The Ivy’s been around since 1911, as one of the servers informed me, and is therefore something of a landmark on the London restaurant scene. Like many renowned restaurants, patrons that frequent the Ivy seem to go for the overall experience that comes with it (celeb-spotting, good service, tradition, ambience, reputation, prestige) rather than for the meal itself.

That being said, I had a fabulous night here recently, despite a not-so-good starter of sauteed foie gras that was smooth (as it should be), delicate (as it should be), and sinful… but not in the way it should be. To be honest it was pretty tasteless in my opinion, and my dinner companion compared it to every other cooked foie gras he’d tried. So nothing special there.

Thankfully, though, this was followed by a delicious main course of roasted chicken with madeira jus, and lovely dessert of Scandinavian iced berries with hot white chocolate sauce. We were seated right across from Chad Smith from Red Hot Chilli Peppers, and there may have been a dozen celebs in there for all I noticed, cuz if you’re there and having a good time and decent food, it doesn’t really matter what famous people are in the house, right?

After reading several good reviews I decided to give The Ivy a go, and I wasn’t disappointed. It is only a few minutes from Leicester square, so conveniently located.

A previous reviewer said this was a good place to do some celebrity spotting, and when I visited there was a very famous celebrity (who shall remain nameless) on the next table, which was a nice bonus.

Starters range from £7-15 (unless you fancy the caviar at £90!), and the mains include shellfish, fish, pasta and various meat dishes and range from around £11-40. I chose a glass of red wine, Bang Bang chicken followed by slow-roasted pork with mash and cabbage.

The service was good, the food excellent, and the price around £34.

I called early in the week and it was still busy: so if you definitely want to get in it would be better to book in advance.

i visited the ivy about two years ago (2006) and have to say it was one of my favourtie dining experiences ever! cheaper and less pretentious than Boxwood and slightly more relaxed and cutting edge than the savoy, everything from the atmosphere and service to the food was excellent, hence why i can still remember it two years on!

As previously stated in other reviews, it is not cheap, but is definitely value for money and is not as expensive as some may think.

One of the swankiest places to eat in London. It is a hot favourite with the rich and famous too, so you will usually spot a celeb or two during your dining experience. The food is exceptional and the service is really very good. They also have a bar area that you can book if tere is no space in the restaurant. All in all it is a great experience and you should go at least once, but make it for a special occasion because it’s not cheap!

I have been to The Ivy just once and absolutely loved eating there. Admittedly, my boyfriend did propose to me in between the main course and dessert (my memory of the honeycomb ice cream is fuzzy to say the least) so I may reasonably be accused of being biased, but I am capable of criticism even under romantic circumstances.

On that note - as locations for popping the question go, this was pretty spectacular. We’re not a glamorous couple, so the good quality, relaxed and unobtrusive nature of the restaurant was perfect. Having taken the time to plan ahead and book months in advance is a lovely gesture and we somehow managed to get a table on a Saturday night.

I was impressed from the start. The service was impeccable, the decor unassuming, clean (but not pristine or false) and ever so slightly quirky. The tables look quite close to one another when you first walk in, but once seated, you don’t really notice and unless you purposefully eavesdrop, you’re not really aware of other people’s conversations.

The food was fantastic. Refreshingly unpretentious, perfectly cooked and with ample portions. There is something to suit everyone here and my soon-to-be-fiance and I had a slightly posh version of fish and chips and bangers and mash for our mains. Ok, the fish was actually seared yellow fin tuna, but you get the idea…

Our starters were Eggs Benedict and Bang Bang Chicken, both of which I can highly recommend.

And price wise it was pretty impressive too. Not cheap, obviously, but providing you don’t have a taste for lobster or oysters you can get by with a reasonable bill at the end of the night. I believe the website includes menu prices if you want to work it out more precisely.

We didn’t spot any celebs though….but then we were enjoying ourselves too much to notice or care.

It’s a really good and comfortable place, and that’s why people like it, relaxed, efficient friendly service, quite a variety of food from sausages, corn beef hash, to caviar and lobster.
Yes there are celebs, but they are off to the Wolsey and other places these days as well, so perhaps not the concentration of celebs as in the past.But who needs them, it’s just a good place to be.
Sometimes spare seats in the bar just as they open in the evening(5.30?)
Got to go at least once.

Lovely food, just cant say its bad at all, because its not - Its near perfect. Very busy but not as formal as they would like to make out. Great for corporate functions and to impress someone. If youre posh or like to pretend you are, or have lots of money or like to pretend you have, or always impress or like to try to impress, then The Ivy is one of THE places to go in London.

really nice place to eat, great service, great food….

The Ivy is renowned for its simple well cooked British classics. I tucked into sausage and mash, a dish cooked with flair and care. The food is so good that I almost didn’t notice that sitting across from me sat a famous director, television presenter and celebrated actor who were discussing the outrageous antics of a well known politician and his famous wife. I innocently called the waiter over and ordered dessert - a simple but delicious Spotted Dick.

This resturant was ok - not as posh as i thought it would be given all the hype!
Four of us had to book 6months to the day in advance which was pretty annoying! Then they only had a table available at 10.30pm but obviously didnt want to have to wait another 6months to make sure that we got this date (it was a birthday) so just had to go late.
The food was ok, but nothing to really wow you! But then this could be a plus side as the menu had favourite classics like shepards pie and burger and chips!
If you wanted to go spending a fourtune and breaking the bank you could - if you wanted to take it easily, then this was possible all so.
We only really went as we have heard how exculsive this place was and wanted to see what all the fuss was about really! We saw one of the girls from girls alloud in there and that horse racing bloke John Mcriccick? So i guess it really is the place where the celebs hang out!
All in all, i thought it was a lovely experience and i am glad that we went. Probably would do it again though as i have done this now and there are plenty of other resturants with waiting lists!