Gillray's Steakhouse

My wife and I were disapointed with out visit to Gillray's Steakhouse. We booked the pre-theatre menu but it doesn't have a steak on it so we looked at the al a'carte and chose a rump steak and the fish and chips. The fish chips were fine but the large steak was overcooked and very chewy. So we complained to the 'manager' as we had previously had a problem with our waitress understanding us - and with her knowledge of the menus! The 'manager' handled our complaint very well getting us a glass of champagne and offering another steak though warning it would take sometime. When it finally arrived it was still overcooked and it came without chips. Finally, the bill came which wasn't as expensive as it should have been thanks to a discount we were given.

One of the waiters was french. Helped us a lot to understand the menu. Very classy restaurant in a very classy place. Really nice.

Really lovely restaurant in a great location. We got the theatre deal which was such a good deal. Staff were all really nice, friendly and helpful. I want to go back when I have more time, and don't have to dash off to the theatre.

We miss the yorkshire pudding as the aperitif but otherwise cuisine is good if a little fancy in some areas

Best fillet I have ever had! The food was absolutely superb!

Meal took nearly 3 hours due to painfully slow service even though there were several empty tables behind us. The steaks were paper thin (1/4 inch for a rib eye - no kidding) and cooked to shoe leather done-ness even after asking for medium rare. The "manager" when asked about the steaks and long wait was rude and pompous...after long discussion he dropped the charge for two of our meals. We witnessed him "negotiating" with at least two other tables for similar problems. It seemed to be a regular occurrence that they just accept as normal. The staff obviously don't respect the manager. It was visible. Could be a great place with skilled management. Alas, that is missing. The appetizers and non-steak items were very good. The chef can cook. I think if the chef had better ingredients (steaks), and if the front-of-house management was replaced it could be a good place.

The hotel that Gillray's is in is fabulous and this restaurant is damaging the hotels reputation in my opinion. Too bad.

Really no class place. Weather in service, food and anything else. Service late and unprofessional.

A lovely venue and the staff were very friendly. It felt really special so I would recommend the venue

It was a little hard to find but once in the restaurant was nice with a lovely view.

We went for the set menu which when I booked said it included either a G&T or a bellini but when we arrived we were told it was either sparkling wine or a bellini which was a bit disappointing.
It seemed to take too long for them to take our orders and then we found out only when we ordered that one of the starter options wasn't available. However the pate starter was delicious and presented beautifully so that was a plus.
Mains were mixed - my fillet was delicious and beautifully cooked, while the risotto was, sadly, decidedly bland.
Desserts took far, far too long. I opted for the bakewell tart which was way overcooked and I simply couldn't eat the pastry.
Overall I would say the food was good for the price but the service was very poor - particularly as they weren't overly busy. If this and the desserts could be improved I would go again.

Very good for dates . Excellent view, service and value for money

We booked the pre-theatre menu which is good value and comes with a cocktail. Having read the reviews we made sure to book early which was fortunate as a very large Christmas party arrived a little after we did. Service was good though other tables had to leave before their main course - possibly returning after the theatre to finish. The room was busy with later afternoon tea being served so quite noisy but the view of the river made up for that.

Buen servicio, pésima calidad de alimentos.

They seemed rushed off their feet so we had to remind them of a few things - glass of wine, desert....

Eh. If this is the best beef that England has to offer, as the description states at the time of this review, then I recommend the fish.

First visit and will be the last. Our reservation was for 8.00 24 November 2018. When we arrived we were shown to our table the lady was not very polite no one explained the menu nor were we told there would be a delay on food. Half an hour passed still no food still no explanation. Took at least 40 minutes before someone apologized and brought us complimentary bread 3 small pieces for 2 people which they should have done in the first place. It was over an hour before we got our food and it was OK not amazing. Sides very small ordered spinach very overpowered by chili. Also my husband ordered a Gin and Tonic took 15 minutes for this to arrive. We did get 20% of the payment but unfortunately it was a little late. This could have been sorted from the start they could have informed us straight away and maybe brought the bread out earlier and maybe a complimentary drink would have helped. I was not the only one complaining do not expect such bad service from any restaurant. Its a shame because its a lovely restaurant inside very decadent just the service and staff let it down.

Food took forever to be served with poor excuses. Even had to ask for wine as waited for that also.

This was such a treat. We had the most delicious filet mignon prepared perfectly. The food was outstanding and so was the service. Great ambiance. Highly recommend. We will return.

One of the worst dining experiences I’ve had. Bad food. Staff were quite nice, though.

Good quality food and service. Ideal for a treat or special occasion.
Get to choose your own steak knife!
Restaurant overlooks Thames at Westminster.
Would definitely recommend.

I always enjoy hosting dinners at Gillray's Steakhouse, as my guests can't fail to be impressed. The location is spectacular - looking straight out onto the Thames and the London Eye, and the interior decorations are opulent. The food was delicious, the service impeccable, and the bar area a great place for both pre-dinner and post-dinner drinks.

We had a lovely meal (great steaks) and the atmosphere was great. What stood out for us was the care of our waiter who went out of his way to ensure that the food options a friend had were within her restrictive diet.

Delicious food, great service with a good pre theatre menu choice.

Good service and great starters, but it was all downhill from there. Expensive water, steak not cooked properly, and an overly rich dessert that was not edible.
The worst price to food quality ratio during our stay in London.
They didn't notice the change in reservation until we arrived and had to wait 20 minutes until we were seated.

