The Ivy St Albans Brasserie Reviews Summary

Ambience and Decor

Pros:

• "The atmosphere there is as if you've traveled back in time, everything vintage."
• "The place looks really cool and unique which I love."
• "A beautiful restaurant especially for a special occasion. Lovely seating and is decorated tastefully."
• "I do love the environment, vibe and decoration, which is very artistic and elegant."
• "The surroundings are vibrant and full of character."
• "Beautiful decor with good atmosphere."
• "We really enjoyed the atmosphere and the interior of the restaurant."
• "The attention to detail in the decor is your first indicator of what to expect from the food."

Cons:

• "The place is quite big and tables very densely laid out so it can get rather loud and overwhelming."
• "The playlist was unmatched, was really good!"
• "The restaurant was busy being a Friday night and although the food came quickly and the waiting staff were good, I was only able to order one drink in the time we were there."
• "One thing I didn't like is that weird computerised thermometer brain scan machine."
• "There were some teething problems: Table not laid correctly and the service of aperitifs was a little haphazard."
• "However, the waiters do need to ID who is having what dish rather than keep asking as dishes are brought to the table."
• "You think of The Ivy and you expect top class. Not the case here."
• "Very cheeky manager who tried to encourage us to order more drinks when we wanted the bill."

Service Quality

Pros:

• "The service is prompt, attentive and there is no rush or stress about anything."
• "As you'd expect, The Ivy in St Albans has excellent service and great food at a pretty reasonable price."
• "The service was really friendly and efficient, thank you to Ethan and the team."
• "This has become my dad’s new favourite place in St Albans. Visiting on a busy pre-Christmas Saturday, the service was friendly & efficient."
• "We recommend, thank you so much for looking after us so well and the delicious lunch."
• "Superb, everything you would expect from The Ivy. Excellent service, food to die for."
• "Great service! The waiters/waitresses are professionals and take care well of the customers."
• "The service was a tiny bit slow but other than that it was fantastic."

Cons:

• "Not sure if we just got unlucky on a very busy day, but the service was really poor."
• "The hosts didn’t seem particularly friendly/helpful and it took ages to get our table, a menu or flag down a waiter for ordering/paying etc."
• "I ordered chicken Milanese but they forgot to give me the sauce as well as the truffle."
• "Waited almost 30 minutes to be seated even though we had a reservation and were on time."
• "Our waitress, Matilda, was lovely and competent. Good table service from Matilda but very, very poor front of house and a cheeky manager."
• "The staff were on the arrogant side as a start and the food is average."
• "Afternoon tea, the sandwiches were a little dry and the scones seemed on the small side."
• "The service was slow, but that was to be expected for a Saturday afternoon."