Reviews The Ivy Exeter

We had a party of 8 at the Ivy on a Friday lunchtime to celebrate two 70th birthdays. Overall, we had a nice time, but left with a mixed experience. Pros * Good with booking as we had to change numbers twice * We arrived 15 minutes early and was seated * Beautiful asthetic in the restaurant, including the ladies room * We mostly had good quality food & tasty "entertaining" drinks * We had the table for over 2.5 hours, but with 3 courses and coffee, this really is needed Cons * The menus online are different from what we were given, which was unhelpful due to the dietary requirements of our guests * We had to ask to see the set lunch menu as it was not given on arrival * We ended up paying for extra sides as the way the waitress phrased her questions to 2 of our guests was not clear at all * A dead wasp was served in one of our cocktails. The cocktails that were poured at the table by the staff all had spillages, and one of our ladies ended up with a sticky dress due to this bad form from the drinks server * The main waitress who served us was efficient but very unpersonable, and a few times, it felt like we were an inconvenience to her. Her attitude was not at all one that we were expecting from this kind of establishment that says they pride themselves in their service. Our drinks waitress was more friendly but, as mentioned, needs improvement in her skills and knowledge as she didn't know any of the answers to the questions we had. Our time as friends together was not ruined by these things, but I don't think any of us are rushing to go again.

A really lovely meal with excellent food in beautiful surroundings and location on the cathedral square. Generally good service, although on the already slightly limited menu, the sirloin steak was unavailable and no one informed us of this, so my daughter ordered it and was disappointed when she had to choose something else (pasta) My monkfish and coconut curry was delicious when it arrived but was delayed by about 10mins and apologies (but no explanation) given. Fabulous desserts to end the meal and generally a very good evening.

Lovely place to eat and would go again. Couple of points, men's hand dryer not working. Waiters shouldn't serve drinks with their hand over the top of the glass where you're about to drink from. Small points but when a table for 2 is over £150 you expect the basics to be minimum standard.

Me and my mum had the most wonderful meal here tonight. we couldn't fault anything from the fantastic food to the warm attentive service. We had three courses from the early evening set menu and felt it was incredibly good value for the food we received. The chicken and artichoke main was really fantastic. It's also worth mentioning that the restaurant was spotlessly clean which we always appreciate. Thank you for such a lovely evening, we will be back.

It's nice, it's definitely of Ivy standards. Was served by the wonderful Justine, and a young lady who is possibly Latin American, the bearded guy was a bit surly but sparked into life l, hence the dropped point. I can't comment on the food but what I saw coming out and next to me looks majestic. Probably better to invest in a bottle of wine, rather than glass by glass. Tremendous cocktails, highly recommend the old fashioned and one the name of I can't remember . £80 two cocktails and 3 glasses of wine a bit over the top

Came here on an impulse for lunch, but unfortunately there was no availability on that day. Not to be deterred, we made a booking for afternoon tea, and came back at 3:30pm. We chose the afternoon tea selection with English sparkling wine option. Nice selection of dainty sandwiches, scones and desserts. Smoked salmon was especially good. Tea selection was extensive and overall presentation was very nice. Service was attentive, and we did not feel rushed. The only thing preventing 5 stars was that we would have appreciated a little more quantity, say an extra smoked salmon finger sandwich and/or brioche to fill the empty space since breakfast.

We love the Ivy chain of restaurants and have visited nearly all of them over the years. The Ivy in Exeter is no exception. The staff at the front desk, including the security officer, are very professional, the decor is outstanding and vibrant, and the atmosphere is both busy and entertaining. The food is excellent and out only criticism is that it is very expensive. When a prawn cocktail reaches £ 13.50 and a very small piece of blackened cod is £ 18.95 this is not a cheap night out. The sirloin steak is excellent but at £ 27.50 you still have to add £ 4.75 for chips, a sauce for £ 3.75 and a side order of vegetables [creamed spinach] at £ 3.75 and your main course is now costing £ 40.75. That is expensive! The service is very good, the waiting staff are smartly dressed, have impeccable manners, and are very engaging but the service charge, at £ 15.55, is outrageous. They add this [discretionary] service charge of 12.5% to the bill on the menu, but few people would go through the embarrassment of asking to have it removed. We would normally have left a £10.00 tip which in our opinion is generous but this is bordering on extortion. We love the Ivy but it is easy to see why Richard Caring is a multi-millionaire; the public are paying for his staff salaries with the discretionary service charge. I would welcome some feedback from the Management of the Ivy in Exeter, or Richard Caring himself.