The River Café in Aflou

I was being treated to a meal by my son. Whilst the atmosphere is lovely and the staff attentive the cost is ridiculous. I had sea bass, cooked slightly dry, served with some unrecognisable battered vegetables that were tasteless. Cost £57. The tiramisu was delicious £15.As someone who helps in a foodbank and washes up in a homeless drop-in I found the cost pretty immoral. For obvious reasons I didn’t complain.The place was packed with people clearly not affected by the cost of living crisis.Some of the families I’m supporting could live on the cost of our meal for a few weeks.I love good food but the standard of my meal was not good and was ridiculously expensive.

Came here for someone’s birthday, interior decor looked like some cheap cafe (I guess cafe is in the namepaper cover on the table cloth. Blue carpet looked cheap and tacky.Waiters and waitresses were very poor. One guy put the plate down so quickly a lemon shot off the plate and across the table. He almost did the same thing again with the dessert.We only ever got asked once at the beginning of the meal if we wanted a drink. Luckily the water got topped up regularly.On to the food, beyond disappointing for the price. First of all if you’re vegetarian don’t bother going. There’s like no options.Overall the food was bland and uninspiring. Served messily on a plate. The ravioli was 5 pieces of Ravioli plonked on a plate. That’s it. No fancy sauce, no garnish. The only thing different to this ravioli and a store bought 3 minute ravioli was the pasta was fresher. Other than that basically the same. No mouth watering flavours, no “omg this is amazing” don’t get me wrong it wasn’t bad. But for like £30 for 5 pieces I’m expecting a lot more.There was nothing “Michelin star” about this place. I recon any chef could have made that food.Seems like they have all this hype and history that draws people and celebs in. But in reality the food is mediocre and the service is sub par.

This was my 4th time having loved every visit before. However, and this is a big however, this was actually a big let down... We ordered the beef and it was hard and chewy.. We are talking not even close to a pub standard. The white truffle pasta was amazing though it was £95.. and Im still figuring if it was £95 worth of amazing...Disappointing yes, do I love RiverCafe.. Yes I did... Will I come back.. hmm... Little nervous tbh.

The River Cafe was suggested to us by a colleague and we were absolutely blown away by our experience. Our server, Louie, was so delightful, helpful, and attentive. He assisted us in choosing creative drinks and entree choices. Having visited Italy numerous times, I was truly impressed by the menu and how memorable each dish was - I could argue it is better or on par with some of the best restaurants I’ve visited in Italy. We will most certainly be back!!!

Great and proper Italian food, amazing staff.The chocolate cake Nemesis is among the best I have ever tried.

Not sure what to make of this one. It was pleasant but thats it - I wont remember or recommend it to friends. Food was nice but not worth the hype or the price - many dishes lacked seasoning including the squid and ravioli. Highlight was definitely the Chocolate Nemesis. Service was good and was a buzz about the place. Good for celeb spotting...

Fun and friendly service. We enjoyed great food and recommend not skipping dessert here!

We enjoyed fabulous dinner at The River Café recently. Fantastic quality food, delicious wine, excellent service and great atmosphere. You could tell it was going to be a good night as soon as you walk in. Excellent staff - Tom Downer and his team were amazing...spot on! We were very well looked after. Thank you. Cant wait to go back again soon

Wonderful experience. Warm service, buzzy atmosphere sophisticated, not stuffy, and outstanding, really delicious food. If it were closer I would be here once a week! We all loved it! Hospitality at its finest

We used to love this place. This review is written in the expectation of having a lunch in a great West London restaurant. It is not great any more.Why 2 stars only?Food is good and affordable. The desert menu hasn’t changed in decades. Good and bad thing at the same time so + 1 starAtmosphere… have a look at the builders working outside. Just shocking considering reputation of this place. 0 starsBooking / seating: coming with children to this place is not great experience. You will be set at the front of the room were all waiters mill around. Not a great experience. Also front desk staff fairly unfriendly. 0 starsTemperature: this place has not got an air con and it seems it doesn’t have extractor fans either. You’ll leave smelling like Italian cheese. We’ve been here many times and this is the first time we noticed. 0 starsCleanliness: poor. Look at the pictures. Not rated as this is embarrassingNostalgia value: +1 star as we used to love this placeFinally it was great to see Ruth Rodgers, founder, are the venue. But we couldn’t escape thinking that this place needs a new management to shake things up and get it going again. Currently it feels like just some regular place which you don’t want to put an effort in.

