Giraffe Restaurant, South Bank, London

Ate here before heading to the globe and it was immense. A great menu made even better by great service and an amazing location.

You will more than likely have to queue but it does move fast just like everything else in london.

There's a lot of options around here to eat and this always is busy, the masses cannot be wrong.......can they???

I went a couple of weeks ago and was impressed. We were seated in 15 minutes on a very busy Saturday and managed to get seats outside which in the sunshine is absolutely divine.

Our food was perfectly reasonable in price and the waiting staff were very attentive and friendly. Once sat we didn't feel pressured or that any table turning was taking place.

For a Saturday afternoon lunch on the Southbank I found Giraffe to be more than adequate.

Though I was initially quite impressed by this chain when it emerged a few years ago- since it expanded the quality of the food and service can vary between branches.
I took an 11 year old here for dinner and the service was great despite the fact the restaurant was really busy at the time. The kids' menu is well priced- my companion has a bigger appetite than me so I we ordered one adult burger and one kids' and then did a swap. The burgers, a salad, two drinks and one kids' dessert came to £20 which is reasonable but my burger was burnt and even the adults' portion came with very few fries. I think the food let them down this time.
But it's still a great place to bring kids- we didn't feel rushed out of there and the crayons and activity sheet they provided were a useful diversion. As there is a general buzz about the place you can play games etc at your table without disturbing the people around you at all.

Full post and photos @ www.thecattylife.com

Giraffe is a chain of groovy restaurants around London - I especially love the Southbank branch on a bright sunny day. I'm usually there for breakfast/brunch and the menu is fabulous.

Make sure you try one of their excellent fruit smoothies!

I was not impressed at all. It wasn't busy and I still had to call a waiter to take my order. I was a great fan of the chiswick branch and taught the same standards would apply across board- not so! The brunch breakfast, again one of my favorite was diasappointing.
I complained when asked and got a tea. But not coming back here again. Shame!

Not overly impressed, to be honest.

One of those cheeky chains that will ride on their brand rather than trying to create a good experience every time for each customer.

The food’s alright, usual giraffe menu, nothing amazing and verging on being over-priced.

The wine I was recommended tasted like nail varnish remover. Which was a shame, really, as I needed something to wash down the dry wedges, which, might I add, were not what I ordered, but they 'forgot’ to tell me they had run out of my first choice. Cheers.

Not only that, but they do that sneaky thing where they very kindly add themselves on an 'optional’ 12.5% service charge.

I opted to remove that and just pay the bill.

Ducks to avoid flying insults

Really nice view over the thames. Been here for dinner and breakfast - both of which were really nice.
For breakfast i had there scrambled egg and salmon with a bagel and dinner i had the Giraffe Burger. The smoothies are really tasty. Well worth a visit.

I’ve had a couple of bad experiences with this branch of Giraffe. They appear to market themselves as a family friendly restaurant but a friend was informed by their manager that they aren’t family friendly - they are a regular restaurant that “allows” families. ALWAYS a long wait, often bad service - food is overpriced in my opinion and my friend’s family was treated appallingly and made to sit outside in the freezing cold just because their toddler had a tantrum (and who hasn’t had that happen to them…). I’d skip Giraffe and do Strada or Wagamama’s instead!

Giraffe is a restaurant, coffee shop and bar. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner and snacks suitable for children and adults alike, although be careful visiting weekend afternoons - I have been caught out twice with very noisy childrens partys - great fun but no good when meeting friends for a chat and catch up!

The food is very good with a variety to suit. Portion size is quite large with the possibility of purchasing side dishes if necessary.

The staff are very helpful without bothering you. Keen to find you an appropriate table, provide drinks and menus and clear tables quickly.

Be prepared to queue, it does get busy and if visiting during peak periods you may need to wait, but I would recommend this - Service and quality excellent and during summer months it is very pleasant sitting outside.

We went here with the kids. There was quite a long wait with different people looking after you - all very nice and helpful but confusing.

Cocktails were OK with some non-alcoholic versions for the kids.
Burgers were pretty tasty and satitisfying.

Certainly not 'fine dining’ but for a not too expensive meal with the kids it was fine.

We sat outside and absorbed the buzz from the South Bank

I’ve been here twice and on both occasions came away wondering why, every time I walk past the place, there is a huge queue waiting to get in. Giraffe on the South Bank has an enviable location and they seem to take it for granted that they’ll be busy regardless of quality of food or service.

On my first visit we didn’t even get any food. It was a late night after a visit to the National Theatre and it put a dampener on the whole evening. We were told that they were still open but that we’d “have to be quick” and we were left standing there for 10 mintes trying to get the attention of any staff members. We left without even getting a table.

On our second visit we were with friends who wanted to go so we tagged along. This time we were served but the food was well below par. I had a tortilla wrap which was soggy and stuck to the plate and a friend had a burger which had the just thawed cardboard texture.

When there is so much choice along the South Bank I’m at a loss as to why this place is always so busy. Plain food and indifferent service.

