The Ivy Market Grill in City of London, Westminster

Very crammed, not even had room to have wine bottle on/next table Shepherds pie was disgusting - resembled and tasted like a cheap supermarket ready meal.

Enjoyed a delicious and delightful dinner at The Ivy on March 23, 2024. We were only in London for 2 nights and this restaurant was recommended to us by someone we met while visiting. Talk about a GREAT recommendation! WOW!!! The fish and chips were so good that we almost ordered another plate of it for dessert!! (Not kidding!!). We sat at the bar and enjoyed phenomenal service from Ria. Even though the restaurant was popping busy, Ria made us feel like we were the most important guests there! FOOD and SERVICE at this restaurant were A+++! We can't wait to return here on our next trip to London!

Even on a Sunday night, it was busy, so I recommend making a reservation. The reason it was busy is because it oozes quality. Yes, it's a little more expensive than a lot of places but look how good the place looks. Plus, add to that the fabulous service and food that tastes of love. We went for a special occasion, but I'll definitely be heading back when I'm back in London. The shepherds pie was a taste sensation, a d the Chocolate Bombe was absolute next level.

We had a lovely lunch here, service was excellent and very welcoming. Great atmosphere and definitely worth a visit.

Disappointed with our visit. We were sat by the outside door, very draughty every time the door opened, not helped by one of the meet and greet team propping the door open with their foot, although did stop this when politely asked. Drinks and food order taken, when drinks arrived we enquired about wine for the table, the waitress said she would bring the wine list, this was never brought to the table. Food arrived a little sporadically and on the whole was good, although a side order of creamed spinach was inedible. The service I'm afraid is the reason for the three star review, we were not asked if we wanted any further drinks or asked if everything was ok with our meal after we'd eaten. A 13.5% service charge was added to our bill, which we reduced when we came to pay, the waiter asked if we were paying the rest and when I said no, he went away to check. Fortunately this wasn't challenged although if it had been we would have had something to say about it. Not what we were expecting from what we thought was a high quality establishment.

Came here for an anniversary lunch thinking it would be the perfect place to celebrate. How wrong we were. We ordered two of the most expensive dishes on the menu, I had the Lobster linguine & my husband had the Rib-eye on the bone. There were three bits of lobster in my linguine & my husband's steak was undercooked when he asked for it to be very well done and there were about 10 chips for £5.50. No need to say that we didn't stay for deserts! Why did they bother to ask us when we made the reservation, if we were celebrating a special occasion when no effort was made at all to make this anything other than a special occasion! Don't get me started on the toilets... All in all a terrible & expensive experience not to be repeated. We were still hungry when we left so went for a burger (deliche!)

Absolutely awful. The service was ridiculously bad and slow. One of the starters didn’t arrive and it was only a bread basket, when I asked I was told the bread is ‘still cooking’. I also had to repeatedly ask for our drinks and then I decided to cancel, the wait was too long (I had finished my meal and wanted to leave by that point) however when they eventually brought the two wines the waiter said one of them was on the house which I didn’t want or drink. Food was bland, didn’t even bother to order dessert even though we were still hungry. I had to wait a very long time for the bill too, I was waving arms and hands to catch someones attention. Very expensive for bad food and service. Will never visit again.

I recently dined at Ivy Market Grill and was incredibly impressed by the exceptional service provided by safa . Her attentiveness, professionalism, and genuine care for our dining experience truly stood out. From recommending delicious menu items to ensuring our needs were promptly met throughout the meal, Safa went above and beyond to make our visit memorable. Her warm demeanour and dedication to customer satisfaction are a true asset to Ivy market grill

After visiting the Ivy in Windsor which was amazing! we thought this would be a nice trip while visiting London with our children. Disappointed. Service, attention to detail, staff, atmosphere general quality not as expected. No acknowledgment of special occasion and certainly nothing special about the whole experience. Would have been better off going to a quality local independent. Won’t visit again.

I had excellent service from Safa today, she was very professional and efficient. She is a valuable asset to the team

Tasty food Pleasant atmosphere Nice waiters. The girl at the entrance is a bit unpleasant and disrespectful.

