The Ivy is still London's favourite restaurant

The Ivy has been voted London's favourite restaurant for the eighth successive year, according to the latest edition of Harden's London Restaurants, which was published earlier this week.

Gordon Ramsay's restaurant in Royal Hospital Road continues to hold the place of the capital's "best" for the sixth year running, while Giorgio Locatelli's first venture into proprietorship, Locanda Locatelli, sees the Italian stallion at number nine ("the highest new entry") in the list of restaurants people talk about most. The Square has replaced City Rhodes as the capital's top restaurant setting for business.

But the reviews, contributed by more than 6,500 people, weren't all glowing. Sketch's Lecture Room came in for the title of the UK's most expensive restaurant (at £160 a head) and was described as being "fussy" and "extortionately overpriced". Nobu, a hit with celebrities, was labelled by us ordinary folk as "not all it's cracked up to be".

Although the guide "applauds" Ramsay for his creation of an upmarket restaurant group, it laments "indifferent standards" at some of the chef's restaurants within the Savoy group of hotels.

The average price of dinner for one at establishments listed in the guide is £34.79, a rise of 1.9% on last year.

Source: Caterer & Hotelkeeper magazine, 18 - 24 September 2003