First, I must say I was very grateful for the company of the wonderful friends who took me to Giraffe. In no way did I wish to spoil their evening by complaining. The wine was very welcome, and the view of the Esso Building and South Bank promenaders was wonderful.
However…. the falfafel :-) First, I foolishy (and selfishly) took the entire piece from the Mezze dish and ate it. Then, feeling queasy, I stopped chewing, and waited until a suitable interval when I could go to the toilet to dispose.
I spoke to the kitchen staff, saying I did not wish to make a fuss in front of my friends, but that I had found the falafel unpleasant. I was offered fresh falafel to taste, which I agreed was absolutely fine, but they also conceded there was something very wrong with the falafel on our plate. I was given no explanation, except to find no charge for the Mezze on the bill.
So for that, Giraffe, nil points.

Outstounding location with lovely indoor/outdoor option (al fresco dining!). Really huge space, so you’ll never wait long for a table. More a “coffee shop” vibe than that of a restaurant, but I suppose that tends to fit in with the Giraffe theory anyway.

Honestly, I’ve never been to a Giraffe for anything other than breakfast. I go here when I crave a bit of Americana in the mornings. The pancakes are FANTASTIC - fluffy and perfect covered in wonderful fruit and maple syrup. They offer freshly-made juices and international coffees. The Mexican-style egg tostada is almost one of my favorite dishes - eggs, chorizo, salsa, black beans and cheese grilled on top of a large corn torilla. Usually my husband and I split these 2 dishes, because I can never decide! The Belgian waffles are also very lovely & they do a mean granola! Around £20 for food and coffees/juices for 2, it’s not a builder’s breakfast, but worth it for a Sunday brunch treat. Always had good service, though occassionally a bit slow if there’s not enough staff on.

This Giraffe does have an outstanding location, on the South Bank right by the Thames. While the food is not the most amazing in the world, it does make a very convenient place for a reasonable meal.

The first time I ate here was in the late afternoon/early evening, when their special-price two-course meal proved an amazing bargain. Choose from 3 or 4 starters and main courses (all of which appear on the ordinary menu, they’re not cheap ‘specials’) for just under £7; if you’re drinking, a lot of cocktails are two-for-one at this time too! However, they did lose points for seaing me at the bar when tables were free - why do solo diners always get shoved here?

The second time was with a friend and a young child, and this is where Giraffe probably comes into its own in the daytime. It has a nice children’s menu, provides crayons and balloons, and above all the staff are friendly and laid-back. (As a result, Giraffe is popular with families and therefore perhaps best avoided in daytime if you don’t have/love being screamed at by toddlers).

This branch of Giraffe does its job well then, and while I wouldn’t go out of my way just to eat there, it’s certainly a great option when you are near one and want something reasonably priced to eat with friendly service.

Giraffe was pretty good, we enjoyed ourselves by sitting outside on a beautiful evening but weren’t overly impressed with the food. We ordered a chorizo chicken burger that was pretty dry (but good otherwise!!) and our beer battered onion rings never made it to the table. Thus the three stars.

That being said, the NACHOS were amazing!! If i were to rate just them, 5 stars across the board as they hit the spot! We both thoroughly enjoyed them and added chorizo into the mix. It was a sliced chorizo that looked like salami which added a lot of flavouring to the whole pile. Beans, corn, cheese and chipotle flavoured tortilla chips made the appetizer a heaping mound of deliciousness. We’d definitely go back to giraffe just to have a few rounds of nachos and some tasty margaritas.

My girlfriend brought me here for my birthday, having spent a boozy day laying in the park! We continued the theme by ordering two of their famous cocktails. Their gin berry sling was absolutely phenomenal and had me feeling quite merry after every mouthful! This was followed by a lovely mezze-style plate of starters that we could not fault, and big portions of enchillades for her, with a perfect rib eye steak for me, cooked blue, just how I like it. The service was excellent, not too fussy, but really friendly and ever so cheerful. We’ll go back again, but be prepared to queue outside, since it is VERY popular. Well worth the wait though - you’ll only be out there for 10 minutes or so.

Out of all of the Giraffes I've been to, this one has to be my favourite, mainly for the location. Opening a Giraffe, as well as many other decently priced restaurants in the South Bank, just below Royal Festival Hall, was a brilliant idea as it gives concert and event goers the perfect place for that pre-show dinner. This Giraffe is certainly an excellent choice for such an occasion. There is always a good variety of choices on the menu, suited to most tastes, and the service is usually quite friendly and efficient. There are often special to be found if you register on their website and there is one day in the week (I forget if it's Monday or Wednesday) when wine is buy one get one free, which is well worth it!

I really enjoy all Giraffe restaurants and this one is one of my favourites because of its great location. Set on the South Bank, this is the ideal place to go to for an early dinner or brunch on a Sunday. Talking of brunch, you have to try their pancake stack with blueberries- its amazing! Their lunch and dinner menu is also great, with delicious burgers normally stealing my vote. As with many chains, service can sometimes be a bit impersonal, but I have generally been quite impressed with it on the various occasions I have visited.

I am usually a fan of Giraffe restaurants - I love the food and fun atmosphere. But my recent experience at the Giraffe on the South Bank wasn't great. Bad service in general. Different staff were forgetting anything we asked for and tables, floor and toilets were rather grimey.

I have been to Giraffe in Richmond and Clapham and both were great!