The Ivy Reviews 

We visited the Ivy in Belfast. Having eaten in Ivy’s all around England, this was by far our worst experience. I am incredibly disappointed that having e.mailed the customer relations, no one has come back to me. Service was extremely poor. Food also very poor. We complained, in a very nice way, TWICE, no one seemed to care. Having had a wonderful few days here and experienced the best hospitality ever, this place just didn’t seem to care. This was an experience we will not forget. The staff and chefs could take a few tips from other Ivy Restaurants.It is also interesting to note that when we returned to our fabulous hotel, various staff told us they had heard the same complaints from other guests. Ivy bosses take note!!

Not sure whats going on with restaurants lately in regards to the quality of food being served and offering what they are not producing.We were highly dissappointed with all aspects of The Ivy.

1. Service: We gave our name for the booking of 2 at the entrance to The Ivy restaurant,we were then told to step inside and someone will show us to our table.There was a waitress standing on the inside of the door she just stood there staring at us.We decided to ask her if she would be showing us to our table which was met with her answering "Huh"?Me and my partner just looked at each other when another lady appeared from behind us saying she would show us to our table.

Our waiter was ok but seemed very inpatient at times.He waited whilst we selected our drinks then eventually said he would come back (standing over us the whole time which felt quite awkward as if we were taking too long}.We selected a bottle of wine which was poured into my partners glass without a tasting and not asked if it was to our liking.The bottle chosen was no to my partners liking so we asked the waiter if we could possibly try a different wine which he obliged.The wine list prices were atrocious for what they offer,we were brought a £50 plus bottle of wine and seeing the waiter screw the top off and just pour it into a glass and walk off .......Really???! By the time we ended our meal we had been served by 3 or more different people.

2. Food: In a nutshell all food ordered lacked any professionalism in preperation or taste,especially the coated scallops which even though cooked well lacked any flavour or seasoning (frozen scallops?) without salt and pepper on the table they would have been very bland.the blackened cod was just a piece of fish with soy sauce on top (nothing blackened about the cod) once again not an ounce of seasoning or taste.My partners food was much the same,lacking any flare or touches of what we would expect from a qualified chef.

3. The Bill: £259.52 for an unenjoyable meal and very poor service and the icing on the cake was upon checking the bill a while later,we were charged twice for two bottles of wine when we only had one bottle,the 1st bottle was returned untouched except for the sip where my partner told the waiter it was not to their liking.This is by far the worst restaurant visit we have had in a longtime even though a lot of places seem to be doing the same to a lesser extent of hiking prices and providing almost nothing of value or not preparing food to a satisfactory stndard.

4. Good points: The decor of The Ivy 197 Kings road is absolutely stunning but such a shame as we will never be returning to be scammed again

The Ivy in Cheltenham appears to be as bad as the others. Afternoon tea was disappointing so I wouldn’t go for a meal there. The food was unexceptional- even a bit stale as Choux pastry & brioche rolls were soggy. All the drinks were served first to enjoy the wait no doubt and in hope to lighten the disappointment when the food arrived. One should not have to complain at an establishment like this and people should be warned hence this review. The French wouldn’t put up with it and I won’t again.

The Ivy, Bristol brasserie-lovely interior, pleasant surroundings. Unfortunately, the quality and pricing of the food did not reach expectations. We expected it to be quite stunning but found it a bit pedestrian. I had a fillet steak and chips. I thought the steak would be exceptional, but it wasn't. It was £52! I had a double shot of Talisker whiskey - £24.00. It was a special do so I smiled and paid up. Won't be going back, unfortunately.

Despite writing to the CEO and central customer services, this company has not responded - the emails were effectively turned back, whether deliberately or otherwise.
My intention was to complain about the service and the pricing.
The service was slow and it was not always easy to attract staff attention. There is a 2 and a half hour limit on the table, and at one point we were asked by a staff member how much longer we would be - a little irritating given that the delay was of their making.
The food was good, but I don't feel that this was enough to justify the high prices, given how slow service was. Courses were served but on two occasions I had to chase the wine - this restaurant could learn a lot from a trip to our local pub restaurant.
It seems their overall ratings on Trustpilot bear this out, so I wonder if anyone at head office is taking any notice? We will NOT be using them again.

So, went to The Ivy, Harrogate. Been going there since it opened. In brief, the restaurant looks tired and grubby. Everything looks as though it needs a good clean. The staff, many of whom we have never seen before looked miserable, avoiding eye contact and were indifferent. We didn't get our preferred seat, but then we ne er do so there's no point in putting in a preference. We took a table that the Manager thought was an 'upgrade'. Honestly, the seats were tired, cushions old. The booth was round but the table was oval s we felt uncomfortable as the table wouldn't pull in. In fairness our waitress was great, in fact saved the situation, our food was also very good, but my Shepherds Pie was very small. I was asked by the man who took our money how it was, I told him the truth but he doubled down, he didn't like it. When we left we saw surly faces all round, however someone on the door did manage to say 'good bye' with complete indifference. We won't be going again.

