Aquavit London

Good restaurant and good food. Slightly pretentious and expensive. The sommelier only seemed interested in talking to me and ignored my girlfriend. The waiter was great.

pre theatre meal for four of us. great friendly staff. food amazing. wine expensive.

This was our second visit, the first 18 months ago and we loved the place then and had been looking forward to a revisit. It was therefore very disappointing to find the prices have shot up and the wine-list is eye-wateringly expensive. Starters were good, though not as vibrant and tasty as our first time. My wife's monkfish was good, but only that - nothing stellar. My turbot was cold and tasteless with only the sauce adding any flavour. I was offered a replacement, but reasoned that it would only be hotter and was unlikely to gain any flavour as a result, and by the time it arrived, my wife would be finished her meal. I also hoped that at £38 and with a Michelin star, I should not have needed to complain.
I mentioned it a second time to the waitress who cleared our table and she apologised and said she would mention it to the chef and the manager. When the bill came there was no comment and there had been no revision to the bill. We asked for service to be removed and it was done grudgingly and another half-hearted apology issued.
There was also a strange interlude when we were given a plate of one small blob of ice-cream with 'Happy Anniversary' on it. I had not mentioned this on the reservation, so they could only have got the information from my wife's Facebook check in. Some may find this nice - we found it creepy and intrusive. Also, as we wanted to leave we asked the sommelier to pour the remainder of our wine. He was reluctant to do so as his manager would not be happy. Surely the idea is to make the customer happy, not his manager?
So overall, we felt that the whole experience was pretty dispiriting and disappointing and it was nowhere near as good as February 2018. With the service removed, the meal still cost over £200 and unfortunately was not worth anything close to that amount.
We had looked forward to our return, but we will not be back.
Oh well, at least the play was good.

I was cold during the meal as we were sat next to the door. The staff were not attentive. They didn’t ask us if we wanted another drink during the meal, and we constantly had to get their attention. We waited a long time for a our food and when the food came it was underwhelming. Just feel for the price you pay, it is not worth it.

Great customer service

We ate here ona friday evening. It was not full at all and felt quite quiet. I think this is more a place for a business lunch, or a special weekend lunch. The food was all delicious, but perhaps not that 'exciting' for a michelin star. The most surprisingly good dish by far was the smoked eel. That said, we loved it and would return. The staff were super friendly and unstuffy. Decor was gorgeous.

One of the best dining experiences in London. Beautiful 2-storey volume space, huge windows, wonderful scandinavian design aesthetic, quiet enough but lively, able to have decent conversations. The 3 pots of herring as a starter were excellent and the gravlax was superb. The duck was the best duck I have ever eaten. The food was executed perfectly but was not pretentious. The staff were knowledgeable and friendly. The service faultless.

We had the pre-theatre menu which we thought was good value for London. The starters were delicious especially the herring, chicken pate & blood sausage. However, we were slightly disappointed with the meatballs which were rather bland. All the staff were lovely though a bit too attentive, we lost count how many times different staff came over to us which wasn't particularly relaxing especially when our beers kept being topped up when we are quite capable of doing it ourselves.
All in all a good experience but not for a cheap night out (the wine list is mind blowing...The waiter recommended a £95 bottle of pinot noir & that was one of the cheaper ones!!)

We had a wonderful time here! We sat for dinner on a Monday later in the evening, so the restaurant was relatively quiet. Even if it had been busy the tables are well organized to create private spaces for each party. The over all ambiance was amazing. The warm lighting, high ceilings, and classy- yet comfortable- design yielded a excellent dining space. Additionally, the waitress was personable and helpful; she gave great recommendations, telling us her favorites as well as offering a plate adaptation to better accommodate our meal. The liver pâté is a must order, and the pickled herring trio and venison tartare are stand outs. Would return to eat all three. Furthermore, save room for the arctic birds nest dessert. The kitchen has crafted a beautiful, modern, and unique dessert in presentation and flavor; it seems to be right out of a ‘Chefs Table’ episode- but at a reasonable price. The other dishes were a little pricey for plate size, but we both left the meal full and beyond satisfied with our experience, and the final price was not unexpected for such a high quality meal. I am looking foreword to returning to the London location as well as trying the original in NYC.

The food was amazing. Each course was well thought out by the chef and the mix of flavours was amazing !
However the staff need to be trained I ordered the duck my friend ordered the lamb
And the server said both dishes were duck when we said she ordered lamb he just shrugged and said sorry it’s both duck on closely looking at the plates we realised he had brought lamb but didn’t know the difference. Another server kept forgetting to bring us water and wax just plain rude. The drinks are. Watered down version.
The food however was on point !

Very nice set up, friendly staff, a bit clumsy, perhaps too many aquavit shots during service? Food is elaborated and delicate, quiet interesting association of ingredients, beautiful plating. I recommand giving it a try. The game tartar is superbe.

Not a conventional starred restaurants but also have good dish within a good price

Restaurant was nice and airey. Scallop Starter was fairly bland. Main course trout and Dill, sides potatoes and Dill. Unlike other reviews I read trout was tasteless and and way to much dill, undercooked as well.accompanying potatoes also came with dill.. Overall very disappointed with blandness of both dishes.
Alan, Oxford

Wonderful décor, beautiful tableware and attentive, knowledgeable staff. The food was outstanding value and really caught the Scandinavian theme, pairing every dish with a different Aquavit.

