The Ivy In The Lanes

Our first visit to the 'Ivy', absolutely gorgeous venue. I was given afternoon tea vouchers. It was easy to book online. The afternoon tea was delicious. The sandwiches came separately to the cake stand. It was beautifully presented with a gorgeous flower on the top tier. We were given a box to take home the cakes we couldn't manage. We chose to eat the ones that would not travel or the creme brulee which was presented a dish we couldn't take away. I was very impressed the hot chocolate came not only in a glass but I also received an extra jug to top up. This was a great addition as usually you have to ask for another drink elsewhere! The decor was stunning, everywhere you looked it had been thought about. Including the ladies cloakroom which took my breath away, it was beautifully decorated. The chap we had serving was charming in an old fashioned way but you could tell he enjoyed his work and was extremely professional. I would love to return for lunch soon. Thank you all for making a special birthday treat so enjoyable and memorable 💖

I was probably unlucky with my visit to the Ivy last night. Despite the staff looked very professional and attentive, as we were having our anniversary celebration, we got some of our drinks arriving after our food finished (we needed to ask for them) and three wrong orders - chunky chips instead of the Truffle and Parmesan chips; medium fillet of beef that came as rare; and rib-eye on bone that was asked as medium-rare, came as well done. As the most expensive grill cut (38.95£ plus 12% service charge), having a well-done steak like that was so unappetizing. To be fair to the waitress, they offered to replace the food, but we had already waited so long, and it was so late, and we did not want to have food go to waste. As we were celebrating an anniversary, they were kind enough to offer a “happy anniversary” ice cream bowl, but just after we ordered our desserts. I do understand they have a bar area if you want to continue drinking after the meal, or for pre-drinks, but after our initial order, or 2nd drinks just came after the meal finished (when the objective was to drink it with the food). After all that, the waitress apologised and said that they were giving us a discount for our last drinks (about £20 in total). However, they still added up over £20 in service charge, leaving us with a meal for two people costing just over £189 (with the “discount”). Whilst mistakes can happen, for this price, these simple errors shouldn’t occur, and some training should be considered, as well as removing the service charge or letting the customer decide (as some people are not so happy to speak up). Unfortunately, whilst I do understand that the restaurant has some nice aesthetics, it was loud, and for this price tag, I cannot recommend it at this time.

Lovely place to have a date or dine with groups of friends or have celebrations be it birthdays, anniversaries etc. ..the food was great. Waiters were super friendly, nice , polite and professional. They make very good cocktails. Only thing I didn't appreciate was the vegan menu. They don't make it available like they do other menus. But they let you know that it's available. Unfortunately, I asked for it and I was told it would be brought to me but they never brought it. So has to settle for something manageable on the main menu. Also, you pay extra service charge if at all you want vegan menu. I think this should be looked into because it's a lovely restaurant.