Smollensky's Restaurant, London

Advantages: near tube, lots of outdoor seating
Disadvantages: poor service, expensive

We were looking for somewhere to go shopping the other week rather than the west end & I suggested Canary wharf. It’s turned into a proper little shopping complex over the last couple of years & is only about 20 minutes away from Aldgate so off we popped. Once there, rather than go to Pizza Express or Tootsies as we normally do, I suggested we went to Smollensky’s as we had enjoyed proof reading their menu & finding many mistakes last time we went. ...
...tower bridge & the strand, They bill themselves as an american diner/grill but also serve as a cocktail bar, more so in the strand than any other site (although i have not visited the one in Oxford) So in we go Getting there Smolensky’s has a bar and restaurant at Canary Wharf, right next to the space age jubilee line tube stop & about 5 minutes from 2 or 3 of the DLR stops. It’s a bit of a maze around docklands so to ensure not getting lost I ... Read review

Advantages: Views of Tower Bridge
Disadvantages: Price, service

Advertised as an American Bar and Grill, Smollensky’s now have five restaurants located in London – The Strand, Finchley Road, Hammersmith, Wapping and Canary Wharf. Their reputation precedes them – it was only based on a recommendation from someone else that I found myself here a few weeks ago. My experiences relate solely to the Wapping diner – the category here is quite generic, but if anyone objects I can always ask for ...
...The approach to the Wapping diner is very odd. The street is otherwise residential, and features rows of new dockside apartments and houses with Smollensky’s plonked on the end rather like an afterthought. Directly opposite the restaurant is a tatty children’s playground and the area is a strange mixture of new and old. As we climbed out of our taxis, we couldn’t help noticing the litter in the streets and as a rat skittered across ... Read review

Advantages: Convenient for theatreland and Covent Garden
Disadvantages: No atmosphere when empty

My wife and I booked for lunch yesterday mainly because the menu is marked with gluten free products (she suffers from Coeliac Diease and so needs a gluten free diet). It was OK but nothing to write home about. We thought it might be busy - Central London on the Strand - and so booked in advance, on line. No problems with the booking, straight through with an e-mail confirmation by return. We arrived in good time for our 1.00pm booking to find ...
...in use. We were quickly and efficiently shown to our table, presented with menus and asked if we would like a drink. Ordering was not a problem either as the waiter clearly knew his job and was able to do it. My wife ordered the soup (£4.95) and said it was delicious, I had boiled beetroot with seville oranges and rocket , just about OK for £6.25. For main course my wife had the grilled chicken with a jacket potato (£12.95) and side orders of ... Read review

Advantages: Quality of steaks, delectable desserts
Disadvantages: service can be slow when busy, especially on the bar

My first few visits to Smollensky's in the Strand were girls' nights out, but since I met my second husband it has become our no.1 special romantic dinner venue. It's just a short walk along from Waterloo bridge on the south side of the Strand and almost hides under a modest sign and an entrance that takes you straight downstairs into the cellar bar and restaurant. It's clientele vary from night to night and also on what time you go in. Early in ...
...of whom stay on to eat. Later on, the couples and parties take over. Smol's bar features a big selection of cocktails, where you'll find all your favourites plus a few house specialities. They are generous with the liquor and reasonably priced. Sometimes there are just not enough bar staff on duty and you may have to wait to get served which is aggravating, and I have seen people walk out in frustration. The food and decor is somewhere between American ... Read review

Advantages: price, atmosphere
Disadvantages: tries to be the "perfect" American restaurant

Smollensky’s appears to be trying to be the all American restaurant for any type of tourist or west end visitor. It now feature jazz, and a fairly standard menu. The kids get free balloons, and we did notice that more than a few were allowed to run riot. The food is decent, the wine is affordable (notable absence of many of the pricey labels) and the atmosphere is a far cry from the TGI alternative to McDonalds and Burger King. The staff couldn’t ... Read review