Its funny but i thought the same as the last reviewer. The place was disgusting and dirty. Its the worst restaurant in london. The food is really bad.They are lucky they are notting hill otherwise they would not have survived. Tourist come here and don't come back but there is always another gullible one. This place reminds me of the really awful places in spain that are tourist traps and have no regards to quality or hygiene.
The decor on closer inspection are just cheap copies and the fabric they use are synthetic.I wonder if they are fire proofed.Its a wonder how people can be impressed by a few shiny fake bling.Again lack of education. I suppose the people in the know has never awarded them any awards ever, so this shows its impressing the wrong kind of people.Bridge and tunnel and chavs favour this place. I could not get out of there fast enough.

this is the worst restaurant i think i have been to in London. its service is appalling, the food is worse than average, and I just find the place DIRTY DIRTY DIRTY. We were sitting at the back of the restaurant and all I could smell was the dirty floor and rubbish that they obviously hold at the back of the restaurant. This restaurants has thrived because of the area, and that is it.

I have been to Beach Blanket Babylon about five times now. I absolutely love it. Its design is spectacular and its service excellent. We have enjoyed every time we've been there. Thank you guys!

How this restaurant has got good reviews is beyond me. We only had a party of 9 people and were only presented with a Set Menu - we were not even told that we could not order a la carte when we booked. Service was so slow- We booked for 9.30 but our starter arrived at 10.45 There was no vegetarian on the set menu (3 people were vegetarian). When asked if the chicken or salmon was free range or organic the manager has to go ask the kitchen. We ordered our 3 courses at start but after having our main course the two deserts we all opted for; they said they had run out. Why tell us at the end? Food was average and nothing special and a lot to pay for farmed chicken. I would rather spend my money in a proper restaurant rather than this bar cum restaurant. This place is just taking advantage of the area.

Decor is fantastic and frankly that was all that was! We booked a table for 9.30pm some weeks in advance and sadly we found ourselves in the position of ordering our meals at 11.30pm only to be told that nearly half the menu was no longer available to us. Our Vegetarian was served Meat and one of our Party was not served his main meal at all! when we complained we were told by the very unhelpful staff that the Kitchen was now shut!
I will never return.

Hi,

When you people go out for dinner, are you actually in a hurry or there to relax?

Maybe if you would stop checking your watch and stop moaning about the service you would have a better time.

Beach Blanket has been there for seventeen years and not for no reason.

Maybe the menu is not what you like.. fair enough!

Who knows? If you would try to enjoy yourself a bit more, the food might be tastier in the end..

Well whatever,
I guess I just don't like people who complain all the time..

:)

Utterly the worst restaurant I have ever been to due to the diabolical service and lack of attention to detail. The venue itself was interesting and had the potential to be great. Having now read reviews on this site, I cannot believe they are still open, but not surprised that the owner would not take my call when I rang to complain a short while ago. I was told he does not take outside calls. No surprise there.



I had organised a media event there for clients. Everything was wrong. Worst of all, we had placed our menu orders in advance, but they brought out something completely different and I was told what they brought out was better than what we ordered, so like it or lump it!



Lunch lasted 3 hours +, with gaps in between courses of up to an hour. I had to complain so many times that the food went cold. Staff were so unintrusive they were invisible, and I resorted to serving drinks myself.



I complained until it became a joke even down to the fact that we had been told that they were doing name cards for us and when I got there they handed me some roughly cut up card and a pen!



I even had to go downstairs and swipe table cloths off other tables as we didn't have any and nobody brought them to us when I asked.



When I compained about the different menu, I was told that the chef was not happy with what he got at market that morning so got something different. Fine - but could he not have told me? Was he not happy with potatoes either - as we didn't get them either, although they were ordered. I was there from 10am after all. They served us fishcakes instead of mussels and one of the diners had to stop as she had a wheat allergy and realised the breadcrumbs could have given her a reaction. We ordered John Dory and got sea bass.



Toilets were dirty and smelly, the manager argued like the blazes with every point I made and refused to let me speak to the owne

The Beach Blanket Babylon decor is one of the best in the area and the cocktails are great. However the food on the menu is the worst, most ostentatious drivel I've ever seen and tried. I ordered a rack of lamb and 45 minutes later three small chops on a dollop of mashed potato showed up. The chops were mostly fat and not what you would expect for 30 pounds. When I complained the head waitress disappeared for half and hour and I had to question her again what was going on.



