Villiers in City of London, Westminster

Food was average..nothing special there! Don’t believe we’ll go there again

At this time of year when there are hoards of people Christmas shopping or having their Christmas parties its slightly unfair to write a review as I'm sure it would differ at other times of the year. Restaurants are fully booked (which is a good thing) but the tables were so close together it was difficult to move around. The food was average and lacked flavour but as I said it's a busy time of year but would probably go again in a quieter period as the venue is very handy for Charing Cross mainline and Embankment tube.

Always great food, service, the staff are all amazing and welcoming. My favourite Italian ever!

Excellent Italian Restaurant, good value and good service. Generous portions and very creative menu - the Calzone, Mussels were particularly good. Quick service too so ideal if want a pre theatre meal

My pizza was very good. My friends lamb a decent size and with only mashed potato needed another vegetable. The whole experience was marred by an external door which wasn’t easy to close and rarely was. There was no lobby and it being a cold night made for an almost constant cold breeze to the extent that my companion had to wear his coat rather than have a cold neck and back.

I've dined here before and it was good enough for me to consider returning, especially as they're great at serving the pre-theatre crowd. However, on this occasion the food was a little disappointing and in particular lacking seasoning and flavour. I had the nicoise salad, which I swear was just a tin of tuna on lettuce with some potato and egg and none of the usual anchovies/olives/capers... for £17! My daughter's pizza had a soggy bottom and also seemed to be missing herbs. Not a great night in the kitchen and it's probably put me off trying again. A real shame.

Great as always a regular of ours, stopped having desserts since they changed the dessert menu but otherwise excellent and always helpful service. Slight problem this time in one of the cosckatail drinks we ordered arrived with flat "prossecco" but when raised was quickly resolved. Always great staff !

Great food and service. Kept messing with the speakers and music which was a little annoying.

A beautiful Italian restaurant, food was excellent as was the service, thoroughly recommend

Our go to eaterie when in Charing it’s delicious and convenient

Excellent restaurant for pre theatre or meeting friends- delicious food

The waitress accommodated our dietary requirements without a problem A good place for a quick meal prior to going on to another activity

Good food in a lovely setting with excellent staff

This is a favourite place to eat when in London. The feeling is Italian and the staff are extremely pleasant and gracious and the food is always very nicely cooked and full of delicious Italian flavour. Recommend the fogato!

Best risotto funghi in London. Never disappoints

First time I haver tried this restaurant, very nice lovely atmosphere will visit again

We went for an after theatre matinee dinner, the place was busy and a noisy bistro atmosphere. Wide choice on menu at a reasonable price for central London. The food was served on the prompt side so definitely no waiting. It was hot and tasty so no complaints there that we had seen in other reviews. Drinks were served quickly as well maybe it helped having a bottle of wine so once served we could pour ourselves. It was a 5:00 on a Saturday staff were busy but attentive so we were very happy with our choice. We are not pile it high all you can eat people maybe that could be the issue with other reviews??

Pre-theatre booking so we really appreciated the speed with which we were served. The portion sizes are pretty large so make sure your eyes aren't bigger than your stomach, especially if you're having a starter and main course. ;)

Really nice restaurant, just around the corner from the theatre so pre drinks & meal was both convenient and great quality

Unfortunately the meal came out really slow we had arrived on time and we had to wait for nearly an hour. We had to get to the theatre and once the meal came we had to bolt it. As we had only 10 mins left. I could not do this so had to leave my meal. The waitress was very sweet and tried to help with a complimentary drink, but I didn’t want this. I left over 50% of my meal. They said we could come back for a free pudding but we had other plans. They gave us 10% off the meal. This was not good enough and we did not have time to object. This was our 39th wedding anniversary too! What we did eat of the food was good, but we will not be going back.

Satisfied but wee bit expensive for pizza and salad

Great as always, good efficient service and consistent

Drinks came after starters as starters finished. when asking told they were being made, only order a beer and a glass of wine. Bar man was interested in his phone more. Starters cleared and server hit the glass in to wife’s face luckily no damage. Food was ok but considering it was quiet service was not good.

Waiting staffs not attentive at all, bad customer service , lack professionalism, food average Italian.

Excellent food that came to us fast and fresh even though the restaurant was packed!