Just awful food, how come it has a star i have no idea, the worst disappointment during my london visit.

Still an amazing place to enjoy a celebratory meal. Staff are lovely and the food is very special. Obviously, expect a hefty bill, but it is the sort of place where you feel it was worth it! (Beware, vegans not very well catered for off the menu).

Wow - in one word, Wow!You can feel the night is about to get good when you walk into the doors and are greeted by beaming smiles, warmth of a kitchen and the aroma of butter and garlic.We arrived early (45 min before our table was bookedand without hesitation we were ushered to a understated but chic bar where we waited for our dinner companions and enjoyed two excellent cocktails. Please try the whisky sour if that’s your thing, had a lemon rind addition which was very special.We met our dinner companions and got our table where we were very quickly transported to the very best of Italy.The simple fact is everything is great. I understand the menu changes daily. I will need to go again to verify but the idea is brilliant. Smallish menu but everything has been chosen with freshness in mind and executed brilliantly.My only suggestion is go with a few people who don’t mind sharing so you can enjoy as many dishes as possible.My highlight was the turbot with mushrooms and beans. Seasoned well, a generous amount of butter and olive oil and amazing in season mushrooms.Bravo/Brava to the chefs

Good food, impeccable service. Crowded and noisy and pricey...

We had a lovely dinner at the River Cafe. We managed to sit outside and the garden is really nice, however you dont see the river at all. the restaurant is an old building I believe converted from a warehouse. Its a massive open space place yet again it feels very cramped. The food is good and very seasonal, however very expensive for what it is. We had scallops and langoustines as starters, there were only 2 scallops on the plate and I think it was around £30. Delicious but overpriced.We had two pasta as primi, and shared turbot as main. I had better turbot elsewhere(Bratand it was an ok sized fillet. Pastas were very good. But again we found it very much overpriced.Overall, we had a lovely evening, enjoyed what we ate however dont think well visit again.

Cute little place to stop for a quick lunch. Staff are absolutely lovely! Very friendly and welcoming. Food was average, whoever made the quiche needs to immediately get retrained as its not a quiche. It’s an omelette with a hard base…. Very dissatisfied and disappointed with this.The sandwich was great though!

Beautiful food and wonderful service. Memorable meal and lovely location and excellent ambience. Can not fault it from start to finish and was a superb dining experience.

Average food. But extortionate prices!Such a shame. Idyllic location. But the food. How can all mains be £40+ and tiny starter serve of pasta £30 with a few morsels of crab. Waiters are lovely but not experienced. What a shame, case of emperors clothes I think!

Came to River Cafe for dinner with friends and had an ok experience in general.Had pizzetta and squid for starters, the lamb as a main and the raspberry tart as a dessert.Even though the food was tasteful, I still think the prices were a bit too high.Biggest let down was service.Expected a very differentiate service, however had waiters coming to our table 3 times with other’s people food asking if those orders were ours…However, food was simple but really great!

Very dated decor, it felt like the dining room of a mid-range 80s hotel. The service was poor, the staff acted like they were doing us a favour just delivering the bare minimum. The food, while tasty, was way overpriced. Its obvious that they are cashing in on their reputation. Give them a miss and support a restaurant that cares about its customers.

I will always put 5 star on my favourite place. Food absolutely top knotch. The only negative was that we kept ordering drinks which never arrived and just kemp asking and still staff forgot us. So only had 2 bottles of wine between 5 of us. Very very frustrating as I took guests. But hey the sun was shining and food brilliant as usual x

The fact this place has a michelin star says more about michelin, I guess, than the restaurant. The food was mediocre at best, and at least one of the dishes was shockingly bad. Starters: crab (had better at touristy Greek taverns for 1/10 of the pricemozarella (worse than getting it from a shop). Mains: monkfish (someome had emptied a bag of salt on it, first time EVER I consider something unedible at a restaurant, ANY restaurant Ive ever been.The waitress that served us was rude (slapping the bill on the table without saying a word etc and bear in mind we didnt complain or mention any of the above whilst there), slow, and was wearing a dirty apron. And this place has the audacity to charge £28 for starters and £48 for mains. Would be hilarious if it werent tragic. But I guess it is a stark reminder of how terrible the food culture in this country is, and specifically in London.

