NOPI - Downstairs in City of London

I was extremely excited to eat here on my first visit to London. My friend booked this for me as a great food experience. While the food was good, I was very disappointed with the servicer. She was very pleasant and explained items on the menu to my friend who was white. But when she spoke to me almost every answer was condescending. I really tried to put that aside as my 10yr old son looked on. I am American. I was not loud or rude but I wanted to be. Not sure if it is a London thing or if that is what to expect from a posh restaurant here but beware of dining while poc.

Wow where to start! They are so accommodating as I made a booking for 3 and we were 4 in the end and the host fix it for us. The waitress was so lovely and was so knowledgeable about the menu and the food and thanks for the wine. The food looks great and taste amazing as well don’t let the small plates fool you, so fresh! The hake was cook perfectly. Thanks you again for a lovely evening.

The food was the best part about the experience. The waitresses were lacking and really didn’t do a good job. Asked if we’re here for special occasion and I told it’s my birthday and woman said ‘thanks for sharing this information’ I mean what? I would’ve expected happy birthday even if you don’t mean it or whatever.Service was very rushed, no comments made, no questions about the food asked, plates placed, picked up, water poured without comment or anything just come up from behind and walk away.Food was delicious though and well done to the chef.Due to service I don’t think we’ll come back - it seemed like they wanted us out of there as quick as possible. Couple next to us asked for dessert menu and they brought them a bill, they weren’t happy about that. It wasn’t a complete experience and walked away thinking food was good but overall experience ‘OK’ hence 3 stars.

I visited for a celebratory lunch with my wife. We arrived to find a pleasantly crowded dining room and the restaurant has a nice ambiance. The food was generally very good, with the exception of the beetroot dish, in which the goats cheese totally overwhelmed the other ingredients . The cauliflower fritter dish was outstanding, both texture and flavour were perfectly executed. On food alone I would score this place 4/5.BUT, dining at a place like NOPI isn’t just about the quality of the food and the reason we wouldn’t really recommend this place is the service was terrible and overall the meal was poor value. The waitress looking after us was, whilst lovely, completely clueless. This is entirely on the restaurant management: they need to train staff better. We asked for an aperitif and asked what the aperitifs listed on Feb menu were. The waitress said one was ‘something with coffee’ (it definitely wasn’t) and admitted she had no idea what the others were. My wife asked for bread and the waitress advised that she should order the lavash. When it turned up a few minutes later it was crackers 🙄Our orders for our food were taken at the same time as our aperitif and nibbles. Fair enough, but then every single dish turned up at the same time as our aperitif!!! This is so poor and just gave the impression they wanted us out the door as quick as possible so they could turn the table. 5 minutes after all the food turned up, having only had a few sips of our aperitifs (which were nice, if overpriced) the waitress returned to our table to ask if we wanted to order a bottle of wine. Again, just the impression of trying to squeeze as much money out of us before getting us out the door.If you think all the above is unnecessarily fussy, you might be right but at nearly £60 a head without wine I think we should have got better service. Fine dining prices that are matched by very good food deserve well trained staff that give diners a sense of occasion. Sorry NOPI but you should sort your front of house out.

Delicious healthy meals bursting with flavour. Lots of vegetarian options with dishes including nuts, root veg, seeds and grains, leafy veg. Simply excellent service and cuisine. Cookbooks of some of the dishes available for sale or viewing. Lucky to meet Restaurant owner who happened to drop by which made our evening even more special. Some favourites were: Roasted Aubergine, Lamb Rump, Fried Mushrooms, Roasted beetroot and Pineapple Sorbet served with Calvados (sweet spiced rum). Highly Recommended. Wish I got the name of our lovely, well informed waitress but we will be back !Thank you for a memorable experience!Tom & Nella

My 4th visit to Nopi but I'm afraid to say this is the beginning of the end. Food was incredibly bland that lacked adventure. No indulgent dessert option - which is expected for the winter months, just one heavy indulgent option would do. Staff didn't seem too bothered by the feedback either.... Food looks great though.

After cooking through much of Ottolenghi Simple, it was pure delight to eat in one of his restaurants! It was nice to compare the food I cooked with the flavors and textures of the dishes we shared at dinner.The staff were on point and I was provided a lactose free menu after including a note in my dinner reservation. The cocktails were fantastic and all the shared plates were delightful.Definitely book ahead for a table in the evening. And you definitely need to visit the bathrooms on the lower level if nothing else than to get a look at the open kitchen on your way there.

Beautiful ambiance and comfortable setting. Good place to order a few starters, drinks and dessert but would suggest to order a few things off the menu and share. The polenta chips, roasted aubergine & apple and gelato dessert were our top favorites! The only downside - the restaurant is on the pricier side and the portions are small but given the location they can justify it.

Delicious food. Really enjoyed the aubergine and tofu main, and the duck dish was pretty good. The midnight teacake dessert was nice, the roasted fig one lacked some flavour. Food was a little overpriced in my opinion but service was great and it’s a stylish restaurant- especially the mirror-covered bathrooms!

It’s good quality food and relaxed setting, but nothing mind blowing. The leeks were my favourite starter (we ordered aubergine, peppers and leeks) and the lamb is much better than the fish main dish. The fish had an interesting, creative twist where it was made into a pie like with thin crust.