There was very good and very bad, overall, a sour taste. First off the good, The view is obviously amazing, as is the general ambience of the restaurant, I’d be very surprised if there was a more visually stunning dining room in London. It’s that good, it really is. The starters we had were lovely, first class, couldn’t fault them, like wise the desserts, they were magnificent. Then there is the bad, perhaps we were unlucky, I don’t know. We went on the evening of Sat 20th Jan and had booked in for 8pm. After traipsing round London we were a little early so thought we would sit and have a drink at the bar before hand. Sadly not to be, they wouldn’t let my 16 year old sit in the bar with me and my wife even though it was empty and clearly not an issue legally, the three of us are teetotal so I’m not shoving vodka down an underage throat. This was a Christmas present I had bought for the two of them so there was no way I’d sit there without my daughter as they suggested (she’s immaculately dressed and behaved by the way). So we had to just stand like lemons at reception whilst they got a table ready, to be fair though, they did this pretty quickly. We were sat by a window but the table was not quite near enough the window to stop dozens of other diners from squeezing in next to us to get a picture of the view. Obviously the manners of the guests isn’t something the staff are responsible for but it became really really bad. Other diners would lean on our table whilst we were eating, my wife got elbowed in the head a couple of times and one person even sat on the back of her chair whilst she was sitting in it. Again, the manners of guests isn’t the responsibility of the restaurant, some people are just shocking, but when so many are swarming round a table that they clearly aren’t part of surely they could have a word? Then there was the main problem, the main courses. We had to wait well over an hour between the starters and the mains, it was dreadful. I always think it’s when things are going wrong that’s when the staff can really make a difference, sadly the staff at Aqua didn’t even try. They weren’t rude they just weren’t clued up or trying to help either. We had to wait about 75 minutes for our mains, during that time twice the waiter came up to us and apologized saying there were significant issues that night in the kitchens. Not once though did he offer anything as a way of an apology, I’m not looking for a free meal but to not even offer a glass of tap water to apologise and keep you going is pretty poor going. When the main arrived they were frankly pretty poor, my daughter and I had the Venison and it was dry as a bone and virtually stone cold, clearly it had been under the lamps for an age not being served. We contemplated sending them back but having waited so long for them to turn up in the first place we just swallowed it and got on with things. At £50 a serving though, truly dreadful on the quality, value and service. As I said earlier though, the desserts were great and came in a perfectly timely manner, god knows what was happening with the main courses but I don’t think it was exclusive to us. All in all it came to just shy of £400 for a meal for three with no alcohol, that’s not just expensive but ferociously so. Without thinking I could name 20 or 30 restaurants in London that offer better food, better service and far better value too. This is a great shame as none of those restaurants could possibly offer the ambiance and visual beauty of Aqua, it’s truly incredible in there. With one or two minor tweaks we could be looking at a truly magnificent experience in Aqua, instead we left feeling really down, the delays in the main course, that standard of the main course, the manners of the other guests (not the restaurant’s fault), the lack of empathy from the staff and the eye watering cost mean there’s just no way we could recommend it to anyone. It’s a crying shame, it could so easily be so so good too.
Fullyflatbed
Take away the spectacular view, and its location in the Shard, and this restaurant would be hard to justify its extortionate pricing. The food was nice and service as attentive as it could be, but, sadly the restaurant had that emergency department feel to it, in that it really just wants people in and out as quickly as possible.
Grapessouthwest
The view and physical set up of the restaurant are great!!! That is where it ends. Afternoon tea- at $280 British pounds ($600 Canadian) was the worst restaurant experience I have had. (Please note I have been in the hospitality business for over 20 years) Savoury items- Had obviously been prepared the day previous - The Sausage roll was grainy, served very cold so that the fat was gelatinous. The BBQ chicken sandwich- had been assembled so far ahead that the bread could not even be picked up- and the BBQ sauce had to be commercially manufactured. Sweet items- More of the same- the sponge on the chocolate mousse wheel was hard, the choux pastry hard on the outside and mushy on the inside (Further evidence of not following culinary standards for a restaurant in this price range) Lastly the service matched the food quality- our server and section manager went on break or disappeared- and were not even available for feedback or to rectify the missteps. In conclusion- AVOID- if you want the great view- go for a cocktail and save your money for elsewhere
drlillyjones
Spectacular view, spacious and classy! Food is served in a beautiful fashion! Definetly should try it if you are in London.
