The Ivy Chelsea Garden — Restaurant in London

The receptionist asked for the time of booking and the first name of booking. Then asked for the surname separately, which was weird but we assumed it was for security and confirmation. She then explained as we booked for indoors our table WILL be indoors as they have a limited outdoor seating. No smile on her face, no warm welcome. We didn’t want to sit outside anyway so this was no but noticed there were a lot of free tables. Her demeanour seemed as though she didn’t want to be at work today. Onto our waiter. The receipt has the name “Carmine”, thought I’m not 100% sure if this was our waiters name. The table was booked for 1145. We arrived five minutes earlier and were seated promptly which was great. Our waiter said he will come back to take our order in five minutes. He came back and took our drinks order (water and a glass of Prosecco) then walked off even though we were starting our food order. When ordering the drinks I noticed that there were 2 different prices of the same Prosecco so asked “carmine” which is the correct price. He immediately told me the lower price will be charged. A few mins after the drink had been placed on the table, he then came to inform me that it is actually the higher price. I asked if he could honour the original price that he told me as if he simply checked before there would be no mistake. When he said he was unable to the I asked to speak to the manager and possibly request he does this. He looked confused and left to get the manager. And came back and stated the manager said they will take off the service charge at the end of the bill. This is not an acceptable response from the manager, as he is aware service charge is discretionary and optional. So taking away the option I already had was not a valid answer to the problem. But we decided to accept it and move on as it was our anniversary and we were going to the theatre, so did not want to waste time on any negativity. The food then took over 30 mins to arrive. I asked “Octavian” to take the glass of Prosecco away and off the bill and we were not having a good experience and the food had taken too long. He seemed genuine and concerned, asked why, apologised and took the glass away. Food was amazing. As we were in a slight rush we asked for the bill as “octavion” was clearing the table. He brought the bill over ( with service charge on ) and explained we were only waiting 14 mins for the food which was definitely not the case. I tried to explain possibly the waiter put the food through late as we ordered food by 11:50 and the food arrived at 11:20. This does not equal 14 mins. He told me to come with him so he could show me which I think is ridiculous because there is nothing you could have showed to prove that we were only waiting 14 mins. A table behind us that sat after us got their food before us, further leading me to believe our waiter forgot to put our food order through. “Octavion” because very patrionising saying “no 14 mins is perfect amount of time” we “couldn’t have been waiting longer” “the waiter put through our food on time” and other things as such. This just made us feel he was trying to say we were lying and there was no error on their side, essentially belittling what we were saying and brushing it off. I then asked him to remove service and we left to try to enjoy the rest of our day. It is a shame that no one that interacted with us seemed to want to be at work (which is understandable as it is a lovely day) but hide it a little bit better. We love to cash tip and do it every restaurant we go but this was honestly one of our worse experiences. For the supervisor or manager to then basically say we’re lying felt very passive aggressive when it was our experience that was ruined due to the time the food took and the lack of customer service. He should have just apologised we “felt” it took that long and offered us the aranchini or a desert for free. We didn’t have time anyway but it would have been a kind gesture as opposed to the options...

Friday 31st January Reservation time: 5:15pm

We dine at the Cambridge Ivy most weekends; however, as it was my mother's 60th birthday and we adore the Chelsea area, I decided to take her to her favourite restaurant. Upon arrival, we were greeted by two very friendly hostesses and asked to wait at the bar as our table was not yet ready. This was no problem, and we enjoyed a cocktail while we waited.

Once seated, our server for the evening was delightful and answered all our questions regarding the menu. We ordered the zucchini fries as part of our starter, however, they were unfortunately a disappointment, as they tasted overwhelmingly of oil. We mentioned this to the server, and they were promptly removed from our bill.