Good atmosphere, attentive service, food very good, sides are extra, cost reasonable for location

Waren dort zum Essen und der Abend war bis die Rechnung kam sehr schön Das Essen war wirklich gut und der Service war in Ordnung Die Preise sind für die Londoner Innenstadt und für die Qualität wirklich günstig Als dann die Rechnung kam waren wir allerdings sehr überrascht es wurden 25% Service charge berechnet also nochmals ein Viertel der gesamten Rechnung Als wir dann sagten das wir nur ca 15% geben kam ein unhöfliches „sie wollen also nicht den vollen Service bezahlen „ Wirklich schade denn sonst waren wir sehr zufrieden

We ate here on Christmas and it was delicious! The restaurant was very festive as well.

Service and food was ok, not special. The chicken in my ceasar salad was a bit hard and dry. When we got the bill we saw that we had to pay 25% service costs!! I would like to have know this in advance.

Food is not bad. Service is pretty bad. So it depends what you looking for.

Es muy buena comida, los platos son ricos y bien servidos. El ambiente muy bueno. Lo único que no me gustó fue que quisieran retirar los platos muy rápido sin haber terminado, se sintió como que te apuraran por terminar.

Our dining experience at this restaurant left much to be desired. The food, unfortunately, fell short of expectations as it arrived at our table in a less than satisfactory condition. The dishes were not only bland but also disappointingly cold. This could have been as it was delivered to a different table and sat there for a while before it was redirected to us after the other guests had alerted the staff. While I understand that mistakes can happen in busy establishments, the impact on our dining experience was undeniable especially after staff just shrugged it off.

Great place for pre theatre supper. Friendly staff and great food.

Only one complaint - the so called "wild" mushrooms were definitely NOT wild. (I know mushrooms and have been picking wild ones since I was about 6years old, European family tradition). So, you have breached the trade descriptions act!!

As it was December, although we were dining at 1700, we thought we ought to book - and we were right! The restaurant was completely full, so the atmosphere was buzzing. However even though there wasn’t an empty seat, the service was well paced, and we weren’t kept waiting for an undue amount of time at any point. Food quality was just as good as if it was a quiet evening. Always a great experience at L’Ulivo on Villiers Street!

The atmosphere was pleasant if a a tad noisy. We had a window table and enjoyed watching the activity in this busy part of London.

Very busy good attentive friendly service.. Large menu of traditional Italian dishes. Nothing really special but prices in line with west end. Duck was basic with a bland orange sauce and some small post potatoes. Pasta dish seemed OK. Desserts seemed all pre bought. Wine was trettu awful. House white and a fiano which was expensive and not very pleasant. Wouldn't rush there again.

Great pre theatre meal before going to see Cabaret . Piping hot and delicious Lasagne and lovely Aperol spritz . Staff were great and restaurant decorated beautifully for Xmas and great value !

Good straightforward Italian food. Nothing fancy. Excellent service in a pleasant setting

Perhaps because of its great location the restaurant is mostly chaotic pre-theatre. Lots of people waiting for tables they’d booked. Once seated food was good but then service got very slow as show time approached.

Very busy but served quickly. Food was excellent, good Aperol Spritz.

I picked this to be near the station for meeting up with some friends with a walking problem - it was very close! Very pleased with the restaurant, we were delighted with the menu, food was very good - my husband was delighted with his mussels dish followed by the liver - we all had something different and all felt happy with our choices! We had a nice bottle of wine and also alcohol free beer for one of us. The prices were excellent value for money too. We have said we will visit again and have recommended it to other friends!

Overall very good but waiting staff should have full knowledge of the dishes being served. In our case, the salad was made with tinned tuna, not fresh, as we were told. My guest would have chosen a different dish had he not been assured tuna was fresh. Good friendly service, pleasant ambience.

The food on this visit was excellent as usual, the Duck in Orange sauce was the winner, staff could not be more friendly and helpful, another satisfied customer

We had a lovely pre theatre matinee lunch, ideally situated very near tube station and theatres. The restaurant was buzzing, nice atmosphere, very good service, would definitely go again

Fantastic service, great food, pleasant environment, great value, definitely not to be missed out if you are in teh area

Attentive team, and hsd a good experience. Will come again!

Excellent find - relaxing on entry & welcoming throughout the visit Nothing as too much for the staff A great place to have a family meal

Staff are warm and friendly. Service is excellent. Food is very good and ample portions. The atmosphere is lively. Toilets are attractive and very clean.

