Oxo Tower Restaurant, Bar & Brasserie

I really don't get some of the reviews for Oxo - what are your expectations that you would come to Oxo and leave disappointed? Had dinner at the Brasserie last night with a friend. Duck egg starter was perfectly cooked with a still runny centre and crisp coating, the beetroot was delicious according to my friend. The Cod main was beautiful and again, perfectly cooked with a nice firm texture, the accompanying smudge of puree and baby octopus salsa although they looked small were just the right amount and complimented the fish really really well. Gorgonzola tortelloni parcels were incredible, so smooth and sweet. Chestnut ice cream was amazing, as was the pistachio pannacotta. The service was good, the staff were all charming without being over the top, we were left at our table and not hurried, they filled our glasses. Again, I don't see what more you could want from a very well known central London restaurant, but I left very satisfied and would recommend it highly. And I haven't even mentioned the view....

Excellent food but very poor service. Wine glasses not topped up. My wife waited for ages to get water topped up. Loads of staff wandering around. Not impressed.

Absolutly fantastic evening!!! Booked a suprise birthday dinner for my husband, was a bit worried having read quite mixed reviews on several websites. However my husband and i were absolutly delighted. Our table was beside the window and the views are beautiful! And to top it off my hubby was presented desert with a candle, which was a lovely touch! Thank you!! Food, service and ambiance, all wonderful. I recommend you try amd see for yourself!

I don't often review restaurants, but this one is so bad that I think it's important to warn people. The Oxo Tower Restaurant has pleasant views over the Thames and across London, but that's where the niceness stops. The food is bad, the waiting staff are quite uniquely unpleasant, the decor is naff and the prices are just stupid. My fillet steak was grey and overcooked, and the accompaniment was confused and poorly made. The fish was oversalted, served with stodgy risotto and some nothingy little patch of damp spinach. We were seen to by several different waiters, none of whom were particularly warm and all of whom seemed intent on selling us things we hadn't asked for. The sommelier actually raised his eyebrows in surprise when we said we weren't drinking and the man who took our order asked us twice whether we wanted a £4.50 side of French beans. When we'd said no twice, he asked "are you sure?". The decor, as previously mentioned, is naff. Blue neon, like a bad club in a provincial town, dominates the bar, ceiling and even the little mobile ice bucket on wheels. The ceiling is a sort of slatted Venetian blind affair, through which chickenwire and ducts are visible. You can only see the beautiful views if you're on the balcony - the interior is crammed with as many tables as physically possible, so most people don't experience the view. And the prices? Food starts at £30 for a main, £20 for a starter. I'm no stranger to the quality establishments and faine daining available within a ten minute taxi ride of the Oxo Tower - this doesn't even come close, yet they're asking two Michelin star prices. You'd be better off taking a cab to Le Gavroche, or the Ledbury, or Marcus Wareing, or Hibiscus. Frankly, you'd even have more joy at the crepe place around the corner or the little pizzeria on the waterfront. London has some fantastic restaurants on offer, some of which are expensive - this isn't one of them. This is a nasty little place with bad food and rude waiters. I know this is a bit of an essay but it's actually hard to overstate how dreadful this restaurant is. Avoid.

Nice food. But nothig exeptional. Small portions. Poor service. We've got our table after 40 minutes of waiting (came just in time we booked). Got the worst table (near bar, far from window, but booked in first row), empty plates were on the table for 20 minutes. No smile, no attention.

12 of us plus grandson for 60th birthday on 26th May - absolutely first class and with the weather and the balcony we were there from noon til after 7pm. Memorable day.

I have had dinner at OxO about six times in the last year. Aside from the lounge music in the Brasserie, the restaurant always satisfied. The wine list (from the restaurant side) is also solid, and they will gladly serve it in the Brasserie. Tonight, we were seated next to the piano in the Brasserie and couldn't bear it. it was either the proximity, or it was unusually awful. We went for our coats but were encouraged to have dinner on the restaurant side. We were told we would be seated in 15 minutes. we waited an hour without being seated. Why do restaurants do this? We would have been happy to leave and dine elsewhere this evening, and we would have returned another night. As it turned it, we left annoyed and will NEVER return.

We had an excellent evening. A menu with an interesting selection, something to appeal to everyone. The food was truly delicious, all of my party (some of whom are not easy to please) were in agreement, cooked to perfection. Really good wine list - if a little pricey - the two we chose with the help of the somelier were superb. The service was just as it should be, friendly but not obtrusive, attentive but not over-attentive. Nice little attentions to detail like presenting my wife with Happy Birthday dessert with a candle (the staff had discerned themselves that this was the occasion). Plus a lovely ambience and spectacular views. Really, nothing about this experience that we could fault.

The best meal ever! The staff are so well trained with wine and food knowledge that really impressed me. The food was exciting and delicous while the service was outstanding. No task was too much for them and I am a very fussy customer!

I usually never rate restaurants, but this time I just have to: the worst place I've been so far in London. Lets start with the nice things about it: great view from the balcony over st pauls and nice, home made bread with salted butter they serve before dining. now the bad things: the food was just awfull. "duck salad" consists of two tiny slices of tasteless duckbreast, 4 rocket leaves and a strange whishy-washy sauce (around 25 gbp) and the scallops dish was just a joke (two old, stinky scallops with two tiny "risotto-balls" that don't even deserve the name "rice"..around 30 gbp).. then the main dishes: I had venison. Ordered it "rare", received it overcooked and the taste was beyond words: it tasted like gall. place was totally understaffed plus they were rude (apart from the freindly eritrianian lady at the bar). Don't go!