Left here disappointed given all the hype and difficulty getting a booking. The food and service was good but nothing special, and for the eye watering prices that they charge it’s not worth it. The inside is very casual, quite badly decorated and feels like a canteen. The outdoor space is nice but is actually next to the car park and set back from the river so there’s not really a view. Despite always being fully booked the restaurant was actually 1/3 empty for a Saturday lunch. There are other restaurants in central London that offer a much better experience for similar or lower prices.

My favourite restaurant to visit whenever Im in London.Enjoyed the vibes on a Saturday Brunch . Great foods and very good dessert.See you soon River Cafe :)

Great food, mediocre service, and eye-waterinly large bill. Six of us went to this nice Riverside location for lunch. Great menu and nice wine. My wood pigeon was stunningly good. The service was less good. I ordered a side of spinach but it did not come. I had to remind our server and it was delivered as our table finished their course. We also ordered coffee but it took three attempts to get the wait staff to deliver it. My expresso was nearly cold when it arrived. The total for 6 was circa £900. That did include 3 bottles of modest wine, but at £150 for a lunch means we will not be returning.

Perfection. Service, ingredients, presentation, room. Brought my children in my last visit and even they, as fussy teenagers, were blown away. One of my all-time favorites, and now theirs as well. 😊🌞

Absolutely lovely staff and surroundings, we went on a lovely day and managed to sit out side but in the shade.Like some previous reviews it’s really overpriced and there isn’t the wow factor like other Michelin places. When you pay £30 for some spaghetti you really expect to be amazed but unfortunately it didn’t provide us with that.The lobster and crab was delightful again but I think for your money, go elsewhere.

Had an amazing dinner at The River Cafe. Booked a month and a half in advance. The food was absolute perfection. I got the ravioli, sea bass and tiramisu. Relaxing, elegantly understated.

Ive been lucky enough to eat here couple of times as a guest from wine tastings.The food is exceptional, you can definitely taste that the ingredients are brought from high end Italian companies.I had lunch in the private room and the service was spot on each time.A little on the expensive side for my pocket, but then again I didnt pay this time.If I dont think about the price is definitely a good restaurant.

Really enjoyed coming here. Have known about this place for years but never had the opportunity to come before now. Lovely, relaxed riverside ambience. Beautifully executed Italian cuisine using highly quality produce. Exactly what I expected it would be so pleased it lived up to expectations.

We had the PDR for the evening with it came extra special attention to detail.From entering through to having pre-drinks before we sat down.Our starters through to mains and desserts was just absolutely delicious.What a treat.Highly recommend.

Given the reputation and prices, I had much higher expectations and everything about this restaurant is a bit of a let down; the atmosphere is like a cafeteria, it’s very noisy, service was mediocre at best, plating of the food was sloppy and completes the cafeteria experience (there was really no effort or artistry with the platingand the food was ok, but not memorable and certainly not worth the prices. Terribly underwhelming experience, and certainly would not return given how spoilt for choice we are in London with outstanding restaurants and how much better an experience you’d get elsewhere with £500.

a fabulous spot for lunch, the atmosphere reminds me of a cafeteria that you get in a museum. food was enjoyable but for the price paid, i expected a bit more wow. defiantly would go again but not anytime soon, many families were there as there with an outdoor area for kids to run around in.

Such great standard of dishes! What blew our socks off were the veal shin main and the almond tart dessert. The wood oven lobster was cooked so well and was also amazing! Pasta was a bit average though. All other dishes were very good and all round delicious.

Sunday lunch experience. Really disappointed in this restaurant having tried to come for the past 18months I was really looking forward to this meal with the family. Now I come out feeling disappointed as I did not enjoy the food nor really the restaurant. It’s highly overpriced in my opinion (24£ for a mini pizza, 25£ for a soup, up to 50£ for a mainand I struggle to understand how it has a Michelin star. Appetizers were the best part, primos the worst, secondis were ok. You should count at least 80£ per person for a good meal, more if you want to drink.I will not be returning any time soon. Having said this, my Italian girlfriend enjoyed it so perhaps it’s a question of taste but we both agree the prices are ridiculous.

