CERU Hyde Park — Restaurant in London

We were so pleasantly surprised with this lovely restaurant! My husband and go to London quite often for matinee's and we try to find places we have not been to enjoy lunch. We love tapas and had never been to a Mediterranean tapas place - so we booked CERU. From the moment we entered until the moment we left (and we were there quite some time) we felt so welcome and well taken care of. The hostess/server who greeted us was joined by other staff members to ensure we had everything we needed and they were all exceedingly friendly. We sat by the window - and it was fabulous for people watching - but when we return for dinner (which will be soon!) we will want to sit in the other part of the dining room as it looked so warm and inviting! My husband and I shared the Three in One Dips (all 3 were delicious but I particularly loved the Fadi!), Roasted Beetroot & Fennel Salad, Sauteed Portobello & Shitake Mushrooms, Sticky Roasted Baby Aubergines, Zucchini and Feta Fritters and the slow roasted Lamb Shoulder. Each dish was as stupendous as the last! We had a bottle of - Oumsiyat Cinsault - a light red wine from Lebanon - which was served chilled - and went perfectly with every dish. While we had no room for dessert, we did stay for another glass of wine and then a cup of tea - as we had a lovely conversation with the couple at the table next to us. The staff was happy to let us linger even though they were quite busy - but we did make sure no one was waiting for a table. I am thrilled to highly recommend this restaurant to anyone as the menu caters to all and the staff is...

Service was really, really poor. Unfortunately, I noticed the 12.5% service fee after paying and I would have reduced that amount. The restaurant employs a very, very novice server who is also playing the role of bartender, and he's not playing that role particularly well. I was served a Negroni that was laughably off on proportions. Especially for the £10 price. When I scoffed at what I was handed, the server/bartender argued with me because he had followed some ridiculous instructions! (And it was way too heavy on vermouth.)

After I alerted 2 other servers that it wasn't a negroni and they confirmed it looked way too small, the drink was re-made. Frankly what was served to me was still very off on sizing but I already had complained so much I just wanted to leave.

When I ordered still water, there was no mention of the £5 fee for water. I guess I got a bottle of water but honestly I thought it was tap water served in a glass bottle. Who knows.

Finally, the restaurant promises a 175ml pour on wines and that's certainly nowhere near what I received.

I hate feeling scammed like this.

The food was good but for 3 small dishes + prosecco + Negroni, the bill came to £58, thanks to the charges for water + service. I hate feeling like I was cheated with truly terrible service.

Save your money and go elsewhere. And if, for some reason, you must go here, ask if a proper bartender is working before you...

Thanks to the amazing managers Elisa & Caroline as well as the brilliant chefs and owners, Barry & Patricia, we had another fabulous dinner at Ceru’s Queensway restaurant! We travelled from New York City to London with the plan that our first dinner must be at one of Ceru’s fabulous restaurants. We discovered their outstanding Mediterranean menu about six years ago and had been planning our return visit for months. We invited friends of ours who live in London to join us for what we knew would be a memorable culinary feast. Ceru specializes in small and very reasonably priced dishes and for the six of us, we ordered about 15 dishes that were all fantastic. Starting with their freshly made pita and still warm from their ovens, to the phenomenal desserts, we celebrated our good fortune to be able to enjoy such a spectacular dining experience. And as we were getting ready to depart, one of my guests, urged me to visit their gorgeous bathrooms. I’m including a few photos with my review. Fortunately for folks who live in London or in the vicinity, there are two Ceru locations in the city. However,if you are traveling, please make a reservation and you’ll be guaranteed a phenomenal culinary experience. If you live out of town you should follow Ceru on Instagram, that way you can enjoy looking and savoring their fabulous dishes even if you can’t drio as as frequently...