NOPI - Downstairs in City of London, Westminster

Amazing everything! Food, service, ambiance -- all 5 stars, and totally lived up to all the hype. Our group agreed-- the Viracocha cocktail was the best drink we've ever had. Life changing.

The best! The food, the wine, the service. Absolutely fantastic!!

Great Food, we had a lovely evening!

Good range of dishes and Ottelenghi doing what he does with his range of ingredients, delicious. I have been to all his restaurants and overall they’re great. I enjoyed Nopi.

Awesome food, my favs - chickpeas - perenips - aubergine

Nice restaurant but you better have no taste. Thus the recipe books of Ottolenghi are crazy good, thus we expected so much more tasty food. We expected SO MUCH more, and it wasn’t there. It is highly expensive for what it is. Could’ve done better ! Add more spices in your plates ! Follow Ottolenghi recipe books !!

Great atmosphere and good kitchen. I think it’s overpriced though and the wine list is crazy. Top prices for average wines.

After each hip household holds at least one Ottolenghi cooking book I was very curious about the live experience. I booked spontaneously and got a place at the big table in the basement which I wouldn’t repeat as a single diner. I was wedged between two bigger parties and the people next to me naturally turned their backs to me to talk to their friends, which was pretty odd. The already wilting flowers in front of me didn’t help. I had 3 starters. Aubergines that were nice - not surprisingly a signature dish. The burrito with quince had a nice, fresh taste. Personally, I didn’t like the whole coriander seeds on top. Added another texture but coriander seeds have a strange consistency and they had a pretty bland taste. The flavors of the seared beef tongue were similar to the aubergines and were a little overpowering for the beef tongue. I have been surprised by the very limited wine list. There were 2 whites available and the Vermentino didn’t have enough body to deal well with the strong flavors. Maybe my expectations were a little too high and difficult to fulfill.

The food was great but the wine pairing was massively disappointing. For the wine one star wood be fitting, bit the food was massively on spot so three stars is the right decision.

Very disappointed with this experience. Good cuisine, rich in tastes and flavors. On the other hand, the prices are clearly too high in relation to the quantity. The service leaves something to be desired. Cocktails are expensive and in ridiculous quantities. The worst thing in my opinion is charging £7 for 4 slices for bread when we are in a Mediterranean restaurant and all the dishes deserve to be sauced. Fan of OTTOLENGHI cuisine but very disappointed with the restaurant.

Exceptional experience, food, and service! Flavors unlike anything we’ve ever experienced. Sophisticated and worldly—my favorite restaurant recommendation for London!

Very nice meal in the restaurant downstairs at large shared tables near the kitchen. Very tasty, everything of good and full taste! Delicious fish and delicious chicken and all other dishes too!

The chief was not present. On the other hand, the flavors and spices were there.

Amazing restaurant. Delicious and inventive Mediterranean food. Small menu but everything was delicious. Great service and atmosphere. Overall a fantastic experience!

Disappointing. I came here years ago and remembered loving the quality of vegetables, the innovative spreads, the vibe, etc. but lunch today was stale – the aubergine is served cold, the falafel is just a spicy ball of kimchi, the lettuce is too acidic, only the cod was good. The receptionist was kind and accommodating but the servers were not particularly friendly.

Been a huge fan of Ottolenghi since lockdown - his recipes got me into cooking and a few are always in my weekly cycle! Couldn't have asked for better service, food, wine and company. Try the orange wines!

Warning all parents with infants. Avoid this restaurant. There is no baby change at this restaurant. They have to set it up and it takes asking a lot of staff to help, once they do you’ll be changing the baby in the urinal if you are a dad and other people will continue to go to the loo while you are changing them. They’ll tell you it is an old building. Well it may be old but it’s a brand new renovation, Ruined a very expensive experience.

Top food with a great ambience.

7 gbp for three slices of bread to accompany the meal. Times three because we were with the children (and for an addition of more than 300 gbp). It's good, it's expensive, but charging 21 gbp for half a pound of bread is pure and simple mockery.

Had lunch there today. Were warmly welcomed and brought to our table. We were given the menu straight away. From starters, drinks, main meals and desserts, everything was included. Prices relatively high but top quality! Water is free! Toilet very clean and nicely done. Just a very great restaurant.

