No 97 Reviews Summary

Food Quality

Pros:

• "Amazing food."
• "Both were delicious."
• "The dishes at No97 are always interesting."
• "Rest of the dishes were amazing."
• "Food was top notch, with the sliced duck, with duck shavings, the perfectly fried salmon with miso butter and the blueberry parfait being stand out champions for us."
• "The food was to a very high standard. All of the dishes were lovely and left me wanting more."
• "Food is to die for and for this diner they went out of their way to accommodate food allergies."

Cons:

• "Deserts... were bad."
• "The octopus was cold."
• "Main options: There used to be a good selection/combination of foods, but it’s become lazy and fish heavy."
• "This is the kind of place you leave and your still hungry shortly after."
• "We expected more from the food, it was very beautifully presented but from the flavour perspective it wasn’t anything to write home about."
• "All the mini appetizers came out at once with stale bread."
• "Our experience was of really bad food. We left hungry, having not wanted to eat much."

Service

Pros:

• "Every need was met and our waitress was fantastic, highly attentive and knowledgable."
• "All the staff we spoke to and especially our waitress combined warmth, friendliness and professionalism in just the right degrees."
• "Their attention to detail was impeccable throughout the meal."
• "Service was excellent and food was okay."
• "Staff were very friendly and knowledgeable of the menu."
• "The service is also friendly and professional."
• "Good attention to detail overall, and a few amuse bouche items throughout which was a nice extra touch."

Cons:

• "Poor service. My friend and I were the only ones in the restaurant and we had to keep getting up and ask for drinks."
• "Staff should be trained better on the food they serve."
• "The service is rubbish... We sat there for about 20 minutes and nobody came to serve us."
• "The quality of service and food options has sharply deteriorated since a management and staff change."
• "The service however from the moment I walked in til I left was just terrible."
• "Both service and atmosphere were lacking."
• "The server was clearly agitated about the menu as they repeatedly said they had only just seen the new menu and didn’t have a grasp on what had been updated."

Value

Pros:

• "3 courses for £30 is very reasonable indeed."
• "At £38 for two courses No 97 might not be cheap, but believe me when I say it is punching well above its weight."
• "2 courses for £30."
• "Amazing value for the quality of the food and drink, loved the extra touches in between courses and very attentive service."
• "Best restaurant in Surbiton by FAR, and while it's not the cheapest, it's still a bargain for the experience."
• "It's very good value, for what it is, too -- 3 courses (with selected cheeses for the third), each, with a shared side, a bottle of perfect rioja, and all the delectable little free extras, was £150, for two, with tip included."
• "Highly recommend the 2 or 3 course lunch menu. You can't go wrong."

Cons:

• "But in my view a bit over priced with small portions."
• "Prices are all over the place too, extra £4 on a set menu for a specific dish is ridiculous."
• "The cocktails were very nice, but averaging out at £13 a cocktail, we thought was again a little steep."
• "Asking for credit card details for potential deposit is a bummer nonetheless."
• "Why the charge then?"
• "Although we could not fault the staff or the quality of food we felt that £11.95 for a variety of small egg muffins and a drink was a little steep."
• "Well sir, be specific in your menu, because it felt like a rip off for the 35quid( starter + main)."

Ambiance

Pros:

• "The restaurant decor is awesome too, just a lovely feel."
• "Our favourite place to sit is at the counter right next to the open kitchen - the atmosphere is buzzing!"
• "This place has a great ambiance too. There is a beautiful display of plants in the glass house."
• "Great atmosphere, efficient service, wonderful drinks, delicious food, attractive decor and surroundings."
• "Great atmosphere and interesting menu."
• "The service (attentive and warm) and the atmosphere (the place was full and buzzing right until we left at 11ish) were both excellent."
• "Location is nice and cool ambience."

Cons:

• "It feels like sitting in a beer garden with simple beer table seating."
• "Seated at two tables pushed together, but one of them was extremely wobbly."
• "In summer - when I would like to dine outside - it is no longer an option for me."
• "It's very small inside."
• "Too much ice in the orange juice (infact more ice than juice) with tiny glasses and big price."
• "You also end up getting a little forgotten about."
• "I wouldn’t recommend sitting in the garden area as it feels a bit like you’re in someone’s greenhouse."