Sager + Wilde — Restaurant in London

Had good expectations of this place, but it didn't meet them. Went with a couple of friends, and even from the moment of my arrival to secure our booking the experience was odd. A staff member who eventually greeted me couldn't seem to work out the booking; and after showing me to a table another staff member had to come to double check our seating, saying 'we often have to check with him'. Strange. This approach continued, with certain staff following one particular colleague around to double check his actions. Then, our first glass of wine was not 'right'. We let the bar staff know (admittedly after having drunk most of it, not being 100% sure if it was 'off' or just disappointingly not very nice) and they took one glass off the bill - but not both, as we thought they had (this led to an awkward moment when it came to the bill at the end - and the offered to remove the charge, we didn't ask for it). But onward and upward from there?... well, not quite. On tasting a second bottle of the first type of wine, there was definitely something odd with the first glasses, a little corked probably. On reflection the staff attitude to dealing with this small problem was not good. At a wine bar charging £6.50-18 per small glass we expected not only great quality wine but also great service and knowledge about the wine - especially in the case of things not being 100%, as can happen with any bottle from a range. This expected quality was not in evidence throughout our few hours visit, even when we continued to order food and more and varied wine from their range, different to the first type. Service was slow and confused throughout, for example 3 different staff members served our table at varying intervals so orders were confusing and took a long time to arrive. When we asked for recommendations staff either didn't know (in one case) or refused to offer advice and recommendation (in another), which was both odd and unhelpful. And, after we had made that one comment about the first glasses, staff attitude to us seemed to become standoffish, despite us being really keen to enjoy more of what was on offer. I will not be going back based on this experience. They get an extra star for decent atmosphere and music; otherwise it would probably be a 1-1.5 star experience due to poor value, bad service...

Located in trendy East London, Sager + Wilde is a small, cozy wine bar with a great selection of excellent wines, small plates of delicious food and friendly, knowledgable staff. It's difficult to find a finer place for a glass of wine, or two.

I just noticed that I never wrote a review for Sager + Wilde, possibly the best wine bar in London. It's a small place, and tends to be busy. If you're lucky, you might still spontaneously get a spot at the bar.

The interior is beautifully crafted and unusual. The muted lighting in the evening creates an intimate atmosphere and makes this the perfect place to impress a wine-loving date. Or just to enjoy a bottle with friends.

Last time I was in the area, I ended up at Sager + Wilde twice, first before a gig for something by the glass, and then after the gig with two friends.

Selecting wines for people with different tastes can be a challenge, but believe me, you can trust the folks at Sager + Wilde. The lovely girl from behind the bar listened to our somewhat conflicting preferences and recommended a Forstmeister Geltz Zilliken Saarburger Rausch Riesling Spätlese from 1999. Admittedly, not the cheapest bottle on the list. But undoubtedly one of the best, and we enjoyed every sip of the last one they had in stock at the time.

It was a beautiful and very balanced wine, sweet, but not too sweet, minerals, a great smell, it had aged so well - most importantly, all three of us without a blank agreed that this was one of the best wines we ever drank. It's unique opportunities like this, that make the wine bar so appealing, a place you cannot miss.

One of the nice things about Sager + Wilde is that you get also intriguing, carefully selected wines by the glass. In combination with specials and regular changes, the offering is kick-ass - you can always try something new and exciting.

They have very good bread and of course you can have a tasty cheese with it, or also choose one of the small plates. Whatever you get, I'm sure you won't regret.

It is hard to find anything about Sager + Wilde that I do not like. It could be pretty busy, so it might be a challenge to get a table. Once you secured a spot, just enjoy your time there. And I should go back more often to check out more of...

Dreadful food - made for people who like DO NOT LIKE eating. Our entire table left hungry after the 4 courses set menu and had to order pizza on the way home as everyone was starving. Tiny ridiculous portions. All gimmick no knickers - the lardon on the basil seed cracker coated my mouth so I couldn't taste the wine for ages - disgusting texture and no flavour what so ever. The snotty piece of whelk at the bottom of some salty green broth we were instructed to down in one made me gag. The first course looked like sick with uncooked mushroom sitting in cold goats curd. No cooking or skill involved there at all. The bean broth was much improved with pepper as if it was a life saving seasoning - so so bland. The Iberico pork was delicious but the miniscule portion was really depressing. We all had berry seeds from the sauce in this dish stuck in our teeth - what was the point of this fruit pulp? The final insult to injury was a dessert that was chopped up uncooked peaches with some sort of white foam - a terrible end to a terrible meal. Saving grace was that the staff were lovely and the wine was good - that's why they get 1 star. This was my 40th Birthday dinner - it will be memorable for all the...