The Ivy
IF THE ENGLISH HAVE an affinity with an artform, it’s with the stage. And if the stage has an affinity with a restaurant, it’s with The Ivy. There can be few eateries in London so thoroughly and happily identified with a single profession as this. Occupying a wedge-shaped plot of land opposite St Martin’s Theatre, where Agatha Christie’s play The Mousetrap has run without cessation since 1974, The Ivy traces its origins back still further than even that record-breaking production. Opened as a café in 1917, it afforded a pinprick of light and conviviality in the midst of war. Since then, the glimmer has become a beacon, welcoming generations of directors, producers, actors and audiences into its warm and welcoming bosom. Defined by a long tradition of hospitality, The Ivy is the reverse of moribund. Throughout its history, it’s maintained its high standards while continuing to innovate. Basking in an autumnhued interior and the sacerdotal glow of the instantly recognisable diamond-paned windows, diners can range an extensive menu in which reliable classics have been joined by an assortment of Asian dishes for which The Ivy has already attained a considerable reputation.
Lined with original artworks by modern and contemporary British artists, as well as framed photographs of the legendary thespians who’ve come and gone over the course of more than a century, The Ivy isn’t so much an institution. It’s an icon.