The staff were rude to me despite the fact I was overly polite in my justified complaint. They hurled the credit card machine my way when we went to pay and didn't even say goodbye when we left.



I worked in restaurants and bars when I was at university and never would I dream about treating a customer in the manner they did, especially as I was so genuinely polite. The management have no clue and I don't think they really care. All of the locals in Notting Hill complain about the food and service and hence never go there.



They have ruined a potentially amazing restaurant. I forsee it closing in the next year or two unless the owners have more money than sense. On the plus side, there was one nice waiter, however he didn't understand what the word drink meant.

I made a reservation for 6pm at Beach Blanket Babylon, specifically requesting the Crypt. Got seated at 6:30pm after complaining twice - not where requested but next to a cutlery drawer and bin. In to which the restaurant staff insisted on emptying cigarette ash in throughout our dining experience. So much for a romantic evening. Food menu extensively limited and some dishes that were on the menu were not available. Service was slow.



Food was over priced - £17 for a hamburger? Cost us £90 for 2 excluding wine. The only thing Beach Blanket Babylon has going for it is the decor. Would never return.

I took my girlfriend to Beach Blanket Babylon for our anniversary, and I must say we had a really nice night. The decor is nothing short of stunning, and the atmosphere on a monday night was very pleasant. The menu is full of interesting dishes and the desserts were especially mouth-watering. There is a respectable, although pricey, wine list and the cocktails are great. The staff were very friendly and eager to help.



If the guy who said this is the worst restaurant in London has actually been there, I would seriously like to know where he normally goes, and to take him to some of the places I've been to in the east end!

Went to Beach Blanket Babylon last night and have to agree with so many of the comments I've read: the place is gorgeous and the drinks are good. However, the service is exceptionally bad and food mediocre and overpriced.

I must admit I was scared about going here when I read all the reviews. I booked it for my girlfriends birthday however, it turned out to be a great decision. We sat in the Chapel part of the restaurant and it was amazing! The main was really tasty and the starter and dessert was good value for the money. The portions are average, but then I like to eat well and drinks were around the average price you would pay for Central London.



The Beach Blanket Babylon staff were very friendly. I had brought a cake with me and when I paid there was a surcharge for serving it. I was unaware of this and spoke to a member of staff who immediately took it off the bill and gave us one persons meal free for the inconvenience! Overall Beach Blanket Babylon was a good experience. It is more of an awe inspring restaurant than unbelievable food.

Beach Blanket Babylon is comfortably the worst restaurant in London. We waited 45 minutes for a table. Once our orders were taken we waited over an hour for our starters, and when we questioned the staff were told that they had forgotton about us.


Then it turned out the restaurant had run out of food! On New Year's Eve! At least 50-60 people in the restaurant were given nothing at all to eat. We were lucky enough to get a few starters and desserts (which were not very nice). My New Year's Eve meal was a Roast Chicken Sandwich from the BP garage on the way home.



The promised £65.00 refund has yet to materialise and everyone at Beach Blanket Babylon keeps claiming someone will call back, but of course they never do. The management are just total amateurs.

Sadly £30.00 won't even buy you a main course at beach Blanket Babylon. Starters are £13.00, side dishes from £3.00-£5.00 and desserts £9.00. If the whole experience and food was worth that crazy sort of money, I'd say go, but it isn't.


The service is apalling, yet the Beach Blanket Babylon staff and manager don't seem to care. The atmosphere is lovely, open fires, candleit and quite quirky. I would recommend you go here for drinks and cocktails but not for dinner.

Don't got Beach Blanket Babylon. The service is abysmal, the staff are rude and no manager prepared to speak to customers. The food is at best average, and the Beach Blanket Babylon prices are scandalous. It is absolute rubbish.

I used to go to Beach Blanket Babylon more than 10 years ago before the original owner moved on. It's gone downhill in terms of the pretentious clientele but the food still kicks ass. Beach Blanket Babylon is full of lots of upwardly mobile types who generally lower the tone owing to their obsession with outward displays of wealth.

Beach Blanket Babylon? Awful. Again and again and again... I think almost all the staff at Beach Blanket Babylon need to wake up and smell the roses. You are really NOT that good looking! Don't bother people.

