A £19.17 lunch at The Ivy sounds almost too good to be true… until the cocktails appear, dessert becomes inevitable, and suddenly Monday feels rather glamorous indeed!
Hey Lolly
The Ivy 1917 Lunch Menu Review At-A-Glance
The Ivy 1917 lunch menu review is based on a Monday lunchtime visit celebrating a birthday and focuses on the atmosphere, food, service and overall value of The Ivy’s 1917 lunch menu.
- Location: The Ivy Nottingham, 31 Bridlesmith Gate, Nottingham NG1 2GR, right in the heart of Nottingham city centre, a short walk from the Lace Market and Old Market Square.
- Vibe: Elegant but lively. Rich interiors, polished brass tables, layered artwork and warm lighting create a dining room that feels glamorous without being intimidating, even on a Monday lunchtime.
- Spend: The 1917 menu is £19.17 for two courses, with the option to add dessert. Drinks and sides will nudge the bill up, but overall it still feels like excellent value for The Ivy experience.
- Book?: Recommended. Even on a Monday the restaurant was buzzing, which says a lot about how popular the set menu is and we had to wait 20 minutes for a table.
- Best seat: If you’re lucky, ask for the smaller dining room tucked to the left as you enter. Ours was flooded with sunlight through the window, creating a beautiful lunch setting that felt far more private than the main dining room.
- Good for: Birthday lunches, catch-ups with friends, casual celebrations and anyone curious whether The Ivy’s famous £19.17 lunch menu is actually worth it.
Is The Ivy’s 1917 (£19.17) Heritage Menu Actually Worth It?
Some lunches feel planned. Others happen because it’s Monday, someone has a birthday, and suddenly the idea of celebrating with something a little bit glamorous feels exactly right.
That’s how we ended up at The Ivy Nottingham on a Monday afternoon, turning up without a booking for their 1917 Heritage Menu, a lunch offering designed to celebrate the year the original Ivy opened in London.
At £19.17 for two courses, it immediately raises the obvious question. Is it actually good value… or just clever marketing attached to a famous name?
After a very indulgent afternoon at The Ivy in Nottingham, I have thoughts. Quite a few of them.
What Is The Ivy Nottingham 1917 Lunch Menu?
As part of this The Ivy 1917 lunch menu review, it’s worth understanding what the heritage menu actually is.
Priced at £19.17 for two courses, diners can choose from a selection of starters and mains, with the option to add dessert if you’re feeling indulgent (which, realistically, you probably will be).
The menu changes occasionally but typically includes a mix of Ivy favourites alongside seasonal dishes, making it a way to experience the restaurant without committing to a full à la carte spend.
For somewhere known for polished service and glamorous interiors, it’s a surprisingly accessible entry point.
What We Ordered
Between us we managed to try a good spread of dishes from across the menu which is always the best way to judge whether a set lunch really delivers on value.
And happily, most of it did.
Salt & Pepper Squid
A classic starter done well.Lightly fried squid arrived golden and crisp, scattered with coriander and served with wedges of lime alongside a creamy sesame an gochujang glaze.
The squid itself was tender rather than chewy, which is always the test with a dish like this. The sauces added just enough heat and sharpness to keep things interesting without overpowering the seafood.
Fresh, punchy and a very good way to start lunch.
Crispy Courgette Fries
Possibly the most addictive thing on the table. Thin strands of courgette are lightly battered and fried until impossibly crisp, arriving piled high in a silver basket with a dipping sauce alongside.
They’re salty, delicate and dangerously easy to keep reaching for.
Robata Chicken Skewers
One of the most visually striking plates. Grilled robata chicken skewers arrived glazed in a gently spiced sauce, scattered with toasted peanuts and herbs, with crisp fresh mouli on the side.
The flavours were beautifully balanced, savoury, slightly sweet and just enough spice to keep things interesting. A squeeze of lime over the top lifted everything.
Simple food, confidently executed.
Grilled Steak
A classic done properly. The steak arrived with beautiful char marks from the grill, served with roasted tomato, peppercorn sauce and a garnish of watercress.