We booked a pre-theatre two-course dinner for 4. We sat and ordered at 6.00pm, by 6.40 the first course still had not turned up, we enquired 3 times about what was happening in the kitchen and were met with unconcerned 'we're not sure' answers. The first course arrived at 7.00pm, by 7.15pm we had to leave to go to the theatre and therefore never had the second course. The person at the till cancelled the bill so we did not pay anything in the end. We are not sure why the food was delayed so much, maybe the kitchen was under-staffed, maybe it was just disorganised, we never got to the bottom of it. The restaurant is in a lovely setting, the quality of the food (1st course) was good (although one of the main course looked more like a starter in terms of quantity) so it's a shame the staff there did not have any grip on timescales especially on pre-theatre menus. There were plenty of restaurant staff around, but the general feeling was that they didn't seem to be really trained or perhaps they were all fairly new and a bit detached from the situation. Definitely some staff issues there. It's such a lovely place and the food was good, we would be prepared to give it another go, but not for pre-theatre dinner!

Super meal and drinks in lovely surroundings. Service was very good with polite and friendly staff .

Let me start by saying that the maitre de was excellent and saved the situation. From that point of view, the service needs mentioning.
The fillet steak was unavailable unless I went for the larger steak. This was a ‘distribution’ issue, but for a Friday night this seemed like a major flaw for a steakhouse. I asked for medium well, but what arrived was a solid over done Well Done. No staff were around to call across to ask for it to go back. The truffle chips were cold and Luke warm (a mix of temps). The spinach side dish was superb! My wife had chicken which was good and she enjoyed her meal entirely!
I got a full apology and a free dessert plus a glass of champagne. I cannot complain about the reaction. The meal was a date night, my wife returning from seeing her unwell parents. I feel like I failed her with this surprise.

Bellini was more syrup than fizz - way too sweet. Steak was blank and definitely not medium-rare was requested. Good window table.

Although we had a set menu, there was a good choice of dishes. The food was beautifully presented and staff were attentive

Great food, service and view as always. We were able to take advantage of an offer having booked only minutes before. A great experience.

Excellent chefs hat menu food was excellent especially the mackerel salad highly recommended very good value for money will definitely go there again

Great service. Lovely food. They made my friend’s birthday special. A very enjoyable evening.

The food was good, the service was excellent. The drinks were a little overpriced. Lovely view over the Thames.

I try and avoid the restaurants in the hotels I stay because it feels lazy. I am glad I broke my rule and had dinner here. Staff was great and the three-course meal gave me many choices. I also had breakfast here for four morning and would highly recommend the breakfast as well.

Had the most diabolical service. Arrived with 1h30 to have dinner before the theatre for my dads birthday.

Took 45 mins for starters to arrive (cold salads) then another 30 mins for our steaks which were over cooked as we only had 10 minutes to eat them before having to leave we couldn’t have them redone.

We then didn’t have time for dessert and I had specifically asked weeks ago when I booked if there was anything they could do to make my dad’s birthday special.

I was then overcharged £60 on the card reader and was told they couldn’t refund me as it needed to go to the finance office and I would need to come back after the theatre at 10pm despite me needing to go home quickly to get to for work the next day.

When I returned it took 15 mins to get a refund during which time my card was taken away from me (which has obvious security issues). They offered to give us dessert while we waited but these took another 35 mins despite being cold and pre prepped ingredients.

All in all a massive disappointment really ruined the evening and even after all this there was no refund from the bill of anything and I was even charged service! I have written to the manager but not received any response 3 days later.

Must have asparagus soup!

This is a lovely venue. Perfect for the theatre. The staff are excellent- attentive without being overpowering. The food was acceptable apart from the Potato Dauphinoise. This was little more than mashed potato with melted cheese on top. I’ve had better from Waitrose. Overall this was a pleasant experience and we shall come again.

Gillrays’ Steakhouse is on the Southbank and has an excellent view of the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, hence a great place to bring visitors to London. Even better view if seated at the bar. Good steak but not much else on the menu if you do not like steak. Service was rather slow which would be OK if you were planning a slow leisurely Sunday lunch.

Impeccable service and delicious food at Gillray's. We enjoyed the new seasonal menu.

Don’t show up hungry (or thirsty) because you won’t see a server for a LONG time. Eventually we ordered and a long while later the appetizers came out. One was small but tasty. The other was not as described on the menu. The taste was just OK and it was difficult to cut - strange for a “salad”. The meal itself came out an hour and twenty minutes after we were sat. If we weren’t so hungry by that point, we would have sent both our steaks back. Mine was nearly burnt and the other was an ok temperature but a bad cut of meat. The chips were inedible. We paid the bill, but left unsatisfied and went somewhere else for dessert. We would not recommend.

We were a party of four and had the pre theatre offer, We had a variety of starters and Rib Eye steaks for mains. All very well prepared.

The service throughout was absolutely outstanding and struck just the right note, prompt, helpful, pleasant and not obsequious. One of our party is disabled and the manager, Paolo, helped by getting us direct access to the theatre.

This restaurant has a great ambience, appropriate to the adjacent County Hall. The noise level is low so friends can talk easily.

We returned for coffee and drinks after the show, were made welcome and the service was again, outstanding.

We will return!