘winter set lunch’ menu, 4 courses, all very delicious. Young staff provided efficient service and were pleasant enough.
Be the first to ReplyValentine’s dinner
We managed to get a table to eat at The River Cafe on the most romantic day of the year.
Packed (as you would expect) our table was already prepared for us and we were sat across from the piano and up close with the chefs working adjacent from us.
Staff were attentive, even though it was obvious they were extremely busy the ambience was good, despite it being generally quite noisy. The piano playing was a lovely additional touch.
We opted for a mussels pasta dish to share, which was really delicious and came with an abundance of mussels.
Then we both opted for two fish dishes: I had the monkfish which was cooked to perfection and had a lovely meaty texture. Whilst my husband had the turbot which was quite light and delicate. Portion sizes were decent.
Pudding was the prune and almond cake whilst he got a couple of scoops of their ice cream.
It was as expensive as you would imagine - it is The River Cafe after all but it was worth every penny.
A lovely restaurant to go to during a special occasion.
Lunch at the River Café
This was my first time visiting the River Café with my Mum and sister who both visit regularly. I had heard fantastic things about the food but was blown away! The pumpkin ravioli and the monkfish were both stunning and cooked to perfection, and the chocolate nemesis was to die for. Our waiter Stathis was attentive and knowledgable, and the food runner (who’s name we didn’t get) anticipated our needs perfectly. Stathis very kindly asked the kitchen to prepare a chocolate plate and birthday candle for my sister’s dessert (which none of us expected!) Thank you to the whole team at the River Café for making our lunch so memorable- we will be back soon!
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