The Ivy Chichester — Restaurant in Chichester

Booked via Open Table on Ivy website and added a note to say I have an afternoon tea voucher. Arrived 2pm per the booking only to be told by a garishly jacketed lady that afternoon tea starts from 3pm. She disappeared to make enquiries and returned with a device that showed my booking note but reiterated that afternoon tea starts from 3pm and that unfortunately Open Table doesn't reflect this. She offered to amend the booking until later but we needed to collect the kids from childcare so said no, can we just extend the expiry on the voucher. She flagged down a burgundy suited manager, Barnibus, to ask if this was possible but upon hearing the whole scenario, he chose to ask the kitchen whether we could be served now as he expected tea to be ready by 2pm on Saturday. The garish lady seated us at the bar then came to inform us that yes, we could have tea as planned. I really appreciated it but didn't enjoy the initial "computer says no" approach. She asked us to wait again while they turned a table for us then led us over without asking us what to we wanted to drink. We sat unnoticed for a further 15 minutes before a shirted lady deigned to serve us. The restaurant was very busy and bustling and the tables were close together so there was a fishbowl like ambience. The tea itself was presented beautifully with a dry ice smoke flourish. However, the menu stated there would be madeleines with lemon curd (my favourite) but instead we got red velvet cupcakes and smoothies. The cucumber courgette double decker sandwiches were bland. The rest was good but other than the odd flavour of the chicken truffle brioche, nothing stood out. The sweets were so rich, we couldn't eat the scones so we asked for them to go. The shirted lady was happy to do so but neglected to bring the bill. We spent a further 30 minutes trying to get the attention of staff adept at not catching our eyes. My husband eventually did so while I visited the Ladies (which had amazing decor!) and we were finally able to leave! I think the restaurant can ask Open Table to set parameters for afternoon tea or have a member of staff check their bookings to ensure this doesn't happen in future. The restaurant and food are beautiful but service and taste not great. Overall, I...

Lunch at the Ivy Chichester. Firstly the ambiance - awesome, gorgeous setting and quite frankly I always judge a place by its loos. The loos are spotless and the decor fabulous in the conveniences. So what about the clientele? At 12 ish midday - the place was buzzing with couples and groups of friends - the atmosphere was very good, pleasant and as I was dining alone it was very comfortable for me. Staff dashing around in spotless semi-uniforms with smiles on their faces.

Now onto the lunchtime menu. Special 2-courses for just under £20.00. I had the Goat's Curd Salad which was tantalizing to the taste buds but a little too much creamy stuff (less is more). Then I had pan-fried Sea-bass with prawns for which there was a supplement - I can't fault this dish one little bit - it was stunning. But you do need a veggy side and I had Broccoli which was beautifully cooked and yes broccoli can be different. So the bill increases with the supplement and the broccoli. Then a couple glasses of Pino Grigio - it was ok but no better than I would buy in the supermarket but it was good enough. As I splurge out every 3 months or so on a lunch treat, I went for cheese and biccies; Fourme d’Ambert with celery sticks and apple - fantastic cheese they didn't stint on the quality - but no butter? Then coffee but there was no offer of sugar or sweetener - I don't actually need that as I use my own sweetener but......!!! I asked for a Baileys - oh dear they had run out of Baileys - that is a disaster.

Anya served me and she was excellent - enough service without breathing down my neck every five minutes. So 4 stars for exceptional venue, ambiance, quality of food - down marking of 1 star for no Baileys, no butter, no sugar/sweetener, average wine and not quite right on the starter. Also there's a service charge - don't like service charges, the prices should be the prices and no extras. I tipped the waitress because she was excellent so service charges are a nail in the coffin.

Would I go there again -...

Never been before. Booked afternoon tea for mother's day. Booked online. Got email confirmation & a reminder the day before. Small print stated 2 hour timeslot for up to 4 people on this occasion, unsure if this is usual for other bookings, so double check. Table booked for 3.45pm. Arrived few mins early & table wasn't ready ☹️. We were asked "to come back in 15 minutes", my reply was "we'll wait outside at one of their outside tables (as it was a Sunday & all shops were literally about to close, it was spitting with rain & I was with my 76 year old disabled mother). We were offered blankets if needed. Thankfully my mother was willing to wait, otherwise this would've been a ruined treat. Again thankfully the wait was less than 10 minutes. We were in the small room at the rear of the restaurant, & again I was thankful for this as the main restaurant was very very loud, both music wise & chatter, it would've been difficult to hear each other otherwise. The server at our table was very attentive & excellent at her job. The flower arrangement on the table was gorgeous. We were served our afternoon tea which included finger sandwiches, fruit scones/jam/cream/strawberry slices, chocolate mousse, mini chocolate milkshake, Madeline with chocolate sauce & salted caramel slice, plus tea or coffee. Also water on dry ice provided "smoke" which initially poured from the top of the presentation. All food items were delicious. The decor reminded me of the Palm Court eatery from an age ago, large birds/flowers in bright colours with faux art deco lights. At the end of the tea, all ladies were presented with a single wrapped rose, a lovely touch. As we walked out to leave I noticed some of the tables have both chairs & bench seats resembling banquettes, unsure if these would be appropriate for people of a "certain age", so next time we go I'll ring & book & specifically ask for chairs at our table. On this occasion all 3 of us had chairs. Nice visit, bit of a blip at the start but...