Ivy Clifton Brasserie

Classy and nice ambient restaurant :) great for dating and gathering with friends! Food was nice and services are impeccable! Very friendly and well mannered staff. Would recommend to everyone & would love to visit again.

We had such a magical breakfast with the Elves experience today ....Perfect way to start the festive celebrations and countdown

Best service I’ve ever had at any Ivy! Food was good, atmosphere was great and Joe absolutely smashed it.

Had a beautiful afternoon tea for a special occasion with family. We were sat in the conservatory style part overlooking the garden. The building is stunning, lovely decor, service was also really good. Good vegetarian options. We couldn’t finish it all so they gave us nice bags to take the rest home. Small note is that the disabled toilet door wouldn’t lock and it would also benefit from being as beautifully decorated as the other toilets downstairs.

Really loved the attention and kindness shown towards our engagement meal. The bill surprised us totally as the desserts 🍨 were on the house and so was the welcoming champagne. The highlight for me food wise was the Salt and Pepper Calamari started and the Sticky Toffee pudding! Beautiful evening ✨️ that was made extra special. Thank you for our wonderful first dining experience here!

The Ivy never fails to impress, but this spot in Bristol is easily a place you can trust for consistent quality. If you live in the city, this should definitely be in your regular rotation. We opted for the 2-course menu, starting with the French Onion Soup and following up with The Ivy Classic Shepherd's Pie–a flawless combination. To pair with the meal, we chose the Rioja Alavesa (Bhilar Tinto, Bodegas Bhilar); the wine was exquisite, and we would order it again in a heartbeat. The atmosphere is wonderful, but the service was the real highlight. We were there to celebrate a birthday, and simply mentioning it led to a lovely surprise–the staff brought out a celebratory cake with a candle completely on their own initiative. It is rare to find such genuine and thoughtful hospitality. Considering the stunning setting, the quality of the food, and the level of service, the value for money is incredible. Don't hesitate to visit–highly recommended!

Great food, atmosphere and service. The 1917 two course lunch is excellent value with good size portions. I really enjoyed the French onion soup followed by the minute steak with peppercorn sauce and triple cooked chips. The drinks are not cheap but all together we thoroughly recommend The Ivy.

Absolutely gorgeous environment in the restaurant, great design, feels comfortable and not too close with other customers. Staff gave us plenty of time to decide does not feel pressured at all. Staff is very professional and friendly. Scallops in the starters are definitely recommended. Flavourful scallops, fresh and great texture, delicious Spanish with cheese on the side. The most stunning part is the foam which added texture. Steak is not particularly stood out, a bit unevenly cooked but it’s still okay. Dessert is chocolate bombe. I would definitely come back and have this. It’s got different texture, and the sweetness form chocolate, caramel and ice cream. The cocktails and drinks are also great. Definitely worth the price and will come back again.

It was great. We came for Valentine's Day. There were 6 of us. The waiter was very friendly and served our table well. We were very satisfied. The food was delicious and the atmosphere was relaxed.

Came here for a real small Christmas works do and WOW. Service top notch, food out of this world and staff could not do enough. It's almost felt like stepping back in time to like Downton abby or somthing in there, the building and decor is incredible. The prices is to match the setting and the sort of place you are in. All the server's are dressed to the nines and treat you like a lord and lady.

Fantastic restaurant for that special occasion or if you fancy treating yourself to something a little special. Lovely atmosphere, great food and wonderful staff.

Very pleased with our experience. Bit price on the day due large table of 10x but will definitely be back to try main menu

Impressively presented menu offered by this beautiful restaurant. I loved the high, gold-leaf ceiling supported by a central column and skirted with tropical engineer-diagram images, which to me were a tip of the hat to Bristol's many high tech contributions. I wish I had time to try the whole menu. My meal, an eggplant tajine, was delicious. Paired with an outstanding drinks offering, The Ivy will be a great place for dinner with friends or someone special. Put The Ivy on your Bristol dining plans.

Simply, a very pleasant place to eat. Attemtive and friendly staff, good tasty food, reasonably priced all in a bright and colourfully decorated restaurant. We will visit again!

