Marine Ices

We've just returned from what should have been a delicious end of the weekend slap up meal at old reliable marine ices. I even bothered to book since it is usually cram packed. As we arrived at the empty restaurant I realised something was amiss. Then we noticed the decor. Then we noticed the new menus and realised that although this looked a bit like marine ices.... It was not the same marine ices we knew. I have been coming here for more than 30 years. My children were so disappointed that their gnocchi was not on the menu. They had pizza which was tasteless and very soggy in the centre. I had a risotto with Gorgonzola and butternut squash. I could only manage a couple of spoonfuls - it tasted so salty I could not eat any more. Revolting. The ice cream was ok - just. rum and raisin flavour tasted of flavouring only; the banana - tasted of nothing. They acknowledged that they got our dessert order slightly wrong by giving one of the kids an extra portion. which my kids thought was a bonus. Sadly we will not be returning ever again to marine ices. At least they took the risotto off the bill - clearly they took one look at it and realised I must be right in leaving it. We didn't want to leave a tip as we found they had added the extra scoop of ice cream to the bill which had been their mistake! Don't come here. The are plenty of mediocre and sub standard Italian restaurants around before choosing here.

A tragedy. North London's best family pizza restaurant sold-out to some faceless chain - who have decimated the interior, the menu, the décor, the old loyal staff.... Everything. We went on my daughters 11th birthday expecting our usual favourites and almost nothing remains. It is astounding... this place was always packed. Loyal customers had been going for years (43yrs my Mum had been a patron) and the owners choose to sell it to a company with no regard for this tradition. R.I.P. Marine Ices.... And sorry too for the great staff who were all dismissed by the new (corporate) owners.

This is no longer Marine ices. Bizarre. An incredibly successful restaurant and ice cream parlour famous across London, has had a refurbishment which cries out for a refurbishment - walls enclosed in plaster board and painted an ugly light blue, pictures removed (comments and drawings by famous customers), dining space cut substantially. It looks like an unpleasant hole. The range of dishes and ice cream sundaes (which it thrived on) decimated. Reading the previous review I now understand: it is no longer Marine Ices, but a chain that has bought the name and good will. The good will will not last long.There is no reason to go to this restaurant any more. Very sad for the multitude of regulars and those who took their children and grandchildren there as a treat. It is a con to retain the name, although I'm astounded that a chain could dream of such a 'refurbishment'. One wonders too about the business sense of changing the food, but that's chains for you.

Marine Ices was once a popular, family-run restaurant in Chalk Farm that served Italian food and ice-cream. If the décor was quirky – it looked like an old-fashioned ice-cream parlour in a fading seaside town – then its interior spoke of its fifty-year history. And the food was fabulous – inexpensive, unfussy, and delicious. The linguine al scoglio was, for me and my wife, an often-ordered Saturday night treat. Perfectly cooked pasta, glossy with garlic-infused olive oil, served with plump prawns, clams and succulent squid, with a little chopped chili to give it heat. But now it’s all over, finished, finito. Following a few weeks of closure – which I assumed was just a matter of minor redecoration – I went in last Saturday night to find everything changed. The dining area had halved in size, and so had the menu. No more linguine al scoglio, no more Roundhouse pizza; gone, too, is the spaghetti con vongole. In fact, hardly any pasta on offer at all – just six dishes, down from a dozen. Confronted with this contracted and alien menu, I opted for a carbonara and something called linguine con gamberetti. Neither was particularly good – not a patch on how the food used to be. The portions were small, and – for a takeaway – expensive. What accounts for this tragic, wholesale transformation? It turns out that the Marine Ices has been flogged to Ponti’s – a London-based chain of Italian restaurants. This explains the mystery of the menu, which is identical to the one on the Ponti’s website. In fact, the only thing left of the former restaurant is its name, but even that has become so degraded that, unless the new, corporate owners come clean and call the place what it is – Ponti’s Haverstock Hill – they ought at least to tweak the name of this now substandard restaurant. Call it Sub-Marine ices, since this once excellent establishment has sunk to the depths.

