The Sign of The Don Bistro & Bar in City of London, Westminster

It's an exquisite restaurant with very good service & very tasty food . Everyones friendly & very welcoming

Delicious food and very attentive service. Will definitely come back.

Don’t want to give a poor review - hence 4 stars. Warning - DO NOT BOOK (try a walk-in instead). My guest fell ill so the Don made me pay a £20 pp cancellation fee! Bizarre and unusual policy for a City restaurant (where plans often change last min). I would have come back at another time but I certainty won’t now. I’ve warned colleagues never to book with the Don incase they find themselves stuck with this fine too. Hopefully management reconsiders this policy.

Great service, famous food and drink, wonderful atmosphere of old England.

Delicious food and exceptional service from Bita and her colleagues - many thanks! Mark

Wonderful meal with my Father and Son. Fabulous food and wine and exquisite service by the waiter, sommelier and maitre d'

Very nice place, but be warned they won’t really do vegan options! The best they could do was no starter and a small salad for a main course - the veggie options looked to me like they could have been made vegan quite easily but it apparently wasn’t possible. A shame as the non-vegans I was with all enjoyed their meals, and it’s a nice venue.

Perfect place for a business lunch - food was excellent and wine great! Thanks

New opening. Food was excellent Wine list outstanding Even the Whisky list was very good!

Amazing food and staff. The manager that served us did an amazing job, the drinks were delicious, honestly best negroni I’ve had. 10/10

Elegant treat We dined early one evening after a trip to the Theatre. We were the first to arrive and warmly welcomed. Our son wanted the Bistro menu but we wanted the restaurant menu, they were more than happy to accommodate. Good selection of choices (including vegan) as well as a couple of specials. My wife had the 'special' tomato salad which was excellent a balance of flavours and a really tasty garlic dressing that was flavourful but not over powering, going on the menu in April, worth a trip back. I had the scallops again tasty and interesting to eat. For main course I had the fish of the day - John Dory served simply with a caper butter, when ingredients are this good that is all you need, simply delicious. The assiette of pork was also very good, all portions were generous. The desserts were a small selection but all very good. This is clearly a restaurant aimed at the business market and we could have felt out of place but the service was just right and we were made to feel very welcome, even with a 7 year old in tow... Ketchup, mayonnaise no problem. It is also worth noting very close to Bank and Cannon Street stations so easy to get home after. We will be back!

No one messes with The Dons. We uphold Gods Law. <br /><br /><br /><br />New World Order

Poor. Got off to a bad start by having no record of reservation. Just needed to look at page2 of reservation sheet.<br />Won&#039;t be troubling The Don again.

Simply excellente. The cellar, outstanding

It was great, when I arrived the head chef with the receptionist welcomed me, the service was great, the restaurant manger or floor manager is very nice person.<br />Prices is good, also I loved the story behind the restaurant name as the receptionist explained while his taking a photo for us.<br /><br />The old style of the restaurant is so beautiful and you can storyteller from the pictures in walls.

Good place for business lunch. would recommend their set menu

Excellent steak and wine choices

Very enjoyable business lunch. The food was excellent, though there was not much choice for vegetarians.

We booked an early evening Supper <br />When we turned up we were quickly shown to our seats but then we seemed to fall into a black hole and nobody saw us<br />So it took 29 minutes to get water 30 minutes for a drink and some bread <br />When we finally got to give our order everything sped up and thereafter everything was fine <br />I think there might have been a private party that night but there is no excuse for at least getting everyone a drink even if you have to wait for food if kitchens are busy<br />I have always liked this restaurant so I was sorry that <br />My colleagues from overseas were made to wait

Great place near to Canon Street where I had a meeting so took some colleagues there for dinner. Reasonably priced classics - coq au Vin, steak. Prawn cocktail, risotto etc. They were very accommodating to one of our party who was vegan and suggested a couple of options for him with which he was happy. Wine list was probably too extensive but we found an excellent bottle of Chianti. Like most restaurants, the wine was pretty expensive and pushed the final bill up considerably. The ambiance and service were very good. All in all highly recommended.

