Address: 46 Lexington St, London, W1F 0LP, United Kingdom
Phone: +442074375708
Rating: 4.5
based on 207 reviews.
Food Quality
Pros:
"Food is very good, especially the pigeon and turbot."
"The food was really, really good. Great quality, combinations and presentation."
"The food is exceptional, with a menu which changes daily."
"The food here is really excellent - high end eating."
"The food was absolutely fantastic. I had one of the very best chicken dishes I've ever eaten."
"The food is absolutely delicious."
"Every mouthful was bursting with flavour, colour and vibrancy."
Cons:
"Glasses are of low quality and presentation is meh."
"One of the entrees was a bit cold and the lamb shoulder main just wasn’t very polished."
"The food for me was lacking quite a lot."
"The expensive meat came out cold... The meat was grey, cold and anything but tender."
"The game pie was not meant to be any good either."
"Pigeon is a pain to prepare but this was full of missed small bones, overcooked."
"The pork was hard and chewy with hardly any flavour."
Service
Pros:
"Lovely intimate place & the staff are so friendly."
"They have a large wine selection and allow you to try before committing."
"Warm, calm, easygoing atmosphere with friendly, attentive staff."
"Service was excellent, though: efficient without being pushy/hurried."
"The service is always 50% of the pleasure at AE's."
"Wonderful friendly service with knowledgeable staff able to make solid recommendations."
"The service is as good as anything I have experienced in London, friendly, helpful and always delivered with a big smile."
Cons:
"But for the price it was, I'm not very sure it was amazing."
"The service was really not great. We had a 2 hour slot for dinner and before we had finished our desserts they put the bill on the table to rush us out."
"We came here on a recommendation... Additionally the manager was rude and condescending to us."
"The waiter was not very attentive and the food, not only overpriced, was very much disappointing."
"Service is lacking we waited for more than 20min for someone to bring us the desert menu."
"Service does seem to have slightly dropped since the sad loss of the namesake."
"Having heard such good things, this was a real disappointment for me and my friends. Terribly slow service."
Atmosphere
Pros:
"It's always a pleasure to discover a new hidden little gem."
"The restaurant was warm and cozy upstairs and downstairs with beautiful candlelit tables."
"The atmosphere was great."
"Really special restaurant! We dined in the basement area and found it to be quite intimate."
"Such a nice setting with the candle lit tables."
"Cosy and dimly-lit upscale restaurant - good for a date."
"The space itself was quiet, candle lit, and homey."
Cons:
"I don’t understand how a £30 dish does not include any side."
"The bill still included the 'optional' service charge of £15...never returning here. Stay away."
"Unfortunately, the couple sitting next to us were talking so loud, that most of the time we had to yell to hear each other."
"We ate in the downstairs dining room and it was noisy."
"Very expensive for what it is... isn’t great, dark, tiny and lack of music."
"It's probably not the best place for a quiet night out as it can get quite boisterous."
"The only thing I need to point out is the tables are very close and the majority are downstairs."
Value
Pros:
"The dishes themselves are reasonable price wise (c.£8 for a starter/dessert, c.£20)."
"Great portion of well-seasoned, professionally cooked food; consumer-friendly mark-up."
"This showcases ingredients of the finest quality at prices which will not break the bank."
"The menu is amazing the pork I had was so tender and delicious, all the sides were perfectly cooked and seasoned."
"High quality, tasty food for great prices."
"Best value for money in central London on an extremely well-chosen selection of wines to fit every taste and budget."
"The food was incredible and reasonably priced considering it's location."
Cons:
"But for the price it was, I'm not very sure it was amazing."
"The bill still included the 'optional' service charge of £15...never returning here. Stay away."
"Charging £3.50 for three pieces of bread is a joke."
"Only drawback is that the place is too small and the tables are very close to each other. Thus the place is a little noisy."
"Paying over £100 for a dinner for two I expected a lot more."
"Very expensive for what it is... isn’t great, dark, tiny and lack of music."
"A nice spot but expensive for what it is."
Wine Selection
Pros:
"They have a large wine selection and allow you to try before committing."
"One of the best places to dine in London for wine lovers."
"I love their wine selection, from a very low to a very high price point, there is choice for everyone."
"Their wine list was extensive and also reasonably priced by the bottle."
"Wine list was incredibly reasonable as well with a lovely selection of Rhone."
"The wine list is perfect, really good selection for a fair price."
"The wine list is very sophisticated and extensive but also reasonably priced."
Cons:
"The wine list’s low markup and some wonderful finds makes up for the generic glasses."
"Large glass of wine was poured below the 175ml line."
"The wine list is not huge but varied and totally complimentary and compatible with the dishes of the day. It is also extremely pocket friendly."
"SQN piranha waterdance at £330 a bottle is £200 below cost!"
"Ginger pudding for £8?! It was just a slice of cake with some caramel on top..."
"Had the worst waiter I've ever encountered which put a downer on the whole lunch."
"Large glass of wine was poured below the 175ml line."