As a long suffering Brixtonite, Hive always nearly had it. The music and atmosphere have always been great but the food was nothing special, often slow especially when busy, and the furniture a little bare, especially upstairs.



However, last Friday I popped in, as usual after work, to find a complete transformation. Upstairs has been completely refitted with leather banquettes and groovy new bee wallpaper, low candle lighting and proper liquor fuelled cocktails but most importantly there was a long overdue new menu which, according to the waitress, coincides with the appointment of a new head chef, and it showed.



We had a combination of homemade pumpkin stuffed ravioli and figs stuffed with goats cheese and palma ham, presented well, served quick and tasted great. It looks like Hive has finally got its act together. This time I really hope it lasts.

I would not recommend Hive to my worst enemy. The food was distinctly average and the service was shockingly bad. Our order was extremely slow to arrive and the waitress was incredibly rude, to the point where we could barely muster the will to order the bill from her in order to make our hasty escape. Hive was a bizarre and unpleasant dining experience, one to be avoided!

I had such an awful experience at Hive I feel obliged to tell other people. I don’t think I’ve ever had such an unpleasant waitress in my life! Not only was the food late and lukewarm, but the order was wrong, and when we asked for the correct order they were really rude about it.


To make matters worse there was a constant stream of people walking through the middle of the restaurant to get to the upstairs bar, which was playing thumping house music.


It was really distracting when you're trying to have a nice relaxing chat over dinner. Hive has terrible service, horrible atmosphere, and bad food. Don’t go!

Hive isn't a hive. The workers busily dart around to ensure this restaurant has efficient service to compliment the good quality food on offer.


There's a definite buzz around the place, with a relaxed and friendly atmosphere, whilst prices are good too, so no sting in the tail.

Hive was the worst eating out experience I have had for a very long time. Our mains arrived 15 mins before the others and when the second set arrived two burgers had not been cooked properly, which then took another 15 minutes.


On their return it was evident they were the same burgers but swapped round so it was sent back a second time and another 10 minutes later it finally arrived - this time with a topping of cheese, not bacon as requested. I was too hungry to care, and by that time it had been knocked off the Hive bill. Finally to finish us off, the apple crumble desserts were lukewarm.

Slightly off the beaten track, Hive proved to be a delightful cosy bar/restaurant with a great cocktail bar upstairs. The staff were friendly and the quality of food was also a bargain for the price.

Hive is definitely a must if you're in Brixton on a night out or even for pre Brixton Academy (or post for those with staying power) drink.

As a great little secret bar in Brixton that hasn't been discovered by the rude idiots that populate Living, Hive is definitely a find.



Unfortunately the same can't be said of the restaurants staff. After ordering on a Friday night (with only two other tables eating), we waited a whole hour before getting our starters. The waitress looked like she'd stumbled off the street in a tracky top and hair flopping forwards and they brought an incorrect order and attempted to blame us for the error. Though they did eventually compensate us with two bottles of wine.

The food itself was very tasty, the mussels for a starter were cooked in a delicious sauce and appeased the appetite nicely. The baked cod was good, but the portion was tiny compared to other main courses.



If they sorted out the attitude and speed of the staff, Hive would be a fantastic restaurant but the experience left an unappetising taste in my mouth.

I had the best steak I've ever eaten at Hive last night, yum!