I visited The Don for a business lunch a few days back that was for me the first time. I was genuinely impressed by the level of food, from the presentation to the taste but most of all, the service was superb. My colleagues and I were served by (who looked like) the manager – im so sorry I didn’t catch his name (Italian looking, pretty sure, also by the accent) – who was very professional and extremely helpful, especially as 2 of us suffer of some light allergies. Will certainly visit again!

Good value for money, food could have been better TBH <br />Great venue

Ante todo. . . estos tipos fueron los anfitriones con más. . . Nos cuidaron especialmente bien. Cada miembro del personal merece una mención especial. . Pensamos que íbamos a dar una vuelta por la oficina de la fábrica del molino, pero todos hicieron una noche muy memorable. . . . la comida estaba impecable, tuve el entrante de salmón seguido de lubina (¡delicioso!) y la tarta de chocolate y naranja con helado. . . estaban felices de rellenar verduras y proporcionar extras para las tripas codiciosas entre nosotros (¡obviamente no la tuya de verdad!). Seriamente. . . vaya si está cerca del Banco y si no lo está, reserve una mesa y vaya. . . ¡por tu propio bien!

Private dining room experience. Food was decent, private dining room was nice.

Good venue for a work Christmas do. Good food, attentive service.

Amazingly delicious food. A little crowded, but good service and very pleasant ambiance. Disappointing toilet cleanliness.

Good food and nice ambience but service was shambolic

Very pleasant team Christmas lunch

ランチでうかがいました。クリスマスメニューで、メインはターキー、デザートはクリスマスプディングが選択肢の中にありました。コーヒーと一緒におまけでついてきたミンスパイが、バターたっぷりな生地でとてもおいしかったです。おいしいワインがありました。

Visited The Don for lunch for the first time, was amazed how attentive to detail and welcoming members of staff were, food was great, excellent service overall, perfect location and atmosphere for business lunches, would definitely recommend.

This is still one of my favourite restaurants in London. The food and service is always outstanding. I had dinner here last night with a couple of colleagues and could not have asked for a better evening. I am always treated well and the food and wine offering is still of the highest level.

The waiter was drunk and sexist, could hardly understand what was going on. On top of this the food was lacklustre and overpriced. £160 for 2 people. Absolute disgrace. Was maybe a decent spot for business lunches in the early 2000’s but is now out of date, out of touch and a total rip off. Oh and the toilets were dirty. Never again.

Algunos de nosotros fuimos a cenar anoche, al Bistro. Tengo alergias e intolerancias alimentarias, así que le dije al maître que dijo que lo consultaría con el chef. Lo siguiente, el chef había venido a verme. ¡Qué especial me sentí! Fue absolutamente encantador y encantador y muy servicial. Así que tuve una comida fabulosa, modificada para satisfacer mis necesidades. Mis amigos también tuvieron excelentes comidas: tuve que comenzar con el corvejón de jamón, uno de los otros en mi grupo tenía el cóctel de gambas: gambas adecuadas, no camarones. El otro tenía la ensalada de calabaza y trigo sarraceno.Principales: el mío era pavo normal (porque no tengo gluten), uno de mis amigos tenía el pavo completo, y el otro tenía las mejillas de cerdo. El pavo me derrotó y no pude comerlo todo, y ni siquiera pude manejar el postre. Una de mis amigas tenía profiteroles: no eran del tipo normal, eran mucho más interesantes, ella los amaba. El otro tenía la tarta de chocolate negro.Lo que fue aún mejor fue que el chef vino a registrarse con nosotros al final de nuestra comida. Estoy muy impresionado.Quisiera agradecer a todos en el Don por asegurarse de que se trataran mis alergias y por hacer que fuera una velada muy agradable.

