Aquavit London
Dishes at Aquavit London honour fresh, seasonal ingredients and deliver a contemporary take on authentic Nordic cuisine, with menus developed by Henrik Ritzén, Executive Chef of Aquavit London, and Emma Bengtsson, Executive Chef of Aquavit New York.
Overseen by the design studio of Swedish-born Martin Brudnizki (The Ivy, Scott’s and Sexy Fish), Aquavit London has been inspired by Gunnar Asplund’s design of Gothenburg City Hall in Sweden, and the restaurant showcases celebrated Nordic designers in a laid-back yet sophisticated environment.
Monday - Friday
Breakfast
7.30am – 11.30am
Lunch
12:00noon – 3pm
All Day Menu
3pm-5.30pm
Dinner
5.30pm – 23:00pm
Weekends Brunch
11am – 3.30pm
All Day Menu
3.30pm-5.30pm
Saturday Dinner
5.30pm - 23:00pm
Sunday Dinner
5.30pm - 10.30pm
Bank holidays brunch
12noon - 3.30
During the month of August 2018 we will be closed for breakfast and also Sundays all day long.
will be open for lunch and dinner Monday to Saturday as normal.
Bank holiday brunch from 12noon - 3.30pm
On March 13th, Londoners will be treated to a Michelin-starred feast, created by two powerhouses of Nordic cuisine. Aquavit’s Executive Chef Henrik Ritzén will be joined by Magnus Ek, the formidable head chef of Stockholm staple, Oaxen Krog, who will journey to London collaborate on a special menu inspired by their Swedish heritage.
https://www.designmynight.com/london/restaurants/central-london/aquavit/aquavit-and-stockholms-oaxen-krog-present-the-ultimate-nordic-feast-for-one-night-only?t=tickets
Private Dining
Aquavit London is a new contemporary all day dining experience, a restaurant that showcases the very best of Nordic cuisine and design.
View Private Dining Details
Menu
Special Offers
Pre-theatre menu Two Courses £22 or Three £25
Nordic 2 or 3 course set meal. Please notify of any allergies or dietary requirements.
Terms and Conditions: Maximum of 8 diners. Includes VAT, excludes service.
Valid For: 1 - 8 people
Starts: 6 June 2018
Ends: 27 September 2018
Availability: Daily 17:30-18:30 21:30-22:30
Aquavit Afternoons: £20
Late afternoon dining for those pre or post shopping trips! Enjoy a choice from the signature dishes to fuel or refuel!
Terms and Conditions: Maximum of 6 diners. Includes Tax, excludes service.
Valid For: 1 - 6 people
Starts: 27 March 2018
Ends: 27 September 2018
Availability: Daily 14:00-17:00
Had breakfast at 8am on a Monday morning, very quiet and nice place. T
Delicious Nordic food in an airy mid century dining room. Cocktails are very good and use unusual Nordic ingredients like ligonberries and sea buckthorn. Highly recommend the tartare and the Arctic bird’s nest dessert!
A lovely meal in one of my favourite London restaurants!
We booked Aquavit for my husband’s birthday dinner after reading some promising reviews. Unfortunately, I have to say that the experience wasn’t a pleasant one as the service was very poor.
We ordered cocktails and food soon after we arrived at the restaurant and the starters came relatively quickly (and were delicious). After that the empty plates just sat on our table for half an hour with staff just walking past. We asked for bread numerous times and only received it after 40 minutes (it should have arrived with the starters). We had a show booked for an hour and a half after we arrived to the restaurant and despite alerting our waitress multiple times that we were in a hurry, we never received our main course as it took more than an hour for it to be prepared and we had to leave (the restaurant wasn’t full!). Also, we had to almost beg to get the bill (asked for it 4 times). All in all it was a disappointing experience, especially as it was meant to be a special dinner.
Amazing place, gave 4 star only because both times we had to wait a while for the bill- they were obviously prioritising new orders. Other than that, excellent place!
The Arctic nest dessert was one of the best we’ve ever had. Entrees and sides were delicious as well.
I have now been here 5 or 6 times and have loved it every time. Outstanding food, great ambience, nice service.