Our experience at The Ivy Clifton Brasserie was absolutely fantastic! From the moment we walked in, we were impressed by the elegant and beautifully designed interior, with its stylish décor and charming atmosphere. The attention to detail in both the furnishings and the artwork really added to the overall experience. The food was delicious, perfectly prepared and beautifully presented. The menu offers a great selection, and everything we tried was full of flavor and cooked to perfection. The service was outstanding—the staff were incredibly friendly, professional, and attentive, making sure we had everything we needed without being intrusive. Another highlight was the spotlessly clean and wonderfully fresh-smelling restrooms, which only added to the overall sense of quality and attention to detail. It was a truly enjoyable dining experience, and we highly recommend The Ivy Clifton Brasserie for anyone looking for great food, excellent service, and a lovely ambiance. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I popped into Clifton village with my daughter. We had missed lunch and it was around 3.30pm. It's a lovely building and great decor the staff were excellent. The menu is not extensive but the food is very well executed. I ate off the 1917 menu which had two courses for around £20, really good value. The French onion soup was rich and tasty, the shepherds pie was a great example of the dish. My daughter had the calamari to start which I assume was nice as she ate all of it quickly, her fish and chips were of course lovely. I will definitely be back when next in Bristol.

Food was amazing as was our waiter Tibor who looked after us extremely well. Was polite helpful and a delight to have around. Had a wonderful afternoon didn’t feel rushed and was made to feel special. Well recommended. Thank you The Ivy, this was an extremely pleasant memory we won’t forget.

We had an absolutely wonderful experience at The Ivy, made truly exceptional by Tanesha. From the moment we arrived, she was warm, attentive, and genuinely welcoming. Her professionalism and attention to detail stood out, and she went above and beyond to make sure everything was perfect. Tanesha’s friendly demeanor and thoughtful service elevated the entire visit and made it feel special from start to finish. It’s rare to encounter service like this—she is a real credit to The Ivy Bristol. We can’t wait to return.

Today me and my partner went for her birthday and was offered water, but I said champagne and champagne came within a minute... The staff are absolutely unreal, it's one of these times where you really need to press pause and really just take some time to go out of this world and this is the place... I've been to other Ivy's but this is the best of the best... The filet steak was so reasonably priced yet top 3 I've ever had, with a woods charred crust... Medium rare but like butter! Can't wait to be back, which I absolutely will be! Thanks!

Wow! What a truly stunning place! Beautiful decor surrounds you as soon as you walk in the door. Lovely greetings by the staff. Service was very good. The food was in my humble opinion perfect. Best scallops I've had ever! If I could change just 1 thing it would be the music. It's too loud. Because the tables are quite close, the mixture of other conversations and the music, it makes conversation difficult.

An absolutely wonderful dining experience from start to finish. The restaurant has a lovely atmosphere, the food was delicious and beautifully presented, and the attention to detail truly stood out. What made the experience exceptional was the staff—welcoming, attentive, and genuinely kind. They made us feel comfortable and well cared for without ever being intrusive. I loved it so much that I’ve already made another reservation for the coming days with 7 more guests. Highly recommended, and I can’t wait to return.

I celebrated my small wedding dinner at the Ivy a week ago. The service was so exceptional! Without asking, they offered me a glass of water for my flowers, and a glass of champagne for my husband and I. The staff were so friendly and congratulated us throughout the evening. The atmosphere at the Ivy is so warm and welcoming while also being very classy. I loved the low lighting that helped with making the artwork and natural foliage pop under spot lights. The menu had something for everyone's varied tastes. Everyone deeply enjoyed their meals and felt the food was to everyone's liking. I personally appreciate just the overall experience of the Ivy and will be back as often as I can because of the joyful memories I now have there! Thank you to the staff for making wedding dinner feel special!

I think the place is absolutely stunning. I could not stop looking around! We had two staff members serving our table - one older gentleman who was very polite and one younger lady that was very grumpy and quiet and kept seemingly going out of her way to loudly clank everything she was putting down on our table. The portions were small and the food was not the best for the price. Omelette was watery, english breakfast was very plain and they got my borther in law's smoothie wrong. I imagine this sort of place would be much better for an afternoon tea or for those with smaller appetites and larger wallets.

Went for afternoon tea and the place is amazing for it! The atmosphere is delightful, the staff were pleasant, although communication was a little lacking. We ended up repeating our order multiple times, waiting for things to arrive, only to be needing to ask again. But all in all the afternoon tea selection was a good amount and filling, and also delicious! We definitely enjoyed ourselves.

We celebrated my birthday with a cream tea. The amount of jam and cream provided was small so had to ask for top-ups. But it was all nicely presented.

