Restaurants

Gordon Ramsay
It’s little wonder that the flagship restaurant of a celebrity chef is very busy, but Gordon Ramsay (his original restaurant, at Royal Hospital Road) wins the prize for sheer cheek. Bookings are now taken precisely two months in advance for the day in question (previously, it was one month). So if it’s 21 November you want, you need to phone on the morning of 21 September – and no other day will do. The phone line opens at 9am, and you are advised to call as soon as possible after that. Despite there being four phone receptionists specifically answering these calls, it’s very likely you will then have problems getting to speak to someone. In our recent experience, the phone line is engaged almost solidly from 9am for up to two hours; this means you have to keep calling until you get through. Feature continues

A spokesperson for Gordon Ramsay Holdings claims they receive an average of 330 calls per day for only 13 tables (45 covers). Then, there is the problem that you have only two possible times for dinner reservations, as Ramsay’s restaurants turn tables – they have two sittings per evening – so you are likely to be given the choice of either 6.45pm or 9.30pm. Credit card details are taken, so you will still be charged in the event of a no-show; cancellations must be made a minimum of 24 hours in advance of the reservation, otherwise you run the risk of incurring a cancellation charge of £150 per person. The day before the booking, you will be rung to confirm – not unreasonable, as the reservation was made two months before. Then – you’re in! For your two and a half hour slot. Don’t even think about attempting a ‘walk-in’ without booking, unless you have a proven track record at working miracles. This is one restaurant where we have never had any success with this method (and this year we tried five times, three times at lunch and twice in the evening).

Gordon Ramsay’s other restaurants are also hugely popular, but at least they have more capacity, and therefore more flexibility. This year, the reservations team insisted on the phone that Gordon Ramsay at Claridges had nothing free for weeks, but in reality our reviewers – unrecognised, of course, and treated just like anyone else – were able to get in without booking on the same day just by showing up. We suggest the best way to do this is to arrive early in the week – ideally on Monday or Tuesday, at 5.45pm when the restaurant’s doors open.

Getting a later slot is much trickier. And if you do try this method, make sure you have a good plan B, because it’s a far from infallible way of getting a table.