My daughter took me to The Ivy in Canterbury. Kent.
From entering the young lady took my coat and gave me a ticket.
We were shown to our table and given a menu while we received our drinks, water and bread.
The choice was fab from the set menu to the special menu
We both ordered from the lunch menu and the weight was not too long; the waiter was well dressed, polite and knowledgable of the food selection.
We thoroughly enjoyed the meal but didn't have a desert.
The choice of beverages was great too.
I don't know how much the bill was but I think the set menu was £20 or so.
I highly recommend this restaurant even to sit at the bar for snacks and drinks would be delightful for friends or family.

Fabulous brunch at The Ivy Birmingham this weekend. Staff extremely attentive & helpful & food quality was amazing! Wonderful ambiance - highly recommend for any occasion - made our day out very special - thank you!

The Ivy, Edinburgh - we were 4 adults who came in for lunch. We hadn’t booked, but were advised we could have our table for an hour and a half.
Got shown to a table on the 1st floor, right in the middle. However, this still made us invisible to the staff. Our drinks and food order was taken shortly after we were seated. Then the wait began. It took nearly 20 mins before our drinks arrived. Then another 25 mins went by, and I had to get up to ask a member of a staff if she had any idea about when the food would be arriving, considering that at arrival we were told that we only had the table for an hour and a half. The staff member kindly went to check the kitchen when our food would be arriving. Came back and said it would be any time now. Which it was, and they kindly let us have the table for amother half hour - yippee!
The frustrating thing was that we saw two other parties of 4 people arriving after us, and being served before us.
So no, not a very satisfactory experience.

Edinburgh, 11May 25. Meals reasonably good if a little more expensive than you would expect. However, I knew the price before ordering. What I did not see - the info about a 12.5% service charge, tucked at the end of the info about allergies. Sneaky .... they should make it clear on the menu.

Booked Chelsea garden online for a birthday celebration afternoon tea. It turns out that they don’t read any of the booking notes when they are added online. I was told it is too busy for them to do so. They initially refused to move us to a more suitable table but after further complaint a table magically became available in the orangery (where I had requested to sit) which had ample space for a pram (also requested). This was a relief as initially they had wanted us to leave a sleeping baby in the pram unsupervised the other side of the busy restaurant or wake him up (risking crying) to sit on laps the whole time. Not ideal!

The orangery was lovely with the roof cover open on the sunny day and pulled over when it started to rain later. Inside was very noisy but the atmosphere in the orangery much more serene. The main waiter for our table, Nelson, was superb. Very attentive and went the extra mile. The afternoon tea was delicious. Thank you to Nelson and his team, and to the chefs, for turning the experience into a positive one when the host let us down.

Food portions at Bournemouth ivy would sustain a mouse, my chicken on a mashed potato bed was pathetic should have said paper thin potato base , bottled water extremely expensive and had to push through junkies to get no the restaurant. Over priced and over rated.

We have breakfast at the Ivy Cafe in Blackheath every Saturday. Our waiter Janos is always attentive and unfailingly polite going out of his way to make sure we are looked after. He, along with the rest of the team, make the Ivy a pleasure to visit every time.

The food was okay but nothing special, the portions were paltry and expensive. My husband and I were charged £7.70 for a service charge, and £5 for a bottle of water. I would not recommend.

My husband ordered me the limited edition Easter egg online on opening my egg on Easter Sunday only to find my chocolate bunny inside all broken , hugely disappointed as I know it wasn’t cheap to buy .

We were gifted a voucher and we visited The Ivy in Canterbury,and it was a lovely experience, the staff were so nice,friendly and polite. We had the breakfast which was amazing, beautifully presented.

Family birthday celebration at The Ivy Montpellier Cheltenham on 12April. Excellent food and service in their private dining room. Leah was first class in the discreet service she provided all evening and she also enjoyed watching the 5 children at play after the meal! Fully recommend this restaurant.

Ivy City Garden - London
I have previously enjoyed eating at the Ivy and have been to many of them across the country, however, I was disappointed with our meal at London City Garden.
We were offered water, which we expected to be a fair cost, but £11 for 2 glasses, felt totally unnecessary. Especially as the water retails at £1.50 a bottle.
My starter and main meal (chicken Milanese) was very bland - I gave up half way through. My husband ordered a steak and a side of creamed greens which tasted off and he left them.
The service was lovely, as was the atmosphere. They were also good at receiving feedback and offered a refund on the items we didn’t like; but I have to say I won’t return in a while as the water price just left like needless profiteering.

I go to various of these restaurants but find the points system very frustrating I am a gold member and get the points but my status never changes for the next tier .ive been 5 times this year but the gold circle never changes . There is no way to contact them which is even mire frustrating . Can someone help with a number or email address

We went to the Ivy in Winchester for a celebration meal on Friday 11th April, the front of the house was fine however as for the meal one of the gust meal was cold. When we were asked how out meals our guest stated it was fine without consulting the other guest. It is apparent that the Ivy management pay more attention to the front of the house rather than concentrating on the kitchen being operated properly. It was clear that the food had been sat on the PASS far to long and even the side orders were cold. We have been to many of the Ivy establishments but this experience was very poor, and even when we mentioned it the reduction of the said meal spoilt the whole evening. If nothing else I would avoid the Winchester branch.