Incredible evening with delicious wine and food. Pork belly and eggplant were the standout stars.

Delicious food. Was afraid that my high expectations would disappoint but that was not the case. The eggplant is so delicious that we almost felt it was a shame to eat it. Chicken and pork belly also highly recommended. Also tasty cocktails. Pricey, but fun to have done. Mushrooms were unfortunately very disappointing.

I couldn't wait to come back to London to taste Ottolenghi's cuisine and everything was perfect, as I hoped: delicious cuisine, simple but refined, the crispy mushrooms are crazy, in each dish there is always an idea that adds a twist to the dish, very pleasant service and atmosphere as well. There were 2 of us for lunch and I had booked at the bar for lunch, good choice because the atmosphere was more intimate than the tables.

Excellent food and wine, with great service.

The small plates were very good. The large plates were just so so. We came early in the dinner service and they brought a lot of plates very quickly. Not the way I like to enjoy a meal. We had to ask them to slow down service. I expected better service from such a well regarded restaurant

Attentive service, but a lot of the food was rather average… even more so when the high price is considered

Very loud, you felt rushed. It didn't seem hospitable at all. There was no bread to eat, three small slices of bread cost 7 pounds. But the food was delicious.

Food was excellent but staff were rude and inattentive which is a shame. They practically threw our food down in front of us. Can’t fault the food though.

food is nice but not up to the standard of the price point, nor was the service. It was good and I’m glad I tried but don’t need to go again

Delicious as always. Every dish is better than the last. Come here for the flavors, not the price. Expensive but worth it.

Wow! Incredible meal. Fantastic staff. The Viracocha cocktail was very flavorful. The Octopus, beans and xo sauce was divine. The beef tongue was also very good. The bartenders were friendly and knew what they were talking about. Can’t wait to share this with others!

I feel that giving 1 star for the service isn't fair, our waiter was actually fantastic and talked us through the menu really well But when you're spending £75 a head you don't expect the maître d to walk over with your bill, plonk it down in front of you and tell you its time to leave as you have other guests waiting after only being there an hour and 15 minutes and the mains took 30 minutes to come as we ordered a blue cheese cheesecake which takes 20 minutes to bake I was there for a working lunch with a client and we were mid flow, so to be interrupted by someone who hasnt engaged with us for the whole meal, slapping a bill down and just saying "we have guests waiting" was laughable - especially as there were empty tables in the restaurant Completely unacceptable and incredibly rude from the maître d - have we forgotten what good service looks like these days?

We had a delicious dinner here! The waitstaff probably could have been politer, but the service was very quick. Didn’t enjoy the waiter rolling his eyes at me. We especially enjoyed the fried mushrooms.

The quality of the food was good, the prices are exorbantly. Tables are really small and close to each other.

Loved my dinner at NOPI! I love the cook book so much and boy was I not disapponted. The food and service was amazing. Special thanks to our server Channel that made our special night event more special! She went above and beyond 🙂 Would definitely recommend. Ottolenghi is a master chef!

For all the foodies looking to have a wonderful culinary experience, NOPI delivers in spades. We were welcomed warmly and enjoyed an absolutely delicious meal. Highly recommend to all!! Ps photo is the cheesecake style starter (savory) and new cookbook release - signed copies available at the restaurant. Definitely leave some room in your suitcase for his new cookbook!

Sunday Lunch; 2 adults 1 pre-Teen; booked table; a stair and 2 hard double doors to get in - wasn't an issue for us but for the consideration of wheelchair users; Got a good welcome and quick seating; the serving waitress was very professional and explained the sharing approach to Nibbles, 🐟, 🍖 sections of the lunch menu; sourdough bread on a kalamata olive oil was a perfect start with French white wine; we went for ChickPea 🧆 Tofu, Burrata 🧀 and Aubergine 🍆. My better half and child shared their favorite black like spring chicken and they finished it to the bone which says a lot about it's exquisite taste. In summary Nopi delighted us and we are surely to return soon. Toilets are downstairs, very clean and well maintained.

Some meals are average some are bad. Service was as you can expect at such an overpriced place.