For the main course, things took a turn. Midway through our meal, two young Dutch gentlemen were seated at a table nearby and began speaking loudly, using profane language and discussing, inappropriately, their actions with women at their hotels on weekends, including the best ways to dispose of them. It was approximately 6 p.m ant this point and there were families dining nearby. I politely asked the gentlemen to lower their voices, but this angered one of them, who began shouting at me across the restaurant. A younger male individual, whom I assume was the assistant General Manager, came over, laughed with the gentlemen, and relocated them to another part of the restaurant. As he passed our table on his return, he chuckled again, and I expressed to him that his behaviour was unprofessional. His response was, “If you have a problem, speak to my General Manager.” I have worked in hospitality most of my life on occasion and would never dream of engaging with a customer in such a manner. His demeanour suggested a lack of respect and maturity, and my mother and I were thoroughly put off our meals at this point.

Later, we were approached by the General Manager, who inquired about the situation. She informed us that the assistant GM had given her the same account, even insinuating to her that he was unconcerned because he knew the gentlemen and believed they had more financial means than we did. Allowing such behavior from both staff and management is deeply troubling. Throughout this ordeal, the assistant GM stood across the room glaring at us, attempting to intimidate us.

As much as we love the Ivy, I think this member of staff must remember that it is a restaurant chain with average prices for London and not an exclusive establishment. It is disheartening to say that I will never return to this particular branch, as I am extremely disappointed with the way we were treated. Moreover, based on conversations with other staff members who passed by and made comments, it seems the assistant GM’s attitude is not an isolated issue and his attitude perceives him. One individual’s behaviour can undermine the entire experience, turning what should have been a celebratory evening into an uncomfortable situation.

I sincerely hope the management has addressed this matter appropriately so that no one else has to endure such treatment.

That said, I would like to acknowledge that all other members of staff were exemplary, and I cannot fault their...

I am still in shock after what happened to me at The Ivy Garden. On Saturday night, my handbag was stolen while I was sitting inside their garden area. To get there, you have to walk through the main building and out into the back garden — this is not an open street, it is inside the restaurant’s premises. I was not sitting in a walkway. My table was right at the back, and I placed my bag securely on the right-hand side of my chair, next to the heater (not on the left side where people walk past). I never left my seat, not even to go to the toilet. Except for the brief moment when the staff served before starters, no one had the chance to get that close to me. Yet somehow, my bag disappeared. Inside the bag was my purse with around $500 cash, my BRP card, ID, debit and credit cards, my key, perfume, lipstick, and earphones. Losing the cash is one thing, but losing my identification and cards has been a nightmare. What makes this worse is the restaurant’s handling of the situation. The waiter and manager told me the garden has no CCTV. That means anyone sitting in the garden is completely unprotected — there are no cameras, no security, nothing. They said they have CCTV in the hallway and checked it for an hour but “found nothing.” I asked to see it myself (it’s my stolen property after all), but was told I have no right to view it. If I could view the footage, I would know exactly what happened. Instead of showing real concern, the staff questioned me. The manager and waiter asked me if I was sure I even brought my bag — as if I would invent such a story. One waitress told me I should “take care of my property.” I want to ask her: how could I possibly have been more careful? I never left my seat, never left my bag unattended, and I deliberately placed it away from the walkway. This whole experience has left me angry, upset, and feeling completely unsafe. A place like The Ivy Garden should provide basic security for its guests, especially when you are seated inside their property, not on the street. Instead, I was left feeling blamed for something that was not my fault. I am writing this review to warn others: if you dine at The Ivy Garden, be extremely careful with your belongings. The garden has no CCTV and no security. If something happens, don’t expect much help or support. It is unacceptable that a restaurant with such a reputation does not ensure the safety of its guests. I strongly urge The Ivy Garden management to take responsibility, install proper CCTV in the garden, and train their staff to respond with empathy and accountability instead of doubt and blame. No guest should ever have to go through what I experienced.

Additional details: I didn’t really post bad review but I posted this because it was really unbelievably happened to me! And feels really helpless, hopeless, until the end of September.

Date: 13/09/2025 Time I arrive on my seat: around 5:10pm Time I realized my bag is gone: around 6:30pm That time was when the starter meal...