The River Terrace Cafe At Somerset House

I went with one of my clients to have an informal meeting and we sat on the terrace. The ambience was perfect, sunny and with the Thames in front of us. We took some tea and snacks and they were tasty.

We waited for 20 minutes before being approached by a server who informed us that food orders were no longer being accepted after 3pm. Despite arriving at 3:01pm, we were still able to order a pizza. However, after waiting 30 minutes for our drinks which never arrived, we decided to leave. We do not plan on returning to this restaurant.

We really enjoyed our evening here, meeting up with old friends. The Italian white wine in particular was good and I thought the drinks prices were reasonable considering the location. We didn't try the food (and thought it would have been expensive to reserve an area due to min spend) but would definitely go back. It's very smart yet not over the top and feels like a hidden away spot.

I took Mrs. Mad Dog to this restaurant for a pre-dinner drink on our 32nd anniversary. We stumbled upon this place by accident, as it was conveniently located near the Yacht London where we had dinner reservations. Mrs. M dove into the cocktail menu with enthusiasm and found a favorite in the Tonic Champagne cocktail, as it contained Champagne and rhubarb, two of her daily five-a-day servings. I opted for a pint of Peroni, which I jokingly referred to as a healthy choice due to its bread-like qualities. The pint was enjoyable as well. Although we did not try any food, the dishes we saw passing by looked appetizing and seemed to be enjoyed by other patrons. The staff was friendly and helpful, explaining how to make the Tonic Champagne cocktail with a smile. The venue had a pleasant atmosphere and was well laid out. It appeared that the bar is often booked for private events, but this did not seem to be an issue. The only downside was the lack of a river view near the bar, as trees along the Embankment blocked the scenery. Overall, we had a positive experience and Mad Dog suggested we enjoy a nice beer next time.

We arrived for drinks and dinner later with guests having called to try and reserve and were told we couldn’t book- fine. But when we arrived we were told we couldn’t drink unless we took it outside the space but they wouldn’t give us a table to eat unless we were drinking inside the ropes area. No queuing system at all. A departing group helpfully said they were leaving and suggested we took their table but the pop-up bar lady told us someone else had just grabbed the table so it still wasn’t available. It was the most unprofessional and unhelpful welcome I have ever seen- and highly embarrassing for our guests. I don’t recommend!