Perfect for a quick pre-theatre bite that doesn’t cost too much. Pizza and house white.

This has been a regular restaurant for a meal before or after a visit to the Theatre, or simply to catch up with friends. We must have been here around once every one to two months, over the year. However, on this occassion we are were very disappointed - the main menu is good as always and we love the Pane All'Aglio as a starter (and as they use Garlic oil, great for vegans or dairy intollerance etc) and Penne Fantasia. But the dessert menu was now such a dissapointment gone are the inhouse prepared desserts (and the Lemon sponge was wonderful) are gone to be replaced with something that looks the Italian equivalent of a chinese restaurant dessert menu !! So based on that we will be rethinking where we eat. may still come here, but time to look at alternatives.

Service was rushed, several different servers attended- the initial drink order server was inattentive only taking one person’s order. The food server came within seconds of seating, we hadn’t even opened our menus. We were not the only table who felt rushed as others around were making the same comments. One server who topped up drinks and collected the money didn’t speak at all on any visit to the table, which we found rude. The pizza and pasta was tasty but I wouldn’t recommend the tortiline which wasn’t pleasant- drowning in oil and bitter garlic.

A fabulous find. Staff were slightly less attentive the busier it got and this also made a twosome conversation quite difficult due to the design but…overall the food was excellent, timely service, good atmosphere and very clean

Food was good in very generous portions. Waiting staff were attentive and efficient even as it got busier over the lunch period. Prices were reasonable too for city centre location.

This is a regular place we use for a pre or post theatre meal, great pasta. Service can be a little over efficient at times, but the mains are very good. The only area I think that could be improved is choice of starters could be more varied. Already booked though to come back later this year

Fantastic post show meal - something for everyone

Overall very good, close to stations and theatre-land. The food was very good, good sized portions and a reasonable selection of dishes. Service started a little slow given it wasn’t busy at first however that soon changed once we had made our drinks order and staff were attentive. Two of us, four beers, a starter and main course each came to £120 including service charge. Fair for London.

Good tasty food, reasonably priced with friendly and polite service.

Very well located,Good food and great atmosphere although the noise level might not suit everyone

The food was excellent and the service attenitive. I would recommend as a nice pre-theatre option.

This is a regular location for us for a pre theatre meal. Always good and quick service if needed or more relaxed if we have more time. The only thing that would improve is a slightly better / larger choice of starters maybe to share.

Fantastic staff, cannot do enough for you to enjoy your meal, taste of food was supberb, definately returning when in area.

First time dining here. Very friendly and attentive staff. Very good menu and wine list. Food was excellent. Nice atmosphere and location convenient for tubes and near to theatres. Would definitely return and recommend

Great food with generous portions, very busy on the evening we went - overall would recommend if in the area

Overall just okay Italian food and pasta. Most certainly there are better places in the area for a similar price.

This is a friendly restaurant with good food at fairly reasonable proces with efficient service.

Arrived in time for our booking but they’d clearly overbooked. Customers who had no booking were ushered in ahead of us and we were ultimately placed in a boiler room downstairs where there was an awful buzzing noise.

We ate here for gay pride day in London. It was quite crowded. My wife had seafood pasta which she liked. I had pasta carbonara with mushrooms. It was very good. We had tiramisu for dessert that was delicious. A nice place.

We dined at L'ulivo last Friday evening and had an amazing experience. The restaurant itself is beautiful with trees and twinkly lights. It was bustling with a great atmosphere but not too busy. The food was absolutely delicious and very generous portions. The staff were attentive and friendly. We will definitely visit again and recommend to friends.

Lovely food and reasonably priced, deducted a star for being stingy with tap water, why not a jug for the table rather than small glasses, and because it was very noisy which made conversation difficult. It was quiet downstairs, would ask to sit there if I visit again.

Great place for pre theatre. Will defo go back when not in a rush. Decent portion sizes

Pre theatre tradition Ideal location near major venues

Staff was very friendly and attentive. Food was quite good actually and care was clearly put into the preparation. I would have no issue recommending this restaurant.

Just delightful- wait staff very friendly and attentive and perfect for nice dinner before the theater. I was with a party of six and service was flawless. We will definitely return!

