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Trader Vic's reviews
I had great expectations of a fun night with great food and great cocktails, but was disappointed. The service was poor: food dropped on the table and left, a buttered knife dropped on my lap (no offer of paying the dry cleaning bill), and worst of all dessert plates cleared as and when each individual finished (us Brits don't do that - even the staff in my local pub wouidn't do that, it's a basic part of waitress etiquette!).
It could have been a good night. We knew the food was a rip-off (steak and one potato wedge, £29.50; one scoop of ice cream, £7) but thought the quirky decor and cocktails would make up for it. Sadly they didn't. They wondered why we didn't pay the £74 service charge... They need to buck their ideas up!
by allthatcat, 15 Feb 2010
As I can tell from the reviews, people either liked the place very much or else just hated it to unbelievable extent. But it still does what it was intended to do - i.e. elicit great, energetic response from customers, whether good or bad. In this sense, Trader Vic's has achieved it's goal!
And now, if you have never been there, try it and you will never be sorry. It will assuredly provide you with an unforgettable experience.
by anon4, 17 Jun 2009
You can't beat Trader Vic's. I'm 25 and a very lively, outgoing person and I love it! It's fab! The cocktails are great too. Going again next week. It is the best London has! Idiots!
by crunchee1, 27 Feb 2009
It's sleazy and overrated. Nice decor though.
by ppppp, 24 Jan 2008
It's funny how some people just don't get it. Trader Vic's is the perfect oasis in the midst of the hustle 'n' bustle that is the City of London. I guess folks today don't appreciate why these
bars/restaurants came into being. Escapism! Pure and simple. This IS as good as it gets, and if you don't get it, you have my sympathy. Now, make mine a Mai-Tai!
by Trader Jim - POCKETIKI Magazine, 06 Oct 2007
Excrable. Jaded old hookers everywhere, and rip-off prices for mediocre food. I was there with a party of people and we were told we had to have a set menu. The courses (3) were wheeled out - they were no better than school dinners and we all felt like cattle being fed. The set menu was expensive - £36 a head. We all had one cocktail each, yet we were charged £57 per head. Turns out they had charged us at least £10 service charge - each! We quickly rectified that, since they certainly did not deserve this amount. It was a tacky, shockingly bad, and sad experience.
by sellincourtrd, 08 Jul 2007
I loved this place. Nice food, very friendly atmosphere.
by Anonymous, 15 Nov 2006
Hilarious! Fantastic cocktails and bar food, but the other drinkers are all 50+, normally suits and call girls. Worth a laugh though... especially good if you want to get trashed!
by emsmcb, 23 Oct 2006
Anyone who goes to this bar should have an OAP bus pass - it is dire! Hardly the best London has.
by Anonymous, 22 Feb 2006
But surely Sarah isn't that the object? Trader Vics is a fantastic gem amidst everything which is the same in London these days. The drinks are fab, the atmosphere is wonderful and decor is even better. Enjoy it - it's great fun!
by Anonymous, 13 Jul 2005
Hmm... I'd happily drink here if I were staying in the hotel, but otherwise it's not the best that London has to offer by a long shot. Staff are friendly but it feels a bit dated and the crowds have long since moved on.
by Sarah M. (
30 reviews), 24 Apr 2005
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Photograph © Trader Vic's