Great service and drinks delicious

Had to wait a while for the bill but other very good and a delicious breakfast - great espresso

Had a reservation for four people and asked first a boot yet staff was rather inflexible, finally got the boot. One of us has lactose intolerance, when choosing a fish menu scallops, staff was not able to find me other sides which could replace the standard option. Eventually I got six scallops with hard uncooked rice for 30 pounds. Scallops where overcooked. What a con off! Never go back there!

A cozy place, food of the best in price quality and delicious stew with wine sauce, the Fish and Chips dish, typical of battered fish, the best. Very attentive and professional service. I recommend this place, if I return to London I will visit it.

The food was excellent. The service was a real rollercoaster. Each order/course had one thing missing each time. It took a long time to get our drinks and then after starters they were rushing us to have our mains. Perhaps if you get the experienced woman (maybe manager?) we got occasionally, you'll have a good experience. The waiter we had was just too hit and miss.. Definite potential, I would give it another try

Celebrating our son's birthday while on vacation was fabulous at The Ivy Market Grill! Liam was very attentive and wonderful. The atmosphere of the restaurant was festive and we had a great time!!

Beautiful place in the midst of the hustle and bustle of Covent Garden. Highly recommend the pre theatre menu - excellent value for money.

My friends and I stopped by here on Thursday for a leaving drink but we ended up having dinner at the bar and drinking delicious cocktails proposed by Francesco, the West end hold up was insane, i loved it!! We will absolutely come back for more delicious drinks.

Had a fantastic time, got us seated quickly and even gave a cake to my aunt for her birthday. Tanya and Francesco in particular were phenomenal making us feel extra special. They are a fantastic team who deserve so much praise

Fantastic lunch and unforgettable drinks. Francesco took care of us. Thank you

I was at the bar with some friends and the atmosphere is very welcoming, the staff is very friendly and the service is impeccable. Thanks to Francesco for taking care of us.

The staff are really nice and fix anything when it goes wrong. You should try it.

Wonderful experience for my daughter's birthday, service was exceptional and food delicious!

We booked lunch for Good Friday so we could take our teenage boys to show them what the Ivy was like. The restaurant was very busy being bank holiday, they even had the easter bunny outside and was giving younger children easter eggs which I thought was a nice touch. We had a table in the middle but had the same size table as a table for 2 people so was difficult putting all the food in the middle and glasses had to be removed. We had the Salt crusted sourdough bread for starters and a bowl of the zucchini Fritti, both really enjoyed and could have eaten more. For mains i chose the chicken milanese which was very nice but we were full for dessert by the end of the meal. Service was ok and meal was lovely

We stopped for a few drinks and stayed all evening. The food and drinks are perfect. The guy who served us was very friendly. Thanks Francesco for all the cocktails.

Brilliant place to eat and relax. Staff so helpful and friendly, made it really special. We had eggs Benedict and buttermilk pancakes, so delicious and reasonably priced for the area!

I went for a friend's birthday, very friendly place and the food is delicious. After dinner we moved to the bar. Francesco helped us a lot in choosing the drinks and informed us that the place also has private rooms, recommended for events. Phenomenal service. We will be back.

What's not to love about the Ivy! Food, service and ambiance were all incredible. We dined with a party of 6 and the prices were very very reasonable for London. The set price menu is such great value! Portions were generous in size and our waiter had a great sense of humour. The real surprise came from the ladies bathroom which is downstairs from the main restaurant. While the gentleman's is unremarkable, ours was simply stunning. Check out the bathroom pics! Highly recommended 👌

Great bartenders. Fun guys. Passed the vibe check with the other patrons, too. Sat at the bar at about 10:30pm. Ordered the Zucchini Fritti (£5.95) and Shepherd's Pie (£16.95) as well as a couple beers (made sure to go out of their way to get me chilled mugs). Welcoming vibe all around.

