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Rivington Grill - review by gard3n3r

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 13:49:02 +0000

Rivington Grill - review by gard3n3r

Rating: 4.2

Location: 178 Greenwich High Road, SE10 8NN, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 0208 293 9270

Website: www.rivingtongrill.co.uk

Well worthy of four stars in my opinion, a far cry from the place it used to be, me my wife and my inlaws all came here for a meal, good attentive staff, reasonable selection of beers and lagers, although we werent too happy with the bottle of wine we let the waiter recommend, but each to their own taste, the food although pricey was actually really good, the rest of my party, all having something different, all agreed it was good, what you find if you all order different things is one or two can arive at different times, so you either wait or start without the others, not the case here all arrived at same time, all a good temperature. well done i would and will go again.

Rivington Grill - review by philrb

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 09:38:13 +0000

Rivington Grill - review by philrb

Rating: 4.2

Location: 178 Greenwich High Road, SE10 8NN, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 0208 293 9270

Website: www.rivingtongrill.co.uk

Tags: british

The perfect place for a meal before moving next door to see a (hopefully) good film. Good wholesome well-presented English food. Their vegetarian leek and caerphilly sausages are delicious and the rhubarb crumble and custard mouthwatering. And you can sit upstairs in the gallery and watch life on the ground floor. Can be as good as the film...

Automat - review by ProfMagellan

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 08:51:53 +0000

Automat - review by ProfMagellan

Rating: 3.3

Location: 33 Dover St, W1S 4NF, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7499 3033

Website: http://www.automat-london.com

Tags: american, buzzy, mayfair, good value, modern, burgers, lively

My friend Polarmarco persuaded me to return and this I did in the company of a top PR person. We were on a mission to see whether or not Automat deserves a chance given a dreadful experience I had earlier this year. This time everything worked well. The staff were utterly in control, the waitress could not have been kinder, and - despite a full Tuesday lunchtime - the food arrived promptly. The PR person enjoyed his lamb confection whilst I opted for my usual burger: not quite as good as that served by Joe Allen, it was none the less perfectly acceptable. The surroundings are very new century. Automat opened about three years ago) in contrast to the retro-look of Joe Allen's (in which personally I feel more comfortable). Acoustics are very poor so not a place for the hard of hearing.
Other punters included the usual suspects: hedge fund managers, venture capitalists and ladies who lunch. Blackberries and cellphones in profusion. Very few real working stiffs.

Automat - review by polarmarco

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 11:23:54 +0000

Automat - review by polarmarco

Rating: 3.3

Location: 33 Dover St, W1S 4NF, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7499 3033

Website: http://www.automat-london.com

Tags: american, family & home feel, good value, crowded, brasserie, lively

I was one of ProfMagellan's party back in February and suspected that his last review was on the harsh side. What the Prof did not realise at the time was that another member of our party was unbelievably rude and boorish to the staff before he arrived. I suspected it was this bullying (which continued to the end and even included the reception staff) which was responsible for the chain that led to our negative experience. And, it should be said, even then, under the greatest provocation, the staff remained unfailingly polite. I returned to Automat recently with an old friend, whose husband is a leading diplomat (!), and whom I briefed about what happened before. This time the service was immaculate and, although the restaurant was fully booked, a table was found for us at the quieter front of the house. We both had a baked fish, which was delicious as were our desserts. I would strongly urge ProfMagellan (usually a supremely fair reviewer) to give Automat another chance - and perhaps admit that on this occasion he shot from the hip!

Automat - review by ProfMagellan

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 08:51:53 +0000

Automat - review by ProfMagellan

Rating: 3.3

Location: 33 Dover St, W1S 4NF, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7499 3033

Website: http://www.automat-london.com

Tags: american, buzzy, mayfair, good value, modern, burgers, lively

oh dear! I have been here many times but my visit for a Sunday brunch was a complete disaster. Never before have
the waiters been so off hand and unprofessional - they all looked like they would rather be somewhere else! Was this a weekend emergency staff? Mrs Magellan and I were entertaining a prominent historian and a leading industrialist from Paris hot off the Eurostar - so imagine my embarassment when our main courses (simple fare of salads,
chicken paillard, tuna and a macaroni cheese) took one hour to arrive and that after four reminders to the wretched waiters and finally to the Manager. At one stage, the waiter remarked "we are very busy" like he was surprised to have people to wait on. And the Tuna dish arrived raw despite a request for medium. I cannot blame the management for the screaming children and babies (yes some mummies seemed to think it was a creche not a restaurant) but appalling acoustics made it hard to hear a word that was being said). I do blame them for a total lack of control and responsiveness. A very sad day for Automat. At least the wine (a St Veran) was ok and the company was excellent.

Rivington Grill - review by blueburn97

Fri, 23 Nov 2007 18:53:21 +0000

Rivington Grill - review by blueburn97

Rating: 4.2

Location: 178 Greenwich High Road, SE10 8NN, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 0208 293 9270

Website: www.rivingtongrill.co.uk

Tags: lively, seafood, international, good value

I went to the Rivington recently with my mum and sister when they came up to visit. I'd walked past so many times and thought it looked nice inside, and seeing as the parents were paying I thought I'd give it a go!

The food is slightly more expensive than most other places in Greenwich, you're looking at Â£20 for a main course, but it's definitely worth it. The food was really well prepared, well presented and just the right amount in terms of quantity.

