The Lighterman — Restaurant in London

We ate at the restaurant this evening and having been there for my Daughters birthday a couple of years before was disappointed with the offering this time. We were behind a family on entry who had pre booked and who had not received the booking confirmation, I personally felt the manager on the desk was very sharp and quite rude to the family although they dealt with it very well it stood out to me so I mentioned it to my wife. I overheard the family talking about it at their table so it had clearly registered with them also.

The service was ok, the waiter was attentive however at times rude in his tone and the way he spoke to us. We were placed on a table for two in a half empty restaurant at the top, we were eating our starters when a couple were placed on the table next to us which to be fair may as well have been connected to our table, an inch between us in a half empty restaurant, the four of us commented on how ridiculous this was and joked about eating together as we were that close, if I’m paying £35 for a dish I expect a tables distance worth of privacy please else I’ll pay my £35 at a place that does offer this! you were not full and this was not necessary. It made us rush our food and want to leave where normally we would stay for cocktails and coffee, your space greed actually became counterproductive in our case.

The food was ok the flatbread delicious the schnitzel was just dry and tasteless we mentioned this and after the feedback it was waived which we appreciated. The medium steak I ordered was rare with quite a lot of blood and with it being a rib eye the fat hadn’t rendered properly, I didn’t mention it as we were already quite embarrassed about mentioning the chicken and being so close to others felt that we couldn’t express ourselves, we felt on show and awkward making a complaint.

Overall disappointing, good view but there’s just too many treasures in the area that offer privacy and friendly service even for a table of two and I would be inclined to give this a miss.

It sounds mean but I think they may be punching a bit above their weight for what their charging! I’ve seen it too many times in london lovely restaurants with excellent service thinking over time it comes without trying but what comes quickly goes again if you stop caring about your...

On a warm Friday evening around mid-July my family of 2 adults and 2 teenagers arrived as per our reservation at 20h30 (any earlier slots were fully booked). We instantly received a table (on the terrace) and the menu, and almost immediately placed our order, making it very clear we were starving. The drinks and the small platter-to-share with appetizers (charcuterie) were served swiftly. Then we had to wait. Meanwhile several other groups of 4 and even 6 arrived and were served while we were still waiting for our food. During that time the behavior of one of the waiters was rather bizarre as they served (without speaking and with a strangely timid and awkward composure) a glass of rosé, followed by a new attempt with an additional glass of beer or so, whereas we had never ordered these drinks. When I enquired about the food around 21h30 it quickly became clear the kitchen crew had forgotten about (the rest of) our order. The manager stepped in and eventually some 10 minutes later, we were served an average fish-and-chips, two nicely crispy butterflied and breaded chicken filets with too little tomato sauce, and a plate of three slightly overdone but still juicy and tasty lamb chops with green beans and a 'dressing' that seemed to include capers but little to none of the advertised mint. Then I had to remind the staff of the glass of red wine that I had ordered. Upon tasting the temperature of the wine appeared to be at least 23 or 24 °C which is unacceptably high (regular red wine should NEVER be drank warmer than 18°C). The manager did put the glass in the freezer for a few minutes but it only helped marginally. All in all the food was a mixed bag (most things were acceptable or even good but a few were less so) and while the staff was certainly friendly, the overall experience was decidedly bad, mostly given the unacceptably long waiting time. However apart from apologies not any other gesture was offered to compensate for this. Given some other reviews on Google it looks like this restaurant doesn't have what it takes to provide consistently good service, especially during busy times. Sorry but I can't recommend this place. Go at...

We had high hopes for our visit to The Lighterman in King’s Cross, having booked a table a week in advance for a friend’s birthday celebration. The weather forecast looked beautiful, so I specifically requested to be seated outside. Unfortunately, when we arrived, we were told that outside tables couldn’t be reserved, despite my prior request. Instead, we were told we could try and find a free table outside ourselves.

We did spot an empty table and approached it, only to be abruptly stopped by a staff member, who may have been a manager, who very rudely told us the table was reserved. When we mentioned we had just been told outside reservations weren’t possible, he simply repeated that this table was indeed reserved and offered no clear explanation. His tone was dismissive and unhelpful, leaving us feeling quite unwelcome. This was a frustrating and confusing start to what was meant to be a special meal.

To add to the disappointment, one of our party is gluten-free and was excited to order the salmon, which turned out to be unavailable. This significantly limited her options, and again, it felt like an unfortunate oversight for a restaurant of this calibre.

Additionally, the facilities were not sufficient for the volume of guests. With only three cubicles on the ground floor, one of our friends had to queue for nearly 20 minutes just to use the toilet.

While we enjoyed each other’s company and made the best of the afternoon, the overall experience fell far short of expectations. For a venue that positions itself at the higher end of the market, the service and general organisation simply didn’t match the prices. We spent a considerable amount on food and drinks, and unfortunately, we didn’t feel the experience offered good value for the money spent.

We left feeling disappointed and are...