The Ivy Reviews 

Me and my friend went to the ivy Victoria for her birthday and had afternoon tea. It was lovely and our waiter Giovanni made it so special for her. Thank you

Nothing to go back for - quality, quantity, cost etc

Our grandson and his girlfriend recently graduated from Manchester metropolitan university. The whole family descended on Manchester and completed the day with a truly memorable dinner at The Ivy. The whole evening was a joy - the service was amazing (thanks Chelsea), the food gorgeous, the special attention to our 2 graduates made the whole day absolutely amazing. Thank you so much

The Ivy Clifton, Bristol. Absolutely beautiful location, decor was gorgeous. Staff were attentive. Food portions were generous. Slight quibble over the half price champagne offer but that was rectified. Only issue was the live music was so loud we couldn’t hear each other speak. I had to ask for the amp to be turned down. Would definitely go again

I received an email for 50% off champagne until 19th July. We enquired about this on arrival at the Ivy Exeter on 13th July only to be told there was no offer. False marketing.
Also a very limited choice of champagne (our first and second choice weren’t available) due to a rush because of student graduation bookings and waiting for a wine delivery. They had a special graduation menu so the annual celebrations were hardly a surprise so they should have been better prepared.
The food was lovely but can’t help feeling hoodwinked by an email offering a discount that doesn’t exist in reality.

Gluten Intolerance... menu does not exist! I am very shocked and surprised that such a large and established chain of restaurants is not capable of offering a selection of food for allergen sufferers.
I am deeply disappointed that I was provided a QR code to decipher my food choices and then to be faced with nothing from the 1966 menu at all was edible for me as a meal and so many others like me. I looked to order the soup and a salad and was told that neither of these were available to me - this clearly smells of pre prepared food delivered to the sites. Clearly I don't know this however I have been to small independents who have offered more alternatives. In the end I had to order from the main menu which was never the plan. Shame on you the surroundings are beautiful the restaurant spotless the staff are brilliant back this up with some much better way of offering food for all.

Visited the Ivy in Glasgow for brunch on 4th July for a birthday celebration.
We had a table for 10 and I generously offered to pay for the group.
The waiter arrived with the bill which was sizable but no breakdown of what had been ordered. In retrospect I should have insisted on a detailed bill.
I won't be booking there again.

Had a late lunch at Bournemouth yesterday, had to leave a review as the food was excellent, had the 1966 menu and it is amazing value! Highly recommended, our third visit, service impeccable, will definitely go again 😎

I rang up the Ivy in Brighton to book a table, however slightly off putting with the automated voice activated service. I wanted the choice to pay cash, it was not a choice unfortunately, and also we were informed we would be given 1 hour 45 minutes dining time for a table for 2 this Saturday lunchtime slot at 1pm. It felt more like an appointment than a special lunch and after discussion with my other guest we decided to forgo the 'experience'. Brighton is an incredibly diverse restaurant hot spot and we have plenty of others to choose from, until the 'card only' restriction is lifted I would not look to book here. It a shame as it certainly looks amazing.

The Nottingham restaurant - Beautiful place, great welcoming staff. Sensational food. The entire experience was ruined by the staff. Shockingly poor customer service and aftercare.

I called to request an email to raise a complaint. I was advised, "The Ivy don't use emails, but I will ask a manger to contact you today". This was back in Feb/March. No call. Wrote to their head office in London a number of weeks later. No response.

This is appalling from any company, however a premium costly establishment like The Ivy, should be 3 steps ahead. Needless to say we went else where for drinks and dessert.

Delicious food. Horrible service.
I've been to several locations. I can never understand what the hype is.
This visit we had to ask for water three times.
There was a shift change and different waiters. So one dish was never brought to the table.
I keep going because it is such a landmark and some friends insist on meeting here.
But we wouldn't choose it ourselves.
Food tasty, though.

First the good. Nice location, beautiful interior, staff overall very good.

The food experience less so. My partner is coeliac and so has to be very careful about what she eats. The starters on the menu left little choice and she ended up with a small bowl of almonds (£6.95) so around 40-50p each. This was delivered well after my starter of a cheese soufflé, which was just about ok although a little scrambled in texture.

We both had the same main, a ribeye steak (c£39) with sides of mash and broccoli (c£7 each). My ribeye arrived a full 5 minutes before may partners, the sides came on their own shortly after that.

For desert we both chose the melting chocolate bomb, with the theatrical melting of the chocolate with hot chocolate sauce. Mine arrived and the chocolate dome melted, and then we waited for hers to arrive a few minutes later. There was no reason why they shouldn't have arrived at the same time, no gluten was present.

Overall I felt a little disappointed. with wine this meal was just under £200 for the two of us including the service charge.....I could see opposite the Ivy was the Miller and Carter, I honestly would go there next time in York

We made a booking for afternoon tea at the Norwich branch. The restaurant is lovely, very pretty and the staff are helpful and friendly. We have eaten there on numerous occasions. However, I would not book an afternoon tea again. At most places doing teas you are allowed to take home the cakes etc you don't eat. The Ivy puts a creme brulee in a small pan and the chocolate pots in terracotta pots so these cannot be taken home. I think this is a bit of a swizz.

The Ivy City Garden A group of regular lunchers went to The Ivy City Garden searching for a venue for our regular luncheon, our former restaurant having just changed hands, for the worse! Right from the outset of our arrival it was obvious that the staff were poorly trained (if at all) and not passionate about their duties. Drinks were muddled and missed prepared plus they turned up at very different times, so the traditional cheers had to be made three times!! The food was ordered and once again our starters arrived in dribs and drabs mine not arriving at all until words were had. Main courses similar problems plates arrived over 5 minute period, and one of my group had a totally raw piece of tuna! This was replaced some 15 minutes after most of us had finisehed. The manager did offer my group a free drink in an attempt to placate the situation, but it dosent get over the fact that this is, on our experiance, a very badly run establishment.