Overall good. Food was much better than the service. Based on our experiences at other Michelin starred restaurants, staff and cohesion of service was definitely lacking.

We had corporate team dinner here and I had chosen the restaurant, not knowing how that would go down with the British part of the congregation. As it happens they catered for all tastes. Broke the menu to create a sampling starter menu and just fussed over us in just the right way. Got a tour of the kitchen and met the chef who was just the nicest chap you could meet. 5 stars! If you are looking for a romantic place, this is a high loft ceiling but enough space between tables and great sumptuous clean warm design to make it a real special occasion.

We had a wonderful pre-theatre meal. Delicious food, especially the herring starter, the meatballs main and the cheeses. Bread was yummy. All staff were welcoming and looked after us well. The Poppels beer was a good choice.

Our second visit, we were going to theatre so had pre-theatre menu. We enjoyed all the starters especially the blood pudding, the mains were not as good - the Kroppkakor was a little boring. Service began very well but slowed so we did not have time for dessert. Wine waiter was helpful - but the wine is very expensive. Bright and airy room.

100% recommend, for any occasion! My parents frequent this restaurant as they stay in St James when visiting London and recommended.

Location is extremely easy to find, but equally well tucked-away from the noisy Piccadilly/Soho as to be super quiet. Inside was equally spacious and although busy and lively, even for a Monday when we visited, the seating offers privacy and comfort.

Michelin-star food is always good, and menus have changed a few times in just the past year alone (discovered because the divine octopus starter was taken off!!) but lamb main was so succulent and generous portion - and best attraction is Aquavit, the actual drink. We tried all the Aquavit cocktails recommended and loved them all.

Service superbly attentive from multiple hosts.

Obvs all this comes at a price so it is inevitable the bill is pricey, but for a ‘casual’ weekday eve catchup this was perfect.

Thank you team again!

The starter was cold & had to be returned. Everything else was fine.

A lovely modern restaurant offering unusual dishes. The service was excellent with very attentive staff. Highly recommended

Outstanding pre theatre meal. And the wine was beautiful (chablis). Service was impeccable and so friendly

The standard at Aquavit seems to remain high. I had not been for a year but the ambience, the service, the food and the aquavit were all brilliant - my guests from California loved it all. I also forgot to mention one of the best Dry Martinis (made with Napue gin from Finland).

Excellent meal. Staff were attentive & friendly. Ambience & mood was perfect. We had the pre-theatre set menu as otherwise would have been a lot more expensive. This is a high end restaurant & would recommend to anyone who loves Scandinavian food or who wants to try something a bit different.

Food and service was excellent, top drawer, but the wines are a bit pricey for what they are.

Very attentive and caring staff.
Every dish has something special about it.

Well done!

The welcome through to the finish of our meal was excellant. The staff were very attentive and explained the meals and gave good advise.

It was my husbands birthday and they even brought out a lovely birthday plate with a candle and ice cream that I had not even requested. Lovely gesture and finished off the meal well.
Thank you

Excellent swedish food and service. Traditional home cooking done to Michelin star standard

Excellent main courses (duck and monkfish). A little bit below the starters. The service was professional and friendly and the environment was great

Excellent food and service.

No kids menu, don’t take cash. Menu was very limited. Food and service were to be commended though.

Beautifully presented dishes. Lots of Swedish classics like blood pudding, toast skagen, meatballs and princess cake for pudding. The food was amazing, the waiters were lovely and the design of the restaurant is very Scandinavian. Loved it! We went for a late lunch so it was quite empty.

The decor is stark. The 20+ ft high ceiling makes it look like a hangar. The food is not
impressive, though I liked the scallops. They made a mess of an old staple the
Toast Skagen, which should be easy to make but they overcooked the shrimp which
were tough, and there was not much taste to it.

An impressive list of some 25 aquavits.

I cannot give enough compliments to this restaurant, it goes beyond the regular Michelin 1 star experience and would 100% recommend it to anyone in London.
First of all it is wonderful to have a restaurant specialised in Nordic food in London! Having a craving for Nordic cuisine, would come back again and again... the herring is full of flavour, presented beautifully with foam. The carrot caraway is perfectly seasoned, the blood pudding and Vension tartare pairs really well with the lingonberry, a must try.
This might be weird but I must comment on the bread. They must contain some sort of cumin or spices? They taste really good and goes well with the butter that contains cod roe. The chef did a good job!
Last but not least the service is wonderful, very attentive staff, welcoming, friendly and knowledgeable!

Great food n snaps n excellent service. Bird nest desert looked toooooo beautiful to eat!!!!....and tasted great.

Great lunch. Delicious food, skillfully executed and immaculately presented. Loved the ambiance and the natural light.

I had the duck breast for set lunch. It was properly cooked with delicious plum sauce. And the complimentary bread was fantastic. The waiter / waitress was friendly and professional. The Swedish pancake was the perfect ending for the meal. Every time when i go to London, this will be a must to visit.

Amazing place to go for a luxurious lunch !

They didn't have the two tings on the menu we were keen to order - Octopus and the scallops.
The food we did order was quick to come out and tasted fine but didn't blow us away.

The service was impeccable and the waitress was great however and very apologetic for the menu cancellations.

A very lovely business lunch. Beautifully fresh and well presented food and pleasant service. I was fairly busy but we did not feel crowded and were able to speak comofrtably. Highly recommended for lunch - especially te gravadlax and the trout.