Food was OK but that's the very minimum expected of a one-starred establishment. I have to say most other one-starred restaurants in London are better than Aquavit, including the other one-starred Scandinavian restaurant just off Portland Square. The restaurant also employed a questionable marketing tactic - I booked a pre-theatre offer through Opentable which is valid for the timeslot I chose (18:30). I arrived at 18:30 and the waitress came over with the menus 10 minutes later. When I questioned the waitress about the pre-theatre menu offer I booked for, she gave the reason that the menu was only available up until 18:30. Well, if you cannot honour what you offered on Opentable when your customer arrived at the stated timeslot, you shouldn't have marketed that on Opentable. Unlikely to come back again.
Did not know what to expect as not a Swedish foodie of note......however I found a wonderful room, wonderful energetic atmosphere, packed house and had some of the best oysters I have ever had in my whole life!!! Main course was stunning, a posh Ikea for me.....meatballs, pickles and mash. Wine was superb...go and discover it for yourselves as it wont let you down
The food and service were outstanding - as had been my experience every time I have dined at Aquavit. My only quibble on this occasion was that the music was far too loud. I don’t remember being bothered by that on other visits, so perhaps it was a function of the particular playlist used.
Maybe avoid Sunday evenings- they has run out of oysters, crab and Tanquery gin! Food is interesting but very small portion sizes. Very pricey wine over £60 for a basic white Bourgogne. Ended up being a disjointed over priced meal. We wouldn’t go back.
Extra marks for a fairly unique menu but felt the food wasn’t as good as it was 18 months ago. Great ambience - you can’t go wrong with the meatballs...
This was my second visit to Aquavit and I took a visitor to London. It didn't let me down. The service is exceptional, the food fabulous and the aquavit not to be missed. Plus IT'S DOG FRIENDLY. What's not to love?
Perfect for pre theatre supper. A very Scandinavian experience
Excellent food. Very attentive service. Creative cuisine. A very memorable meal and experience.
Great spot for lunch. Stylish. Staff very friendly and welcoming and very accommodating for my 1 year old granddaughter. Food was top notch. My 2nd visit and will definitely return.
Aquavit is a top restaurant and I ve had many an excellent lunch there. So I was shocked to arrive tonight and find it had become a nightclub. VERY loud CLUB music, clearly trying to attract very differently minded people from those who normally go at lunch time. We were going to walk out but they eventually after repeated requests turned it down to a level at which we could talk. Trying to attract a totally different type/ mood of punters at night to at lunch can be done but is difficult and needs very clear signals to all. None of tonight’s diners were clubbers ( and if you want Tiger Tiger it’s only a few feet away so why bother with great food if you just want to party?)
I d come back for lunch anytime(amazing food and service etc) but will skip dinner until they work out what their evening proposition is -and if it’s my thing.
Aquavit is awesome! The staff was very professional — fast and friendly. The food (herring, gravlax, cod, and krakakor) was fresh and exquisitely prepared. The ambience was clean, modern, and energetic. If you’re in London looking for an outstanding meal with a little adventure, strongly recommend you select Aquavit. You won’t regret spending an evening with them.
Excellent restaurant in St. James’s. We have been dining here regularly since Aquavit opened, and this restaurant never disappoints. The food is delicious, with fresh and tasty ingredients, and beautifully presented - and at great value for a MICHELIN Star restaurant. The dining room is modern, beautiful and very pleasant. Service is very friendly and relaxed, yet professional. I can highly recommend this restaurant.
Food, drink and environment were great. Service was patchy - management need to supervise / coach their novices.
Spacious, bright restaurant, high ceilings - good first impressions. Warmly greeted upon arriving at restaurant. Very pleasant lunch, starting with the complementary glass of bubbly, delicious bread, knowledgable and helpful staff, to the delicious food. We chose from the al la carte menu, and waiter happy to provide any information required. They were very particular to ask at each course whether we had any allergies. Would go again, and happily recommend.
My second visit, which lived up to my expectations which were high after the first visit. The service was impeccable, and engaging. The Lamb and Monkfish mains were exceptional and the recommended wines complemented the dishes. We ended with a drink at the bar, most excellent staff, with an interest in their role and our likes and dislikes. I shall return.
Poor service that doesn’t make you feel welcomed at all. Food ok but not much more. Definitely not worth the price.
