The Ivy: 100 years of playing it cool

The Ivy is looking pretty good for 100 years old. It may be positively antique, but the restaurant has a reputation for being young at heart – it is, after all, best known for partying with the likes of Kate Moss and Madonna way into its nineties. In 2015, the famed celebrity rendezvous got a deftly done (and much-needed) makeover, transforming the austere interior into a lush, velvet-laden Shangri-la, art deco accents salvaged and celebrated.

Some things at The Ivy, however, never change. The legendary Shepherd’s Pie still commands considerable attention, celebrity and otherwise (Chrissy Teigen made a trip to The Ivy dedicated to its consumption), famed for its so-wrong-but-so-right mix of both lamb and beef mince. Ever the fashionista, The Ivy has of course moved with the times, now sporting an array of considerably un-Edwardian Asian-inspired dishes, from miso blackened salmon to kimchee spiced chicken broth.

A spot at its glistening central bar may not be as comfortable as a recline on an olive green banquette, but the sitting the trendy way (who doesn’t have bar seats these days?) has the benefit of personal service from The Ivy’s superb bar staff. The regal old greyhound has not just learnt new tricks, it has mastered them.

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