Had an amazing time at Beach Blanket Babylon the other night. Food was great and the bar was excellent. Go to Beach Blanket Babylon early as it gets very busy later. It's very expensive but worth it too!

I agree with Andreas, although I wouldn't call it a shithole. Beach Blanket Babylon still has unique surroundings but these are its main asset. However, I do feel that some of these reviews are over the top.


On a recent trip to Beach Blanket Babylon I was disappointed to find that the managers still haven't got their act together. It is completely overpriced for the quality of the food and the standard of service which I would rate as average.

Went to Beach Blanket Babylon after a great meal at the Ledbury Restaurant. When we arrived I thought it was too expensive, but we ended up staying at Beach Blanket Babylon for three hours! The cost of things are relative to the great ambience, great service, and very comfortable setting.

Beach Blanket Babylon is a shithole and most of the five star reviews are probably sent in by the actual general manager of the place.

Beach Blacnket Babylon is so bad I want to scream. This was once a great place. How can things have got so bad. Beach Blanket Babylon was very very disappointing.

Read the review and went to Beach Blanket Babylon anyway - never again. There were rude staff, bad food, terrible service - you have been warned about Beach Blanket Babylon.

Yes, Beach Blanket Babylon has been open a long time and I have seen it degenerate over the years because I have been living here for 12 years.



It has changed owners about three times and the most recent are the worst. They are really running Beach Blanket Babylon into the ground and giving people poor value for money. All these years I have never seen anyone queing outside.

Despite some of the comments here I took my girlfriend and some friends to BEach Blanket Babylon for dinner and we had a wild time!



As soon as we arrived we were greeted by some very beautiful girls on reception who couldn't do enough for us. We skipped the bar and went straight for dinner in the crypt area which is unlike any restaurant setting I've seen before. Food was very good in a brasserie sort of way and the service was just as pleasing plus the cocktails were also great.



If you're looking for somewhere totally uncorporate and at the same time sophisticated and clearly very cool then you could do a lot worse than than this hallowed institution in Notting Hill.

Beach Blanket Babylon has been open 16 years and put Notting Hill on the map, inspiring a whole new wave of bars and restaurants. Beach Blanket Babylon is cool and has always been cool. If it wasn't it wouldn't packed with queues down the street most nights of the week. Get real, who are you trying to kid!?

Had a fabulous time at the famous Beach Blanket Babylon last night and it was seriously cool! The bar staff were mostly Australian and French, were sexy and made great cocktails. They have a beautiful patio area out front too all decked out in delicious cushions.



The inside bar is awesome to look at, which must be why it was packed when we got there. Please don't believe the negative reviews that are clearly left by other jealous bar owners. Beach Blanket Babylon is cool!

I have been to Beach Blanket Babylon three times and each time it gets worse! OK, to be honest, I have never recommended it to anyone so I can only blame myself for going back (there are just too many other good restaurants in London).



I went again this Saturday for some brunch with friends (thought they could not mess up brunch and I would not risk bringing a client there). When we went in I asked the manager if they were still doing brunch and he said yes (on reflection, I think I could have asked him if he was big bird and he would probably have said yes) however it also says on the menu that Sat-Sun brunch is served until 5.30 pm. When we were sitted, we were then told that as it was gone 2.30 we could not have brunch! I know we should have got up and left but we ordered and waited...and waited...and waited! In the 1 hour wait for our food we saw the waitress twice....eventually we had to say we were leaving in five minutes unless our food arrived....when it did 10 minutes later so did the same manager to tell me what I had ordered was not available (it took him an hour to tell me this).



My advice is to, with so many other excellent restaurants in London, give Beach Blanket Babylon a miss, it has lousy service and a manager who I can only presume needs special assistance to find his way to work and food that can only be described as a let down.

What a load of hype for very mediocre venue. It's plagarism all the way through from the design to the sad menu and jewellery which have already been done in a very famous restaurant in Shoreditch. It annoys me that Beach Blanket Babylon get away with being bad because there will always be some punters who are unaware of what lies in store for them at Beach Blanket Babylon.