Food was delicious and portion sizes were great! It was just expensive but then I guess that's the times we live in right now

All round good experience. Food was good, servers were politely and attentive, without making you feel harassed. The restaurant was relatively busy, which gave it a nice hum, without being loud and intrusive.

Great food. Perfect location for us. Daughter said it was the best pasta she had eaten. I make pasta, but I'll let it go.

“L’Ulivo Villers Street, a name that might resemble an Italian restaurant…. PLEASE don’t let the name and menu fool you!! This is everything rather than an I T A L I A N restaurant!!! PLEASE if you’re looking to go on a date or with friends to an authentic/proper Italian restaurant AVOID this restaurant!! P.S. This review is written by a native Italian who known what authentic Italian food is all about!! Ciao!!

We came here for a birthday meal before an evening theatre performance. It was fantastic… great food, lovely ambience, attentive staff. Definitely book, as people queue out the door for a table which is obviously a good sign. We will definitely be back.

Food was very average. The service was lacking. Can’t see that I would be returning here.

One of our favourite restaurants. Always excellent.

Fantastic friendly staff, very tasty food great place to eat

Don’t trust the Open Table reviews.. unless this restaurant used to be good - maybe 5 years ago, but certainly not now! I went there, because it seemed to have the best value for money based on 1200 OpenTable reviews. However, the bruschetta was made with flatbread and cheap tomatoes, the staff was not friendly, they never came to check on us for the food and actually were rude when were unhappy with the main. The vegetable soup was not properly tasty, the calamari was deep fried in cheap oil and actually burnt (£13!!), the mains were no better: the fish was just about edible, the chicken schnitzel Milanese was absolutely awful - seemed defrosted - and had to be sent back, and the lasagna was a disgrace to Italy! It was made with cheddar. To be fair, the schnitzel was exchanged for free for gnocchi, which tasted okay, had a decent bite, but the sauce was not properly made and was probably just a tomato base for the pizza . Finally, we wanted to know where Chef was from. The waitress didn’t know, and had to ask in the kitchen and turned out that the chefs were from Bulgaria and Bangladesh! I Certainly won’t be going back there.

This place is tremendous value for money. Good food, charming service, not too noisy - perfect.

Fabulous service from start to finish and exceptional food!

On arriving they didn’t seem bothered about the booking and didn’t check, and not overly friendly. However the other servers were friendly. The food was good- lamb chops succulent and cooked perfectly. The burger was juicy and fries crisp. I would be interested to try their other branch sometime.

Food was very nice, service polite but rushed. 3 courses and out within the hour.

We usually eat at this restaurant when we are visiting London. It’s in a good location, close to the places we visit. The food is good.

Had a fantastic pre theatre meal. Delicious fresh ingredients. Excellent customer service. I'll be back.

Our first time in London , we were heading to different place hoping they accept walk-in. However they turned us down and found this gem. Good ambient , good service , great portion.

Apart from having to queue outside when we had reserved a table (it was a busy Saturday evening), once we had our table, I cannot fault the attentive service and the food was just fantastic. A lovely dining experience.

Fab meal and great service . Will be back as we enjoyed this restaurant so much

We dined early (17:30) - service started well, but deteriorated as the restaurant got busier. We ordered an extra side dish (spinach), which didn’t arrive with the meal. We stopped a waiter to request it was brought. Some minutes later, our server checked that we were happy, and we told her that our side hadn’t arrived. Just after we had finished our meal and our plates were being cleared, 2 portions of spinach arrived - and the servers seemed upset that we didn’t want it….even though our plates were empty. Not what you would expect….. Apart from that, the food was good quality

We had a delicious meal here before going to the theatre. The decor is charming and warm. The service was efficient and friendly.

Good yfoyfoc puff pug pug pug o Pufoyc pvuvitco

Food was great but felt like we were rushed through our meal. It was busy and they clearly needed the table but would have been nice if we were given more time to enjoy it as the food was lovely!

Very good authentic Italian restaurant. Excellent food and wine.

Very busy service was a bit slow to order but food was lovely and plenty of it. We have visited this restaurant a few times now

Nice restaurant within easy distance of Charing Cross. Pleasant ambience and tasty food of good portion size. Friendly and efficient service for a lunch time meal.

The food is fairly average. Wine is overpriced. Some staff members were in need of basic training (i.e. how to serve a plate to a diner - not under the nose of another). Toilet area smelled foul; needs attention.