The Wharf

Excellent food and quick service, they were out of fish and chips so I ordered their fried calamari and a chicken burger which was pretty good.

I absolutely love this restaurant!
I went there for lunch and it wasn’t very busy at all and I managed to get an outside table overlooking the Thames and the gorgeous London skyline view. There are some tables out in the sun, some in the shade and some inside. It was a beautiful sunny day so I sat in the sun.
I had the chargrilled chicken risotto and it was delicious! Service was nice and quick and the portion was a good size and it was really tasty. I would definitely recommend this to anyone and will definitely go here again.

What a great place! My current favourite. Amazing view, yet none of the pomp and circumstance many others on the Southbank have. The food is well priced, huge portions and delicious. Great service too. We can recommend the chargrilled chicken salad, butternut and feta salad and fish (of which you get a huge piece) and chips. I’ll be back!

There is one thing that sets this place apart from the many others of its kind: its location. Situated between Waterloo Bridge and Blackfriars Bridge in a delightful spot by the side of the River Thames, The Wharf has spectacular views of the central London skyline (St Paul’s Cathedral etc.) and of the river itself. Unfortunately, the weather was appalling on my recent visit — very wet and windy. So, it was impossible to appreciate the view. What’s more the upstairs alfresco dining area was closed! That was disappointing. There were very few customers (on what I imagine would otherwise have been a busy Saturday evening), so it’s difficult to judge the reasonableness of the criticism of the service made by other commenters.
I was with 4 friends. The food and wine we had was fine, if unspectacular. My main course — Classic Burger and salad — was perfectly acceptable. My friends were happy with their meals (which included a mushroom risotto and pan-​fried prawns). The service was friendly and efficient. We had a very pleasant evening.
The toilet facilities were out of order and not in use on my visit. That necessitated a short walk in pouring rain to the neighbouring eatery — The Gourmet Pizza Co. (I think!) — to use its facilities. These things happen sometimes — I assume it was an isolated occurrence — so it’s probably unfair to criticise The Wharf on that basis.
Our bill for 3 courses, 2 bottles of wine and coffee came to £35 per person, including service. A little on the high side perhaps, but not overly so.
The Wharf is a competent and (save for its wonderful location) unspectacular restaurant, somewhat less glamorous perhaps than the impression you get from visiting its website. But it’s worth visiting for a meal with friends if you’re in the area.

Riviera’s patio seating affords an unobstructed view of the Thames. Service isn’t as quick as I would like, but it’s an ideal place to take your client for a quiet lunch.

Service was absolutely awful — I ordered tuna, cooked medium. I’ve done this a lot, I only eat fish and chicken so I know what tuna cooked medium is.
Tuna came out throughly cooked and not even warm. People behind us ordered after, but got their food first. They were loud + obnoxious + making out, cussing, and smoking in this non-​smoking area.
So, I tell the waiter: «I think I ordered this medium?»
Waiter: «That’s how medium is cooked here.»
Me thinking… wow so is well-​done charred? or a pile of ashes? I eat my food. The tuna’s practically lodged in my throat it’s so dry.
The heaping portion of couscous was so large but not really surprising — maybe they were trying to get rid of it. It was cold, horrible, filled with too much parsley, tasted old and just gross.
This tuna misfortune overweighs everything else and ruined my dining experience (especially with the rude couple behind us) blech :(

The view makes this restaurant worth visiting. Also, the mussels. But the service: BLARG. Yes, in capitals.
Watching the sun set over the Thames with the lights twinkling along the banks is just gorgeous. But don’t expect a quick meal out: we arrived at 8, got our food at 9, and left around 10. Yes there were six of us, but there were only a handful of other occupied tables.
Also, Phil R had to send his plate back. He ordered the tuna steak with couscous and it was served lukewarm (the couscous was just plain COLD). The waitress tried to cover it by saying the couscous was meant to be cold as it was a ‘salad’, but Phil wasn’t having any of it. STICK TO YOUR GUNS! That’s our motto! It came back nice and warm (and hopefully without a globule of spit).
Can I just say, I wish there was a more quality selection of dining options on the South Bank. THAT VIEW!!!

Whether you’re seated inside or on the terrace of this lovely Mediterranean restaurant, you’ll be treated to a wonderful view of Thames northbank and St. Paul’s Cathedral in the distance. It’s nice to come here just before sunset and watch the city lights start to glow as it gets dark.
We shared a mushroom and gorgonzola polenta to start, then enjoyed a perfectly cooked and seasoned leg of lamb with very spicy couscous and a cold poached salmon platter. I recommend you splurge on the chocolate truffle pudding with shortbread and clotted cream if it’s on the menu. The coffee here was especially good.
You can purchase a package that includes a three-​course meal and tickets for the London Eye (about a ten-​minute walk away) for about £52 for two people. Details are at
.
Riviera loses a star due to slow, indifferent service on an evening when it was only half filled. Nearly a half hour after finishing our appetizer we still hadn’t received our entrees, and when we asked the waitress how much longer a wait it might be, she shrugged and said she had no control over the kitchen. If you can’t summon up actual concern for your customers, at least try to pretend you care!

This Mediterranean restaurant on the Southbank is always teeming with people. I’d always passed and the smell was incredible but it’s so hard to choose, which restaurant /​café to eat in on the Southbank because the choice is really amazing here.
Despite what it looks like on the outside, the décor inside is cool and modern. The staff are always superb and despite its’ busyness, I’ve never had to wait longer than 20 minutes for my main meal — really great service.
Again, this is just one of the great places on the Southbank but it’s definitely worth a try if you feel like something different from the usual oriental /​french cuisine choices in the area…