PRESTON8519
Amazing evening!Good food !Good drinks!Thank you for the amazing waiter Mister Luke.Service 10 stars from 10
StefanoMalachi
Elevating the festive spirit to new heights at Aqua Shard in London. As soon as you enter , you soar above the cityscape, surrounded by panoramic views and an enchanting ambiance. The brunch experience at Aqua Shard is nothing short of magical – a symphony of flavours, from indulgent bites to culinary masterpieces. Each dish served against the backdrop of the iconic London skyline felt like a celebration in the clouds. Sharing my recommendations for your next festive brunch in the sky: S T A R T E R S - Smokin’ Brothers Egg Royale, Toasted English muffin, cold smoked Scottish salmon, hollandaise, salmon roe, buttermilk dressing - Dingley Dell Farm Egg Benedict, Toasted English muffin, Dingley Dell farm ham, poached Crackerberry farm egg, hollandaise M A I N S - Bacon Wrapped Norfolk Bronze Turkey, Roasted sprouts, chestnut, cranberry, red cabbage & brown butter turkey jus - Blythburgh Farm Confit Pork Belly, Roasted celeriac, burnt apple, chorizo & cider jus S I D E S - Cauliflower Gratin, Gerbs & parmesan crumb - Duck Fat Roasted Potatoes D E S S E R T S - Christmas Pudding, Red currant, whiskey custard C O C K T A I L S (Christmas Special) - Starry Night: Pommery Champagne, Ciroc Apple, Maley Lecristallier Apple Vermouth - Fireside Negroni: Mango tea-infused Croc Red Berry, Campari, Cocchi Torino - Santa’s Hat: Ciroc, cherry liqueur, Americano Cocchi, ginger- bread, lemon foam - Gingerbread Cup: Seedlip garden, apple juice, lemon juice, gingerbread, ginger ale
Paweł J
a very beautiful place, unforgettable views and very good service, and a special thank you to the waitress, Mrs. Patrycja, for the very good service
HotelMgrFL
Booked for brunch, but sadly had to cancel due to my son being very ill and return to South West. They waited and then took a £75 cancellation payment, I had checked and the restaurant was nowhere near fully booked so did not lose income. Contacted and after some time was offered a voucher if used within next 4 weeks. Asked for a longer period and was denied as always wanted to visit, management appears to think everyone lives in London and can pop to the Shard. Out of touch and the £25 cancel fee for a 5-year-old is more than the menu! Shocking attitude to customers.
chathundika w
On 6th July a friend and I had a birthday lunch at The Aqua Shard - one that we'd been looking forward to for some time. During the course of the meal I found a worm in my fish. We showed the worm to the waiter who in turn called the manager who took it into the kitchen. He returned with the unconvincing assurance that it was in fact 'the stem of a flower.'and reduced our bill. I wrote to them about the stressful event I been through but no one from the management got back to me ever since. They sent me a single email saying that we are investigating for past six months. I hope they’ll get back to me now with a proper response.
Wendy S
The views alone make this place incredible! Came here for Peter Pan tea. Super cute and yummy. I liked everything but the sweets. Chocolate wasn’t bad. Would definitely go again and soon!
My husband bought us afternoon tea at the Aqua Shard for Christmas. The theme was Peter Pan and it was amazing. The food was really good, the staff were very attentive and the view was amazing. I would recommend if you love afternoon tea.
642theresat
Slightly disappointed by our first visit. Obviously blown away by the views but not the food. Long wait between courses and one dessert was served 15 minutes after everyone had finished. Definitely not value for money and didn’t warrant the £57.60 service charge. Would also add for a restaurant this size to have only 2 functioning toilets was somewhat annoying as had spend sometime queuing. Unlikely we will be back anytime soon.
Aaron C
Well for a start the waiter called me a bumhole so I punched him in the lip, secondly I ordered some chips and it costed me £25 so standard procedure was due and I had to remortgage my house … ya dunno
Svetlana K
My family have visited Aqua Shard on 28th 2023. This was planned as a Christmas treat for my boys age 11 and 8. Unfortunately our experience was very upsetting for all of us. My son didn't get his drink for whole meal time. For my first asking for his drink waitress explained that it is in preparation, for my second asking drink was delivered to the wrong table to the wrong child, and for my third try I have been told that there are too many children and the restaurant can't cope with all the orders. Waitresses had a very cold attitude and even didn't try to help. Food is very average and 5 times overpriced. View are nice, but whole expirience with this restaurant is not worth it.
claudio b
Panoramic Restaurant at 32th floor in London city center. very romantic even though we were there for business. View is spectacular. Bar included.