Good bar, friendly staffs. But francesco was super quick in suggesting cocktails according to my taste and preferences . Will be coming back for sure

Great food! Service on top! Very friendly associate in door. Staff are very hospitable. Would definitely recommend to friends!

Came yesterday with my family. We got sat at the bar and francesco was amazing. He recommended us the fig royale. It was amazing. Definitely will be coming back

OMG, probably the best beef tartar ever. Amazing service and atmosphere, highly recommend

It was my wife's birthday so I arranged lunch followed by a show. Glad I chose The Ivy Grill the food, service and experience was lovely. We had decided not to have a dessert but looked at the menu anyway, so glad we did! The rum Baba is perfect, original and delicious.

I'm not sure where to start with this review. As a patron or many Ivy's including the original for over 2 decades this was the worst experience I've ever had in over 10 branches of the chain! I'm not going to waste time writing the MANY faults of the evening down but our entire party was shocked with the extremely poor level of customer service throughout the evening. This included all staff ( bar one) door staff with our coats and even a manager who had no idea how to deal with our complaint ( how we asked ourselves did he get a managerial position?!) We left bitterly disappointed on what was supposed to be a special celebratory meal ( no acknowledgement of our special occasion) due to the clear lack of training on how to serve customers in this level of restaurant. Being called "darling" by a waitress, waiting 10 mins to catch anyone's eye for drinks refills or any kind of service, no plate clearing, wrong food order, poor serving skills, being told we would need to vacate the table before our time slot was over and then brought the bill ( which was wrong) while we were still eating our food ...the list goes on! The evening was topped off by a shrugging of the shoulders by the so called manager when we tried to explain why we were under impressed with our evening. The Ivy- you need to invest in proper staff training as although the food was good .. we've forgotten about it as the bad service overshadowed everything! An embarrassment to The Ivy name!!!!

We chose here as a special treat for a special birthday, I had never been before but had high expectations, that was soon to be shot down! For the price I would expect amazing service but this was not the case we had to wait for 5 minutes to attract someone’s attention every time we needed something, then when it was brought it was slammed down, the only time someone came to the table was the manager who said we need the table back! My friend was still eating her dessert! When we complained to him he said sorry and shrugged his shoulders and walked off!!!! Not how you resolve a customer’s complaint at all.

Enjoy your afternoon tea until 5pm, in this place with a friend. Creamtea is a must try!!

Great day out with the family. Francesso was amazing. Thank you will definitely be coming back

Brilliant place to go eat or just have a drink staff are very attentive and very polite if your in the area its a must

This is the worst restaurant I have been to in London ever! Booked a table for 5:30 and have been waiting until 6pm without a table!!!! Very poor service!!!! Will def not recommend to anyone of u!

i would like to appreciate Francesco who made our night a story to tell. the food was fab the drinks were delicious everything was perfect.

Came with all my girls for a hen party sat down at the bar and Francesco took good care of us providing everything we wanted. Amazing desserts and the bubbles kept on coming .

Came in for a dinner with my wife however we went to the bar first for some drinks where we met Francesco were he made an amazing pisco sour and from there our night went amazing thank you.

Came in for a quick bite and a few drinks Francesco recommendations we’re spot on and the drinks we’re amazing for sure I’ll be back with more friends.

Visited Ivy Market grill, Sunday 24th March for breakfast, booked table for 3 Did not have the 'feel' of other Ivy's we have visited - a little scrappy York, Tower Bridge, the original - all excellent One diner had the 'set breakfast' I had the veggie breakfast, the other had the full English Eggs - set breakfast poached eggs were 'jelly' inside, very off putting The fried eggs on the full were 'jelly' on top (put her off the whole breakfast Vegetarian full was very good! I have to say! The waiter asked if all was OK, we explained, and The Manager? came to speak to us Explained, clearly the way poached eggs are cooked there, cooked, stored in cold water to 'keep' then reheated. Offered to cook again, when the 'jelly' had already put us off! I was shocked at this,, it doesn't explain the fried eggs, and to my mind, cook them a little more Before storing in cold water. Think we'll leave the breakfast, and the Market Grill off the list of places to go! Poor Egg chef, is a better explanation! A looked forward to visit, very disappointed

