Hix Restaurant & Champagne Bar

Appalling service, so busit chatting to each other! Inedible omelette, the texture looks like it was microwaved? Had to send the avocado on toast back as it was untoasted. Squid, indelible… I’ve been there SO often and always loved the food… But as we were paying they told us it’s closing. So that explains why they just couldn’t give a damn!

Food gets an A, service gets a D.
We came for tea time. There was a good selection of tea and the scones were very well-​made. We also ordered the avocado on toast (delicious, although overpriced) and the Turkish Delight ice cream — unique and very very good!
On the negative side, the staff took so long to bring the scones (15 minutes after the tea) that we could not even enjoy them together. We asked for water multiple times from multiple waiters and never received any. I had to find the waitress to ask her for the bill because she never once came to our table to check in on us.
Overall, the service was very disappointing and took away from our experience and the very good food. It was a convenient place to stop for a snack while shopping in Selfridge’s but given the high prices as well, it is probably worth it to check out other spots nearby.

I’m really surprised by all the 3 star reviews for this place which overlooks all the expensive handbags in Selfridges. It’s a great spot for some mid shopping nibbles and a cocktail or two. The last time I went here I ordered a dirty martini which was near perfection, some nuts and olives, and spent the whole time watching a sales assistant trying to sell a quite lavish lady a Balenciaga handbag. What more could anyone want. They have great oysters, great chips, and a fabulous pornstar martini. Yes it’s overpriced, but I would expect nothing less. It’s not a place you’d go for a full meal, but if you’re feeling lavish and want to go somewhere to drink cocktails and judge people then this spot is perfect.

I imagine that the typical Hix customer, at least at this particular location, falls into one of three categories: 1.) a person who currently works at the Selfridges where this eatery and bar sits, thus making it a prime spot to enjoy a quick bite on their lunch break; 2.) a person who is shopping and doesn’t want to walk around outside after picking up what they were looking for since it is raining, so maybe a few beers at the bar will pass the time until the storms blow through; or 3.) a person who returns to Selfridges every so often to search for a loved one they lost, literally, since the store is massive and their departed may be wandering the lamp section on any of the approximately 73 stories in the building and this time they’re going to find them because they had the purple sprouting broccoli and it will give them the strength to carry on. Admittedly, my party fell into choice number two up there.
Let’s set the stage: you walk up a spiraling wooden staircase that gives you a much better view of stores you love and stores you may not have any business walking into. A walkway guides you to a hostess stand before splitting off to a bar and a dining room. Tables line the floor so you have ample opportunities to «people watch» both your dining companions and your shopping companions. This is easy for the diners as there is a mirror along the ceiling in the dining room on the far wall near the bathrooms that I am convinced exists so other guests can get a bird’s eye view of what the people sitting in those chairs are eating. This is also easy for the shoppers as you can see out amongst the crowds, casually thinking to yourself «When I was that age, I –NEVER– would have acted like that,» even though we all did and we probably still would.
A gentleman took us to a table and possibly said a whopping 3.5 words on the way. I’m fairly certain hosting is a task that demands a degree of personality and warmth but this fellow had neither. Fortunately, a waitress soon descended and took our drink order. Hix IPA for myself, cranberry juice (in the absence of pineapple juice) for the others. One thing you do have to give the place credit for is the ability to give shoppers the option of ordering something called a «Hot Date Gone Sour» or a «Porn Star Martini» in the middle of the day. That’s legitimately fun, much like our waitress.
Unfortunately, the «fun» was quickly sucked out of the room as we soon learned she was filing in by taking our drink order for our actual waiter. If the host managed 3.5 words in the walk to the table, the waiter eked out an amazing 19 words in an hour. Now true, some of this may have been due to the lackadaisical service — it’s hard to talk to your table when you come by once every 20 minutes. At least our drinks and chocolate cake were sufficient.
The food here is probably superb — our group only had dessert, but I did spy a couple of crabs on display near the back corner, the beasts large enough to snap your hand off if you let one of them waddle over to you in a slow straight line and pinch their claw on you. Also, it would help them accomplish this if they were alive at the time and not sitting on a beach of ice.
It’s a fine establishment for drinking and conversing in the midst of shopping and spending your rent check on the latest trends. But if you go in expecting a cordial and inviting atmosphere, you might be better off flirting up a storm with a salesperson somewhere else in the building and possibly even snagging a discount, or two.

Like it soooo much

#YelpLondon
This review is for the Champagne Bar only! As since my disappointing meal in the restaurant I have had no desire to eat there again…
However one afternoon of shopping in Selfidges I wanted to rest my feet and have a cocktail –as one does when exhausted by shopping and crowds and women trying to spritz you with perfume… So I headed up to the bar and had a Hix Fix which was a sort of cherry champagne bellini of sorts. Very tasty and quite refreshing that I had to follow up with another. Upon reviewing the cocktail menu I was quite impressed with the appetizing selection of trendy cocktails — like the Porn Star which is a favourite of mine –A passion fruit martini with a shot of champagne on the side. So vulgar (to have a ‘shot’ of champagne), so tasty! Again! Again!
So skip the restaurant, and go straight for the bar…

This area overlooking Selfridges & Co. has a prime spot to people watch. Oddly the bar side is always quite warm and the restaurant side is cool (at least when I walked through to the bathroom) I have not dined here but they have a nice selection of champagnes as well as interesting cocktails. So, ladies, gentlemen and flamboyant gentleman if you’re doing some serious shopping this is just the place to take a break and refresh before snatching up the latest Prada, Gucci or Burberry items. TTFN y’all this American Southerner must charge on!

Had lunch today — excellent rib eye steak with fantastic chips (I did have to send my first steak back as it was overcooked). My companion has the fish and chips which were similarly good.
Service was hit-​and-​miss. They took ages in taking our order, bungled up the drinks order, but really made the extra effort in rectifying their mistakes.
Really great ales as well served from the bottle into antique sterling mugs– a really nice touch.

one word: BLAND! (on all four occasions)

Hix is located inside Self Ridges on the first floor near the Balenciaga section.
I was not that hungry that day so I just ordered their shrimp cocktail. The shrimp wasn’t anything special; it tasted like regular store bought shrimp. Eh. On the other hand, I did have a couple bites of my sister’s fish and chips. I really wish I had ordered that instead. The fish was fried perfectly!
3 stars for you, Hix!

Staff: over-​worked and underpaid.
Food/​drink: over-​priced, but tasty.
For Hix this adage is apropos: you can catch more flies with honey than vinegar.
Meh.

I really enjoy the fish and chips, although they’re spendy. This is a restaurant by Mark Hix inside Selfridges after all. The asparagus fondue is also very nice. And just this past Sunday morning I had an epiphany — they serve brunch! That means I don’t have to take a train or wait in a queue on the high street to get help with my hangover!
Their eggs benedict was good, but the salt beef hash with a fried egg was better! Can’t say much for the espresso drinks. But the most impressive part about this place has to be the people watching. If you can land a table along the balcony (at lunchtime on Sunday this shouldn’t be an issue), you can watch all the uppitiness you can handle as it toddles around admiring the expensive handbags. It really doesn’t get much better than that.

Hix just opened this restaurant and champagne bar on the ground floor of Selfridges. It’s a decadent post-​shopping lunch: delicious seafood & champagne and efficient service.