Harden's survey result
Summary
“People who don’t rate this restaurant are crazy”, according to boosters of the Chelsea HQ of the world’s most famous chef – including American YouTuber ‘UA’ who – as reported in the Daily Mail – flew in from the US just for a meal here at Christmas 2024 and pronounced it ‘absolutely worthy’ of its global renown. Gordon’s disciples extol head chef Kim Ratcharoen’s “extraordinary” modern European cuisine, plus the “lovely” setting of this fairly compact (45 covers) dining room at a picturesque SW3 address, all with a “great team looking after you”. You can eat from an à la carte menu for £180 per head, or the ‘Menu Prestige’ at £210 per person, or you can book The ‘Inspiration Table’ experience for £300 per person. But there’s a problem: over half of diners in our annual poll disagree with UA, nominating the venue as either their “most disappointing” or – more commonly – “most overpriced” meal of the year, slamming “stupid prices”, and a final bill that’s “an embarrassment”. Other long-term bugbears are “OTT service (at times you are surrounded by waiters”); and the “stilted” atmosphere of the room. There’s also the perennial question of whether the “nice” cooking truly deserves its renown? The overall verdict – “Three Michelin stars… really?…”. (“This was nice but ordinary. I wanted my mind to be blown away by food that costs this much. My mind wasn’t blown away. Disappointing”… “The food was very good, but not as innovative as some other top-end UK eateries. The bill was stratospheric and did nothing to improve my opinion of an over-busy, over-priced, over-rated place. Sorry Gordon.”… “It shows the obvious corruption within the Michelin guide that he keeps getting three stars for a style of cuisine that seems barely changed in 25 years”.)
Summary
The ‘f-word’ is increasingly applied to the bills here, as well as the famous TV show that created the celebrity of the world’s most famous chef, of which this “unassuming door in a quaint little Chelsea street” is the original flagship. “You might mistake the venue itself for a townhouse: the dining room is actually quite small and intimate”: nitpickers would also say “the decor is a bit dull” and “looking a bit dated”; and with “an ambience bordering on stilted”. Feedback on service likewise ran the whole gamut this year – from “impeccable”… to “perfect, but without displaying any personality”… to “ice-cold and robotic”. Perceptions of the cooking are also very varied, and hard to isolate from both the expectations raised by three Michelin stars and the “eye-watering prices”. Fans say it’s “the treat of the year” with “fabulous” cuisine: be it from the three-course à la carte for £180 per person, the longer ‘Menu Prestige’ for £210 per person; or the ‘Carte Blanche’ surprise menu for £260 per person. But dishes can also seem “pretty but over-engineered”; and even some who think the food here is “enjoyable” sometimes acknowledge “it doesn’t merit three Michelin stars”. Real doomsters just find the restaurant’s ongoing renown “baffling – if this was a new restaurant I don’t think it would even get one star”. And then there is the cost. Even diehard fans say “the pricing is the top end of the top end” (and that “you do get stung on the drinks”). And those who consider it “the most overrated place ever” just say: “don’t waste your money!”
Summary
The Hell’s Kitchen chef’s original Chelsea HQ is increasingly “trading on its reputation”, attracting more criticism than it does praise nowadays. Even fans sometimes acknowledge this “rather beige” room has a “stilted” ambience, and opinions on the service vary widely: from “impeccable” to “overwhelming” or even “robotic”. When it comes to the fairly classical cuisine, there’s also a pick ’n’ mix of views: from “unbeatable” to “overly fussy” or “safe”. What both sides do often agree on is that the experience comes “at the most ridiculous second mortgage prices”, with almost two in five of diners’ voting it their most overpriced meal of the year. A fair middle view is that: “as you should expect from a three Michelin star restaurant, the food is lovely; but it’s a struggle to work out in what way it is better than many other two-star or even one-star restaurants. It’s good, but not that good”.
Summary
Fans do rave over the “beautiful cuisine from wonderful Matt Abé”, “exceptional” service and “memorable” all-round experience created by the f-word chef’s original HQ. And there’s little question that the classical-ish cuisine here is highly “technically accomplished”, service “friendly and well-informed” (“too much of it, if anything”) and the overall impression “classy”. But it continues to struggle against diners’ sky-high expectations, often inspired by Michelin’s somewhat unfathomable continuation of its three-star rating promoting it as being at the very pinnacle of UK dining. A relatively small venue in deepest Chelsea, “the dining room has the air of an art deco cruise ship, with its neutral tones and carpet”, all of which creates a setting that’s “tranquil”, but too “cold” or “bland” to some tastes. And when it comes to gastronomy, a typical critical report of the cuisine would be that it’s “not bad, some of it very good, but… frankly I was expecting outstanding… and it was a far cry from that… to the extent it was my biggest disappointment of the year”. It doesn’t help that it’s “hugely expensive, which always puts on the dampers”. (Footnote – a number of reporters wish ex-maître d’ Jean-Claude Breton well: “thank you JC, enjoy your very well-deserved retirement!”)
For 34 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 Gordon Ramsay?
68-69 Royal Hospital Rd, London, SW3 4HP
Restaurant details
Gordon Ramsay Restaurant Diner Reviews
"Exceptional food in an indifferent setting "
Prices
 Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £60.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £8.00 |
 Extras |
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|---|---|
| Service | 15.00% |
68-69 Royal Hospital Rd, London, SW3 4HP
| Number of Diners: | |
| Required Time: | |
Opening hours
| Monday | CLOSED |
| Tuesday | 12 pm‑1:30 pm, 6 pm‑9:15 pm |
| Wednesday | 12 pm‑1:30 pm, 6 pm‑9:15 pm |
| Thursday | 12 pm‑1:30 pm, 6 pm‑9:15 pm |
| Friday | 12 pm‑1:30 pm, 6 pm‑9:15 pm |
| Saturday | 12 pm‑1:30 pm, 6 pm‑9:15 pm |
| Sunday | CLOSED |
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