There was very good and very bad, overall, a sour taste. First off the good, The view is obviously amazing, as is the general ambience of the restaurant, I’d be very surprised if there was a more visually stunning dining room in London. It’s that good, it really is. The starters we had were lovely, first class, couldn’t fault them, like wise the desserts, they were magnificent. Then there is the bad, perhaps we were unlucky, I don’t know. We went on the evening of Sat 20th Jan and had booked in for 8pm. After traipsing round London we were a little early so thought we would sit and have a drink at the bar before hand. Sadly not to be, they wouldn’t let my 16 year old sit in the bar with me and my wife even though it was empty and clearly not an issue legally, the three of us are teetotal so I’m not shoving vodka down an underage throat. This was a Christmas present I had bought for the two of them so there was no way I’d sit there without my daughter as they suggested (she’s immaculately dressed and behaved by the way). So we had to just stand like lemons at reception whilst they got a table ready, to be fair though, they did this pretty quickly. We were sat by a window but the table was not quite near enough the window to stop dozens of other diners from squeezing in next to us to get a picture of the view. Obviously the manners of the guests isn’t something the staff are responsible for but it became really really bad. Other diners would lean on our table whilst we were eating, my wife got elbowed in the head a couple of times and one person even sat on the back of her chair whilst she was sitting in it. Again, the manners of guests isn’t the responsibility of the restaurant, some people are just shocking, but when so many are swarming round a table that they clearly aren’t part of surely they could have a word? Then there was the main problem, the main courses. We had to wait well over an hour between the starters and the mains, it was dreadful. I always think it’s when things are going wrong that’s when the staff can really make a difference, sadly the staff at Aqua didn’t even try. They weren’t rude they just weren’t clued up or trying to help either. We had to wait about 75 minutes for our mains, during that time twice the waiter came up to us and apologized saying there were significant issues that night in the kitchens. Not once though did he offer anything as a way of an apology, I’m not looking for a free meal but to not even offer a glass of tap water to apologise and keep you going is pretty poor going. When the main arrived they were frankly pretty poor, my daughter and I had the Venison and it was dry as a bone and virtually stone cold, clearly it had been under the lamps for an age not being served. We contemplated sending them back but having waited so long for them to turn up in the first place we just swallowed it and got on with things. At £50 a serving though, truly dreadful on the quality, value and service. As I said earlier though, the desserts were great and came in a perfectly timely manner, god knows what was happening with the main courses but I don’t think it was exclusive to us. All in all it came to just shy of £400 for a meal for three with no alcohol, that’s not just expensive but ferociously so. Without thinking I could name 20 or 30 restaurants in London that offer better food, better service and far better value too. This is a great shame as none of those restaurants could possibly offer the ambiance and visual beauty of Aqua, it’s truly incredible in there. With one or two minor tweaks we could be looking at a truly magnificent experience in Aqua, instead we left feeling really down, the delays in the main course, that standard of the main course, the manners of the other guests (not the restaurant’s fault), the lack of empathy from the staff and the eye watering cost mean there’s just no way we could recommend it to anyone. It’s a crying shame, it could so easily be so so good too.
Take away the spectacular view, and its location in the Shard, and this restaurant would be hard to justify its extortionate pricing. The food was nice and service as attentive as it could be, but, sadly the restaurant had that emergency department feel to it, in that it really just wants people in and out as quickly as possible.
The view and physical set up of the restaurant are great!!! That is where it ends. Afternoon tea- at $280 British pounds ($600 Canadian) was the worst restaurant experience I have had. (Please note I have been in the hospitality business for over 20 years) Savoury items- Had obviously been prepared the day previous - The Sausage roll was grainy, served very cold so that the fat was gelatinous. The BBQ chicken sandwich- had been assembled so far ahead that the bread could not even be picked up- and the BBQ sauce had to be commercially manufactured. Sweet items- More of the same- the sponge on the chocolate mousse wheel was hard, the choux pastry hard on the outside and mushy on the inside (Further evidence of not following culinary standards for a restaurant in this price range) Lastly the service matched the food quality- our server and section manager went on break or disappeared- and were not even available for feedback or to rectify the missteps. In conclusion- AVOID- if you want the great view- go for a cocktail and save your money for elsewhere
Spectacular view, spacious and classy! Food is served in a beautiful fashion! Definetly should try it if you are in London.