Our waiter Liam was really good, very pleasant and helpful. Disappointed with the seating as there is a set of doors that did not close on its own. My wife wore her coat during the last 3/4 hour of our meal. I discussed this with the manager who was very understanding and compensated us by way of a discount and a meal for two offer. If I heard him correct, he was saying that the door set was listed and could not be altered. I am in this industry and spotted that there is in fact a self closer on this door that has been disabled. All it needs is a 150mm threaded rod to make it work. It would probably cost £20 to fix. The temperature outside was only 6 degrees. The service, food and atmosphere was great. Our backs were cold.

Beautiful breakfast could of been a bit warmer Price of set breakfast was amazing Nice staff and made my mums birthday special

Liam was a fantastic host! Made us feel really good through the dinner and has a great attitude too his customers!

Nice atmosphere with good food and good service. Would eat again.

Great atmosphere. Seated at bar and had some reservations re this to begin with. However we were proved very wrong. Staff at bar very friendly and attentive yet not in your face. Delicious avocado with roast tomato and pomegranate dish and eggs royale we would highly recommend. Will be returning in near future. Very pleasant experience indeed.

Poor service, wrong main course served without vegetables ordered, tasteless cardboard burger, all round dismal experience. Expected much much better……

Beautiful service and delicious food, Ramantam and Leopoldo were very attentive

Best restaurant in convent garden, great food and lovely staff. Thank you Francisco for the great experience too best cocktails we had in a long while.

I had a great dinner. The food was amazing, fresh and tasty. Francisco look after us, recommend good drinks and food, extremely knowledgeable, friendly and quick. My wife and I had a great time on.

The food is delicious, the exceptional staff, and..the dream place! I will definitely be back soon!❤️

Fantastic restaurant, everything was beautiful and the staff are very pleasant. Perfect for pre theatre or quick bite

We had a great time, the food and service was on a food level. Good value

We had a very nice lunch here, it’s affordable and the place has a very special charm. Very well located

Went in the afternoon with my wife. Place was packed but were able to get a seat as it was between lunch and dinner. Music was just right for conversation and with the bustle of how busy it was, made a really nice vibe. Service was prompt, lovely wine before treating myself to steak and a chocolate bomb. Staff were really friendly and generally had a great time. I thought the value considering the environment, quality of food and drink plus service, was excellent!!

Lovely place. Staff were excellent as was the food and wine. Location is great. Atmosphere and decor are excellent.

Brilliant and attentive care and service to my family including our children. Thank you so much !

The venue is located in the center of Coven Garden, a very nice place full of pubs and life. It consists of an internal and an external room. The staff is really friendly and attentive to the customer, there is no arguing about this. Just as it concerns the quality of the raw materials. We tasted the classic Fish & Chips and another fish dish whose quality did not disappoint us. However, I don't feel like giving full marks, as it wasn't a completely positive experience. Something was missing from the dishes and certainly what you pay reflects little on what you actually eat (I'm not referring to the quality, but to the dish itself). Another flaw concerns the traditional Fish & Chips: although the quality of the fish is high, the quality of the frying is zero. I was sick all evening. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, but especially to those who, like me, already have a weak intestine. Personally I wouldn't go back.

Great food, lovely staff... needs little more nudging to get served at times but they're young and learning and we have had great night.

Celebrating our 60th birthdays- two school friends now living 200miles apart met yesterday and for a pre show brunch chose The Ivy MG - what a special meal Shepherds pie, apple tart flambé Prosecco- General manager Wally is exceptional and treated us like Royalty! All staff were superb! Will be returning for sure.

Very busy but service good and food delicious!