This is a superb building, very clean everywhere really well staffed. The staff are a superb team that really put service first. The food was a mixture. We had a curry that was superb, and an Ivy Burger that was not great. The chips were crisp, evenly cooked and soft on the inside - superb. The burger was in a brioche bun and was far from pleasant. The top half was way overdone on the inside and the bottom half had no toasted colour and could not be cut easily with a knife. The salad and the meat burger were acceptable but not outstanding. A very poorly prepared burger to have the company name associated with it. The staff apologised but offered no recompense. One last question - why place a burger on a paper tissue on a plate? If this sounds like we would not go back, that is wrong. We will return but never have the Ivy Burger! The Ivy acknowledged the review and said they would address the issues. To help them it happened 16:45 on 2 July 2024

We went for an afternoon tea, and it was delightful! The food was delicious, and the staff were incredibly kind. The place has a posh atmosphere, with great attention to detail. As a small suggestion, it would be nice to have a bit more of the savory sandwiches in the afternoon tea and slightly reduce the number of sweets, just to balance things out.

NOISY. Fabulous decor, making a we wonderful atmosphere. Delicious menu and very kind staff. But. There is no sound dampening in the decor, its been designed in a way that echos and emphasizes noise. This quickly turns into a cacophony as each table conversant strives to be heard. My elderly mum and I shouted at each other across the table on Thursday evening. I wouldn't go here again when it is near full. It might be okay when it is half full. But eating with friends is as much about the conversation as the food. If you really abhor conversations over dinner or with these specific dinner guests, its an outstanding venue on all counts

Must book in advance as very popular. Delicious food and very good service. With music on and a full restaurant it can be a bit difficult, especially for anyone with hearing impairments

I recently had lunch at at The Ivy, and overall, it was a fantastic experience. The food was truly outstanding—top-notch in every way, with flavors and presentation that were absolutely spot-on. The restaurant itself is beautiful, clean, and exudes a refined atmosphere. However, I’m giving four stars because the service could have been better. We often had to look around and wave to get the staff’s attention for things we needed, as they weren’t proactively checking on us. At a restaurant of this caliber, I would expect much more attentiveness from the staff to match the exceptional food and ambiance. That said, I would still highly recommend The Ivy for the quality of the cuisine alone. If the service improves, it could easily be a five-star experience.

I really love the vibe of the restaurant such a nice elegant aesthetic place one can go for their anniversary or birthday to make it more special the only thing i dislike is the steak i told the chef it to well done but to make it well done the steak became a rubber so will recommend not to have the steak from the menu it quite disappointing however the fisk cake and the drinks i really enjoyed

It had been a while since my last visit, so I was excited to return—and I’d forgotten just how stunning the interior is! The opulent decor, with its rich botanical theme, creates such a relaxing and elegant atmosphere. We were seated at a lovely window table with a great view of the bar. To start, we shared the buffalo mozzarella with pesto and a refreshing crab and avocado salad, alongside a warm selection of bread—always a nice touch! For mains, I chose the fillet steak (medium rare), while Sian went for the chicken supreme. Unfortunately, my steak arrived well-done, so it had to be sent back. The replacement took about 30 minutes, which meant Sian had to eat her meal alone, disrupting the flow of our dinner. When the steak finally arrived, it was really good, but the delay was disappointing. To end on a sweet note, we shared the chocolate bomb dessert—rich, indulgent, and a perfect way to wrap up the evening. Aside from the steak mishap, it was a lovely night with good food and beautiful surroundings!

My first time trying Ivy Bristol. I was not impressed by service much. It was a wednesday afternoon but busy and the servers were very slow. I accidentally choked on a bit of food and had a coughing fit while my friend asked the lady to bring some water. She went and stood in the corner and took photos for another family while i coughed and coughed. Didn’t get the water till a good 5-6 mins later. Horrible. Food wise the starters were good, chicken chimichuri was too heavy on tomatoes, my friend liked her steak. It was a good value for money as 2 courses were around 21£ pp. i ordered a hot lychee matcha latte thinking it would be gently flavoured but it tasted like a warm lychee juice with green dye in it. The place itself is beautifully decorated.

We visited Ivy after a long time (we live in Bristol for over 7 years). We had a booking at 14:30 for the lunch Menu and we were 4 people. The food did taste nice and was fresh and warm when it was served. The disappointing part were the prices and menu structure. How can you charge £35.50 for a steak and not include the sauce or a small side? Same goes for the Chicken Milanese, it’s £19 and when we asked if it comes with a side the answer was “No, it comes with an egg”. Then you end up adding the sauce with your £36 steak and is £4 and some chips with your Chicken Milanese cost £6.75! The only dish that made sense for its price was the Zucchini @£6.50. Sadly, these prices aren’t that high because you get a 5 star service. We went to restaurants that cost 1/3 of this and the service was 10 times better. To summarise, we finished our meal and had our plates collected; after waiting for about 8-10 minutes, no one came to offer us dessert. We simply had to find a waiter and get the bill (even when we asked for the bill they didn’t even bother asking if we did want dessert and how the meal and our experience was). Considering the money you spent here, the service is disappointing and I would not recommend you visit.