Great food and cocktails. The reason this does not receive a higher rating is as follows: 1. My husband received the incorrect drink order. This is fine as it sometimes happens. The issue is that the bartender responded as if it were our error, but the main server apologized and it was all good. I will say that her drinks were terrific. 2. On two occasions, the assistant servers directed us to clear the table for them to place the dishes. We did not realize as guests in their restaurant that it was our responsibility to anticipate their needs while serving. We are always happy to help out, but this is the first time that we were ordered to do something while dining. This was very odd and distasteful to us as it happened twice and it is obviously a training issue.

It was incredible to finally try Ottolenghi’s recipes behind his cooking books. The restaurant was lively and the atmosphere was great despite the noise!

The food was very tasty, but I would say the price is not worth the amount of food served. £38 for a miniature chicken with some sauce (that you can’t even enjoy as they do not provide bread at a reasonable price) is too expensive in my opinion. Overall, the atmosphere was dark and noisy, service took quite some time, and portions were extremely small. I would not recommend it.

I feel like I have to rate the restaurant overall a 5 because there was nothing about the food and cocktails that I didn’t like. We had the paper plane, scotch sour, Charlie Chaplin, and sidecar to drink, and ordered the mushrooms, cheese, pork, and fish to eat. However the food notwithstanding, there were multiple lapses in service for me to consider this a truly outstanding restaurant. A cocktail I didn’t order arrived, and the bartender argued a little that it was my error! Three times when food arrived, the server asked in a not so polite way for us to rearrange the table to accommodate them. The polish was lacking to be sure, which is a shame because the food was good.

Since I liked the food at Rovi I wanted to try another Restaurant. The Restaurant is very beautiful and the staff at the reception was very nice. Then they asked us to wait at the "bar" (it was not really a bar) to be seated. Someone came and gave us a cocktail card because our table was not ready but we could order already drinks. That was a little bit weird because the staff was really stressed and we couldn't order a drink till we asked someone. After that we where seated and they gave us the menu. It's more a sharing concept like at the Rovi Restaurant. We asked at Rovi how many dishes we should order and they couldn't help us - the same at Nopi Restaurant. So we ordered a few, after that we ordered another dish and they where flexibel. That was very positiv. The food was amazing and we liked everything. The whole evening was not very welcomed since the staff was always in hurry and it was more like "you can be happy just to eat here" but for that service it's too pricey.

Every dish was a delight. I would love a couple more vegetarian mains since they have a real talent for developing them for the small plates. Btw I’m an omnivore.

Expensive for the portions. Decent meal.

Great gastronomic experience. All the vegetable and fish dishes were outstanding, but the meat - not so much; was underwhelming (don’t think I even bothered to photograph the dishes that weren’t great). So, everything apart from the meat dishes we ordered were amazing. Drinks were ok. Desserts were lovely. Service was good.

My daughter and I had a delicious meal at NOPI last night. I have been several times before and always had a great experience but this time was made extra special by the smiley waiter who took the time to ask why we were out celebrating and gave us a complementary glass of fizz. Thank you, it made our evening 😊

Incredible flavors and textures. First time. Excellent memory. Mushrooms, eggplant, beef tongue, sole with Véronique sauce (boneless would be really better),... It was on par with what I expected. BUT A noise nuisance which spoils the comfort of enjoying such a meal. A waitress a little too eager to serve to move on to the next customers. It's unpleasant and it also spoils the pleasure of the moment. PS: special mention for these original toilets.

Food is amazing! I bring my mum when she visits me and loves it

You would expect something exceptional for these prices but it's not. Well cooked, of course, but nothing special.

The food is nice. The veggie dishes are the most inspiring. The logistics could be better. When one person gets his main after everyone else is finished, it is annoying.

One of the best meals I have ever eaten. The staff were SUPER lovely and the food was just incredible. Also super helpful and accommodating for dietary requirements. Would recommend as a must do when in London.

Overall we had a really pleasant visit to NOPI. Several of the dishes were absolutely phenomenal, unfortunately there was a problem with two of our dishes. However, the staff was extraordinarily accommodating to ensure that it did not spoil our evening. They really care for their customers here!