Delicious food and excellent wines

TL: DR para el primer párrafo. Esta crítica es sobre la cocina Bistro, pero en el entorno del restaurante.Estaba en mi quinta noche de una estancia de cinco noches en EC 4 y estaba lloviendo. . . un montón. Me estaba quedando en el TravelLodge Central Bank, y justo enfrente está The Don Restaurant and Bistro. Como no me gustaba ahogarme, busqué en Google The Don y es una historia de dos experiencias: el restaurante, una elegante experiencia gastronómica; y el Bistro, un asunto más informal. Como estaba usando la ropa que había estado usando para mi curso de informática, opté por ver si podía entrar al Bistro a las 7 pm. Resultó que el Bistro estaba cerrado esa noche, pero podía ordenar del menú del Bistro en el restaurante principal. Indíqueme que me he presentado a una boda en un chándal.Primero la comida: comí un bistec, costilla poco común, si debes saberlo. De hecho, fue perfecto en todos los sentidos. Cocinar, sazonar, descansar, temperatura, presentación, posiblemente la mejor costilla que he comido. . . siempre. En serio, si pudiera cocinar un filete tan bien, nunca saldría. Vino con algunas papas fritas, un poco de ensalada y una salsa b arnaise que no estaba jugando. Envié un plato vacío y felicito al chef. Eso fue todo lo que tenía. De hecho, me sentí bastante mal por no haber pedido el postre, pero estaba lleno del bistec.Me pareció un vaso de Malbec. Les dejo decidir cuál. Tuve otro, porque fue realmente bueno.En el restaurante en sí, el personal del frente de la casa transmite un aire de calma y atención. El personal circula discretamente y discretamente para llenar los vasos, limpiar los artículos usados, ofrecer reponer el pan terminado, las bebidas, etc. El ambiente es elegante, pero sorprendentemente informal. La iluminación es proporcionada principalmente por velas en las mesas, lo que da una verdadera sensación de intimidad. El Don tiene una extensa carta de vinos y dos "paredes" completas se componen exclusivamente de bastidores de botellas detrás de un vidrio.Además de la comida perfecta y el increíble personal, posiblemente el punto culminante de The Don es el gerente de Front of House, Frederic. Trata a sus invitados (incluso a los solitarios desnudos) como amigos que regresan. Los modales de Frederic son fáciles y humorísticos. Sin embargo, es claramente un profesional consumado en el pináculo absoluto de su juego. Tengo muchas ganas de volver a encontrarme con él, espero que con una corbata y escoltando a mi esposa.He estado buscando una razón para volver a esta parte de Londres. Parece que ahora tengo uno.

Service a bit slow, but tasty food. I came with a large group and we were all pleased with our meals.

Perfect service and food. Tks Marius for your high proffesional service. It was a very pleasant evening. I will come back for sure.

The service wasn't super-speedy but was good. The food was good. The venue-style the best bit. - It felt cosy & sophisticated, especially good for an Autumn/winter dinner.

Excellent set menu lunch. informal, yet perfect for a quiet business lunch.<br />Strongly recommend the prawn cocktail - one of the best I&#039;ve ever had!

Vine aquí para almorzar con un amigo en junio de 2019. El bistro en lugar del restaurante principal.Llegué primero y me llevaron a una mesa: el lugar estaba en gran parte vacío, pero el camarero me sentó justo al lado de una clienta solitaria, haciéndonos sentir un poco incómodos hasta que llegaron nuestros respectivos compañeros. Un error tonto y básico.El servicio después de eso estaba bien, pero la comida decepcionó. Comencé con la anguila ahumada: era aceitosa y ahumada, pero no tenía sabor real. La salsa blanca con la que venía también era sin sabor: podría haber sido mayonesa en lugar del fuerte rábano picante necesario para cortar la grasa de la anguila. Por lo general tenía pasteles de pescado: muy rico, casi enfermizo, probablemente a través de demasiada mantequilla en el puré y en su mayoría eran puré. La guarnición era papas fritas! ¡No tiene sentido cuando lo principal también es en gran medida papa! El acompañamiento de salsa tartare fue 'bien'.Como lugar para un almuerzo rápido y una reunión de trabajo, en mi opinión, podría estar bien, pero no es un destino de comida.

