RestaurantsLondonMayfairW1

survey result

Summary

£196
£££££
4
Very Good
5
Exceptional
5
Exceptional
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

“Like a holiday in heaven!” – this “simply wonderful” Louis XVI-style chamber is known for its “OTT but magnificent” decor, and creates an “unbeatable location” for a special celebration, particularly an important date. John Williams commands a brigade of 60 chefs in the kitchen to provide “absolutely wonderfully executed, classic dishes, some using gueridon service – so rare now – and always adding a sense of occasion”. It’s “some of the best cooking in London”, and though “horrendously expensive” is justified by the “utterly sensational” all-round level of performance, which also includes “professional and kind” service and a wow of a wine list. “The Ritz is unusual in still having a jacket-and-tie dress code (about the only time I wear a tie these days!)”. “A band provides music, for dancing, at dinner on weekends (although there is a significant supplement for this)”.

Summary

£116
£££££
4
Very Good
5
Exceptional
5
Exceptional
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

“A wow all-round that will live long in the memory” – this “dreamy” Louis XVI-style dining room is renowned for its “magical” décor (a rival for any Disney castle) and has long been a top choice for an ‘expense-be-damned’ celebration, particularly a romantic one. But, these days, many feel that “the mindblowing food can match it too!” While the classical cuisine has long been respected for its consistent quality, its current performance is notably “at the top of its game”. “John Williams’ masterful orchestration of his very fine kitchen, produces some of the best and most interesting food in London”: “perfectly executed luxury dishes” with spoiling ingredients and “with sauces to die for”. “The outstanding flavours will have you running out of superlatives and there is the added bonus of theatre via cooking at the table” (“the crêpes are pure visual and gustatory pleasure!!”). “Immaculate service” is “silky smooth” too and arguably “it is a mystery why Michelin award it only one star as there are many worse two and three star restaurants in the UK”. It is mightily expensive, of course, but “sometimes it is worth forking out for a truly fantastic time”. It is also – with its regular dinner dances and strictly enforced dress code – a bastion of how to celebrate in traditional fine style: “How marvellous to dine to the sounds of a live pianist or band, and in a dining room where everyone has been forced to dress properly. Tie-less slobs are still turned away!” and “not a pair of jeans or trainers in sight!”

Summary

£116
£££££
3
Good
4
Very Good
5
Exceptional
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

“By far the most attractive dining room in London” is a regularly made claim for this uniquely “romantic” Louis XVI chamber: “one of the last places in the country (sadly) where proper silver service of the traditional, gueridon variety is delivered; and with faultless aplomb; and also (mostly) without pomposity”. Even those who say “the food is ultimately secondary to the amazing ambience of the room” often note “it’s still very delicious”; and quite a few reporters feel John Williams’s “classic French cuisine with top quality ingredients and superb sauces” unfairly risks being overlooked (“super-refined and exceptionally beautiful – my guest was a little less excited by the flavour combinations than I was, but, on the whole, dishes lived up to their appearance, and I felt it was almost worthy of a second Michelin star”). “Not cheap, but you get what you pay for!” (and that includes the weekend dinner dances).

Summary

£129
£££££
3
Good
4
Very Good
5
Exceptional
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

“For a very special occasion, there is nowhere better” than this “beyond-compare” Louis XVI chamber, widely acclaimed as “the most beautiful dining room in London”: “it will not only rekindle the romance in your marriage, it’s also great for impressing on business”. “Not to be totally outdone by the surroundings, staff are friendly and unpretentious, and the classic cuisine under head chef John Willliams is measured and precise (if not exactly cheap… but it’s not supposed to be!)”. Top Tip – “a lovely fancy place for an epic breakfast”; also “the dinner dance is special and great value”.

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 Ritz?