No unnecessary theatrics, just a well-cooked steak, seasoned properly and exactly what you hope for when ordering something so simple.
Comforting and satisfying in the best possible way.
Truffle Linguine
Rich without being heavy. The pasta arrived coated in a creamy truffle sauce, topped with grated parmesan, toasted pine nuts and a handful of peppery rocket.
An indulgent dish but still beautifully balanced with the earthy truffle. Lots of nutty crunch from the pine nuts (very generous sprinkling here!) and plenty of parmesan tying everything together in a delicious sauce.
I really rather enjoyed this, proof yet again, no meat is needed to enjoy a meal!
Sticky Toffee Pudding
A proper British classic. A warm, dark sponge arrived drenched in salted caramel sauce, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream slowly melting into the top.
The pudding itself was just a weel made classic, the caramel rich without tipping into cloying sweetness. It’s exactly the sort of dessert you order hoping it will be good. Comforting, nostalgic and impossible to rush.
The Ivy Chocolate Bombe
Possibly the most theatrical dessert on the menu.
A glossy chocolate dome arrives at the table before warm sauce is poured over the top, slowly melting the shell to reveal the dessert hidden inside.
It’s a little moment of drama that feels very much in keeping with The Ivy’s personality, indulgent, slightly playful and designed to make the table pause for a moment.
Rich chocolate, silky textures and a fittingly decadent way to end a celebratory lunch. Very good value in my opinion.
So… Is The Ivy 1917 Lunch Menu Actually Worth It?
In short, yes, but probably not for the reasons you first think.
The Ivy 1917 heritage lunch menu is undeniably the hook. On paper it looks almost suspiciously good value for somewhere like The Ivy, and it’s what gets you through the door in the first place.
But the reality is that most people won’t leave having spent £19.17 on their meal, or anywhere close to it I suspect.
Drinks appear, someone suggests dessert, a steak upgrade suddenly feels like the obvious choice and before you know it the bill looks a little different. Ours came to £125.91 for two including drinks and service, which works out at just over £60 per person.
And honestly? In today’s dining scene, that still felt like good value.
Did I feel ever so slightly hoodwinked by the £19.17 promise? Perhaps a little. But I also know what good food costs these days when you eat out. Technically, you probably could stick to the £19.17 lunch if you were disciplined enough, but with so many tempting extras on the menu, it’s a difficult line to hold.
I suspect most people dining here aren’t trying to.
Places like The Ivy tend to attract birthdays, catch-ups and small celebrations, where the whole point is leaning into the experience rather than counting every pound.
And when the food is genuinely delicious, the portion sizes generous rather than cautious, and the surroundings this polished, it’s easy to see why people do.
The service is slick, the dining room beautiful, and there’s that unmistakable Ivy sense of occasion that makes a simple lunch feel like something a little bit special.
What the 1917 menu really offers isn’t necessarily a £19 meal.
It’s an invitation into The Ivy experience, just with a far more approachable starting point. From there, you can take it as far as you like.
More Nottingham Restaurant Reviews on Hey Lolly
If you’re exploring Nottingham’s dining scene, you might also enjoy some of my other Nottingham restaurant reviews here on Hey Lolly. The city has quietly built a brilliant food scene over the last few years, with everything from chef-led small plates to relaxed courtyard dining rooms.
If you’re planning where to eat next, these are a few other Nottingham spots I’ve reviewed recently:
- Raymond’s Nottingham – an intimate small-plates restaurant tucked away on Stoney Street where bold flavours and beautifully balanced dishes make it dangerously easy to order “just one more plate”.
- Piccalilli Nottingham – a softly lit courtyard restaurant serving thoughtful, ingredient-led cooking in a space that feels calm, stylish and quietly special.
- Kushi-Ya Nottingham – one of the city’s most exciting kitchens, known for its Japanese-inspired small plates, yakitori and bold, punchy flavours.
Nottingham might not always shout about its restaurant scene, but once you start exploring, there are some genuinely memorable places to eat!