Good food. Stand outs were the squid starter and ravioli was pretty impressive. All round the food was good, simple flavours and techniques executed well.Service was pretty amateurish. Very little experience with fine dining serving methods. They ask lots of questions on food allergies on booking and then ignore it all when you get there.Our waitress was well intentioned but food delivery waiter would plunk the food down unannounced. Not great when paying these kind of prices.Glad I came and the food was great, but wouldnt rush back or really recommend to friends.A solid 3.

Nice restaurant with lovely outdoor ambience. We ordered several dishes. Loved the monkfish and the squid. Only major issue was finding a worm in the pasta!! The risotto like someone mentioned earlier looks quite unappetising- a large blob in muted colors. I am surprised the restaurant allows that kind of hideous plating. Still nice place and fresh food!

Excellent atmosphere. Excellent environment. Wonderful food. Brilliant staff. Lived up to the hype and my expectations!

Fantastic location, superb service and a wine list to die for, but only average value for money when it comes to food... good, but not great...

Iconic London restaurant, worth the hype. Menu changes daily so everything is fresh and seasonal. Come ready to splurge for a special occasion with amazing food and wine.

Food was good but nothing to shout about. Is quite pricey and can get something better with the same amount of money. Langoustines were really fresh. Mojito was abit on the bitter side and not very pleasant. Nice outdoor seating area.

This café has a huge amount of reviews of google, first observance.A very, very busy place at peak times. Difficult to get a table and to hear each other talk.They do personalised birthday cake slices - write your name on a plate.The food is great - no arguments. It is a very exclusive place. Negative point is that you cannot eat leisurely - you are quite literally timed.

We had the lunch set menu 3 coursesPortion: really good size of dishes in comparison to any fine dining restaurants.Dishes ordered:aubergine mozzarella starter - excellent and probably the best tasting dish out of all the savoury courses.Pappardelle with mushrooms - really delicious again, pasta cooked nicely and you can taste the freshnessMonkfish with porcini mushrooms - nice dish but not the best fish, I think this could be better, not expected of Michelin starSteak - good taste but not the best expected in Michelin starApple and peach tart - absolutely the best, you have to order this the taste is so delicious and just baked to perfectionChocolate nemesis- was amazing and not too heavy as we expected, really yummyOverall - the set menu is reasonable for the portion and the taste. However it did not really meet very high Michelin star expectations, the dessert and the appetiser were excellent and beyond expectations therefore 4 stars.

Incredible food, wine and views. Great service and cant wait to go back. We went for an anniversary and got taken care of.

Super delicious food, great ambience and it was lovely to see the Iconic Ruth Rogers being in the restaurant too. Food is a bit pricier compared to other 1 Michelin star places, but I would still highly recommended it.

Loved it! What more can one say about this wonderful restaurant?!... superb service, elite products, elite cuisine, elegant yet free style colourful decor. I will surely return to try more and more, again and again!

Charming place at a terrific location. Its all about the ingredients here. Simplicity in presentation but quality wise very very good. Love this place. Pasta so good, but also the frito misto or quail ... A must go if you love italian food.

We had an amazing experience at the River Cafe, guided by a friend who is a River Cafe-expert. I cannot name every dish we tried and shared but from the antipasti, through the meat and fish dishes, to the desserts, everything was super tasty. The staff was very professional but at the same time friendly and warm, and I loved the open kitchen inside. It is not for everyones pocket of course (me includedbut its really worth the visit!

This is a very special place. First of all, you have incredible views, it’s a quiet place, cause it’s in a residential zone. The food is incredible, you have a menu and you have to choose a first, second and dessert( by the way you also have starters! I truly recommend the chocolate nemesis. The best sweet thing that I have ever try!!!! Amazing

Great, creative Italian food. I would recommend going for the veggie options or the pasta. The spaghetti with botarga and lemon was delicious. They also have great puddings. The summer pudding was amazing. The place is also really cool and has lovely outside seating.