Bentley's Oyster Bar & Grill

Oh dear. Relies on the quality of the ingredients which is good but the dishes offered absolutely NO surprises. If you want a restaurant for a special occasion, this is not the place...and it's not cheap either.

An average home cook could produce the same dishes. Sorry but it's true. General service was ok but the wine waiter walks around with his eyes closed.

Not planning to ever go again and would advise others to do the same. Decor is nice but toilets not maintained and even....dusty!
Comment on this reader review

Adrian May
Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 2
Sunday, December 21, 2008

booked for the cheap 3 course set meal, but the menu was so dull (smoked salmon & cream cheese or potato soup for starter) we went a la carte. Very expensive. Food was good, but nothing to write home about.. Restuarant decor quite dull, and we were sat by a window which had a cold draught. Full of american businessmen, it was a Tuesday night, and rather business like atmoshpere.
View/Add comments (1)

Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 3
Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Went on a Saturday for a late lunch and managed to get seats at the bar.

Excellent menu but prices a bit steep.

Service was a bit slow and inattentive especially as we were seated at the bar.

Wine was good but overpriced.

Food good but not excellent and eating a la carte was not good value.

£100 for a quick lunch - 2 courses with a cheap bottle of wine and no coffees.

I think the set menu would probably represent better value so I would only go there again if I was taking the set menu otherwise I think there is better value to be had elsewhere.
Comment on this reader review

BL
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 5
Thursday, October 23, 2008

Really fantastic food - they served a little oxtail pasty thingy with the most light and delicious pastry I have ever had the pleasure to eat.

Service was intrusive, albeit friendly and unfortunately they do not play music in the upstairs dining room, two factors which meant we never felt completely relaxed.

Highly recommend.
Comment on this reader review

Leigh
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 8
Tuesday, October 21, 2008

I tok my husband to Bentleys for lunch on his birthday as it was a restaurant we had both wanted to try. We were not disappointed, the service, food and wine were all fantastic.
Comment on this reader review

Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, October 01, 2008

Having had my first experience of dining at Bentley's with a group of work colleagues on 13/8/08.

My expectations were high and my tummy was rumbling, I had not eaten all day so that I could save myself for the feast ahead. We arrived in time to have a drink downstairs in the bar area, the decor is impressive. During our time in the bar we received a short lesson from one of the bar waiters, on the ingredients that go into the stout.

Once we were shown to our table, I was not disappointed. The food was mouthwatering, I had the starter of oysters with panachetta and black pudding, followed by the supplement of six ostyers and champagne, then tucked into the crispy duck with lime and ginger dressing.

As we ate at Bentley's under the name of Ladies that like to dine, I was suitably impressed with both the food and service from the staff, who reminded me of my days of working in the service industry and how much I hated it. But they were attentive, polite and cleared away with when needed. Especially the wine waiter who did not give us the hard sell and made wine pouring look sexy.
Comment on this reader review

S Dwyer
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Saturday, August 16, 2008

i have eating in richard's restaurant in london.....food 100% and service even better, well done richard and wish you the very best with your restaurant in dublin......very proud to call you a friend. fidelma, mark and lisa xx
Comment on this reader review

fidelma maguire
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, August 07, 2008

Having initially experienced this restaurant with my sister from a "special experiences" website, I now count this restaurant as a regular haunt having been here about 8-9 times over the course of a year.

Bentleys never fails to impress - having both sat upstairs in the grill, downstairs in the bar itself and outside, I have to categorically state - I love the place ! There are dishes on the menu that I could quite easily eat ALL day.

The menus available in each of the "sections" of the restaurant do differ slightly, although in my experience if you do know of a dish you particularly like, and am sitting in a different area, if you ask nicely they're more than happy to oblige.

Presentation of the food is excellent and the tastes are sublime - you can really taste the freshness of the ingredients and the thought that has gone into creating each dish.

To give you some idea of how highly I rate this restaurant .. Before my first visit to NYC, I didn't eat seafood in the UK because of the disappointing taste, freshness and presentation in UK restaurants - Coming back to the UK, Bentley's is now the only place where I eat seafood ...

Without overusing the word, service is also excellent and attentive. Put simply I can't fault this restaurant on any level ....

One last noteworthy point - on one of my visits to Bentley's I actually saw Richard Corrigan seated at the restaurant interacting with the guests - it's nice to see that he keeps a hand in how the restaurant is run and is maintaining the high standards.

Although the two restaurants are very different, having also visited Claridges and had a VERY disappointing time (including overcooked food and receiving a different dish to that ordered) I know which restaurant I would prefer any day of the week - Bentleys !
Comment on this reader review

Edward
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, August 07, 2008

This was my third visit here, the second of which was within three weeks. Bentley's never disappoints - whether it be a family gathering to celebrate a 30th birthday (my first visit), a business lunch (my second visit) or luncheon with a friend this time.

Initially electing to sit outside we decided quickly against it when a gust of wind took all of the glasses off he table producing a caucophany as they smashed down the street.

Excitement over my lunch companion and I enjoyed oysters (to die for - exquisitely fresh) and squid followed by pollack and smoked haddock - my death row meal - which was succulent and well presented. A very good Sancerre completed the meal.

Desserts were slightly disappointing - creme brulee was a little bit too like vanilla angel delight (my friend's words, not mine) and my gooseberry tart was actually a pie encased in over-powering pastry.

However, I will overlook this last bit as Bentley's has now become a favourite of mine and in the words of the the ever-annoying John Torode.' This place just gets betta and betta'!
Comment on this reader review

Vestan Pance - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Sunday, August 03, 2008

Took my husband recently for a birthday lunch treat. We booked online for the special offer (4 courses & glass of bubbly), but it was hard work getting that menu out of them and when they did produce it it made no mention of the bubbly. I couldn't face asking for it as it's the kind of place you could easily feel you were being cheap as lots of people were clearly on (no) expenses (spared). So we went for the 3 course standard set lunch menu which is very good value, you only pay an extra £4 for a generous 250ml carafe of wine.

If the only consideration was food and wine I would say definitely go, it was very good, although the barely half scoop of yoghurt sorbetto on macerated berries was unnecessarily stingy and a shame as it was so delicious. But I would hesitate to recommend this place overall, the atmosphere was quite corporate and stuffy in both senses. But what really stood out for all the wrong reasons was the service, we were served by about 6 different people during our meal and every one of them was surly, incompetent or both! The friendly waitress completely misdescribed my husband's choice of main dish, persuading him to order vegetables he didn't need and which weren't what he ordered, another waiter kept topping up our mineral water every 5 mins. I found this annoying so declined at one point, whereupon he proceeded to remove the bottle with at least a glass left in it. I called him back with it and then he left us in peace. We saw a besuited Richard Corrigan downstairs in the bar but he would have been better off upstairs seeing what his staff are like.
Comment on this reader review

IC
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 8
Thursday, July 24, 2008