I have been to Aquavit a few times, but normally I visit for cocktails and smorgasbord at the bar or on the outside tables. On this occasion I took a business contact for lunch. The food was very good and of a high standard. The gravlax is a must order - the fish melts in your mouth and the dill & mustard sauce is to die for. We had the meatballs (a classic reliable dish) and the turbot for mains. The turbot was delicious - very well cooked and beautifully presented although I did feel the horseradish flavour was missing from the dish. The chef may have forgotten to add it but I certainly didn't taste any horseradish in the dish. It was delicious regardless though. For desserts we had the hot chocolate pudding with treacle ice cream and Norwegian omelette (which is essentially a baked alaska). Both were exceptional and dessert is definitely a highlight here. Service was very good, although there was one waiter who took our dessert order who was a little bit odd and kept recommending different desserts to us after we had already placed our order with him. This made the end of the meal slightly awkward but normally the service is very good so this would not put me off going back. If you like Nordic cuisine, seafood or are a foodie generally, I would definitely recommend Aquavit. The food is very good and the restaurant space is charming.
Anniversary
Brilliant food executed with creative flair. Pricing is fair, and service was excellent, particularly impressed with the knowledge of the dishes and ability to recommend.
Personally would avoid the Beef Rydberg in favour of one of their other dishes as there are plenty of exceptional dishes, and for me this was just ‘very good’.
Overall a great experience and would love to go again!
Delicious food and great service. Scandinavian influence but a good range of menu options. Duck with cherries and beetroot was fabulous.
Scandi treats that make you very full and satisfied. If you want an amazing dessert, you need to try out the Bird's Nest. It is beautiful and quite filling, so feel free to share it with someone. Meatballs is always a classic, however I quite like the kroppkakor and usually go for that option. This time I went for meatballs, and they were not disappointing!
Delicious food in stylish restaurant. Lots of space between tables which was great for our catch-up with friends post-theatre.
Lovely location, pleasant and helpful staff, delicious food and lovely ambiance makes Aquavit a lovely place to visit.
Food and service were both outstanding! Highly recommend!
Interesting food, very tasty, excellent friendly service including the sommelier recommendation, good seating and surprisingly good value. Not just a trendy dining experience, a proper restaurant. I will go again.
Great. Thoroughly recommend. Food is exceptional. Interior design is beautiful.
Visited here pre- theatre and had a delicious meal. Particularly good if you like fish- maybe not so great for vegetarians. My trout dish was beautifully prepared and so tasty. Lovely choice of smorgasbord starters too. Efficient and very friendly service.
Marvelous meal and extraordinary service for less money than expected even though it was still above the avarage for food in London. Nevertheless, service and food were worth every single Penny. I gave an extra tip on top of the usual service fee which is included in the check by default.
Loved the smorgasbord, mains were also very good. Food paired well with what was an extremely hot day in London! Would recommend highly and for Michelin star very reasonable.
We went with a friend pre theatre. It was a lovely meal. We could eat from both the pre theatre menu and also the main menu.
Service good, but slightly overly attentive we felt, but that was probably that we were there a bit early and so there were relatively lots of staff to customers.
Great location - nice and spacious interior. Very attentive service - drinks/ food arrived without nay real delays.
Very tasty dishes - nicely presented. The well stocked Aquavit trolley nearly derailed the evening for us but fortunately common sense prevailed.
Reassuringly expensive (!) which turns this place into a special occasion venue as oppposed to being a regular haunt.
Delicious food. Fun for sharing. Lots of light. Great for lunch. Good for business meals. Quite pricey.
We went for a family dinner. Lovely and spacious interior design. Service was on point and friendly. Food was super delicious:
Pickles and herring selection, must have
Celariac and beetroot salad, super tasty
Smoked eel, wow
Gravlax and oysters, classic but even they were top notch
We had turbot and monkfish, both were cooked perfectly and juicy, their light sauces matched perfectly.
Panna cotta was ok but its icecream was again a wow:)
A general comment from our table was that almost all the sauces were slightly on the sweeter side.
The only negative comment would be the hit or miss music, where, as a table we though, the music should be softer but sometimes you would hear dance tunes all of a sudden. A classic london restaurant scene music choice. But obviously, it wasnt loud and didnt ruin the evening.
Overall, we had a highly enjoyable evening and would recommend it! Will definitely visit again.