From its seventh floor setting it’s no surprise that the Tate Modern’s restaurant enjoys fabulous views over the Thames and beyond.

The Venue
A large, light and loud room with bistro-style tables, busy and buzzy and dominated by the large plate-glass windows; if you’re booking, make sure you ask for a window seat or you’ll only be craning over other diners’ heads.

The Atmosphere
As you might expect, a fair proportion of the diners in Cafe Level Seven at Tate Modern are tourists visiting the gallery, but on a sultry summer evening you’ll also find Londoners drawn by the fabulous views.

The fact that it’s child friendly, coupled with the room’s natural acoustics, means it’s not the place for a quiet tete-a-tete, but if you’re after a buzzy, lively ambience it will hit the spot.

The Food
The Cafe Level Seven at Tate Modern menu is concise, with around five starters and six mains on offer. Relying on fresh produce means that some key ingredients crop up several times, so it’s worth checking you’re not going to wind up with asparagus, for instance, in your starter, main and side salad.

Given its robust price bracket (around £15 for mains) you’d be right to expect something special from the food. However, a blue steak came back medium rare while the accompanying chips, conversely, were under-done. Service, though attentive, veered between awkward and slightly presumptuous.

The Last Word
With its informal atmosphere, cafe-style seating, casual service and slightly unreliable cooking, Cafe Level Seven at Tate Modern would be better off charging bistro, rather than restaurant, prices. However, given that stunning view and a reliable through-trade of diners from the gallery, they clearly don’t have to try too hard. It’s a shame, as it could be so much better.

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