Savini | Criterion 224 Piccadilly, London W1J 9HP

"Great service, very delicious food and beautifully presented and nice atmosphere. We have enjoyed our dinner a lot."

"I wrote this review earlier this year, from what I understand the restaurant has changed ownership and is not what it once was. I haven’t been able to verify this so I will post this review with the risk that it is indeed no longer relevant. This is my first trip to London in over 20 years so at a suggestion from our hotel concierge my wife and I booked a afternoon tea at the Savini at Criterion. Upon walking into this establishment you can't help but be awed by the interior of the building that dates back to the 1800's, beautiful marble walls and fire place and an amazing mosaic domed ceiling covered in gold leaf tiles. Unbeknownst to us this restaurant has been used by the film industry, parts of Downton Abby as well as the Dark Night movie were filmed in this amazing establishment. We had initially made reservations for afternoon tea but and had arrived with an appetite for our 5pm reservation, once seated we couldn't help but notice the delicious smells coming from the table next to us, based on our neighbors food choices we decided to order something more substantial than tea. We started with a wonderful bottle of Barolo, a plate of cheese and meat as well as a Caprese salad. Admittedly you can't really go wrong with such food offerings but the quality and plating of the food were exceptional. After our light meal we jumped right into Afternoon Tea, a nice black tea with a tower of finger sandwiches and sweets. Everything was wonderful, the savory treats were very nice and the sweets were equally as nice. We enjoyed another pot of white tea, a more delicate brew to finish our meal. At the end of the meal we were offered a glass of prosecco and some wonderful little cookies. There are not that many reviews for this place and some of them are not good but after reading them you realize the complaints are quite petty, some people seem surprised by the price, it's a nice restaurant in Piccadilly Circus area of London, look around you, nothing is cheap here. Based on the food and service, keeping in mind that we ordered appetizers and afternoon tea, I will happily award this restaurant 5 stars. Giovanni was a very attentive waiter, if you have an opportunity to served by him I would suggest that you will have an enjoyable experience."

"visited Savini at Criterion for dinner after a convention. The staff was very friendly - even I didnt wear a suit. I felt welcome in the restaurant. Had some pasta and a coffee with some nice adds. might be back another time"

"Walking into Savini, I was taken aback by the beautifully decorated restaurant with high ceilings, glistening chandeliers and exquisite furnishings. At the entrance, you can also pick up wine and dry foods which Savini produce, which is a nice tourist touch. I started with drinks at the lounge area, this is a great place to catch up with an old friend, but also if you want to have an intimate meeting. When my friend arrived for dinner we were escorted to our table and I was quite impressed with the service and the mellow ambience of the restaurant. For starters, I chose from the antipasti section on the menu and selected the beef tartare removing the egg yolk, served with mustard and Finferli mushrooms. The mustard sat perfectly with the beef tartare as the beef was not heavily seasoned, so the mustard aided in giving the beef a tangy taste. I had never had Finferli mushroom before, but they are a type of wild mushroom, which I love. My friend and I also shared the grilled king prawns with hazelnut crumble, Spanish white beans and red onion mayonnaise cream. The beans are cooked Spanish style in tomato puree and reminded me of beans that I ate back home (Nigeria), however, I was expecting the beans to be rather spicy but they were quite plain. The prawns are fresh and full of flavour and are a definite must-have from the menu! However, the mayonnaise cream is quite bizarre as it looks like yoghurt but also tastes quite plain. The cocktail menu at Savini is extensive and there is so much choice, but I opted to go for a berry based champagne cocktail, which was beautifully presented and yummy! For my main, I decided to be quite plain and opt for the free range rib eye Scottish beef (250g/8.8 0z) served with rosemary flavoured roasted potatoes. I always get my beef cooked medium-rare and Savini nailed their beef as this is what I call a perfect medium-rare steak! Well seasoned, not too chewy and melts in the mouth! Majority of the desserts on the menu are full of dairy, so I opted for a simple selection of sorbets. Nothing beats a refreshing Italian lemon sorbet! Very refreshing and aided cleansing the palette. What was nice, was that the team gave me a selection of biscuits when I was leaving. This was a lovely touch and was a nice way to end my dining experience! Price: £££ What to wear: Smart (I wore a blazer, shirt and classic trainers) Ambience: Mellow vibe with friendly staff"

"Christmas brunch - amazing food and service. We did not have a reservation and they sat us promptly. Our service was amazing. They had forgotten the dressing on our salad and our server brought it over and was very apologetic. We ordered the prosciutto starter, Caesar Salad, lasagna and seafood risotto. I highly recommend the lasagna. We also spilt a bottle of red wine, great wine and only $30. Great experience and would strongly recommend."