Bacchanalia Mayfair — Restaurant in London

UPDATE: The Client Relations Manager called upon receiving my number and quickly turned it around on me to say I am being an “online bully” and that I should “grow up and be an adult”. He told me I should have properly escalated the situation rather than post a negative review. So the Restaurant Manager in person was not the right contact? Also went on to say I am giving “negative energy”. It’s amazing that one reaches out and phones to make attacks on a customer instead of offering a solution. Wow! No wonder this place is catastrophic. Speechless. — NOT WORTH THE $ AND TIME!!! Do not bother! Totally overrated and embarrassing.

Many staff approaching the table let alone not introducing themselves so we were confused who’s responsible for what.

We got still water when we ordered sparkling and then the staff proceeded to insist that it was still. The staff argued with one another at our table on what to do next?

The mains were served the actual second the appetizers were finished, no sense of proper dining and timing.

Staff did not once ask if we need more water, drinks or anything in general.

When we were almost done our mains, the waitress then asked if everything was ok. We responded that we would like more drinks and ground pepper. She brought out the pepper, placed it on the table and simply walked away.

Our second bottle finally arrived for the last course.

We asked the waitress what her name was to address her properly. She goes on to roll her eyes, with a dirty look and pause to question “why?” Then goes on to explain due to “privacy” reasons the staff are not required to share their names to guests. We have never heard this before. Especially at a “fine dining” restaurant. It did not make any sense.

Ordered the infamous “Medusa” dessert and confirmed with the waitress that it can be served once we come back to the table from the washroom downstairs. All was agreed.

We come back to the table and sadly the dessert was already served let alone the dessert is supposed to be eaten cold so it was basically melting away without us there. We addressed the waitress and she went on to defend herself saying that we took “too long” and it’s “only been sitting out here for 4-5 mins”. Mind you this dessert is 50 GBP.

Once everything unfolded, the Restaurant Manager was addressed privately on the side where every detail was explained. He seemed understanding and offered to take care of the bill for the terrible experience. He gave his business card and confirmed everything will be sorted.

The bill came to our table and we realise there was nothing sorted. The Manager simply took off the dessert and service fee.. We confronted him once again asking what does this mean? What happened to his original offer and solution? He denied his offer and said it was a misunderstanding. In English if you say “take care of the bill” that means one thing and one thing only. He did not seem like a native English speaker but if you work in the restaurant and service industry, there can be no “‘misunderstanding” with that. At this point we were so exhausted from the entire experience, we handled the bill and left.

Note people were all taking pictures with their phones and cameras but for some reason, one of us were told to not take pictures of the interior due to “privacy reasons”. The staff goes on to explain that a lot of their guests are of “high status” and cannot risk to be included in a photo. If that is the case, then why spend millions of pounds on an interior design to attract guests which is your entire restaurant creative concept let alone then perhaps have your “celebs” do private dining if this is really the reason/concern.

Also their Social Media Manager deletes all comments that are not praising the place. It’s...

I wish I’ve never had to leave such a review. I am frequently eating out in Central London, I’ve tried 85-90% of Mayfair and West End restaurants. I am not expecting staff to stay at my feet at every given second, I am not a demanding customer (usually we like to order drinks, starters and mains in one go and desserts and/or drinks towards the end). However, when the food and drinks are so expensive I do expect the staff to take our order and bring out the food in due time. And this didn’t happen on Sunday when we visited Bacchanalia. We were seated quite fast which was good, but we only got the food menus and not the wine/drinks menus. We decided to have the food order by the time someone would come to take our order and give the drinks order at the same time in order to save the time. Minutes later, the sommelier came to take our drinks order, we said we don’t have the drinks menus and he went over to bring them. We were given time to look on the wine list and then another server came by to which we told we would like the drinks menus as well, not just the wine list (I do know that most restaurants have different wine and drinks menus, but I do also know that the word “drinks” includes all the drinks that that establishment has- if there are more lists/menus bring all of them, especially when it’s a table of 4 and there could be different choices for each guest). After having extra minutes to decide, we have ordered the drinks, starters and mains. I also have mentioned that I would like a portion of potatoes along with the starters and another portion with mains (and I guess it was common sense that we want the starters and mains at different times). We got the starters in a decent time and they were delicious. However, the main course arrived before we finished eating our starters. I have mentioned that to the waiter and he said that the food is coming when it’s ready not when the guests finish their starters. Upon hearing that I considered it makes sense and didn’t think anything of it. But I’ve booked the table on OpenTable and they let you check the bill during your meal and when doing that I’ve seen on the bill Main Away so that means they’ve called the mains on the system/till. And that means the waiter lied to me when saying that the food is coming whenever it’s ready. The food was shoved down our throats in order to release the table faster. That is something normal to have time slots when restaurants are busy, but when the table is booked in advance and also there are more than 2 guests, they should give 2.5 hours slots, not just 2 hours. The table was booked for my birthday. I am very disappointed in myself for booking this restaurant when I could’ve gone somewhere else and enjoyed it better. I hope my guests were happy at least, even though they’ve seen my dissatisfaction as much as I wanted to hide it for their sake. The restaurant is so beautiful and the food is good (between good and great), but the service and “table rules” are appalling. I could’ve brought business to the venue, I could’ve been a weekly guest, I could’ve promoted it on my socials and to my friends/business clients, but NO. I will never go back to this place as I’ve felt like I’m not welcomed there. My bill was £630. Maybe not enough for them? For the people that work hard for this place, I am sorry for my review, but for the ones that don’t take their job seriously I...

A Disheartening Experience at Bacchanalia London: -

From the moment we were seated, the waiter assigned to our table was exceptionally rude. His demeanor was condescending, and he appeared irritated by our presence. Instead of providing a warm welcome, his attitude made us feel unwelcome and uncomfortable. The level of rudeness was shocking, especially at a restaurant of Bacchanalia’s caliber.

As we began to peruse the menu, the waiter stood nearby, pressuring us to make decisions quickly. This alone was annoying, but it got worse when he started pushing us to order more food than we wanted. His insistence felt like he was trying to inflate our bill rather than ensure we had a pleasant dining experience. This kind of aggressive upselling is inappropriate and unprofessional, particularly in a supposedly top-tier restaurant.

One of the most frustrating parts of the evening was the water incident. We asked for tap water, a reasonable request considering the already high prices on the menu. Despite our clear request, the waiter brought us still water, which we later discovered was chargeable. This felt like a deliberate ploy to add to our bill and showed a blatant disregard for our wishes. Such tactics are unacceptable and reflect poorly on the establishment.

Bacchanalia London advertises that it closes at 12:00 PM, with the last order taken at 11:30 PM. However, when we tried to order additional items at 10:00 PM, we were informed that the kitchen was already closed. This was not only frustrating but also misleading, as we had planned our evening based on the advertised times. Being denied service well before the stated closing time left us feeling cheated and added to our dissatisfaction.

The poor service at Bacchanalia London is unacceptable for any restaurant, let alone one that charges such exorbitant prices. The combination of a rude waiter, pressure to order more food, and misleading information about kitchen hours made for a thoroughly disappointing experience. High-end dining establishments are expected to provide impeccable service, and Bacchanalia London failed miserably in this regard.

In conclusion, my experience at Bacchanalia London was deeply disappointing. The rude waiter, aggressive upselling, and misleading information about kitchen hours overshadowed any positives about the restaurant's ambiance and setting. For a restaurant that positions itself as one of the most luxurious dining spots in the United Kingdom, Bacchanalia London did not meet even the basic standards of customer service and honesty. I cannot recommend this restaurant and urge potential diners to consider other options where they will be treated with the respect and courtesy...