The Original Ivy: A Seat at London’s Most Legendary Table

Lifestyle

The Original Ivy remains one of London’s most storied dining rooms

There are restaurants you visit, and then there are institutions you enter. The Original Ivy, tucked discreetly on West Street in the West End, has long been the latter. Founded in 1917 and reopened in grand form in 1990, it remains one of London’s most storied dining rooms: evocative, discreet, and deeply woven into the city’s cultural memory.

Just steps from Theatreland’s brightest marquees, The Ivy has served generations of performers, writers, producers, politicians, and icons of stage and screen. Laurence Olivier dined here. Noël Coward was a fixture. To eat at The Original Ivy is to dine with the ghosts of London’s creative aristocracy.

A Room That Holds Its History

The space itself evokes a timeless glamour: jewel-toned Art Deco interiors, polished mahogany, and the signature harlequin stained glass windows casting warm, kaleidoscopic light across crisp white tablecloths.

This room does not compete for attention; it simply radiates a familiar elegance. For the festive season, decorations are unfussy yet considered. A tree stands in the lobby to greet guests, and subtle Christmas details wrap around the central bar, nodding to The Ivy’s tradition without overwhelming its character.

The décor feels quietly sumptuous, shaped by green moss leather seats with velvet backs, and artwork depicting portraits of celebrated figures reimagined as everyday characters, including Anton Chekhov as a doctor, T. S. Eliot as a banker, and Franz Kafka in his insurance role. Mirrors set into mahogany beams amplify the soft glow, while the stained glass windows encircle the central bar in a way that feels both theatrical and reassuring. Staff move through the space in the signature green Ivy uniform and look effortlessly dapper.

The service is a study in calm precision. Staff glide with an ease that suggests choreography, and the atmosphere they create is one of being genuinely looked after. There is no rush to leave your table here; instead, time slows so you can savour the entire experience.

A Christmas Menu With Heritage

The Original Ivy’s Christmas Set Menu runs from 12 November through 31 December, with last seating at 6 pm on New Year’s Eve. It is a ritual Londoners return to, knowing exactly what sort of evening awaits them.

Ordering from the à la carte menu, our meal began with zucchini fritti, crisp and lightly salted, followed by scallops that arrived perfectly seared and delicately balanced. For the main course, the USDA sirloin was served in a rich red wine sauce and paired with truffled potatoes and creamed spinach, each dish warm and indulgent without feeling heavy. Vegetarian diners are not overlooked, with options such as a cheese soufflé that maintains the restaurant’s classic sensibility.

We washed down our meal with bubbles that cut beautifully through the richness of the dishes and kept the experience feeling celebratory yet grounded.

Why The Ivy Endures

Dining trends come and go. Small plates, fusion gastronomy, hyper minimalism, molecular experimentation. The Original Ivy continues to thrive by remaining resolute in its identity. It does not chase novelty. Instead, it offers a sanctuary of sophistication in a city that never stops reinventing itself.

Tradition here doesn't feel dated. The air carries a hush of anticipation. Tables feel private even when the room is full. Conversations soften. Shoulders drop. Phones remain tucked away. You sit a little taller and speak a little quieter.

It's the sort of room where time seems to slow; where dining feels like a ceremony rather than consumption.

There are modern restaurants designed to command attention, and there are the rare few that simply receive it. The Original Ivy belongs to the latter.

Christmas here feels less like a seasonal booking and more like a return to something familiar and reassuring. This is an embrace of London’s heritage, its festive spirit, and its enduring love of good theatre both onstage and at the table.

The Original Ivy remains one of the city’s great dining experiences, not because it reinvents itself, but because it understands exactly what it's meant to be.

For more information or reservations, visit HERE.

The Original Ivy, West End

Address: 1-5 West St, London WC2H 9NQ

Phone: 020 7836 4751

Words by Jheanelle Feanny