Galvin at the Athenaeum

The place is very old and overrated, not sure i’d do it again

From lovely and attentive but not intrusive staff to fantastic food. A wonderful dining experience.

We have been several times this year so expected the usual good quality food. Chose the special offer lunch menu which was a good option. Looking forward to our next meal there.

We went for Sunday lunch and there was only one other table occupied in the area (adjacent to the lovby) where we ate. My food was very average, the tomatoes in the goats cheese and tomato salad were tasteless and my main of sea bass was under seasoned. My friend reported better luck with her veggie soup and risotto. Service was a bit off-hand and I'm afraid I wouldn't go back.

A great dining experience. Wonderful food and impeccable service from every single staff member. We'll be back.

We really enjoyed our dinner! The staff was super friendly and really engaged with the kids!

Excellent service throughout the evening. The staff were friendly and unobtrusive. The portions were rather small and the wine list hardly cheap! A good atmosphere and a return visit will happen...

We booked for Easter Sunday lunch based on the special menu which was reasonably priced. The courses allowed for a good choice and the roast beef was very good. The lamb however should have been better, it may have been left on the plate too long and was tough to cut.

All in all good value for what we had and a good experience again.

usually extremely good so as a few new servers were finding their feet there was a little hiatus which we would not usually experience so fingers crossed they will be back on form now

Leonard was our waiter and he was excellent. We had fantastic service throughout and a lovely afternoon tea for mothers day. They did their absolute best to accommodate us and answer my questions beforehand as I wanted to make sure children were welcome. They went over and above, thank you for a special treat.

Nice layout with comfortable seating. Relaxed atmosphere not pretentious at all. And great decor...Children friendly/ menu which is good..The food was amazing It was a Sunday on Mother’s Day so we were treated to the Mother’s Day menu which was a 3 course meal for the fantastic value of £35 pound each!.. considering the reputation that comes with Galvin I thought it was a bargain.. starters were great and mains fantastic. I had the roast beef which was absolutely wonderful.. however the cutlery was a bit blunt so maybe in future serve this with a steak knife.. the only downside food wise we’re that we waited quite a bit between courses especially desert which we waited almost 40 minutes for. None the less, the restaurant recognised the mistake without even a mention from myself or my Mrs and took a course off of the bill... staff were attentive and polite. My Mrs was treated to a Mother’s Day goody bag which featured a teddy bear and various spa products from the hotel. This was a lovely touch and put a smile on her face...we were relaxed and the food was nice so we will definitely come here again!

Everything was good until it came to dessert and then it went downhill fast. Twice they came back to the table to tell us that they were out of the dessert we ordered so we finally just ordered ice cream. An hour went back and we asked twice and never received it so we finally left. Our entire meal was 2.5 hours which was far too long.

Excellent service

Sunday dinner was very disappointing. Both vegetarian options were mushroom based, what if you don’t like mushrooms. The main option was a stodgy risotto, really Galvins? In this age of increasing vegetarianism one would expect a lot more from Galvins.

Sunday lunch was extremely good with a good menu choice and a nice wine to go with it. The restaurant was quiet with not many people around. Service was quick and it was a very pleasant experience. Will definitely be dining here again soon.

we really enjoyed our dinner and the food beat our expectations. the service was excellent but they were so busy so the time between courses was longer than usual

We had an amazing meal here recently. Franco the Maître'd was exceptional and made us feel very welcome. The food was to die for too!

We were fortunate to be able to sit inside the main restaurant while many others were sitting outside in the front of house area. The ambiance and noise level was just right as we wanted the chance to talk quietly over dinner. The service was excellent - unobtrusive, thoughtful and professional. The food was good, but not as good as it has been on previous occasions - in particular my fish was not cooked through which was a shame as it was such a nice piece. All in all an enjoyable evening but not quite up to the level that I have experienced before. 5* for service!

Extremely good value 2-course lunch with a (soft) drink thrown in. Perfect for dry January. Portion sizes good and very high quality food. Recommended.

