The Ivy Marlow Garden — Restaurant in England

I really hate doing these kinds of reviews, I am Restaurant owner myself. We visit the restaurant regularly, without child and now with our son. Three weeks ago we visited the restaurant and at the end of the evening our son got up and was walking down,Customers waved to him , we'll make sure no one is disturbed, as I mentioned before, we have our own restaurant. An employee immediately came over and warned us, "Guests feel disturbed." We had already finished our meal, got up and left, so far so good. Last evening ( That day was Halloween, many guests were in costumes, including the staff; so the atmosphere was relaxed ) our business partners came from abroad, which I mentioned when making the reservation, and they also have a 9-year-old child. We didn't feel welcome at reception. We were given a table in the corner of the winter garden which was far too small for 6 people. So as not to ruin our evening, we said nothing. Our orders came very late, drinks after two reminders. Two side dishes were not brought at all, which we didn't make a problem of as we had enough. The two children sitting the whole evening and played with toys they had brought themselves. They were neither loud nor disruptive in any way. My steak, which was ordered medium, came completely well done so I called the waiter and showed it to him. He told me that it was normal for medium to get redder towards the end?! Sorry but this isn't the first time I've eaten steak. I have never experienced anything like this before, no sorry, no asking if he can bring a new one, instead he gives me a lesson on what a medium steak is. The meat was definitely completely well done.Also, the meat came completely cold and sauces were only brought when we asked for them. I asked another waitress to look at my steak. She apologised and confirmed that it was not medium and took it and brought me a new one. Later on the bill I saw that my steak had been charged twice for being brought again. When we ordered our desserts, for which we also paid, the children got up and walked around our table runners up and down the aisle 2-3 times. I repeat, we take great care that the children don't disturb anyone and took them back to the table. Immediately another employee came over and said customers felt disturbed. We were so uncomfortable that we got up and left without eating our dessert, which we had paid for. When we asked for the bill, the waiter told us that he would give us a discount, sorry but we didn't ask for a discount? It was so uncomfortable for us that we were literally humiliated by our gestures. We were also talking about how child-friendly uk is compared to other European countries. Our guests said that they had never felt so uncomfortable and unwanted. We do not recommend a visit with children, no matter how well behaved they are, children are not welcome here and they will make you feel that so that you will want to get up and leave as quickly as possible. Our day was ruined, thank...

Review: The Ivy, Marlow - 18th February 2025

Whilst The Ivy in Marlow certainly lives up to its reputation for splendid cuisine, I'm rather disappointed to report that our recent dining experience was rather spoilt by service that fell woefully short of what one expects from such a distinguished establishment.The troubles began shortly after being seated, when our waiter, quite peculiarly, demanded identification from my 16-year-old daughter who had merely ordered a Diet coke - a rather baffling request, to say the least. This odd exchange was followed by an even more concerning blunder - he proceeded to bring her a glass of red wine and scarpered off before we could rectify the error. Not only was this a mix-up, but serving alcohol to a minor is a serious matter. When we finally managed to flag down the chap to point out this rather significant mix-up, instead of offering an apology, he became rather defensive and suggested we hadn't been clear with our order. Thank heavens another waitress eventually stepped in to sort out the proper beverages.

The food itself was absolutely brilliant, I must say, showcasing The Ivy's renowned culinary prowess. However, the initial service woes persisted throughout our meal. Our primary waiter maintained an air of distinct irritation whilst taking our order, making us feel rather like unwanted guests at a private party.

The final straw came during the clearing of plates, when he rather rudely barked "pass me that" at my daughter without so much as a "please" or "thank you" - quite shocking behaviour, really.Whilst I do appreciate The Ivy's sterling reputation and the quality of their fare, the stark contrast between the food and service was simply impossible to overlook. A venue of this calibre ought to ensure all staff members are properly trained in fundamental customer service principles, including basic manners and proper beverage service protocol. Until I can be confident that such issues have been sorted, I'm afraid I cannot recommend the Marlow branch, despite the thoroughly...

We booked a table for 7 in the conservatory to celebrate a birthday, on arriving we were told that there was no table available for seven people and they could sit us in the restaurant but we again requested the table in the conservatory to which the girl serving at the reception answered that she could sit us on two different tables in two different parts of the conservatory I have never heard such a ridiculous statement. What a stupid thing to say to a party of seven family members. We accepted the table in the restaurant and then when I went to look at the conservatory, there was a table which could fit seven people, but it had not been cleaned and they obviously couldn’t be bothered to clean it for us. We then ordered afternoon tea and we were halfway through our scones and pastries and our drinks had still not arrived which we again requested and turned up 15 minutes later while we all sat there looking at each others faces whilst we waited for our tea. No apology and no reduction in our meal. They need to get their service straight and they need to train their reception staff to have some common sense. I just wouldn’t recommend this particular place at all it lives by a reputation which is based on the Ivy in London. It’s Service it’s...