Amazing evening!Good food !Good drinks!Thank you for the amazing waiter Mister Luke.Service 10 stars from 10
Elevating the festive spirit to new heights at Aqua Shard in London. As soon as you enter , you soar above the cityscape, surrounded by panoramic views and an enchanting ambiance. The brunch experience at Aqua Shard is nothing short of magical – a symphony of flavours, from indulgent bites to culinary masterpieces. Each dish served against the backdrop of the iconic London skyline felt like a celebration in the clouds. Sharing my recommendations for your next festive brunch in the sky: S T A R T E R S - Smokin’ Brothers Egg Royale, Toasted English muffin, cold smoked Scottish salmon, hollandaise, salmon roe, buttermilk dressing - Dingley Dell Farm Egg Benedict, Toasted English muffin, Dingley Dell farm ham, poached Crackerberry farm egg, hollandaise M A I N S - Bacon Wrapped Norfolk Bronze Turkey, Roasted sprouts, chestnut, cranberry, red cabbage & brown butter turkey jus - Blythburgh Farm Confit Pork Belly, Roasted celeriac, burnt apple, chorizo & cider jus S I D E S - Cauliflower Gratin, Gerbs & parmesan crumb - Duck Fat Roasted Potatoes D E S S E R T S - Christmas Pudding, Red currant, whiskey custard C O C K T A I L S (Christmas Special) - Starry Night: Pommery Champagne, Ciroc Apple, Maley Lecristallier Apple Vermouth - Fireside Negroni: Mango tea-infused Croc Red Berry, Campari, Cocchi Torino - Santa’s Hat: Ciroc, cherry liqueur, Americano Cocchi, ginger- bread, lemon foam - Gingerbread Cup: Seedlip garden, apple juice, lemon juice, gingerbread, ginger ale
a very beautiful place, unforgettable views and very good service, and a special thank you to the waitress, Mrs. Patrycja, for the very good service
Booked for brunch, but sadly had to cancel due to my son being very ill and return to South West. They waited and then took a £75 cancellation payment, I had checked and the restaurant was nowhere near fully booked so did not lose income. Contacted and after some time was offered a voucher if used within next 4 weeks. Asked for a longer period and was denied as always wanted to visit, management appears to think everyone lives in London and can pop to the Shard. Out of touch and the £25 cancel fee for a 5-year-old is more than the menu! Shocking attitude to customers.
On 6th July a friend and I had a birthday lunch at The Aqua Shard - one that we'd been looking forward to for some time. During the course of the meal I found a worm in my fish. We showed the worm to the waiter who in turn called the manager who took it into the kitchen. He returned with the unconvincing assurance that it was in fact 'the stem of a flower.'and reduced our bill. I wrote to them about the stressful event I been through but no one from the management got back to me ever since. They sent me a single email saying that we are investigating for past six months. I hope they’ll get back to me now with a proper response.
The views alone make this place incredible! Came here for Peter Pan tea. Super cute and yummy. I liked everything but the sweets. Chocolate wasn’t bad. Would definitely go again and soon!
Restaurantji Recommends
My husband bought us afternoon tea at the Aqua Shard for Christmas. The theme was Peter Pan and it was amazing. The food was really good, the staff were very attentive and the view was amazing. I would recommend if you love afternoon tea.
Slightly disappointed by our first visit. Obviously blown away by the views but not the food. Long wait between courses and one dessert was served 15 minutes after everyone had finished. Definitely not value for money and didn’t warrant the £57.60 service charge. Would also add for a restaurant this size to have only 2 functioning toilets was somewhat annoying as had spend sometime queuing. Unlikely we will be back anytime soon.
Well for a start the waiter called me a bumhole so I punched him in the lip, secondly I ordered some chips and it costed me £25 so standard procedure was due and I had to remortgage my house … ya dunno
My family have visited Aqua Shard on 28th 2023. This was planned as a Christmas treat for my boys age 11 and 8. Unfortunately our experience was very upsetting for all of us. My son didn't get his drink for whole meal time. For my first asking for his drink waitress explained that it is in preparation, for my second asking drink was delivered to the wrong table to the wrong child, and for my third try I have been told that there are too many children and the restaurant can't cope with all the orders. Waitresses had a very cold attitude and even didn't try to help. Food is very average and 5 times overpriced. View are nice, but whole expirience with this restaurant is not worth it.
Panoramic Restaurant at 32th floor in London city center. very romantic even though we were there for business. View is spectacular. Bar included.