Any restaurant experience is only as good as the servers and in this instance it was rather disappointing. For a first time experience I do not recommend this place, as there would be no explanations, no possibility to ask questions for a long time and no proactively from the staff. Their booking system is also a bit lacking as there are pubs in the neighboring areas which will will handle a booking of a table and timing around it better as well as not make you stand in a cramped area and wait for an undefined amount of time. Do not suggest an option you cannot maintain or provide for. Food is alright, but the ultimate experience was damaged by the beginning and being left unattended. Later we did had a lovely waitress named Emily who managed to salvage the overarching experience, but the disappointment is too big to be fully saved.

We arrived fashionably early (5 minutes before, entering 3 minutes before our booking) and were asked to wait as they had our table ready, which is pretty standard for restaurants. We then waited for 10 minutes after our reservation time was meant to start and were seated at a cramped, small table considering the number of people in our party. We asked whether we would have extra time, since we had effectively lost 10 minutes, but were told that their policy allows delays of under 15 minutes without giving additional time. We were then given menus and left without any explanation (it was our first time at this place), so we weren’t sure what to do next. After a considerable amount of waiting, and with waitresses seemingly orbiting around us without acknowledging our presence, someone finally approached us to ask whether we would like table water. The water provided was not enough for the number of people at the table. We still had questions, but it seemed like everyone was ignoring us and avoiding eye contact. The few who did make eye contact would quickly look away. Moments later, we were finally served our drinks. They were genuinely nice, and we did enjoy them. The food arrived soon after, and that’s when the chaos started. The table was far too small for the number of people, and the tiered food stands were placed too close together. This made some items difficult to access, especially clotted cream or strawberry preserves, which could easily stain sleeves. I wouldn’t want to be completely negative about this visit. The hall was lovely and does make you feel like you are part of a Great Gatsby-style setting, although more space would have helped. The pictures on the walls, the large windows allowing beautiful natural light, the chandeliers, the plants, the plates and silverware, and the staff uniforms all created a pleasant atmosphere. However, the issues mentioned above, and those that follow, outweighed these positives. I should mention that the server who brought our food was excellent and talked us through the meals, which is something I would have expected earlier. The food was good, nothing extraordinary, but decent overall. The exception, for me, was the crème brûlée, as the caramelised topping was not as crunchy as expected. Throughout the evening, we tried several times to get someone to refresh our drinks, but no waiters came to our section. Although we saw plenty of staff nearby, they appeared to avoid our table, which reinforced the already negative impression. Our tea orders were also mixed up. While this is not a major issue, it meant waiting longer for replacements. I know refills are free, but it felt like a waste of resources, which seems inconsistent for a place where anything beyond tap water must be paid for. Another observation, particularly from a plant lover’s perspective, is that many of the plants seemed unhealthy, and those directly around us had very dusty leaves. Anyone with allergies might struggle and should consider requesting seating away from the plants. I am not reviewing the food in detail, as taste is subjective, and I have already mentioned the points that stood out to me. Nothing was particularly bad or disturbing. Lastly, our bill included an item that we did not order, resulting in nearly a £20 error. We had only one consistently good server throughout the night, and I believe she is a real asset to this place - Emilia, she seemed like the only person who cared. Overall, for the price we paid, the experience did not meet expectations. I doubt I will return or recommend it to others.

My family and I had a table booked at the ivy a few days after Christmas. Unfortunately we had a very poor experience. First of all the 4 of us were seated at an extremely small table right next to the bar. There were several very loud people stood around near our table making it very difficult to conversate and enjoy our food. Our food was honestly very average I wasn’t overwhelmed with either of my courses and neither was our company. I asked for a large glass of Chardonnay. It was explained to me they don’t serve it but to have the Chablis as it’s very similiar. When the bill was bought out we had been charged for 4 glasses of wine at £16.50 each even though I only had 2 glasses. It was then explained that they charged for 4 as I asked for a large glass of wine? So £33.50 for a large wine. The manager said it is one of our finest wines so the person who I’d originally ordered a Chardonnay with majorly upsold me. The service was very slow inbetween courses and we were left waiting 20 minutes with empty plates and glasses. We would have liked to order dessert but we were waiting for so long (in uncomfortable conditons) we just asked for our bill. It was also presumed that we didn’t want our £8 change even though we’d paid the service charge so I had to ask for our change when it was clear they weren’t coming back with it. My mother in law has since emailed detailing our experience and has not heard a peep back. We’ve eaten at the ivy Clifton on a few special occasions and had nothing but good things to say but it seems something has seriously changed. We left feeling very deflated and sadly wouldn’t return. ** I have since sent an email to the address given in reply to this review and have had no response.

