RestaurantsLondonHammersmithW6

survey result

Summary

£150
£££££
3
Good
2
Average
3
Good
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

“Just keeping on delivering outstanding quality, year after year, with the highest-quality seasonal Italian food that’s not over-elaborate” – Ruth Rogers’ iconic Thames-side café in an obscure Hammersmith backstreet remains one of the most talked-about destinations in our annual diners’ poll. Since its debut in 1987, it has helped drive culinary fashion. “They take the best fresh ingredients and the open-plan kitchen allows you to watch them work their magic” – an “exceptional” ingredient-led approach that’s now practically ubiquitous in top kitchens. And it popularised the idea that top-notch food can be enjoyed in a “casual” setting, without flunkies and flummery: the bright, “noisy”, “packed-in” space having originally been created as the canteen for her late husband’s architectural practice (it helps that “it has a gorgeous riverside setting, especially outside on the terrace on a summer’s day”). But, “while it’s simply great, my God, do you pay for that simplicity”. Yet again, it tops our list of ‘most overpriced’ restaurants as its “absurd prices seem to be multiplied by the number of years it has been open”. As always our reporters have mixed feelings on this question of value. Some are unquestioning (“it’s expensive, but you never feel ripped off”). For others, it’s a struggle (“it never disappoints… so long as the heart attack when you get the bill doesn’t end the evening prematurely”). And this year, those who “find it increasingly difficult to justify the expense” are gaining ground, particularly as the “beautiful” servers have seemed “very flakey” or “impersonal” on numerous occasions this year. “If you live near an airport, consider a day trip to Milan for lunch instead: it would work out cheaper…”. Top Tip – “the winter weekday lunch is absolutely fantastic value and so delicious”.

Summary

£132
£££££
3
Good
2
Average
3
Good
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

“Soldiering on with flair and confidence” – Ruth Rogers’ world-famous café is “still the ‘go-to’ location for “exceptional quality”, “ingredient-led”, “expertly served” Italian cooking” (“even Italian winemakers are impressed by its authenticity and quality!”) Stuck, “out-of-the-way”, between a quiet Hammersmith backstreet and the Thames, a chic crowd (many of them regulars who live in the centre of town) cram themselves into this bright, unadorned room which started life as the staff canteen for Ruthie’s late husband, Richard Rogers’ architectural practice (“is it my imagination or are the tables getting even closer together nowadays?”). But, while practically “no one can doubt the quality of the food, even so the gobsmacking prices are hard to justify” and it is yet again voted the most overpriced restaurant in London in our annual diners’ poll. As is now customary, comments mix awe at its virtues with frustration at the level of value: “I do love it, but I always get buyer’s remorse afterwards” as “the pricing leaves a bitter taste after a fine meal”“and yet we still go back…” Top Tips – 1) On a warm day, its location becomes a reliable attraction in itself: “it’s enchanting sitting outside on the terrace beside the Thames”. 2) When it comes to the menu, “it changes so much that it’s pointless to pick out too many individual dishes but the fish and shellfish are cooked with great skill and attention to detail; and timeless favourites include the Ribollita and the Chocolate Nemesis”.

Summary

£114
£££££
3
Good
3
Good
3
Good
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

“Yes, the food is simply presented, yes, there are paper tablecloths, yes, it’s expensive… but it’s worth every penny!!” That’s still the winning verdict on Ruth Rogers’ world-famous canteen, where it’s “so difficult to get a table”, despite a hard-to-find location in a Hammersmith backstreet, and relatively humble – albeit “slightly starry” – premises. (The site started life as the staff canteen for husband, Richard Rogers’ architectural practice). That “this is the restaurant that pioneered the idea of produce first”, further enthuses its devotees, many of whom are longtime regulars (“we’ve been coming for 25 years and have never been disappointed”). And yet, despite all the positives, many diners just can’t stomach a bill that can seem “terrifying”, or even plain “ludicrous”. Hence, for the umpteenth year, it’s voted London’s most overpriced restaurant by the sizeable minority who feel “it may be absolutely exceptional every time, but on occasion, you do think they’re just taking the piss”. Is there a way of reconciling these two competing camps? A fair middle view is as follows: “£540 for four people with one bottle of cheapish wine and a couple of gins. Can a basic Italian meal be worth that much? Well, on a beautiful summer evening on the terrace by the Thames, it feels like being on holiday: so overpriced it may be… but worth every penny!”