December 2023. Simply fabulous. Great balance to the spices and big flavour hits. We are not vegetarian, but this is how to deliver vegetable dishes. The meat dishes too are excellent. Such skills to put together the combinations. Highly recommended

We have - and have cooked from - several of Ottolenghi’s cookbooks, so we were excited to eat here. The food did not disappoint us. The deep fried mushrooms, the eggplant, the savory cheesecake (more like a soufflé) as well as the roasted chicken and the strawberry mess dessert were all delicious. Our waiter was excellent. We were downstairs at the “communal tables”. But they are really too wide to be communal and the noise level made conversing with anyone not right next to you a challenge (sound was generally 70 to 76 db, not bad, but all the hard surfaces made the sound harsh). Being next to a busy kitchen can be exciting, but we couldn’t really see anything the way the tables are oriented. We ordered food within minutes of our first contact with our waiter (about 5 mins after being seated). He was happy to bring us tastes of 3 wines (we got a bottle of the Rosso di Montalcino). Our reservation was for a two hour period. We did not linger, but the food came at a pace that lead to us being told to leave within minutes of getting our dessert, and about when we got our check. We spent a fair amount of time waiting for food to arrive. So that’s my major ding - if you’re going to tell us our time is up, get the food out at a pace that lets us relax for five minutes after dessert! Good thing we didn’t order dessert wine. Would have needed a to go cup! Wine was 90 pounds, raising our per person cost.

Over priced and pretentious! Touch of the Emperor's new clothes in a sterile environment trying too hard to be on point.Tight with the wine measures. Yawn....

A most satisfying gourmet experience! The blend of flavors, textures and colors is magnificent and surprising. It’s a unique culinary journey. Special mention for the decor of the restaurant, all in simplicity and elegance, and that of the toilets which is quite disconcerting with its mirrors which multiply the small room to infinity :) Plan a high budget, you pay for quality and creativity.

Very tasty meal with nice service.

The service was impeccable, food was great!!! They accommodated me and brought out food quickly as I was in a time crunch and left in 45 min! I will definitely have a full and leisurely meal here next time. Savory cheesecake was to die for but all dishes were good.

Absolute joke. We booked a table and got placed in a storage room down the basement. Noisy, smelly just a complete joke. I hardly recommend asking in advance if they try to fraud.

It’s just superb. Lovely staff who look after you so well whilst bringing super food and wine.

We’ve heard so much about this place and the hype is real ! The food did not disappoint and the service was a par above the rest ! A great experience in every way imaginable .

We came here for our anniversary. We thought it was nice but we were not blown away. The mushrooms starter was fantastic, the rest to the food was good. For a place with such a great reputation I thought there could have been more. The vegetarian options were fairly good, the carnivore options were ok. We likely won’t come again as we have had the experience now. Staff were great.

VERY POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE WITH A DISRESPECTFUL MANAGER. I ordered two mains with a side, one main was chicken which I was informed that it will be cooked within 25min. After, eating the two others which took 45min, I was still waiting for the chicken which I asked the waitress about it. The waitress had quite big attitude explaining why it takes 25min, which was not the question I asked. I was asking why it was taking so long and instead of an explaination the manager commented: 'I did not mention about the fact that chicken will be out in 25min, are you in a hurry? Should I cancel it for you?' I dont think any manager should speak in such aggressive tone and upseting their customer. Also, their explaintion was the chicken was cooked after our first dish, but we did not order a course menu, like what if I want to take slow with my first food? Should I wait two hours then? Their explainiation was quite upseting which led us to leave. If I had to rate this place, not because of the food but because of the sevice I would like to give below 0, no customer should be treated this poorly. If you want to have a great experience, this restaurant is not recommended at all.

Fantastic food, atmosphere and service. Definitely going back!

Outstanding restaurant. Amazing vegan and vegetarian options including desert!!

Beautiful dishes, great flavours, amazing desserts and service. Great for special occasions Check out my food instagram account: @karott.e

Brilliant restaurant, service was perfect level of recommendations and light talk. Topped off with a free glass of wine once they discovered it was my birthday, lovely touch.

We had an excellent meal here according to the philosophy of many vegetables in the recipes! In addition, delicious wines and very friendly service.

