NOPI - Downstairs, Sharing Tables
This was our second experience at Nopi. Planning our trip from NYC we made sure to reserve at Nopi. The food is a masterpiece in blending spices and very creative vegetarian, seafood or meat dishes. The spices add warmth to the food and bring out wonderful flavors.
Downstairs area was quite loud and boisterous; if looking for a quieter atmosphere, consider the tables on the street level. Amount of food recommended for two to order was a bit excessive, could have gotten away with two fewer plates (and we were hungry going in to the meal).
Pre theatre dinner. Delicious, excellent service. Thank you
First of all and most important: we had a lovely, highly professional and attentive waitress. A keeper!
Loved the food, the atmosphere, sharing a table. Little downside: one of our neighbors was so loud, we could clearly follow the conversation. Was quite disturbing. And the ventilation was too high, I was freezing most of the diner.
Another little problem: with the London Bridge event, we arrived 30' late. I tried to call to no avail and did not want to leave a message. The hostess did not seem very convinced but found us a table anyway.
Overall, a delicious first experience. Then on Sunday, we stopped at the Belgravia épicerie and bought a picnic to share on the Gatwick Express. We felt so spoiled.
Will come back for more. Congratulations to all the team for such a beautiful place.
Food was very nice, the downstairs table allow you to look into the kitchen which we enjoyed. Downside is that the downstairs table are in a constant draft from the ventilation. Service was rushed and twice the plates were cleared while I was still having my last bite of food.
Service was a bit slow but the food wonderful
Our first experience of eating at an Ottolenghi restaurant although I have two of his cookery books which I use often and love. The experience at Nopi was fantastic, I went with friends and we all loved it. Food, staff everything perfect.
My 3rd visit to Nopi, I live in Ireland but anytime I come to London I make a trip. it was amazing. From the welcome at the door, the service, timings, food, drinks- everything was perfect. There was a 20 min wait for our table and the hostesses/managers dealt with it beautifully- they were honest, polite and generous without being OTT. Our waiter (Jack? From Melbourne) was attentive and knew the menu well but wasn’t pushy. Absolutely amazing experience and can’t wait to be back!
Nice food and a nice place but expensive for what it is
Poor service and the staff wasn't attentive. Slow service and the staff tried to clear the table twice before we finished the meal.
My first Ottelenghi experience! Staff energised, food delicious and sharing a table meant you could either keep to yourself or engage with others which made it more interesting. Thank you so much. I was definitely not disappointed and would return again tomorrow if I could!!
Such marvelous food, attentive service and a great selection of funky skin contact wines. Been many times and it’s always a treat.
Loved the Cheesecake but slightly disappointed with the beetroot.
Still I would not hesitate to recommend a return visit.
I love the relaxed feel of this place – open space directed towards an open kitchen. The tomato and ajoblanco salad was exceptional, as well as the polenta chips. Service was well-timed and friendly.
We loved the food and the wine, I particularly like meals out when you share plates amongst everyone. The waiter was friendly and really good overall. Given the choice i would have preferred to have eaten upstairs and not been on the sharing tables. The price over all was quite expensive, maybe you should pay less if you are downstairs?
Loved the place. Food was good but not as great as I had hoped, quite basic especially as there was around 12 chefs in the kitchen and the menu is fairly small. Shame as I have all the books and was very excited to finally make it there to eat. Our waiter was exceptional. So lovely.
The food at Nopi is delicious! I like the vibe at the sharing table, with the opportunity to glance into the kitchen. The staff is friendly and helpful. I love the welcome details of complimentary water and snack. I will be back!
Great food, lovely warm service, a very memorable evening. Thank you
Amazing lunch in great athmosphere! Service was outstanding and the restaurant interior was very nice.
This is a charming place to eat next to the kitchen and food shelves with excellent dishes, interesting flavours and convivial atmosphere.
Server was not very communicative or engaged. Seemed to be having an off day. Some dishes top notch, others a bit bland. Dover sole was a disappointment.
