Upstairs

EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTING. Went for our wedding anniversary. Tiny upstairs room with very small tables. Only three choices for ech course one being a vegetarian. I did not like any of the starters -root parsely soup was not very exciting or rabbit. Main course pollock with white beans, or lamb with mash and spinach.
What I got was a few 50p sixe bits of lamb of which half was fat on a bed of tongue and brains and mash and spinach below.
I would not have chosen this dish had i Known it had tongue.
The dessert was parsnip cake with banana ice cream
All too finickety and not much food.
Very disappointing. . There are certainly no good views to Victoria from ost of the tables. Indeed the views were of dreary Acre Lane. l A

AVOID THERE ARE SO MANY OTHER RESTAURANTS SERVING GREAT FOOD IN A NICER AMBIANCE with better prices such as the nearby Newtons.which is friendly and unpretentious.

Our second time there and this time we were in the intimate bar area. Great service and chatty waiters.

The food was beautiful - especially the veggie options.

The portions are restrained - but the flavour is packed in.

I think for the price it's great value for such quality food.

I was there on Valentines night, my first one out in years and Upstairs did not disappoint. It was expensive (£55 each for amuse bouche, 3 courses and chocolates with coffee) but I think worth it. (That menu is usually £35 per head). The bar area was acting as overflow for the restaurant for the evening and we were well looked after by our waiter even though they were extremely busy. The wine was fantastic and the ambience just right. The dessert was delicious, but ill advised presentation saw chocolate mousse dragged across a plate and dusted with nuts...
Would definitely return, a gem for Brixton and also at the end of our road, hurrah!

Upstairs is our local, at the end of the street, and we eat there at least every couple of months. The food is never less than excellent, the menu always offers a choice of superb dishes - whether meat, fish or vegetable and one struggles to think where one could eat and drink better for the money. The place has been a runaway success since the day it opened and recently the downstairs 1st floor bar was opened out to virtually double the restaurant seating space. For Brixton, Upstairs is an asset, and by any standards it is a superb restaurant.

Excellent meal, romantic atmos, lovely carpets

Le Pain Quotidien?? Wow. This place is LEAGUES above a chain like that. As for salt and pepper on the table?? Again, really not what fine dining is about. I also didn't go to eat the carpet, rather the excellent food.

VERY DISAPPOINTED AND TERRIBLE SERVICE!!!! - We made a booking a week in advance to ensure a friend visiting from Australia would have somewhere nice to eat for dinner after hearing a good review about this place. However once we arrived and confirmed our booking, we were asked to wait and stand on one side near the bar. The place was already small and crowded and our party of 6 were crammed in one area. After waiting at least 10-15 mins and still not seated, I asked the owner how much longer it would be. He said it wouldn't be much longer while they get our table ready and made us wait again. Finally I confronted the manager again after waiting a further 10-15 mins and he then confessed saying that he had overbooked and were not able to sit us for at least another hour and a half. This was totally unacceptable to me as this should have been mentioned to us right from the beginning instead of making us wait for no reason. To add to further fury, the customers who had taken our table (only because they arrived minutes before us) did not even have a confirmed reservation and they were allowed to stay and dine. We were not even offered any beverages at the bar while we waited. After reading all the previous comments, I am now glad I didn't eat there due to its simple and overpriced menu nor would I have been happy to pay service charge after being treated so poorly as a customer. SHAME ON THIS ENTIRE ESTABLISHMENT FOR MAKING WHAT WAS SUPPOSE TO BE A GREAT NIGHT WITH FRIENDS TURN INTO A DISASTER TRYING TO FIND ANOTHER VENUE FOR DINNER AT THE LAST MINUTE. MY FRIENDS AND I WILL NOT RETURN!

Being French I have quite high standards in food, but I must say the food was correct, some dishes really nice actually - but still I think it's well overpriced!!

How funny - I eat there on Saturday and the service was better than Le Gavroche, Pied a Terre or indeed any of the other many Michelin starred restaurants I have eaten at. I guess it just goes to show that you win some and you lose some. Oh, and the food was pretty good too.

Went there on a private visit with some of my family on 24th May this year. I see very many eateries in my working life so can compare with realism.. What follows is the brief version.

Nice location with the potential for intimate atmosphere & a good evening out, however the whole experience was spoilt by the abysmal service. We had one of the surliest waiters I have come across in a long time, not once did he smile.

If we'd been looked after like customers, I would have happily overlooked details like the shabby stair carpet which needs replacing, the christmas reindeer still on the balcony, the leaky looking skylight, tiny food portions, overpriced wine, no salt / pepper & this was never offered - had to be asked for, no one coming & asking how our meal was, surly waiter, owner never bothered with us after showing us to our table (although found time to talk to everyone else in the room), being overcharged - the bill showed 4 of us as having 3 courses not 2 & then having the brass neck to add a service charge.
Took all this up with the waiter, got an amended bill, & refused to pay the service charge. Put a big flea in his ear about all the above.
Won't be going back. I'd Sum this place up as 'Pretentious'.

By contrast we went to 'Le pain quotidien' next day in Kings road, where one might expect a production line environment. Nothing of the sort, treated like old friends, great food, atmosphere & well worth the visit. Go there instead !!