Very nice informal dining. Small but very tasty filling portions. Good service

Very nice restaurant with extremely polite and helpful staff. All the dishes served were tasty, some exceptionally so. Crispy mushrooms, Valdeón cheesecake and ox tongue were simply amazing

The meal delivered on all levels. I own all of Yotam Ottolenghi’s cookbooks and was so excited to visit. I brought friends who live in London who thought it was overhyped. Their impressions have changed to be sure. Thank you for a wonderful meal and excellent service! We especially enjoyed the risotto, lime chicken, meatballs, kohlrabi, runner beans and pork belly. The chocolate dessert with cherries and ice cream was the best I’ve had in recent memory. Not overly sweet - the perfect balance of flavors.

We LOVED this place. We were seated downstairs near the kitchen at the share tables which would not be for everyone but we loved the immersive feel and the idea of sharing. We got the set menu with wine. All the food was unbelievable, explosions of flavour even from a simple beetroot dish. Highly recommend.

Nopi was a sadly disappointing experience. After waiting 15 min past our reservation time, we were seated in the right edge of the bar, where we watched the dishwasher all evening. Service was middling, with dishes coming out at odd pacing and little attention. The food was adequate. The best items were our cocktails and dessert (which were both excellent). The salad was quite dull. The fried mushrooms were fine, but needed more sauce, otherwise somewhat flavorless. The most disappointing were the meatballs, which were remarkably tough. I'm actually not sure how they made them quite so tough. Had the service not been so non-existent, we likely would have sent them back. All told, unfortunate as we have loved the Ottolenghi cookbooks.

Food was amazing. Service was extremely disappointing. Timing was off onost items. Wine arrived half way through our meal after we had to follow up on it. Sparkling water we had to request several times to bring us some more. Just a few of the many items with regard to service that you wouldn't expect from a restaurant of this caliber.

Pork belly and octopus were overcooked and the butter lettuce salad was not fresh. Service was unpleasant and rushed. The chefs were not wearing hair nets! Spent over £120, we were very disappointed.

Food was a bit disappointing. Loved the desert, but most of the dinner dishes just didn’t quite come together for us, with the exception of the crispy mushrooms.

We had one of the most delightful meals at NOPI. We were introduced to NOPI by friends in NYC. It didn’t disappoint- the creativity of the dishes were exceeded by a wonderful blend of ingredients and skillful preparation. Our server was lovely, engaging and attentive. A top ten restaurant experience not to be missed.

Very disapointed by the receptionist who didn't give me a warm welcome, she told me straight away I had 1 hour to eat, the whole sitting room is dark and I wasn't able to see the dishes served, the octopus was too much cooked for my taste, the fish was delicious but, the service,was a miss, what a shame, I felt pushed several times, we didn't finished our starter that the server wanted to bring the main courses, I had to ask to hold the main in the kitchen until we finished the starter. The deserts took long time to arrive and they took the wrong one, to apologize of the delay they offered the extra desert as a complimentary, and we were given the bill obviously without us asking for it and with the charge of the extra dessert which obviously we asked to remove. Am sorry I won't recommend it nor at this NOPI, if there are many more out there, I hope the service is different.

Unfortunately NOPI was really disappointing! Despite it being recommended to me by other friends I would not return. The atmosphere of the downstairs area is not what you would expect from this type of restaurant, the communal tables although a great concept weren’t cosy and felt like an afterthought. Luckily the manager was able to move us upstairs which was appreciated. The food was lacklustre compared to the vibrant salads available at the Ottolenghi cafes around London. The aubergine starter was yummy, but the mushroom and tomato dishes were nothing special and lacked flavour. The cod was the highlight of the night and was melt in your mouth, however, the octopus was a touch overcooked and the composition of the meal didn’t make sense. I’ll be sticking with Ottolenghi’s more casual cafes which never miss!

- great unexpected flavors - nice cozy atmosphere: downstairs, you sit at one large table with other people. On the ground floor, you have separate tables - best dish: heritage tomatoes - I did feel that everything had to go a bit fast.

