The Ritz Restaurant

We had the wonderful pleasure of dining for lunch at the prestigious Ritz in London in November. It was three generations celebrating my mum and they gave us the most memorable and exquisite experience. I was in awe of the wonderful hostesses in their top top uniform and how pleasant and welcoming they were. If you were to celebrate any occasion this would be the place to be. I loved the intricate detail of the ceiling it felt like a Victorian castle, the ambience felt back in time. Our food was amazing and I loved & appreciated how they explained of what was in our dish. I would definitely go back again to try the afternoon high tea. Thank you again Ritz for your splendid hospitality!

I recently had the pleasure of having lunch at the Ritz’s restaurant and it was an unforgettable experience from start to finish. The ambiance is elegant and refined, with a beautiful classic design. The staff was exceptional- very attentive, friendly and kind, every detail was taken care of with professionalism, making the experience even more special. The lunch menu was absolutely delicious. I highly recommend it🫶🏼 Having lunch at the Ritz was more than just a meal, but a luxurious experience with incredible food and service. Looking forward to be here again!

The Ritz is a crowded, hectic place, full of old-school style that teeters on the precipice of naffness. It is undergoing a refurb and desperately needs it. We arrived for a 6.30pm reservation at 6:28, but they wouldn’t allow us in to the restaurant because it actually didn’t open until 6.30, which was something we didn’t realise as the reservation had been made by the concierge at the hotel we were staying at. Some may describe the decor as traditional, others as dated, I’m in the latter camp. The food was very good, but what I find unacceptable is being charged a £55 pp ‘entertainment charge’ if you choose to dine from the a la carte menu, rather than the epicurean delights (or whatever it’s called) menu. If you want to stop the few people who might try to get an evening out for the price of a starter then impose a minimum charge if you must, but I walked out over £1k lighter, of which £165 was for the band and dancers, which although enjoyable didn’t really get going until we were about to leave. We stuck around for a bit to eek some value out of the spend, but for me it was a tick in the box dining experience that I won’t be repeating.

On the 10th of December, my husband and I. travelled from Oxfordshire, a very long journey to visit The Ritz, as we do every year for lunch. Despite booking months ago, we were shown to a table , that looked like it had been added to the existing tables, at the back of the restaurant, where the dishes were cleared. Last year, we were greeted by name, by the lovely waiter who remembered us from the previous year. This was not the case , this year. Before we had a chance to even sit down, a rather rude woman said to my husband, "there is a place for your bag" and pointed to the small bag table on the floor, which we were well aware of, having been numerous times before. Once again, before we had time to even draw breath, the sommelier pounced on us to take the drinks order. A very nice young man then came to the table and said our waiter would be Luca and he would be over to take our order. 15 minutes later, a waiter appeared to take our order, despite us seeing other people arriving and been served before us. 30 minutes then passed before we saw our starter, the original waiter , apologising for the wait. The starter was exactly 4 mouthfuls of food and was eaten in 5 minutes. We then sat there for almost 40 minutes before the main dish arrived , which was stone cold and had to be sent back. The original waiter kept plying us with bread stating that he did not know what was going on with the kitchen as the service had been really slow today. The waiter was so embarrassed and kept apologising for the wait. A further 15 mins passed before the main returned, delivered by the head waiter, who smirked, as he put the food down on the table. The duck main, consisted of 4 or 5 tiny strips of duck with a blob of some cold red item, next to it. We then had a further wait for the dessert. We arrived at the restaurant at 1.15 and left at after 3.30pm. The whole experience was the worst we have seen at The Ritz and then, just to add further insult to the day, the bill contained the service charge , . No apology was made when the bill was presented and Luca even laughed and said, did we want to check the bill? The bill was indeed, almost £300. We will not be returning