The Lavery - (Near Kensington and Chelsea, South East)

5 /5 Michael Ns: I visited The Lavery in London and just had a coffee, but even that was a delight. The café has a cozy, stylish atmosphere, and the coffee was perfectly brewed—smooth, rich, and full of flavor. The staff were friendly and welcoming, making the visit feel relaxed and pleasant. Even with a simple coffee, the attention to detail and quality of the experience made it memorable, and I’d happily stop by again for another drink or a longer visit.

4 /5 Ishan Issadeen: The Lavery received glowing reviews from a few credible sources shortly after opening. I live locally and thought it had to be checked out. It’s a nicely done up space and was busy but not full on the Saturday evening we visited. We were 2 adults and 2 young kids and between us ordered the focaccia, asparagus, melon & courgette and grilled squid to start, followed by the lobster linguine, monkfish and veal chop for mains. For dessert we tried the chocolate mousse and the almond tart. The food was very nice. Simple and wholesome but very flavourful too. The kids loved the linguine and shared a second portion of this. The asparagus came with a very nice sauce and the veal chop was perfectly cooked. On the negative side the focaccia was served cold and felt a bit stale, the melon starter divided opinions, and I felt the chocolate mousse would have been better without the olive oil (still very nice though). I also enjoyed a few picks from their wide selection of wines by the glass. Service was very friendly and our primary server did make an effort to engage with our kids which was appreciated. The meal moved along at a decent pace. That said, in London nowadays you either get a small table or a tiny table, and this was definitely the latter! Lots of plate juggling was required. I was also slightly peeved that my request for one of their 4 corner tables (with banquette seating) that was mentioned in my booking notes and then again upon arrival was not honoured, even though 2 of those tables remained unoccupied throughout our entire meal. The bill for our dinner came to £350 of which £65 was spent on drinks. In conclusion, very nice food in an elegant setting with friendly service, but there were a couple of niggles and it did feel a bit overpriced. The positives outweighed the negatives though and I would return.

5 /5 Didi: excellent! the atmosphere, setups, interior. so elegant and feels not just like dinner out but very sophisticated & special dining experience. food was incredible and staff friendly and professional

4 /5 Clarie ZHANG: Some dishes are good. No bad dishes. Services are excellent. We like the chive soup and Guinea Fowl. My partner enjoyed the entire meal very much though.

3 /5 Louise Louise: Drawn in by its high rating, I visited out of curiosity; to be frank, this is not a restaurant that works with ordinary ingredients. While the flavours were acceptable, they were entirely unremarkable—very plain, approachable dishes with no distinctive character—yet both the coffee and the main course were served noticeably cold, despite the restaurant not being particularly busy. Out of concern, I touched the plate and found that it had not been warmed at all, which was deeply disappointing, as the dishes would undoubtedly have been far more enjoyable had they been served at the proper temperature. The staff’s service and politeness were neither excessive nor lacking—simply adequate—and I rather liked their crisp white uniforms. The restaurant itself has high ceilings and a French-style interior that I personally enjoy, which led me to expect much from the facilities; however, upon visiting the restroom, I was taken aback by how starkly it contrasted with the dining area—regrettably shabby, with frosted film on large windows that made me uncomfortably aware of my silhouette from outside, and with standards of cleanliness and upkeep that were distinctly poor. Perhaps it was the 4.9 rating that raised my expectations too high, but the overall sense of disappointment was considerable.