Absolutely stunning food. I am in love with the aubergine starter and the fried mushrooms. I will likely dream about it for days to come. I also highly recommend getting the bread as a nibble because it comes with the best olive oil of all time (good quality olive oil infused with capers and tomatoes). As a main we had the fish with a side of potatoes which was also great, but i’ve since been told the risotto is actually the best main so I guess i have to come back and try that out. The bathroom is also really pretty and vibey so good for pictures.

The concept is to order several starters and main courses to share. If you didn't have to constantly shout at each other in a friendly atmosphere at the table, that would definitely help with the current lack of coziness. The food is oriental, not very innovative and tastes ok. It's not worth the price. There are smaller and less hyped ones where you eat better.

I am a fan of Ottolenghi's cookbooks so was very excited to eat here. The food was good but I feel it's a lazy way to serve a meal in parts. Two sides arrived, then after 20 mins our fish and a bowl of lettuce. This,was a shame as who wants to eat a piece of fish with lettuce? Earlier in the day we'd eaten at an Ottolenghi deli in Chelsea, this was by far superior to Nopi.

I frequently eat dishes designed by ottolengi (because my friends use his cookbooks for inspiration), so finally eating at a restaurant run by him was a pilgrimage I was really looking forward to. 100% recommend sharing all the appetizers. My table ordered 1 of everything on the veggie side, and we ordered most of the meats, too! No bad dishes.

Always a pleasure to dine in Nopi, bar seats are a great spot!

We had high expectations for the food but unfortunately it did not meet them. Fairly bland and unexciting. We felt the service was a little pushy and I did ask for the service charge to be removed from the bill. The Manager did come over, apologised and took some drinks off the bill which I appreciated, but unfortunately we would not return or recommend to our friends and family.

Every time I come to London, I treat myself to NOPI. So I was not prepared for such a disappointment. First of all, the prices charged are not the same as those on the official website. For example, we paid £3 more for the cod, which is a lot especially for such a small dish. All dishes are more expensive in the restaurant than on the website. Is it worth this increase? No. We had the tomato: over £15 for 7 pieces of tomato with pesto. I had never been so shocked at NOPI. Not to mention the last dish on the table which arrived 20 minutes after the others with a side dish (it wasn't the only main course) In short, a high addition which is absolutely not justified.

Went for late lunch on a Saturday afternoon. Very relaxed setting for lunch, which is exactly what we wanted. Service was prompt and friendly. We ordered a number of dishes, mainly vegetarian and felt well catered for.

Excellent dinner at Nopi, it’s flawless. Minimalist decor, with beautiful flavors. We recognize Ottolenghi’s signatures. The dishes are worked and balanced both in the dishes, the arrangement and the accuracy of tastes. We really enjoyed ourselves, especially with the most surprising crispy mushrooms. The cocktails are pleasant, the service very attentive.

Went to Rovi last year when we visited London. Fan of Ottolenghi. Nopi excellent in every way.

Great experience at NOPI. Food: fantastic. Staff: fantastic. Definitely not a regular place to eat kind of establishment but definitely worth the trip or occasion.

They accommodated my weird dietary issues with charm and kindness. Food was wonderful.

Excellent Food and lovely Service! We enjoyed everthing except of the side salat - just a few lettuce leaves with seeds for 7£ was a bit of a downer… Nonetheless we totally recommend this Restaurant. We will come back

Chilled lunch with friends. Delicious food

Great food, but I might have expected something more special. We sat downstairs at a large table. Personally, I wouldn't want to sit downstairs next time. Furthermore, it was on the pricey side.

Beautiful and tasty experience. Sublime dishes. Attentive service. Minimalist decor. Paper tablecloth, atmosphere a little too canteen, everything is precise. Announced upon reservation: an hour and a half for lunch. Very expensive though. It remains an experience, once in a lifetime, to say that we have tested Ottolenghi.

We were very excited about Otto Lenghi's restaurant and our expectations were fully met. We were there at lunchtime: small menu with selected dishes. My chicken was simply fantastic, very tender and juicy. The side dishes are a bit limited but suitable for lunch. Friendly service, highly recommended.

Loved the food and the service here!

Absolutely delicious vegetarian tapas plates. Very unusual combinations and great idea to gafe multiple plates to share. Will be back very soon