I do like the Don and have been a patron for several years. The new Bistro lacks a little in atmosphere these days ... since move from partial &#039;open kitchen&#039; arrangement. I also felt the food was a little uninspiring from the lunch A La Carte menu ... not a huge choice and Lamb Cottage Pie, whilst tasty, was not particularly appealing on the plate ... is a tin foil tray really appropriate?

Great food, I had the fixed price dinner of salmon, beef and cheesecake with a glass of champagne for £29 (plus 12.5% service). Good food and value. The service was a little old fashioned/stuffy and in your face but not terrible. Great service. Good menus. Friendly. What else can you ask for! Meal for two c90 for 2 courses each. And coffee. Probably not my first choice given other venues nearby but I would go back.

Service was excellent and staff friendly but food was nothing special. We&#039;d originally gone for the opentable deal but as the menu was different to the one advertised we chose from the a la carte menu. Tiny portion for the shepherd&#039;s pie which we did get a reduction for but why give such small portions to begin with?! The ladies toilets really need something done - the smell was awful. Overall disappointing as this was my first visit and I&#039;d been wanting to go for quite a while but won&#039;t be going again unless they drastically reduce those prices!

Delicious food. I've been couple of times already. Great place for work lunch, as for late night dinner.

Nice venue in vaults below main restaurant. Fixed price menu is good value, wine prices typical London! Food was good and portions reasonable. Service good.

Excellent food. Good value lunch menu

Cozy little restaurant a touch of French flair. A place for business lunches, but don't let that put you off - the staff are very warm and welcoming. The food was excellently prepared and presented and the deceptively simple dishes delightfully fizzed with flavour. The Eton Mess, a favourite of mine, was superb. The croquettes were amazing, full of flavour, as were the fish cakes too. The wine, though not really my thing, was extremely good, according to my fellow diner. The surroundings still have that shabby chic thing going on giving the ambience a stylish, intimate feel - I could imagine some important deals being struck down there. If you are feeling flush, give 'em a go.

Don’t go downstairs. Unpleasant experience.

Price/quality not excellent. Food was brought to the table quite quickly but the overall experience was not really good.

We arrived an hour late and apologised- were found a table and were not the last to leave. Food and wine excellent but that did not fully distract from the extremely perfunctory service from the French waiter. Just not good enough. I can understand they were put out but!

Lovely peaceful atmosphere in the heart of the city

the food is disappointing. Service ok. we have a group of 3 and been arranged to sit under the stairs, not so enjoy at that restaurant

Lovely food and friendly service in an amazing cellar setting under the main Don restaurant

Amazing food and great atmosphere, a bit hard to find but definitely worth it

Lovely little restaurant with good wine selection. The lunch menu is well priced and has a good selection of dishes too. The bread is tasty and staff friendly. The entrance is down the side and can be hard to find, and the inside feels a little dated now, but that doesn't detract from the atmosphere. It's not the most modern or stylish place, but its a great alternative to the high end restaurants in the Bloomberg building or 1 Lombard etc.

Cenamos en el Bistro, bajamos los empinados escalones hacia el sótano. Muy atmosférico, aunque la fila de mesas de dos está un poco cerca, pero en realidad funcionó bien. Teníamos el risotto con eglefino y mejillones que era absolutamente excelente. Muy eficiente y agradable.

Good food at a reasonable price

Lovely meal, beautiful atmosphere and wine. Would highly recommend.

Fui con amigos en un jueves por la noche. Queso bienvenido y luego bajado las escaleras. La habitación es acogedora con un techo de piedra pelada y teníamos una mesa cómoda. El comedor de al lado estaba ocupado con una fiesta privada, pero el bistro sorprendentemente vacío. Probó el menú fijo 3 opciones para principiantes y principales y solo un pud o queso. Los entrantes eran todos muy buenos: sopa, jamón de jamón y croquetas de coliflor, pero el coq au vin y los vegetales estaban muy salados, y aunque el limón era bueno y fuerte, tenía demasiada compota de arándanos y una porción demasiado grande. El servicio era variado, la camarera era encantadora, pero el camarero era molesto e intrusivo y deliberadamente nos trajo otra botella de vino cuando solo queríamos una copa. Pero el problema principal son los inodoros: necesitan desesperadamente un cambio de imagen y están sucios. Nos quita la comida, ya que cuestiona las prácticas de higiene de lo que se supone que es un lugar bastante inteligente. Tuvimos una buena noche, pero podría haber sido mucho mejor.