Food was ok. Great location

Good afternoon tea selection with the usual set up. Two small negatives this time though. Scones weren't super fresh & service was lacking (had to ask for milk & tea top up twice). Perhaps it is because we were sitting in a semi-private area but customers shouldn't be forgotten about...

Buffet is way over priced with only limited options. Did not find it good value for money. Food was decent enough.

Excellent food let down by an odd combination of so-so service and a lack of atmosphere (not helped by major table shifting during our meal). I really like the Galvin restaurants but will stick to La Chapelle in future.

A very lunch and expierence.
Great food, service and customers, it is discerning without being pretentious or snobbish.
Highly Recommended.

The food was very good as you would expect, but the service was very poor from the start from reception to throughout the meal . We sat there for 15-20 minutes without a drink. Struggled throughout the meal with service. At the end of the meal they did try and rectify the situation but was too late.

Fabulous Sunday lunch with lovely fresh vegetables & generous portions. The set menu with 2&3 course option is really good value. From the moment you enter the hotel you are met with a very warm welcome from helpful & friendly staff which extends through to the restaurant and bar. A thoroughly enjoyable experience & a great place to meet up with family & friends - we didn’t want to leave! I would most certainly recommend.

The food was very salty. My son’s fish fingers were super oily and tasted of old oil.

Unfortunately the whole experience was bad from the moment we walked in to being placed by kitchen to the temperature being too hot .very slow service and kept forgetting everything.i know we where on deal but very bad and probably wouldn’t go there again .we did complain and got money off which isn’t the point was for birthday celebrations and they where ruined

Stylish restaurant with subtle decor, attentive staff and creative food menu. Highly recommend for a special occasion.

Delivered top quality as usual.
Service was exceptional.

Quiet and calm atmosphere food portions small but delicious - good value for money

The three course deal was amazing value - and it was lovely that the staff recognised our friend's birthday

I wasn't impressed with this restaurant, although Galvin La Chapelle is one of my favourites. I arrived earlier than my friend and waited 10 minutes at the table without being offered so much as a glass of water. We were offered bread which came up eventually after the starter - it was warm but hard (and beware, it is not complimentary). Our main courses were served as our starter plates were being cleared away. Despite the lack of clientele, the waiters promenaded past our table so obviously and so frequently to try to get us to order our deserts, and then to get us to go, that it became really tiresome. The set lunch deal was good value and the food well-cooked; coffee was very expensive. I wouldn't go again.

Food was served luke warm and vegetables were under cooked. Mind your teeth on the bread as well as the veg. Staff though were very accommodating and friendly.

Booked special fixed price lunch menu and service was rude from the moment we arrived. Food was nice and very good value but a special get together with friends was marred by the unpleasant service. We declined to pay the discretionary service charge and my friend asked to see the Manager - who was actually one of the staff who had been rude and he apologised although clearly he wasn’t at all sorry. Wouldn’t go back!

Everything was spot on. Galvin is one of my favourite restaurants for over 10years. First time I have been to this branch. Food quality is top. Miguel made us feel special. Excellent service.

Quite outstanding service (places along Piccadilly could learn a lot from Galvin about service) Table ‘dot, 3 courses, provides limited but varied choice at amazingly great value. Best fresh whitebait I’ve had in a long time, with freshest of accompanying mayonnaise, egg and caper dip that was excellent. My guest and I are quite particular; today everything was excellent and we couldn’t fault a thing. Well done to everyone there..

The food from the set menu was ok, but somewhat simplistic for the name of the restaurateur. However the food from the main menu was very poorly cooked: crab linguini tasted like Singapore noodles; the lamb was over-cooked and seemed re-heated from the previous day, additionally was greasy. Would not recommend this place to anyone.

Decent restaurant for a pre-theatre or business meeting/lunch date. Pleasant surroundings.

Had a great time. We had lunch and the food and service was very good. Would go again. Wine was really good.