There was a good, relaxed atmosphere in the place, although you tend to expect that on a Friday night. The waiter was a good laugh and very friendly, although possibly left us a little too long before coming over, but I'm being picky there.

All in all, definitely recommended. I can imagine it being especially good for a date place, not too fancy, not too expensive, but good quality.

Automat - review by walid

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 23:08:44 +0000

Automat - review by walid

Rating: 3.3

Location: 33 Dover St, W1S 4NF, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7499 3033

Website: http://www.automat-london.com

Tags: american, waffles, green park, pancakes, mayfair, brunch, expensive

American dinners bring back memories of watching "Happy Days" with the Fonz when I was a kid. No I'm not that old, it's just that in France they still show some very old series on TV. Anyway it doesn't look like shabby American dinner but more of an up market type one where your local Mayfair neighbors like to hang around.

What really stands out about this place are the pancakes and the waffles. Anyone who has travelled to the US or lived there will no that finding a good stack of pancakes is very difficult. Luckily Automat does it well. Additionally they also make really good waffles. The only draw back about this place is the service. It can be very patchy and rarely I've found it to be consistently good during a brunch or lunch. So because of that I'll give a "small" 3 stars.

Automat - review by DavidMuir

Mon, 05 Nov 2007 11:34:39 +0000

Automat - review by DavidMuir

Rating: 3.3

Location: 33 Dover St, W1S 4NF, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7499 3033

Website: http://www.automat-london.com

Tags: american, family & home feel, business, lively

Automat has done really well attracting the hedge fund, VC crowd of Mayfair for a non-expensive working lunch venue.

The concept of the down at home American dinner serving comfort food is a great one. There are some incredible dishes like the macaroni and cheese. However the burgers aren't great and they should be considering the concept they are trying to sell

Automat - review by amandaharrison

Mon, 10 Sep 2007 10:03:46 +0000

Automat - review by amandaharrison

Rating: 3.3

Location: 33 Dover St, W1S 4NF, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7499 3033

Website: http://www.automat-london.com

Tags: american, business, crowded, diner, brasserie, expensive, restaurant, lively

Lovely catch up lunch with a friend from university I hadn't seen for over 10 years, reunited by facebook... anyway we went to Automat and maybe we were unlucky but the food was shocking. The waitresses dropped plates on the floor with reverberating crashes three times. My smoked duck salad with champagne dressing was a mass of tasteless unruly leaves with four minute pieces of what I suppose was very fatty duck but it could have been any meat for the lack of taste. For 11 quid. My friend had a tuna salad which looked as bad.The place was buzzing though so perhaps I should give it a second try, but I won't.

Automat - review by lucyw

Wed, 02 May 2007 18:04:40 +0000

Automat - review by lucyw

Rating: 3.3

Location: 33 Dover St, W1S 4NF, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7499 3033

Website: http://www.automat-london.com

Tags: american, booths, poached eggs, diner, brunch, coffee, breakfast, expensive

This place knows how to make a seriously good cup of coffee. And the eggs benedict rocks too - some of the best poached eggs I've had out in a long time. I've been here for breakfast/brunch twice in the last couple of months and really enjoyed every mouthful. It's not just the food that's appealing, the place is modelled on an american diner - not the loud rock and roll variety but a more refined and very sophisticated mix of wood and leather.

I sat at the same table each time - a cosy booth in an area that resembles the inside of what I imagine the Orient Express to be like. At the front of the restaurant is a cafe type area and then at the back is a much lighter conservatory, so three different ambiences in one depending on your occasion.

This is a great place to meet up to fuel a days shopping.

Rivington Grill - review by lucyw

Mon, 02 Apr 2007 18:07:48 +0000

Rivington Grill - review by lucyw

Rating: 4.2

Location: 178 Greenwich High Road, SE10 8NN, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 0208 293 9270

Website: www.rivingtongrill.co.uk

This is my 'date' place. Whenever Mr Lucy and I want to spend some quality time together in a place where we know we won't be disappointed we always end up here. The decor is simple and elegant - a true transformation from the chain pub it used to be! It has a nice buzz to it, the staff have the right balance of being attentive but not too fussy.

Speaking of fussy, I'm not the most adventurous of eaters. I do enjoy a good bit of meat but I tend to stick to the usual suspects. Mr Lucy, on the other hand, loves the more challenging dishes and there are a plenty here to keep him entertained. You can even arrange for a medieval style banquet to be held in your honour with suckling pig as the main event.

Getting back to the menu, there's a balanced mix of the safe options (for people like me) and challenging dishes for the more adventurous (everyone else). If you can make room for a desert the crumble is delicious. To wash it all down the wine list makes good reading and it caters for the wide range of dishes.

All in all, this is one of my favourite places. And if you're a member of the Picturehouse cinema next door (which we are) on certain days you get a discount. Everyone's a winner

Automat - review by ProfMagellan

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 08:51:53 +0000

Automat - review by ProfMagellan

Rating: 3.3

Location: 33 Dover St, W1S 4NF, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7499 3033

Website: http://www.automat-london.com

Tags: american, buzzy, mayfair, good value, modern, burgers, lively

This is an authentic American style diner in the heart of Mayfair. It has a short menu so choice is limited.
But the food is delicious and the burgers are amongst the best in London. Service is speedy and friendly. Some good wines including some
excellent reds from Washington. Watch out for the Argentinian Malbec - this one was not drinkable. It can be very noisy at peak times
and the front room is quite uncomfortable: best seats are booths in the middle.