Food was ok but the toilets were very off putting. We had the set menu- starters were quite nice but the main course and side dishes were unpleasantly salty. The room is nice, but toilets were dirty and in need of an upgrade, which made us question the hygiene which is why i can&#039;t recommend.

Two parts to this restaurant, more formal in the old section and less but more cozy in the underground section. Portions can be a touch small but everything is always quick good. Turn around is quick for lunch times and evenings very relaxed which is nice. Wine list is good

Overall a nice and pleasant meal

Fantastic restaurant I the heart of the city of London. The staff created a wonderful experience for my guests at my birthday dinner. The service is exceptional. The food is sublime- the set A menu was excellent as was the vegan gluten free menu. Thank for creating a wonderful atmosphere for my birthday evening

Excellent French restaurant in the city. Good service and delicious food.

From the set menu, good price in the city and taste good

I loved the steak with the foi gras

Un almuerzo de negocios donde tuvimos menos de una hora. Fueron muy útiles para garantizar que pudiéramos lograr eso. El servicio en general era muy bueno al igual que la comida. Una buena ubicación subterránea. El Schnitzel era muy bueno al igual que uno de sus vinos de la casa. Un buen hallazgo en la ciudad.

Disappointing. <br />Friday lunchtime - absolutely dead.<br />Waiter stood by watching me and my client look around for a table and randomly sat at one. We assumed he was a customer.<br />Food - not terrible not particularly good.

Mostly fantastic - my main was a bit average, but the other twos were good. Cheese was great. Will go back, but probably won&#039;t order the chicken breast again.

Fui allí hoy con mi pareja para celebrar nuestro aniversario. ¡Qué buena elección! La comida era deliciosa, teníamos costilla como un plato principal, y era perfecta, no he comido buena carne por un buen rato, así que estaba feliz de probar una buena pieza.Parece que el chef y su equipo hicieron un gran esfuerzo para entregar lo mejor.El gerente estaba en el piso en todo momento y nos cuidaba constantemente para asegurarse de que todo estaba bien, y sí, lo estaba.Definitivamente vamos a regresar

Great food, amazing taste. Food was exactly as we expected it, very fresh. The service was excellent. Well done to all of you, we will go back soon

Had our office lunch last Friday, 14th Dec. Fantastic venue, good food and excellent service. My colleagues were impressed, thank you!

Expensive but very good food. Excellent service.

Very expensive for a mediocre meal.

Very pleasant experience and good location. Staff are welcoming and the food of a good standard.

Great atmosphere, service and food. Lovely evening spent here with my family.

This is the restaurant rather than the bistro. It should have been good but higher prices, less choice and very little quality difference to the bistro means it isnt really worth the extra

No signature dish. Nothing for foodies. Same old same old. Menu feels dated.

I booked for 4 people then changed it to 3 but in the event all 4 of us made it. The staff weren&#039;t flustered, took everything in their stride and with a smile. Food was great and we were surprised and delighted when my brother, whose birthday we were celebrating, was presented with a gorgeous mini dessert platter with &#039;happy birthday piped in chocolate and a candle for him to blow out. It was a lovely touch - thank you!

Pricey, but truly class A Italian food in the heart of the City. Ideal for a business lunch.

Food was excellent, though the waiter that served us appeared to be new or inexperienced. He disappeared and there were very few people in the restaurant. Been a few times and this was poor quality service on this occasion.

