Pescatori (Dover Street)

Four of us ate last night at Pescatori.s last night We were delighted with the service, the food and the atmosphere, We were not hurried, yet everything flowed smoothly. The price for what we had was more than reasonable. I can highly recommend this restaurant and will certainly go back again.
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Barbara Chettle
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Saturday, October 06, 2007

Well... what can i say.. i was looking forward to dinner at this restuaurant but sadly was left feeling very disappointed and couldnt wait to get out. After a long hard shopping day with my mum, we was looking forward to a nice bit of fish. We booked the table over two weeks in advance just in case so we didnt just show up and was turned away. We got to the restaurant which had hardly anyone in, considering it is in Diver Street in the middle of London, i still expected to it have a few more people in. The service was terrible and so was the food. The food left a nasty salty taste in your mouth. It was awful, we complained to the manager but nothing happened, so we paid the bill and left as soon as we entered. It was very disappointing and we will never return again. Awful place.
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Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Thursday, September 20, 2007

Good grief. What happened to good service. Dinner here was a fine example of how poorly trained waiting staff can really spoil even good food.

I booked for dinner here on Friday night. I have been to the Charlotte St branch several times in the past with good memories so decided to give Dover St a go.

Foodwise, it was as good as I had remembered it. The Shellfish Copper Pot was particularly good and my guests enjoyed their veal and halibut as well. Desserts were reasonble without being particularly memorable.

However, what put a dampener on the evening was the truly grievious service. Apart from the Manager/Owner, the rest of the staff could best be described as clueless - and that's being kind. Not that the Manager could really be said to shower himself with glory. When asked for recommendations, he proceeded to read the entire main course menu before pointing out the most expensive dish, the Shellfish Platter. When my friend demurred saying that she wasn't a fan of shellfish, he looked quite disgusted and said, "that's my recommendation, you don't have to listen."

After that, it really went from bad to worse. It took 40 minutes of first discreet, then less so attempts of trying to attact any kind of attention before we could place our order.

We ordered a Parma Ham & Figs to start , with some Bruschetta to share. 20 mins after they had been finished and cleared away, a waitress tried to deliver the Parma Ham starter again. When told that we were waiting for Main Courses, said Parma Ham dish disappeared for all of 30 seconds before another waiter tried to deliver it again to our table. Once again we sent it away only for the first waitress to come back 10 minutes later with starter cutlery clearly meant for another table. By this time, it was nearly 40 minutes since our starters so we were nearly tempted just to accept another course of starters!

No apology was given for any of this at any point, they simply carried on as if it hadn't happened which makes me think that this is a routine occurrence.

I work in the restaurant industry so when I go out I try to be patient and polite to front of house staff as being curt with them can lead to them being even more flustered, and may be a case of kicking the messenger. However, the staff here appeared cowed and underconfident which to me usually means poor training. The restaurant wasn't more than half full so understaffing wasn't the issue.

This could be a good place. The service just needs a strong hand to shake it into shape. Even the good food and the sweetener of a 30% discount offer won't be enough to tempt me back as it is.
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Caroline - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 5
Saturday, August 18, 2007

Four of us had lunch here on Monday 14 May 2007. The service was excellent, warm and welcoming especially on such a rainy day. The atmosphere is truly Italian, relaxed and friendly. We all had starters and mains, two of us had desserts. All the fish dishes were deliciously fresh and the vegetables were interesting and tempting. We were all very happy and hope to go again soon.
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Celia Hatfield
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, May 17, 2007

I enjoyed the atmosphere in your restaurant, however I did feel the food could have been alittle hotter. The service was excellent however.

Annabel
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pope
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Thursday, May 17, 2007

Had an amazing romantic meal with my boyfriend. We were tucked away at the back of the restaurant in a lovely corner where we could still feel the atmosphere of the rest of the restaurant.

Delicious unfaltable food, oysters and halibut with risotto. Really tasty sauce with both our dishes and great portions. Definitely worth every penny and would love to go back for another special occasion, service was perfect and subtly attentive.
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Sarah Hoyle
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Friday, August 04, 2006

Decent, local, family run Italian seafoodie type place. A fair few regular customers plus a lot of tourists. Solid cooking and well sized portions - like most fish restuarants the specials are a good idea. Faintly hit and miss, although very friendly service. You won't go wrong with this place, but you probably won't go back either.
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city luncher - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 8
Monday, July 24, 2006

Enjoyable food, terrible service.
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Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 5
Wednesday, November 30, 2005

I am a relative regular of this restaurant at lunchtime, and feel that it is extremely consistent across the board. Food is always good, and the wine list prices are sensible for Central London. Service is always attentive and quick or slow in pace as you wish. If you are hungry, try the seafood risotto, but you might not finish it. One of the best starters is the crab and avocado. Perfect place for a Friday lunch to set you up for the weekend!
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M Green
Thursday, October 06, 2005

After reading the glowing reviews of this restaurant, 3 of us decided to dine at Pescatori to celebrate someone's last night London. The surroundings are nice and the ambience pleasant. However, things did not get off to a good start on the drinks front when the waiter did not know how to make a glass of Pimms (he had to consult us on the ingredients- shocking inexperience for the capital) and sparkling water arrived instead of still.

The starters were adequate- the raw tuna was slightly tasteless although my starter langoustine pasta was good.

Things started deteriorating again when the mains arrived. The french fries were simply horrible- fried and re-fried within an each of their lives. The side salad was so salty we had to send it back and the fish (both the seabass and the halibut) was overcooked.

The service was friendly enough though slightly rough around the edges: for example, wine was poured to the very top of the glass.

All in all, a disappointing experience, especially given the favourable reviews. Perhaps we went on an "off night", although with prices and a reputation such as Pescatori, off nights should not be allowed to happen.
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Susie
Monday, September 26, 2005