Avoid that restaurant! MICE ARE EVERYWHERE WHILE YOU ARE EATING! I love Ivy Restaurants, been in other restaurants too. We had an amazing team dinner two weeks ago at another branch. But this one is horrible! Besides the mice, the food quality was average, almost poor compared to the other Ivy Restaurants. Service was horrible. Our waiter hit me in my head and back three times while serving the others, no apologies for none of them. He dripped vine over me while serving us. The Aperol spirits they served had barely taste of aperol, full of soda water but without fizz, no orange. Our vine has finished in 3 small glasses, not sure how this happens. And at the end of the dinner, I saw 3 mice running around! I immediately asked for the bill and we left the restaurant. Before we left two other tables screamed for the same reason. That is unacceptable!

When you go here it’s for the experience and location, not the food. Expect to be left waiting for your booked table for 30 mins then desperately trying to catch the eye of waiting staff when you are seated and ready to order, to be refused the opportunity to pour your own wine when you ask them not to pour it for you, to receive reheated food served cold in the middle, to receive an eye watering bill, but to still love being there and to know you’ll go back. I’m not sure how that works, but I’ll be back. If they didn’t overbook the restaurant it would possibly be four stars.

Well we have had our starters still waiting for drinks every wine seems to be out of stock have asked for ice now 4 times & been told it’s coming . 30 minutes waiting for half our drinks. Now thinking of walking out!

Very good food and atmosphere!! I recommend! Adina the best ❤️

My niece and her family took me here for my birthday in February and I was really looking forward to it as it was somewhere that I had wanted to go for ages. We got a lack lustre welcome as we were shown to our...

Absolutely delicious food! Excellent service and a real treat in every way! We chose the 1917 menu and it did not disappoint. I had the chicken salad, the fish cake and then crème brûlée. My husband chose the soup, the haloumi and the frozen berries....

Great food and staff very attentive

My friend and I visited The Ivy Market Grill yesterday evening, attracted by its reputation. However, our experience was tarnished by staff behaviour. My friend and I arrived at the restaurant around 6:30pm and asked if we could get a table for two. We were informed by the door host that there would be no available tables until after 8pm due to them being almost fully booked. Accepting this, we stepped out and decided to make an online reservation for after 8pm to ensure we could get seats, even if it meant waiting. However, to our surprise, there were multiple time slots available for earlier than 8pm. We decided to book a table for 7:15pm. Upon our return at the designated time, the same door host asked us to wait aside for our table, which we did. While we were waiting, an older couple walked in shortly after and said that they didn’t have a reservation, but asked if they could get a table for two. Of course, I assumed that they would be told the same thing we were told: ‘There are no tables until after 8pm since we are busy.’ But, to our disbelief, the door host promptly assured them that they would be seated within minutes. I was honestly shocked. A few minutes later, another lady came to escort us to our table. When she saw us, she fully looked me up and down, seemingly judging us based on our appearance. As university students, our attire was less formal than that of the other guests, which seemed to influence the staff's attitude towards us, implying we might not fit the mold of their typical clientele. This prejudiced behaviour made us feel out of place, unwelcome and uncomfortable. The fact that we had a reservation and were paying customers like everyone else seemed to be overlooked in this instance. At that point, we were honestly close to leaving as this frankly felt discriminatory. We ultimately decided to stay and enjoy our meal, which, thankfully, did meet our expectations. While our table waiter was friendly, it did take ages to get the bill. Overall, while the food and most of the service at The Ivy Market Grill were commendable, our initial interaction with some of the staff really appalled and frustrated us. It's important for high-end restaurants to remember that respect and kindness should be extended to all guests, as these qualities are just as crucial to the dining experience as the culinary offerings.

The food at Ivy was good. Don gave excellent service and advice on the dishes, which was very helpful. Very friendly service!

It was my first time here with my friends and the food was delicious. Beautiful atmosphere and the service was 10/10 thanks to Don who made us feel very welcomed, gave us good recommendations and put a smile on our face 👍🏻

As usual, good food and service. Pre-theatre dinning. Good location, very busy so do book in advance.

Excellent food, service, and atmosphere. Each one of our four meals was 100% delicious. The portions were just right. I highly recommend the green juice!