Great food as always. First time for us at a sharing table and found it a little “tight” so would book a table to ourselves next time.
It was just perfect in every way. I’ll be back for certain and will highly recommend it to others
Everything I hoped for! I read all of Ottolenghi's cookbooks and follow him almost from the start, so it was inevitably that I went there when in London.
Wonderful sunday lunch with grown up children - sharing plates perfect for a celebratory feel
Excellent food and a great way to experience the Ottolenghi style, my wife was and still is a big fan. Serevice friendlyand informative.
Could have done with a cheaper bottle of wine on the list as we felt the entry level was highfor a bostro type venue.
Really good experience! Amazin cookies and milk + really nice service and kind people!
The service was so great. Our server was very friendly and genuinely enthusiastic about the menu. The cheesecake was a surprise favorite but all the dishes were delicious. I’m super appreciative of the server and management offering to move us to another part of the table to be further away from the bathroom and have a better seat at the shared table. A wonderful dining experience.
I was a little concerned about sharing a common table having dined upstairs in the past; not only was it a great experience but I would opt to do it again. Watching to see what everyone orders certainly piques the season date buds and sharing conversations with strangers was a heck of s good time!
Sitting at the sharing table was not a preferred experience for us - the service was slow and we could not enjoy private conversations as there were diners sitting either side of us. The food was not as exceptional as I would have expected, as I have dined there before.
Lovely food, but expected nothing less. Very pricey but well executed. Would have preferred to sit upstairs on our own table but alas they were fully booked. The ambience upstairs seemed more lively, but at least we could view the chefs at work. Would recommend going for the sharing dishes. We had five between two of us and highlights were the mutton shawarma, the hake and the cheese cake (more like a cheese soufflé). The peach and miso dessert was out of this world. Just try and get a seat upstairs.
Nice experience, the concept of sharing a table was something we liked. We were told this was one of the best places to go, but for me, it was to much of a hype. Yest it's good, Yes everything tasted great, but I didn't get the waw/hype experience.
While we really love the cook books, the Nopi-Downstairs was another experience.
We were rushed through the courses, the aperitifs arrived with the first course, because the air-condition was turned on with full force half oft the dishes went cold immediately, the waiters where friendly but most of the time engaged with the computer - taking new orders from all the guests sitting around the two big tables. Not quite finishing the main Cours we where informed that our timslot is over, but if we decide fast we could order a desert. We thankfully denied that offer.
Concerns the good recipes of the Cookbooks it would maybe a good idea to stay upstairs in the restaurant.
Great girls lunch (just 2 of us). Staff were excellent, food was lovely - seems expensive but a while since I’ve eaten in London.
Amazing food and amazing service. Our waiter was attentive and friendly.
At first I was a bit wary we’d been put downstairs next to the ingredients and kitchen but actually in the end it was kind of fun to be in the action and have a sneak peak at what brands are used and it felt very relaxed. The food was AMAZING!! Soft pork belly, delicious hospitality cabbage, great frittas ... I could go on for days. I would highly recommend. The service was also fab. The waitress was helpful and smiley went an extra mile for my Dad’s birthday which was hugely appreciated! Thanks Nopi - hope to be back soon!
Repas pour un anniversaire de mariage.
Bien conseillé pour le vin, les plats délicieux, un service impeccable.
3e année que nous y allons et nous allons y retourner
Tasty. Not mind blowing. Great location, nice deco but vfm not that great
Food was very nice, though not as amazing as I was expecting. And more expensive than it probably should have been, though I appreciate you are paying for the Ottolenghi name as much as anything else. Service was friendly and polite, and the decor of the downstairs area - being able to see the kitchen, and look at all the raw ingredients stacked on the shelves - certainly added to the experience.
We ate 3 shared plates and each a main and dessert in 1hour20 minutes..
Once a dish ran out, a new one already came, without rest.
We had a bit of the feeling that wehad to leave quickly