Restaurant details

Yes
Highchair,Menu
Yes
8
Jacket & tie required
90
Yes

The Ritz Restaurant Diner Reviews

Reviews of The Ritz Restaurant in W1, London by users of Hardens.com. Also see the editors review of The Ritz restaurant.
Jo B
Don't go, unless you're a member of the pat...
Reviewed 9 months, 2 days ago

"Don't go, unless you're a member of the patriarchy and a quick eater! When we got to our table, various staff introduced themselves and requested orders for pre-lunch drinks and provided menus. I was rather surprised that all the staff spoke to my husband first and by name and then just nodded at me (apart from an “er madam” from one member of staff). After the third occasion, I pointed out to who I think was the head waiter (who had again spoken to my husband by name, but not to me) that I had booked the meal - I then told him my name and that I would prefer that I was spoken to. I have never been so ignored at a restaurant. Things improved at our table after I had spoken to the head waiter, but I did notice some effusive welcomes by the same staff to gentlemen at other tables, with the female with them being ignored. We were not provided with a wine list and no sommelier had been back to our table after we had chosen a non-alcoholic drink before lunch (although we had mentioned that my husband would like wine with his meal). When I had finished my first course, waiters took our plates away, even though my husband still had food in his mouth that he was chewing. He had only put his cutlery down to break off some bread to eat with the remains of his tomato consommé. I quickly asked him if he had finished and he shook his head, so I asked for his plate to be returned. He was then able to finish this course. The next course (a very good ballotine of duck liver) concluded with a small tartlet. I was astonished when the waiters approached to remove our plates while we were both still chewing and savouring our last mouthfuls. I held up both hands and asked them to stop and after that they did not remove our plates until after they had asked if we had finished a course and were ready to have our plates removed. The saving grace throughout our lunch was the food. Each plate of food was well balanced, full of flavour and very much to our taste. We were impressed with the standard and quality of food. However, I was not impressed with the waiting staff or the response that I received from the General Manager after I had written to let him know of our experience. His whole letter seemed to be written from the viewpoint that he considered that there was no way that the Ritz or its staff could be anything less than excellent at all times and that not one of the concerns that I raised could possibly have occurred in the way described and so nothing needed to be brought to anyone’s attention. Even when he admitted that there was “an error with our dining reservations” to explain why they spoke to my husband as the "host", he did not suggest that the Ritz would do anything to try to stop this happening to other guests. When referring to the clearing of plates he wrote “I can only assume they thought you and your husband had finished” (he obviously didn't bother to mention it to the waiting staff) and he also included the supremely weasel-like line "I apologise if this resulted in making you feel unheard" (nothing at all to acknowledge that I had been ignored). I felt like I had gone back 40 years and had entered a gentleman’s club, where the female accompanying the man was not usually his wife and so beneath notice, or that staff were trying not to cause offence by talking to a woman in front of her husband. Either way, I was rather annoyed by their attitude towards me. I responded to the General Manager highlighting my disappointment with the contents of his letter to me, but he has not yet given me the courtesy of a reply."

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Rob C
Style, elegance and service combined with e...
Reviewed 9 months, 11 days ago

"Style, elegance and service combined with excellent food makes any meal there memorable. The 5 course menu showed versatility in choice and execution and wines by the glass (or Coravin at a premium) matched well"

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Stephen K
A wonderful tasting menu and wine pairing. ...
Reviewed 9 months, 18 days ago

"A wonderful tasting menu and wine pairing. The service is immaculate. The room and setting are stunning."

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william g
Old school class...
Reviewed 10 months, 24 days ago

"Old school class"

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Prices

Availability 2 courses 3 courses coffee included service included
Lunch   £89.00
Dinner   £182.00
Pretheatre    
SundayLunch   £182.00
  Cost Availability Courses
Menu1 182.00 Always available 5
Menu2 202.00 Always available 7

Traditional European menu

Starter Main Pudding
£46.00 £63.00 £27.00
Drinks  
Wine per bottle £58.00
Filter Coffee £9.50
Extras  
Service 12.50%
150 Piccadilly, London, W1J 9BR
Opening hours
Monday7:30 am‑2 pm, 6:30 pm‑9 pm
Tuesday7:30 am‑2 pm, 6:30 pm‑9 pm
Wednesday7:30 am‑2 pm, 6:30 pm‑9 pm
Thursday7:30 am‑2 pm, 6:30 pm‑9 pm
Friday7:30 am‑2 pm, 6:30 pm‑9 pm
Saturday7:30 am‑2 pm, 6:30 pm‑9 pm
Sunday7:30 am‑2 pm, 6:30 pm‑9 pm

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