I love the Ivy and the food was fabulous....as always..However the new loyalty card not so much ..at trying to get a response from the ivy, literally no one responds.... its impossible.. really disappointing service .what is the point of a loyalty card if the points are not added!!! Hopefully posting on here might generate a response!

Great place to eat ! Hamburger and drinks were great!

Struggled with wheelchair to get in, whilst staff watched. Then we were told we couldn't have a small table for 3. It was the only table out of the way for my son with sensory impairment. I did explain. Our waitress was wonderful. We noticed a mother with a child on their own helped with buggy and then seated at the table refused to us and a couple at a table for 4. Wasn't the usual standard of Ivy and will not return to this particular restaurant.

Best eggs Benedict I ever had 🤩

Beautiful restaurant with great service. We were there several times for breakfast. I would have loved to go there every day.

Very good meals, polite staff, lovely atmosphere, excellent all on all.

Really not great. My burger was burnt service ridiculously slow. My margharita was made as a spicy margharita despite me not asking for this and there was attitude when I asked for it to be remade and again a ten minute wait for a new...

Come here for the cheese souffle sous suisse; it's top notch and almost as good as that served at Le Gavroche.

Attractive room but very full and noisy, maybe I'm just old! The food and service were good.

Fantastic experience! Sat at the bar and the Italian gentleman who served us was fantastic!! He'd only started a week ago but you'd think he'd been there forever. The food was wonderful and the atmosphere was just what we were hoping for. Definitely recommend!

Good, but for the price, not worth it particularly, the actual Ivy venues are better.

Food was cold. Restaurant was cramped due to too many tables. Ivy grills are fast going down hill. Very disappointing.

Very nice place next to Covent Garden, with attention to the decoration of the place and the setting of the tables. The food was good, but the service left something to be desired and for a place like this, it's a shame. There was a mix-up on our order, and the dishes arrived at different times (there were 5 of us). At the end of lunch, no one took away our dirty dishes and we asked for the bill, with the whole table still to be cleaned. I would return, but perhaps at a slightly less peak time.

Excellent restaurant, very friendly and held staff, food/ menu was great. Lovely venue & ambiance. Highly recommend an evening here.

This was a gift for me, champagne lunch for 2, we expected a glass of champagne each but got a bottle, they just kept topping up the glasses. Food was good but nothing exceptional. Staff were very helpful. Definately good value for the money. Overall an enjoyable experience

Lovely atmosphere and the food is good and you can order across menus which is good. I sent a cocktail back because it wasn't great and they graciously changed it. Wonderful and attentive service

The atmosphere is great and the waiters are welcoming. The food is exquisite, but the dinner price is a bit expensive. I don’t like asking after the meal if I want dessert🍧.

Have eaten here on many occasions with friends, family and colleagues, but this was my first solo visit. Avoid .....welcome was good and from there on in it was obvious that couples and groups were more important. Ellise was the best, and was friendly, but...

Sorry, I am using Cantonese to write a comment , there will be translation lost by Google . However , I give a 5 star . Hope you understand what I am talking . Maybe I went at off-peak time, so there weren’t many people there. It was also the last meal my wife and I had in London. Since I have never eaten fish cake or shepherd’s pie, I decided to try them. Sure enough it was delicious. My memories of these two dishes will begin in this restaurant. Fish cake - not too greasy. I tasted the taste of two kinds of fish. Fish cake with green bean sauce underneath. Good clip. Shepherd’s pie - It’s originally minced lamb, but the way it’s made is actually different from the burger. It should be similar to a meat ball. The potatoes spread on it look really nice. Overall I am not disappointed. I will cook better when I get back home. Thank you to this shop for teaching me a lot.

Had a few days away in London to celebrate a special wedding anniversary, been here before so booked again and they ask if it was for a special event so told them. On arrival we were welcomed with happy anniversary by all staff we met...

Service left a lot to be desired. Had to Order a second drink 3 times, before actually getting served. Then had to request the bill more than twice, disappointing. Food excellent.

We had both excellent service (Alex was our waiter and very friendly) and the food was delicious . Despite being a very busy night in the restaurant the service and food was exemplary.