Lilibet's — Restaurant in London

I visited Lilibet’s shortly after its opening and was warmly greeted by Ross Shonhan himself during our meal, a promising start.

The ambience is genuinely beautiful: elegant decor, a thoughtfully scented space (perhaps to balance the open fish counter) and even the bathrooms reflect care and style. I especially appreciated the generous English tea pot size and the water glasses design. The menu features rare and intriguing dishes not commonly found in London, though they don’t always follow traditional recipes. I appreciated the flexibility to request vegan options, including the lovely petit four, and the staff’s kindness in accommodating my dislike of garlic, making thoughtful adjustments where possible.

Unfortunately, the wild fish I was served contained multiple dead Anisakis worms, clearly visible in the flesh. I handed the plate to our waitress, Weiran, to send back to the kitchen for inspection. She remained exceptional throughout, attentive, gracious and deeply professional. One of the best I’ve encountered in London!

What followed, however, was disappointing. A man who didn’t introduce himself approached me without apology. He simply said not to panic, that it’s common in wild fish and that it was cooked so “safe.” The tone implied I was overreacting, which I wasn’t. I’ve dined around the world and grew up in the Italian Riviera with fresh fish brought home regularly, this has never happened to me before. I also received a tea cup with visible red lipstick marks, clearly used and not properly checked. I had to ask for a replacement, which no one noticed beforehand.

The only person who apologised was Weiran. At the end, to make up for it, they removed the teas and desserts from the bill, a gesture I appreciated, though it didn’t fully offset the lapse in food safety and hygiene. Given Executive Chef Alex Harper’s pedigree, I expected far better attention to detail.

I hope Lilibet’s takes this feedback seriously. Early diners are forming first impressions, and mine was a mix of genuine hospitality, sensory delight, and...

Celebrating the wonderful heritage of the building and doing both sexy and fish justice, in a different way to an unnamed restaurant around the corner. Sexy design, decor and details all in a comfortable laid back fashion and fish, well, to quote Sebastian from the Little Mermaid “under the sea down where it’s wetter” straight to your plate where it tastes better. Some delicious options from seafood platters to creative anchovy profiteroles. For those who want to swerve the seafood (or nursing a tender hangover with an undecided palette) some great options including steaks and escalopes and veggie. A curious curveball for something seeming simple but executed to perfection was the spinach focaccia, served more so like a flatbread with a perfect ratio of bubbling crispness and filling paired with a house cocktail from their extensive drinks menu and great wine list - you can push the boat out but you don’t need to, the sommelier isn’t selling to you but recommending. Several courses delivered with theatrical prowess of a nearby west end show, but tastefully so, unexpected but not awkward and in fact welcomed. More seating opportunities than the ocean after the Titanic sank, from cosy bar to comfy corners. The team are awesome and knowledgeable as well, safe to say highly recommend and thank you to the team for their hospitality....

We went to Lilibet’s expecting it to be excellent… even so… it surpassed all our expectations. Such a memorable evening and the perfect combination of delicious, unique food and lovely service. The menu is exciting to choose from, I could have gone anywhere with it really but we settled on the crab tart (favourite), scallops, fried squid, crab salad, baked rice, lobster mash and the princess cake. We enjoyed every bite.

I have to mention the cocktails too, generously punchy and lip-smacking - I’ve been thinking of them since and would go back just for these even if the food etc hadn’t been outstanding.

The atmosphere is lovely. Although it’s a classy and culinary dedicated affair, it seems injected with fun and playfulness at many a turn! It felt like Lilibet’s wanted us to have a great time. The ladies room made me chuckle to myself when I first saw it. Hard to explain why… it’s just so fabulous.

I’m sure Lilibet’s will keep their guests coming back for more. You could have a different experience every time and enjoy sitting in another part of the restaurant or bar. The interior is stunning. It certainly all makes you forget about the outside world for a few hours. We didn’t want to leave… but cant...