I decided to try Marine Ices again and upon arrival I was greeted by a typed note on the door stating "We will be closing for a major refurbishment on 14 January 2013". I thought at last better late than never, the premises has long been in a state of sad decline. I was then shocked to find that the menu had been considerably scaled down. Some main dishes had been removed and the ice-cream menu had no Cassatas, Positano's or Tartufo, the open sundae did not have the option to select pears, Strega or any other alcohol. I ordered a pizza and spoke to the waitress asking when Marine Ices would reopen. She informed us that the staff had been told to look for jobs as the owners were trying to sell the premises and had already moved the ice cream manufacturing plant at the rear of the shop elsewhere. She had received many complaints from customers that their "favourites" were not on the menu - she couldn't explain why. The pizza was fine but when I ordered my open sundae it appeared in knickerbocker glory glass and not the usual stainless goblet style dish!!! I refused to eat this and was told they had run out of the dishes - hmm probably sold off! The waiter then said that they had found a dish. This still was not the correct dish rather a glass dish but the ice cream had absolutely no wafers - I was told they didn't have any! To top it all my wife's Ravelo was clearly past its sell by date tasting rancid and with an unpleasant icy texture, which was sent back as well. I asked for the bill and the open sundae was included on there. I questioned this and was told that I had eaten it - absolutely not! I said it was still there on the table! The waiter said he would have to speak to the manager. The owner and his son were in the restaurant but could not be bothered to address me directly but the amount was deducted from the bill. Having frequented Marine Ices for over 30 years I felt extremely saddened that at their dying moments they could not be bothered to go out with a little dignity. I am sure that Aldo Mansi is turning in his grave.

Amazing food and incredibly tasty! Lovely, attentive staff!

Best Ice-cream Ever. Really big and Tasty portions. I`ve been here lately with my two friend and the service was excellent. After We drunk two or three bottle of wine, the waitress offered us Limoncello, I guess cause we spend a lot. Anyway Really good service, good food, maybe they could have put some music for the Atmosphere but I will surely come back.

Yum! Really nice ice cream. It's not the most amazing ice cream I've ever had in my life, but it's very good. Their flavours aren't too inventive, but they do the basics and they do them well, so why change? Definitely worth a visit! Conveniently located a stones throw from Primrose Hill...

Growing up in Germany, ice cream parlors are quite a common sight and they used to be my favourite hang-out place during the summers. But ever since I left Germany, I hadn't been to a real Italian ice-cream parlor, where you can sit down and indulge in a huuuuuge bowl of different-flavoured ice-creams... I had the Coppa Celeste, which was a mixture of pistacchio, chocolate and rum-raisin ice cream, topped with a generous dollop of whipped cream and doused in some sweet-bitter chocolate sauce (oh...and slices of banana). I can highly recommend this coppa, but also the Coppa Sorbeto, which my significant other had ordered: he praised the delicate fruity flavours and was also happy to eat less calories than I...but who's counting calories anyway when you go to have ice-cream? Our friend told us, that he had come to this place since he was 3 years old and had returned on a quite frequent schedule ever since: "This is the best ice-cream in London and it's well-worth the trip!" Granted, Marine Ices is not a pretty place, but I actually rather like it this way. It's functional and you should come here because you want delicious ice cream and not because you want to have an architectural climax.

Didn't have the greatest experience there and in the future will return only for the hot waffle dessert. Hot food is mediocre at best and seemingly slopped on plates and sent out. Calamari (labeled fresh on the menu) was obviously from the freezer, bland and chewy. When speaking to the manager about this, he insisted that they were fresh and told me in so many words that my complaint had no merit. Great attitude! With so many fantastic and reasonably-prices restaurants in London, don't waste your time at this one.