Albany, The Reviews

I liked this place better when it was an unpretentious riverside pub with good food and happy staff. Now all that seems to have changed, yet you can ignore it and just enjoy the views if you avoid the weekend's heaving crowds, especially in spring and summer.

I called in there today unexpectedly and got a table straight away. I had swordfish steak and compote of vegetable in sweet chilli sauce and my wife had calves’ liver with bacon and creamed potatoes. Both meals and the glasses of house wine were excellent and the service was prompt and friendly. Our total bill including two puddings and coffees was £50. It is obviously not a casual pub lunch venue, but we would definitely eat at the Albany again for a restaurant type meal.

Relaxed comfortable atmosphere, great views, very good reliable food. A regular haunt and is definitely one of my favourite restaurants!

Had lunch there on Sunday 18th Feb with four friends and enjoyed it very much. Good food, good service, friendly informal atmosphere and lovely position near the river. The Albany is very popular with us and deserves to be so.

We are regular visitors of the Albany and have found that the food is excellent. Andre and I have found the service and food is versatile and memorable. One of the best restaurants around Thames Ditton that I would, and have, recommended to people.

The only thing I would say that was negative was to have more staff available to attend to service a little quicker and bring back the bread and oil that used to be served when your order was taken. The Manager though has always made us feel very welcome.

This has to be my favourite restaurant without a shadow of a doubt. The food is wonderful and there really is a dish to suit any member of your party. The staff are extremely friendly and efficient despite the amount of people they are serving.

When you arrive you are greeted and shown to your seat by the manager, who makes you feel very welcome and checks on you and your party once your food has arrived. They are constantly overseeing everything and also check the food as it comes out of the kitchen which is also why I think I have never had make a complaint.

The interior of the restaurant is beautiful and nothing like any restaurant I've seen. It is so original. There is a roaring log fire in winter and the wooden tables and chairs are complimented by this. Despite its business the way the tables are arranged makes it very easy to forget there are others around you.

If I had to recommend a dish, it would have to be the burger. I am not usually a fan of burgers but this 1 is like nothing I've ever tasted before. It is clearly hand made rather than these frozen pancake style burgers I am so used to seeing.

I would advise anyone to go to this restaurant, you will not be disappointed. I have been on numerous occasions and have never been disappointed. Great staff, wide variety of food and wine both of excellent quality and a great atmosphere - what more could you want!?!

I visited The Albany on Sunday with my sister, and found it to be a very confusing and disappointing experience indeed. From the moment you walk in the door, it is unclear whether you are to head to the bar or wait to be seated, and the layout is a strange mix of ‘waiting room-style’ sofas at one end, and restaurant tables at the other. Even the Maitre d’ didn’t know where to put us.

The food, although quick to arrive, was bland and distinctly bizarre – leek and potato soup that tasted like it came out of a can, ‘Belgian frites’ that were essentially pub chips (all 10 of them), and a pizza that had an odd pancake base, rather than the usual dough, and topped with flavourless supermarket tomatoes. Some bread and oil came first, presumable to lubricate the main courses, but the oil was sunflower not olive, and the plate was taken away as soon as the food arrived, without the very young waiter even asking whether we were finished with it. The pub chips – sorry, Belgian frites – came without the spicy mayo we presumed warranted the £4 charge. It was all such a shame because, with the right management, the Albany could be a real money-spinner. Of course, this being Thames Ditton, it’s a real money-spinner anyway, regardless of the poor standard. Gordon Ramsay would have a field day.

Do NOT believe any of the spin contained in this establishment's website. I took my girlfriend, mum and brother for lunch last Sunday and found the following: despite refurbished and stylish decor, the atmosphere was frenetic to the point of hostile. Queues of people waiting to complain about the length of time they had waited for their food. Rude, dismissive floor manager, who waved us away and told us to 'get a drink'.

My impression is that this place is a goldmine based on its location next to the river. Because of this it crams as many people in as it can to the detriment of its character and value for money. To eat there on a Sunday would have been an oppressive, hostile, rushed experience. Go only midweek to avoid the loud, vulgar WAG style brigade and sea of LV, D&G handbags and preened ignorant boys.

Booked in advance for Sunday lunch (27.8.06) and glad we did very busy with those who hadn't and were disappointed. Terrific surroundings and very comfortable interior. Service excellent. Food excellent. I had scallops followed by belly of pork and caramelised pineapple. Others in party (4) spoke equally highly about fillet steak and pasta dish. Desserts to die for. We will certainly return and also try other partners nearer home (Kent).

I visited The Albany on Saturday 27th May, the restaurant was not too busy. I ordered the chicken liver parfait and the fillet steak with mashed potato and porcini sauce, my first thought was that the size of the menu was getting in the way and off-putting. The presentation of the first course was poor with four thick slices of brioche overpowering the small parfait. The main course was not good at all, the mashed potato was a perfect consistency but flavourless and not seasoned, the sauce was bland and very thin, and the steak was overcooked. I would not visit this restaurant again.