The food and drinks were decent, but what truly spoiled the experience was the service. While some of the waiters clearly tried to make our visit enjoyable, others made us feel as though we had shown up uninvited. We waited around ten minutes to be seated, only for the menus to be dropped on the table before our server disappeared again for another ten minutes. As it was our first afternoon tea, we would have appreciated a brief explanation – how the menu worked, whether refills were included, or simply what to expect. Instead, we were left guessing. Throughout the visit, we felt more like an inconvenience than welcome guests. The cherry on top? The hostess in the flowery jacket was casting visibly disapproving glances at guests all evening.

Had an online booking for Afternoon Tea for 3:15 pm, though our group arrived just 5-10 minutes before that. The staff told us the table is being prepared and we’ll have to wait by the bar. With the amount of space at the bar and around it, the wait was just awkward as people tried to order drinks and some waitresses had to go around us, trying not to drop food. It was an inconvenience to everyone present, not the best waiting area. 3:25 pm and we are seated. As Afternoon Tea is a timed booking at Ivy’s, I had a logical question for the manager if our time will be extended. “We have a policy that states not if we seat you in 15 minutes, but only if it was longer than that and then you’ll have all the right to be angry”. Right, if I had to wait 20 minutes to be seated for a booked reservation - I’d just cancel it. What is the point of having reserved time if the table is not ready for us to be on time? At the same time we were given Afternoon Tea menus and the manager just disappeared. No welcome speech, no explanation about what we are about to experience, who’s our waitress or what we’re waiting for. We were left dumbfounded as everybody ignored us for some time. I think the actual Afternoon Tea arrived like closer to 4 pm, which was the cake stand with a tray of sandwich rolls. The staff member that presented the food actually explained what we’re having on the table. Though having plastic flower in a cup and a smoke effect after… I see what they were going for, but using plastic flowers in a fine dining it’s just weird. There’s no “wow” effect, just pure confusion. Food itself was alright, but nothing that would stand out. Salmon sandwich with creme cheese was too cheesy, honestly a similar bagel from M&S tastes far better for less price. Creme brulee with no crunchy top, which is weird as I’ve seen a couple of other reviews mentioning it. Is there no communication between social management stuff and kitchen chefs? The whole hospitality experience or should I say lack of it made the food taste not okay, but utterly mediocre. Fine dining experience is not only the pretty painted walls, some old pictures on the walls and generic music that doesn’t really add up to ambience. Since we were served Afternoon Tea, nobody came up to check upon us for food, far worse - when you’re trying to get refill, the waiters just conveniently disappear or ignore you. The drinks were fine, if we did not have to wait for refill and then wait again as they’ve mixed up the teas. As for interior the table was too small for the size of our group. We had to actually try and fit everything on the table, where some of the cups were literally on the side of the table waiting to be knocked over. Also there are no coat racks next to the table, so we had to put our stuff down where we seated adding up to already non-existent space. Though as due to my observation there’s a wardrobe present, it’s just somehow our table wasn’t presented with option to use it. Honestly our experience was almost fully ruined if it wasn’t for the change of stuff and being later on served by Emilia (I hope the name spelling is correct). While everyone looked down upon us and gave us a cold shoulder, she served us some refills with a genuine smile and answered all the questions we had with no side eyes or annoyed faces. Unfortunately one amazing server cannot save a big problem with hospitality that this place has. You cannot reason high check with “Fine Dining” label, also make sure to go through the receipt because before even being seated somehow we ended up with Ale for £16 that no one ordered. That was taken out by the help of above mentioned staff that was friendly and helpful about it. You go there to experience fancy Afternoon Tea, but somehow left with bitter aftertaste of wasted money and a thought that maybe, just maybe going to Maccies was a better option.

Booked a table of 10 for my mum’s 60th birthday and unfortunately the experience was very disappointing. We arrived on time but were left standing for around 15 minutes with no seating available while staff rearranged tables across the restaurant to accommodate our booking. My mum has a disability and cannot stand for long, yet no apology or accommodation was offered until we chased it. More concerning was the handling of a severe fish allergy. We were not asked about allergies on arrival. After informing staff, we were told to check a QR code ourselves. We specifically requested a sauce be removed due to possible fish content, it was still served on the plate. That is a serious food safety failure. Service throughout was very slow and the restaurant appeared disorganised. The only positive was Aurora, who took over our table and was professional and attentive. A very disappointing experience for what should have been a special celebration.