Very long service and food was very much average

A lovely old style bistro with a menu full of favourites, just perfect for a mid-week supper with friends

12th September 2018 - I generally don’t put reviews online even if a meal hasn’t been that great but today’s experience at The Don Bistro absolutely blew the doors off how NOT to serve food to customers. After quite a lengthy wait to have our order taken, the journey began. Our starters arrived after about 30mins, 2 soups and 2 salads, all faultless and very tasty but then the fun and games began. Of the dozen tables being occupied no-one had any food, the younger waiter was clueless as the problem and they had a stand-in waiter from their Wine shop helping out!! Slowly but surely peoples food started to appear but not ours, 2 fish dishes and 2 spatchcock chickens. Eventually the fish turned up after 3 or so prompts, and finally the the chicken arrived which looked on the outside a little under cooked but once we cut in, it was completely under cooked, far to much blood and pink flesh. After calling the waiter over he removed both plates without any apology or comment and just scurried up the stairs back to the kitchen....not...i’m very sorry etc etc. The 2 other guests were very much enjoying their fish, at this point it was around 2.30pm, we arrived at 1.00pm, and another 10 mins or so our chicken reappeared and guess what, still not properly cooked. At this point this was enough and the manager came over and apologised and to give him credit, waived the whole bill, but he’d have been fighting a losing battle if he hadn’t, but we had no option but to leave as we were already late for our next meeting. Essentially he blamed staff shortages and too many bookings!!! Surely for a 1st class restaurant that encounters staff issues, there are agencies for exactly this reason to avoid this kind of embarrassing situation happening?? Anyway, in 35 years of working in the city of London, the Don Bistro gave me my worst ever dining experience!!

Not suitable for a business lunch. Slow, disorganised and very disappointing. I should have taken more notice of recent reviews before booking. Never again.

Awful. Avoid. Staff were completely confused by the menu and were unable to take our order. Orders were totally wrong and the food was cold! Cold food! This restaurant used to be ok but now it's one to avoid.

Food excellent, service could improve

Poor service, average quality of food. Corporate price. Avoid AF

We had originally booked for a two course plus signature cocktail in the Bistro, but the Bistro was closed for refurb so we were transferred to the main restaurant. They honoured the deal and because they don’t do cocktails we were offered a glass of champagne instead. Excellent food and a lovely environment. Will definitely go again.

Excellent customer service. The choice of food is limited

Great two course lunchtime meal. Great service and feels hidden off the beaten track one you head downstairs into what could be a wine cellar.

Fui allí con mi amigo recientemente, como hemos comenzado reuniones en la zona de banco debido a casa después del trabajo se mueve, etc. así necesidad de encontrar nuevos lugares para ir. No volveremos. Era justo la media en el mejor de principio a fin. Nos sentamos en el sótano del restaurante.

Went here for a business event and loved the food, ambiance, and location. Service was great as well.

There is a good value set lunch on offer. The cooking benefits from the more expensive Don restaurant upstairs. You have to be mobile as there is a steep set of stairs to navigate and there is a huge and noisy restoration going on next door.

Booked a client breakfast meeting for the following day only to be called later that evening to be told that they don&#039;t do breakfast! All the ratings I&#039;ve given are &#039;poor&#039; and shouldn&#039;t reflect on the restaurant just the booking experience.

Of two draft beers only one was available - but must have been a dozen wines by the glass. Burger was obviously ground beef cooked medium and tasty. Service was attentive - place was empty at 2130 midweek.

The tables were sticky, not clean, a bit of a turn off, waiter quite put out when we asked for tap Water .. raising of eyebrows big sigh.<br />Food ok, but not exceptional and not good value in my humble view.. <br />table quite small

I attended a private business dinner for 20 at The Don. The staff handled the pre-dinner champagne reception very well. The food was good although the portions were very small.

Pleasant, unsurprising, but well executed dinner from a fairly standard &quot;modern European&quot; style menu. Service was ok. Fairly expensive for what we had, but largely in line with what you&#039;d expect in this location.

Group dinner (14) here was handled with great efficiency and good quality. I wouldn't make a pilgrimage to eat here, but it's a very nice spot for a large group.