Summary

£104
£££££
3
Good
3
Good
3
Good
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

Ruth Rogers’ “thrilling” canteen, in an “out-of-the-way” Hammersmith backstreet (originally founded to serve husband, Richard’s, architectural practice) has won global renown on the back of “perfectly seasoned” Italian dishes “of such bare simplicity the quality of the phenomenal ingredients truly sing”. “On a hot day, there’s no better spot in London” than its “delightful” outside terrace near the Thames; and in cooler weather, its “faithfully preserved 1990s-chic” interior, though “tightly packed”, mostly gets the thumbs-up too – “bathed in light at lunch, or with a certain buzzing energy in the evening”. It’s the “ferocious prices”, though, which bitterly divide reporters, and which yet again win it No. 1 billing in our list of Most Overpriced restaurants. To its more ardent fans, the situation is clearcut: “forget the haters”“if you think it’s overpriced, you simply don’t understand food!” Very many other diners, however, are badly torn: “I know, I know, I know: it’s an institution, a pioneer, an icon! And I value it hugely for its contribution to the London scene. The room is still one of my favourites. The food is delectable. But let’s be honest: we have many excellent Mediterranean restaurants all across town nowadays, and a grilled piece of fish, a slice of lemon tart, and a glass of Vermentino isn’t really worth half-a-week’s wages!!”

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 River Café?

Restaurant details

Highchair,Portions
Yes
18
No dress code
130
Yes

The River Café Restaurant Diner Reviews

Reviews of The River Café Restaurant in W6, London by users of Hardens.com. Also see the editors review of The River Café restaurant.
Mary Ellen C
Given the outstanding bread bakers in Londo...
Reviewed 6 months, 1 day ago

"Given the outstanding bread bakers in London today, I suggest the team explore options to the focaccia? I am a bread aficionado (travelled to Spa Terminus to buy Hedone bread after the restaurant closed) and was quite surprised recently to find the bread still on the menu."

Report this comment
Ant G
A bit disappointed… great location but th...
Reviewed 6 months, 14 days ago

"A bit disappointed… great location but the food was average and very expensive. "

Report this comment
Have you eaten at The River Café?
Post your own review of The River Café and contribute to our annual restaurant review guide.
Post your own review

Prices

Availability 2 courses 3 courses coffee included service included
Lunch £55.00 £70.00

Traditional European menu

Starter Main Pudding
£31.00 £55.00 £15.00
Drinks  
Wine per bottle £48.00
Filter Coffee £5.00
Extras  
Bread £0.00
Service 12.50%
Thames Wharf, Rainville Rd, London, W6 9HA
Opening hours
Monday12:30 pm‑2:15 pm, 7 pm‑9 pm
Tuesday12:30 pm‑2:15 pm, 7 pm‑9 pm
Wednesday12:30 pm‑2:15 pm, 7 pm‑9 pm
Thursday12:30 pm‑2:15 pm, 7 pm‑9 pm
Friday12:30 pm‑2:15 pm, 7 pm‑9 pm
Saturday12:30 pm‑2:30 pm, 7 pm‑9 pm
Sunday12 pm‑3 pm

Best Italian restaurants nearby

The Dartmouth Castle
British, Modern restaurant in Hammersmith
£58
   ££
3
Good
2
Average
3
Good
Riva
Italian restaurant in Barnes
£82
 ££££
5
Exceptional
4
Very Good
2
Average
L’Amorosa
Italian restaurant in Ravenscourt Park
£67
  £££
4
Very Good
4
Very Good
3
Good

Best similarly priced restaurants nearby

Ormer Mayfair by Sofian, Flemings Mayfair Hotel
British, Modern restaurant in Mayfair
£149
£££££
4
Very Good
4
Very Good
3
Good
Imperial Treasure
Chinese restaurant in Westminster
£147
£££££
4
Very Good
3
Good
2
Average
Pied à Terre
French restaurant in Fitzrovia
£151
£££££
4
Very Good
3
Good
3
Good