Harden's survey result
Summary
A two-month closure facilitated a ‘Gatsby makeover’ this year at this elegant and famous grill room, which for the last 20 years has been part of Gordon Ramsay’s culinary empire. (It now incorporates a chef’s table, and a walnut wood-lined wine experience room for eight). With its Beef Wellington, Dover Sole and Lobster Thermidor – plus also a selection of steaks from now de rigueur charcoal grill – fans say it’s “superb all round for celebrating that special occasion”. Doubters, though, continue to focus on its “extortionate prices and very uninspired menu in this newly redecorated Art Deco space”.
Summary
In Thatcher’s day, this was London’s power dining scene par excellence, and this “luxurious, opulent and dark” panelled chamber, just off the hotel foyer, remains “a fabulous room”, especially in which to do business. Run by Gordon Ramsay since 2003, it has ploughed a safe-if-unexciting culinary course in recent times, focused on classics such as Beef Wellington and Lobster Thermidor, with results being consistently decent, if unexceptional. But reports this year took a dive due to concerns about the very poor level of value. Even a positive account hailing “outstanding Arnold Bennett soufflé starters and a superb all-round experience” noted that “the eye-watering bill makes it one just for a special occasion”. For more sceptical souls, “the food is fine, but certainly not worth the price tag put on it”. In particular, critical wine buffs feel the “list is borderline robbery, with incomprehensible mark-ups that seem extreme even for the capital… and unfortunately there aren’t as many oligarchs around now daft enough to pay such prices!”
Summary
“You never go to The Savoy Grill just for the food” and that’s been true since this panelled chamber first opened over a century ago. In its heyday, it was THE venue for power dining and – even if it’s no longer packed with captains of industry – its “well spaced tables and great atmosphere” still earn numerous tips as a place to impress a client, aided by a “comprehensive wine list”. Run by Gordon Ramsay since 2003, the “traditional” food has had its ups and downs and has stuck in recent times in a perhaps overpriced, “not exceptional” but tolerable mould.
Summary
“One of London’s iconic dining rooms”: this panelled chamber – just off the foyer of The Strand’s famous Art Deco landmark – still exudes “old-school elegance”, and, even if it’s not quite the pre-eminent power dining scene that it was in Thatcher’s day, it’s still popular with expense-accounters, who particularly appreciate its “comprehensive wine list”. Under the stewardship of the Gordon Ramsay group, its “classic (old-fashioned even) menu” is “pricey but fabulous” to fans, but a wider view is that it’s “moderately average and not cheap”: “nothing wrong but no sparkle”.
For 33 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
Have you eaten at The Savoy Hotel, Savoy Grill?
Strand, London, WC2R 0EU
Restaurant details
The Savoy Hotel, Savoy Grill Restaurant Diner Reviews
"Ate in the wine room of the Savoy Grill at a private dinner. Nice setting but food was somewhat disappointing, especially given the price. Nothing memorable."
"Disappointing experience at the Savoy Grill. They have clearly squeezed in more tables and this means that the whole place feels more like an ordinary place. Food was nice in parts - haddock soufflé epic has to be said - but strawberry tart stodgy and a bit weird. Not a place for serious business - goring a much better room"
"Ended up here for Father's Day and OMG what a disappointment! The menu was so uninspiring that the entire table went for steaks! To say the bar menu was more exciting ois putting it mildly. What a shadow of it's former self!"
"Art Deco elegance & food was surprisingly good, albeit hardly innovative. You obviously have to try the Arnold Bennet soufflé and the Beef Wellington & as part of the Taste of Savoy menu it actually wasn’t bad value (for fancy London restaurants anyway.) Both were done well, though my beef could have been hotter. Service was very good. However, especially given it was a pre-theatre birthday treat for my daughter, it was pretty thoughtless of the maitre’d to put two loud American businessmen right on top of us in a half empty dining room early Sunday evening."
"We have been here before two years before and the food was lovely … recently we went for Xmas day , where the setting and ambiance was spot on which you would expect from a place like this.. the only problem we had was the terrible food!! Maybe it was because they had so many sittings , but the food was bland and possibly the worst roast we’ve ever had.. the staff were wonderful amd discounted our meal.. but still £580 was appalling as you’d expect so much more"
"savoy traditional good standard"
Prices
 Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £55.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £5.00 |
 Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Bread | £0.00 |
| Service | 15.00% |
Strand, London, WC2R 0EU
| Number of Diners: | |
| Required Time: | |
Opening hours
| Monday | 12 pm‑3:15 pm, 5 pm‑12 am |
| Tuesday | 12 pm‑3:15 pm, 5 pm‑12 am |
| Wednesday | 12 pm‑3:15 pm, 5 pm‑12 am |
| Thursday | 12 pm‑3:15 pm, 5 pm‑12 am |
| Friday | 12 pm‑11:30 pm |
| Saturday | 12 pm‑11:30 pm |
| Sunday | 12 pm‑11:30 pm |
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