St. John's Smith Square
St. John's Smith Square
4
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Classical music concerts are presented at St John's church.
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Neighbourhood: Victoria
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4.0
87 reviews
Excellent
45
Very good
22
Average
11
Poor
5
Terrible
4
Bluebellplasnewydd
Cardiff, UK2,042 contributions
Dec 2023 • Friends
Revisited here and was rather more impressed than a few years ago. The seats seem to have been improved and are quite comfortable. Still the usual trek to the cafe and toilets. Attended a brilliant performance form London Concert Choir and Southbank Symphonia. The church was simply lit in red and this worked really well with the choir. I might add that there is plenty of parking around after 6.30pm in the week.
Written 11 December 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stewie
London, UK121 contributions
Dec 2023 • Family
Treated my youngest son (4yr old), to a viewing of the Bear and the piano. Flowed by the main event, The Snowman, occupied by the music play live by an orchestra. A fantastic looking consort Hall. Very professional n friendly staff. The orchestra was fantastic, my son was mesmerized from the beginning to the end. Lovely start to the Christmas season.
Written 15 December 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bluebellplasnewydd
Cardiff, UK2,042 contributions
Oct 2021
Looking a bit bedraggled after Covid but has survived so far. Rather austere interior that needs to be full. Trip to the toilets down a circular stone stairway will be challenging for some. Requires a paint job inside to improve appearance.
Written 22 October 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
fransdad2015
Leicestershire, UK7 contributions
Nov 2014 • Couples
Arrival: We arrived in the midst of a row between staff and potential guests as to whether they had booked online. Fortunately for us, the guests were then ignored and we were taken to our table:
Starters: We were given a piece of bread each; it was only later that we discovered that the basket carried by the waiter had different types of bread in it. My wife chose the terrine which she enjoyed. I chose the "hearty soup with artisan bread". Silly me (1), I had already eaten my bread, as none came with the soup; silly me (2) I forgot to ask what the flavour was, nor was I told, nor could I work it out.
Mains: My wife had roast cod (well cooked, nice) with 3 small cubes of potato and some veg (pretty tasteless). I had roast beef with carrots, beans, and roast potatoes. I asked for it to be reheated as the carrots and beans were cold and the beef tepid. Fortunately, I am not a gravy fanatic, as it evaporated in the reheat process. The roast potatoes (3 pieces) were fairly soft and greasy. I had hoped for a bonus yorkshire pudding; no such luck, especially as the bill later referred to this as a "Sunday Dinner". Silly me (3) I forgot to ask for mustard or horseradish, nor was I offered any.
Sweet: My wife asked about the flavours for the icecream - the waitress told her to look at the menu, and then was told it came in scoops. When she was told the flavours weren't on the menu, she went to find a colleague who came up with the answers......but unfortunately not the icecream which arrived 20 minutes later. In the meantime my raspberry and apple crumble had been forgotten. When it arrived I could have eaten it in three spoonsful, at approximately £1.65 per spoon.
General, apart from our traumas, it seemed other people may have had problems; eg terrines ran out, as did chips and someone on the table near us didn't get their main course for a long time after the other people at his table
Our daughter was in the concert, she had sandwiches from Pret. She ate better than we did.
Starters: We were given a piece of bread each; it was only later that we discovered that the basket carried by the waiter had different types of bread in it. My wife chose the terrine which she enjoyed. I chose the "hearty soup with artisan bread". Silly me (1), I had already eaten my bread, as none came with the soup; silly me (2) I forgot to ask what the flavour was, nor was I told, nor could I work it out.
Mains: My wife had roast cod (well cooked, nice) with 3 small cubes of potato and some veg (pretty tasteless). I had roast beef with carrots, beans, and roast potatoes. I asked for it to be reheated as the carrots and beans were cold and the beef tepid. Fortunately, I am not a gravy fanatic, as it evaporated in the reheat process. The roast potatoes (3 pieces) were fairly soft and greasy. I had hoped for a bonus yorkshire pudding; no such luck, especially as the bill later referred to this as a "Sunday Dinner". Silly me (3) I forgot to ask for mustard or horseradish, nor was I offered any.
Sweet: My wife asked about the flavours for the icecream - the waitress told her to look at the menu, and then was told it came in scoops. When she was told the flavours weren't on the menu, she went to find a colleague who came up with the answers......but unfortunately not the icecream which arrived 20 minutes later. In the meantime my raspberry and apple crumble had been forgotten. When it arrived I could have eaten it in three spoonsful, at approximately £1.65 per spoon.
General, apart from our traumas, it seemed other people may have had problems; eg terrines ran out, as did chips and someone on the table near us didn't get their main course for a long time after the other people at his table
Our daughter was in the concert, she had sandwiches from Pret. She ate better than we did.
Written 23 February 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Susan W
Salamanca, Spain12 contributions
Feb 2015 • Friends
Looking to dine before this evening's concert? Why not book for our restaurant at the same time as purchasing tickets and take advantage of a special rate 3 course seasonal á la carte set menu* for £25 (normal price £29.95) including a complimentary glass of wine or beer.
*Bookings are made for 1.5 hours before the advertised start of the concert and are subject to availability. Seasonal menus change monthly. Please contact the restaurant 020 7222 2779 nearer the time of your booking for details of the menu.
This is what I booked for a special evening -seeing the CEFC -and having a special meal last night.