Its incredible what a restaurant and bar can get away with these days considering that Londoners are very well travelled and have a limitless choices of places to go to. I suppose the location of Beach Blanket Babylon lends itself to unsuspecting victims. I agree with a lot of the previous victims of this place, how is it that they mess up simple, classic cocktails and it does smell like a toilet. I am never going back to BBB ever!

I couldn't disagree more with some of the negative views printed here. Beach Blanket Babylon is totally awesome! The cocktails are very good, all made with fresh juices and organic purees, the staff are wonderful (some of the boys are quite cute too) and the venues decor is simply out of this world, unique and just such fun to be in! Make sure you go to Beach Blanket Babylon, but dress to impress or you might feel a little blended into the background, what with the beautiful cabinets full of the most wonderous jewellery they have!

Had dinner at Beach Blanket Babylon last night and a wonderful time. The decor is very cool and hip and doesn't try to take itself too seriously. Lots of very cool jewellery cabinets litter the bar area and make for a very glamourous setting. When we got there, about 7pm, the place was just starting to get buzzy and the crowd there were assuredly cool too in that, been there, done it kind of way so the whole experience was very relaxed and not in the least bit essexy! Beach Blanket Babylon is well worth a visit!

I have never been to such a dreadful place. All my friends who have been to Beach Blanket Babylon have had the most horrible experience and vowed never to go back. Why don't they stop ripping people off blindly and stop pretending that they know anything about the hospitality industry. I think Beach Blanket Babylon is a disgusting disgrace to Notting Hill. Don't ever make the same mistake as me please.

Beach Blanket Babylon is such a great place to go for evening drinks and dinner, however I visited with clients during the day for lunch and we all agreed that our meeting went particularly well because of the upbeat vibe and boho decor putting us all in a positive/creative mood. Why bother with all the pretentious bars and restaurants in Notting Hill when Beach Blanket Babylon is on the doorstep? Staff are so warm and friendly, the food is delicious and always a treat and you couldn't think up a more exquisite cocktail cavern. Thank you BBB for making London life more exciting and glam - I love having somewhere I can put my gladrags on for - especially when it's cold and grey outside...

Went to Beach Blanket Babylon the other evening and had a great time! It's not so much a club in the traditional sense but rather a very hip hang out for glamour queens, european aristocracy and bored russian billionaires. I can see why they come as Beach Blanket Babylon is seriously cool and has a strong following of East London wall flowers in skinny jeans with stripy tops. Loads of fun too!

Having read so many bad reviews about Beach Blanket Babylon I simply had to find out more about this hallowed institution. I first looked them up on their web site and was surprised that the some of the reviews here could be refering to the same place!

Consequently I took a deep breath and headed with the girlfriend for drinks to test the water. As soon as we walked into Beach Blanket Babylon we were bowled over with it's stunning interior, so stunning that there was actually too much to take in! The receptionists (there were about 5 of them, and all too gorgeous for words) immediately made us feel welcome by seating us, taking our coats and leaving us with the cocktail list which in itself was also impressive. I chose the Purple Blanket which was very good and made with organic juices and the best spirits and all that.

After a few of these we ventured into the restaurant which looked like a scene from Neverending Story crossed with Citizen Kane! Very beautiful and my grilfriend didn't stop going on about it for the whole meal. The food then was good, not great, but good enough to feel satisfied. We had a lovely bottle of Chateau Lamothe Cissac which was very well priced and 2 more cocktails of the Paris Hilton variety.

All in we had a great time at Beach Blanket Babylon and despite others remarks here I would definitely recommend this place as one of the best in London right now!

Had a wonderful meal at Beach Blanket Babylon the other evening. The staff couldn't do enough for me and my guests, the food was delicious, the decor amazing, the cocktails to die for. GO to Beach Blanket Babylon!

Had a small dinner party at Beach Blanket Babylon on friday and had an absolute ball. The food was great and the attention to detail was simply marvelous, try the Goats Cheese Salad to start followed by Chateau Briand for 2 which me and a friend tried to our delight. The Beach Blanket Babylon wine list was very impressive, each wine a classic in its own right with a few surprises to boot and the cocktails were also very good indeed - try the passion fruit martini. The crowd here are of the international glamour types with a few East London arty types thrown in for good measure. The decor is very impressive too which has made it a definite favorite of mine! If you try one place this year go to BBB. Its seriously cool!