I am a user of the original Ivy and The Ivy Club, both of which are superbly manage with excellently trained staff. The Ivy City Garden is damaging that reputation.

There is no way I would ever return to this branch of the Ivy Collection.

The food was outstanding! I had a birthday lunch and decided on shepherds pie it was absolutely delicious!!! The restaurant and waiters were excellent and even bought a cake with candle it was such a wonderful lunch! I would highly recommend St Albans Restaurant, great atmosphere and great food ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Went to celebrate my birthday with my family, five of us in total. Made to wait in lobby downstairs for 20 minutes with 10 other guests. It was like waiting in a Doctors waiting room. The reception staff were not very sympathetic to the fact we had to wait standing up for 20 minutes. Wasn't even allowed to go to the bar for a drink, apparently overcrowded. Finally got to out table and again staff were indifferent and rushed. Food was not as good as expected. Overall below average experience.

We are extremely disappointed with our experience at The Ivy today.

We chose to bring friends with us for lunch as it was their first visit, but unfortunately the experience was so poor that it has left us questioning whether we will return.

What makes this particularly frustrating is that this is now the third poor experience we have had in our last four visits.

On Mother's Day, we were overlooked when flowers were being given to mothers, despite every other mother around us receiving one. Combined with very poor food service, it made what should have been a special first Mother's Day a disappointing experience. To their credit, the manager apologised and refunded the bill, so we decided to give the restaurant another chance.

Our Christmas visit to see the elves was excellent, and the service was exactly what we would expect from The Ivy.

However, when we visited again at Easter, the service was poor once more. We raised our concerns, but nobody appeared interested in resolving them.

Sadly, today's visit was the worst of all.

The attitude of several members of staff was genuinely shocking. Our order was taken in a rushed and unprofessional manner. Menus were removed before our order had been fully clarified, and staff then had to return because they had not asked key questions about our meals. When we asked a simple question about whether the gravy contained beef stock, the response was met with visible frustration because they needed to check with the kitchen. Another member of staff then became involved, but her attitude was equally dismissive and unhelpful.

I completely understand that mistakes happen. Restaurants get busy and things can go wrong. The problem is that the restaurant wasn't even busy, which makes the level of service even more disappointing. What I cannot accept is poor customer service and a complete lack of care from both staff and management. When choosing a venue such as The Ivy, the customer experience should be a priority, not an afterthought.

The most disappointing aspect was that nobody seemed concerned about the impact this was having on our experience. We were entertaining friends, and what should have been an enjoyable afternoon became uncomfortable and frustrating because of the attitude and lack of professionalism shown by the team.

We currently have another table booked at the end of June to visit with our parents, but following today's experience we will be cancelling it. After three poor experiences in four visits, we have unfortunately lost confidence in this venue.

A smile, professionalism, a willingness to help, and managers who genuinely care about their guests should be the absolute minimum standard in hospitality. Sadly, that was completely absent today.

We have given this restaurant multiple opportunities because we wanted to enjoy the experience and because we know what The Ivy is capable of when it gets things right. Unfortunately, the consistency simply is not there, and after today's experience we will be taking our custom elsewhere.

Two of us visited the Ivy York on Sunday 31st May 2026
We were greeted eventually by a group of staff who were chatting as we walked in .
Our reservation couldn’t be found - I had booked online and the system was blamed for the wrong name being recorded !
We were asked if we had any allergies and although it is not an allergy I did mention I had diabetes
We ordered Roast chicken Sunday Lunch
A large Yorkshire Pudding ( as big as the plate was served containing 4 large roast potatoes and 2 lumps of chicken ( not sliced) and a small pan of gravy . Besides of tenderstem broccoli and green beans came to the table later .
Hardly a balanced meal for a diabetic counting carbs !!!!!
I really could not eat it and by this time the meal was cold.
When the waitress arrived to clear the table I explained by I had been unable to eat it and she told me I should have complained earlier - there were no staff about as we were eating our meal.
We went on to order a dessert- I chose berries and yoghurt which was all frozen the small jug of white chocolate sauce did not make the fruit easier to eat .
A latte for my husband and pot of coffee with milk finished off our meal.
The silver pot and milk jug were tarnished
I asked the waitress where the accessible toilet was and she took me there as she said it was difficult to find
Inside the toilet there were no paper towels and the hand dryer was faulty
A half used toilet roll had been put near the basin .
I have to say it had not been very pleasant meal.
The cost of my meal was deducted from the bill.
We walked out and no one spoke to us from the counter

Went to The Ivy by Tower Bridge before seeing a show. We were seated by an air conditioning machine with its hose stuck out the fire exit, I’m sure this is illegal. Went to use the ladies and upon exiting a member of staff who was in front of me, she opened the door, didn’t even bother to look to see if anyone was behind her and the door slammed in my face, no manners. And I ordered the Black Bee Honey and White Cheesecake. It arrived in a sludge with the waitress saying, “Oops, it toppled over as I was walking over, never mind, it will taste the same…” Yes lucky I wasn’t a food critic, yes it was a hot day but it looked an unappetising mess and for the price, I expect it to look how it should. Considering The Ivy is known for its ‘posh dining experience’, I’d say it’s gone down massively. All in all, The Ivy is now just a glorified Zizzi’s, in fact, Zizzi’s is better.

Went on Friday evening a fight broke out between a wedding party absolutely carnage staff did nothing I phoned the police awful experience even put a service charge on our bill getting legal advice