The waitress argued with me and said it was 2 courses without wine when I produced the tickets for which we were booked in the restaurant.It took us a while to realise that this meant we had paid more for the 2 course meal than the prices on the menu
I tried to explain but got nowhere. I had not got anything with me to go onto the website- but was sure I was right- which upset me more.
My friend had "gnocchi" which wasn't gnocchi- it was extruded potato with spinach- I tasted it and confirmed it was not nice. She asked the manager to change to soup- explaining it was not nice. I should add that my friend spends a lot of time with her family in Italy and eating good Italian food over here.The woman never apologised- she brought soup and told her that it was gnocchi andnone else had complained.
We asked 4 other diners- all of whom said it wasn't gnocchi and wasn't very nice- but had not complained.
My calfs liver had stiff overcooked bacon on the top and blackened calves liver- not as it should have been.
We paid for a bottle of house wine- drunk with a sub standard meal- and certainly not our advertised deal. We said to the waitress who took our money that it was less than satisfactory- she said it was gnocchi and none else had complained. No apology again.
CEFC are wonderful- but it took us time to settle to the concert as we were both upset by the initial refusal to acknowledge that we had purchased a special meal deal and then the disappointment of the actual meal and the off hand way we were treated.
*Bookings are made for 1.5 hours before the advertised start of the concert and are subject to availability. Seasonal menus change monthly. Please contact the restaurant 020 7222 2779 nearer the time of your booking for details of the menu.
This is what I booked for a special evening -seeing the CEFC -and having a special meal last night.
The waitress argued with me and said it was 2 courses without wine when I produced the tickets for which we were booked in the restaurant.It took us a while to realise that this meant we had paid more for the 2 course meal than the prices on the menu
I tried to explain but got nowhere. I had not got anything with me to go onto the website- but was sure I was right- which upset me more.
My friend had "gnocchi" which wasn't gnocchi- it was extruded potato with spinach- I tasted it and confirmed it was not nice. She asked the manager to change to soup- explaining it was not nice. I should add that my friend spends a lot of time with her family in Italy and eating good Italian food over here.The woman never apologised- she brought soup and told her that it was gnocchi andnone else had complained.
We asked 4 other diners- all of whom said it wasn't gnocchi and wasn't very nice- but had not complained.
My calfs liver had stiff overcooked bacon on the top and blackened calves liver- not as it should have been.
We paid for a bottle of house wine- drunk with a sub standard meal- and certainly not our advertised deal. We said to the waitress who took our money that it was less than satisfactory- she said it was gnocchi and none else had complained. No apology again.
CEFC are wonderful- but it took us time to settle to the concert as we were both upset by the initial refusal to acknowledge that we had purchased a special meal deal and then the disappointment of the actual meal and the off hand way we were treated.
Written 8 February 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
rc51
London, UK486 contributions
Aug 2014 • Friends
Hard to believe but my recent visit to St.Johns Smith Sq. was the first for over 20 years! Noticed an interesting programme by the Kensington Symphony Orchestra so decided it was way past time for a revisit. This former church is considered one of London's best examples of English Baroque architecture and though personally I'd like to see a bit more colour inside (after all the 18th c was a very colourful era) it's really beautiful and a great venue for music. The acoustics tend to be a bit dry but are overall quite good. If you are a music lover visiting London check out what's on and if you find something of interest go along for a great experience which makes a change from a conventional concert hall. There's a basement restaurant but I haven't tried it.
Written 27 October 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Terry F
Gosport, UK157 contributions
Dec 2019 • Solo
Visited yesterday for a Christmas carol concert. Very unique concert hall within a church, offering bar & restaurant services before and after the concert.
Would highly recommend and only a short walk from Westminster.
Would highly recommend and only a short walk from Westminster.
Written 4 December 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Musicofnote58
Stockholm, Sweden155 contributions
June 2016 • Friends
This amazing concert hall has an interesting history: This church, completed in 1728, was badly damaged by an incendiary bomb in 1941, and left a ruin, open to the sky, for 20 years. It was restored in the early 1960’s and, with acoustics suitable for any combination of instruments, and distance from traffic noise, it was turned into a concert hall. In the former crypt there is a fine restaurant called The Footstool – a satirical reference to Queen Anne’s behaviour when architect Thomas Archer asked her what design she would like for the church. Legend has it that she kicked over her footstool and exclaimed: “Like that!” giving rise to the building’s four corner towers.
Written 23 June 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Iceeyu
Harrow, UK138 contributions
Nov 2014 • Business
I've never been to one of the classical music concerts in the grand church that sits above this restaurant but have eaten here on a few odd occasions. Style and ambiance all nods toward fine dining but is in fact overly priced average. Not a bad experience but, well, just a bit meh...
Written 23 November 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
FedorLeMont
Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Switzerland44 contributions
Oct 2014 • Couples
Having lived in London for 5 years, I regret that we discovered this jewel only in 2014. This is an old church converted into a concert hall; it also has a good restaurant at the lower level. The program consists mainly of classical music. We went there for a concert of the Werther Quartett and a presentation of the Johann Strauss operetta "Die Fledermaus" given by enthusiastic young musicians of the Orpheus Sonfonia and 8 young singers with great voices. The seat price in the 6th row was £35, ridiculously low for the quality of the performance. When you see an announcement of the Orpheus Sinfonia go and get tickets.
Written 30 October 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Best hotel within walking distance without costing a fortune
Written 15 September 2015
Is there easy free on street parking around St John's on a Sunday afternoon? Thanks.
Written 31 May 2015
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