Beach Blanket Babylon is sooooo pretentious! What the hell is the name all about? Thing is, it's quite nice inside, if only the Beach Blanket Babylon posse would descend from on high I might be happy.

I love Beach Blanket Babylon and the new chef is cooking up some fantastic dishes - the portions are huge and everything tastes so fresh and wholesome. The La Valliere collection is such a brilliant idea (it's a collection of vintage jewellery on show in the BBB Boutique) and I even bought myself a little brooch after dinner. I'd recommend Beach Blanket Babylon to anyone, especially since the refurb and new chef's arrival.

We went to Beach Blanket Babylon as a group of 10 last Saturday, and as an experienced London restaurant diner, I can certify that this was one of the worst dining experiences I have had in the last 5 years living in the capital.

We were shoved into the packed bar as a group of 10, and they could not seat us for a further 15 minutes. Having been shoved and squashed by the main door of the bar, we were finally shown to our seats before a 25 minute wait to order our food.

The overpriced menu beggars belief given that my starter of 'Gravadlax and Beetroot' was so salty and tough it was inediable, and was served on a patty of unidentified mush. Three dishes were not available on the menu, and both white and red wines we ordered had 'run out'.

The final straw was the female loos, which stank in the corridor before I had even reached them. If one judges the kitchen's hygiene on the state of the loos, then Beach Blanket Babylon should be shut down. Without going into too much detail, there was flooding, no loo roll and filthy basins. And all for over £44 p.p when we'd had under 1/3 of a bottle per head, no puddings and no coffees!

Don't make the mistake that we did.

Beach Blanket Babylon used to be a great bar, but the last few visits have been a major disappointment. Incompetent staff, the surliest maitre d' in London and truly terrible cocktails. How do you mess up a Mojito?

At £9.00 a drink, expect better from this once-great institution. Beach Blanket Babylon needs a serious staff makeover (and a cocktail recipe book). Avoid.

Had dinner at Beach Blanket Babylon in the evening and instantly fell in love. I'm sure the Australian guy just had it in for the place as i thought it was first class.

Try the foie gras and duck to follow. Very seasonal dishes cooked to prerfection and in the least bit expensive considering the amazing decor and very nice staff too.

Go early as Beach Blanket Babylon gets packed very quickly and not surpirisingly too!

Well what can I say? Came all the way from Australia on my honeymoon. To make my wife happy we went to a place that looked great and promised so much. However Beach Blanket Babylon delivered so little.

Beware of the waiting staff that basically make you feel as though they won't make it back home unless the tip is more than 12.5%, no matter how shocking the service is. Let me tell you, Beach Blanket Babylon was the worst place I've seen in the world.

This place makes London look and feel like a 3rd world country. The food and service were so poor and the value? Well, you would get more value out of a pair of Nike knock offs from a night market in Malaysia...

Never again. Be warned they enjoy taking the piss out of their customers!

I had a fantastic evening at Beach Blanket Babylon which I did find surprising considering I have read some poor reviews.
The whole evening was magical, the staff we very attentive and full of smiles which makes a change! There were several other gorgeous people hanging around the bar which added to the atmospheric buzz. The interior at Beach Blanket Babylon is truly amazing, it's worth a look even if you don't try the a la carte menu. I had the grilled swordfish with stir fried vegetables and soya sauce which was simply delicious. My husband also enjoyed the Beach Blanket Babylon experience and we have booked our Christmas party there.
Well done BBB!

First impressions of Beach Blanket Babylon were great, the place looks amazing - but the food was the most over-priced mush I've ever eaten in London.
Go to Beach Blanket Babylon for a drink, ignore the menu.

Looks: Great
Service: Appalling. Don't go to Beach Blanket Babylon on a Saturday night because that is when they 'train new staff', on the busiest night of the week - genius! Had to wait over 90 minutes for food and when it did arrive the order was wrong and ALL side dishes had been forgotten.
Food: What little food we had at Beach Blanket Babylon was fine but nothing spectacular...after an hour and a half expectations were high!
Joke of the night: Waitress complained about us not paying the 'optional' service charge. She actually claimed that they only get paid by tips!
Summary: Beach Blanket Babylon might be good for drinks at the bar but make sure you stop by MacDonalds first for a more satisfying dining experience!