Ottolenghi

Reviews

• David K.

  star star star star star 30 May 2026

  Ottolenghi = beautiful food, and if you've ever seen one of Ottolenghi's cookbooks, you'll know just what I mean! It's been a dream of mine to visit an Ottolenghi restaurant after having been inspired by the Middle Eastern flavors showcased in his books, and my experience here met every expectation! In the front of the restaurant is a huge display area of desserts and cold appetizers, as well as a shop where you can buy packaged goods and pantry staples. What a feast for the eyes!
  
  But then it was time for dinner! After starting with a plate of three types of bread (including a cheese focaccia and a feta/polenta bread), we had two of the cold appetizers on display: the cumin roasted cauliflower topped with turmeric yoghurt and sour cherries; and the roasted heritage carrots topped with cashew tofu and fried shallots. Both of these dishes were so balanced and complex in flavor--the spice of the "curried" yogurt paired beautifully with the cauliflower, and the roasted carrots were so tender and earthy, but balanced with the creamy almond "tofu".
  
  Then came the selections from the kitchen! The sweet roasted beetroot and grilled pear paired nicely with the salty whipped feta and the nuttiness and earthiness of the dukkah. I also loved the lamb fatteh, which were small fried patties of ground, spiced lamb served over tahini yogurt, aubergine, pine nuts, and a few pieces of fried pita! But my favorite dish (though not by far) was probably the marinated aubergine served over lime labneh and topped with sunflower brittle. The aubergine here was the most tender, smoky eggplant I've had, and it paired perfectly with the sour labneh and the nutty sunflower brittle and Aleppo pepper on top! Every bite here was just full of flavor and magic (as you'd expect from Ottolenghi's recipes). The romantic atmosphere and friendly service were memorable parts as well, and though the prices weren't cheap, the flavors and experience were definitely worth the visit!

• Ryen B.

  star star star star star_border 30 May 2026

  Been wanting to come here since I was introduced to one of Ottolenghi's cookbooks years ago. We lucked out grabbing two seats at lunch as soon as they opened, but I recommend a reservation because the place fills up and they turned lots of people away.
  
  They charge for water, so go easy on it and enjoy one of the refreshing cocktails instead!
  
  Everything is tasty and portions are big. We ordered a main with two sides each. Smoked eggplants with chickpeas, green harissa, and tahini was rich. A pea and zucchini goat cheese tart with preserved lemons was my fave of the bunch.
  
  Sides were colorful and flavorful: a watermelon, lime, chili, feta salad; tomato and burrata with pearled couscous and capers; chickpea hummus with spring onions and grapes was an unexpected fave; and baby gem salad came with a smokey eggplant yogurt and spicy chiles.
  
  We didn't need dessert, but they were too pretty to refuse. The apple and currant cake with a maple cream frosting was amazing. The ricotta cake topped with hazelnuts has just a bit of innocent looking chocolate on top, but cut inside and it's stuffed with more rich chocolate throughout. Desserts are definitely for sharing.
  
  Highly recommend.

• Kuba W.

  star star star star star 22 May 2026

  The best so far in London, great, interesting cuisine, about 15 small dishes to choose from, short menu, great desserts. Eel was the only desapoinment.

• Jessica F.

  star star star star_border star_border 15 May 2026

  Whenever I splurge, I make sure to do thorough research and pick a place that will challenge and delight the senses. I had really high hopes that Ottolenghi would deliver, but honestly my boyfriend and I were quite disappointed by our 85 pound dinner here.
  
  Our drink of choice, Hendricks punch, was fabulous! It was refreshing and interesting, like a tangier, fruitier fun and tonic. We were off to a good start.
  
  Our "nibble" of "crumbed" octopus should have been advertised as burnt octopus, though the taste wasn't too bad, for 6.5 pounds it was a little disappointing and way too crunchy. I felt like I was eating cinders.
  
  From there, we tried the butternut squash, carrot mash and watermelon radish dishes. The butternut squash was pretty decent, if not a little cold and generally pretty bland, dolloping yogurt all over doesn't unbland it or add flavor. The watermelon radish dish was pretty tough to eat, the radishes were way too hard and filled with too many seeds. My boyfriend really enjoyed the flavorful carrot mash but I found it to be too overwhelming and the carrot mash itself felt a little baby foodish.
  
  My favorite dish was actually the bread dipped in whatever sauce accompanied the manti dish. What a heavenly sauce, warm and perfectly spiced, with the consistency of yogurt but the taste of hummus it was incredible! The aubergine dish I liked even though it was a little dry and had a monotone flavor. I felt that the chickpeas and the aubergine had the same flavor and just made your mouth kind of dry, but I'm a lover of eggplant so I still enjoyed the dish.
  
  We were so disappointed by the dinner (maybe we had too high expectations or maybe we just got a bad seasonal menu) that we didn't care for dessert despite still being hungry after 6 dishes! We went to nearby Spitalfields for some milkshakes instead. For 85 pounds you can buy so much delicious, flavorful food in London that I don't think I'd recommend Ottolenghi to anyone. It was decent food, tiny portions and overall did not live up to expectations.

• Arthur G.

  star star star star star 6 May 2026

  During our vacation in London we were fortunate to eat in two of Ottolenghi's restaurants.the first time was at their Upper Street location and we actually reserved a table while still in New York.  We loved that restaurant and while, yes, there was a high expectation based on all the hype, we felt that the ambience, the service and food made our experience very memorable. When we were wandering around London on our last full day, we literally walked past this location and since fortunately, it was past their lunch time rush, we were able to walk in and get a table. The lunch menu was very different and ( again) we shared everything and we thought the service and the environment was casual and lovely.  And their take out desserts were so gorgeous ( if you can refer to desserts that way) that we decided to buy some desserts as gifts to bring home as well as to have some for our flight back to JFK. It's tough when s restaurant has to surpass the hype but I think Ottolenghi succeeded !