Al Duca

We have enjoyed some great meals here over the years, but returning for the first time in a long while, we were really disappointed. Both food (tasteless carpaccio, bland and overcooked pasta) and service were terrible.

Having returned my meal virtually untouched, I was informed that food would be deducted from the bill "if the fish was off", but that the fact that I had not enjoyed the meal, was "my problem".

Sad decline of a once lovely restaurant. To be avoided.
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Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 0
Thursday, June 12, 2008

I have eaten at Al Duca several times and unfortunately it has got worse each time. I have to agree with several of the reviews here that it is the service that is the major problem. My partner and I ate there this evening and overall the quality of the food was good. The service, on the other hand, was cold, stiff and unwelcoming. We arrived at 6.20 pm and asked for the pre-theatre menu and the waitress gave every impression of being irritated by this request. There was endless fussing at the table during our meal and at the end of the meal, the waitress who took the bill gave my partner an unpleasant third degree cross-examination over the payment of the bill. For two people and for just two courses plus a bottle of wine the bill was over £100, which I don't think is cheap. This was a really disappointing and negative experience. Sadly, we will not go there again, despite the fact that we do like the food.
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Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 2
Saturday, May 24, 2008

We had dinner at La Duca on September 21 2007 and it was of a very poor standard, my pasta starter was dry and stodgy, the "sun-blush" tomatoes tasted as if they had only seen the inside of a tin. My main course was lemon sole fillets - very small and very salty with a few green beans. Vegetables were £4 a bowl and the potatoes consisted of one spoonful of cubes, fried in salt and balsamic vinegar. Altogether an experience not to be recommended or repeated.
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Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 0
Wednesday, October 03, 2007

I read with interest the above reviews. In early July my husband and I came up from Kent and literally 'stumbled' upon Al Duca in St. James's, Duke of York St..

We enjoyed the most wonderful, authentic Italian cuisine accompanied by excellent recommended wines. Our casual entry was greeted by front of house staff with warmth, and sincere interest in our enjoyment and wellbeing. The service was smooth and efficient with ambience to match concern for our comfort.

The cost of our meal - the quality of which could not be equalled in our area was amazingly reasonable and we would encourage anyone finding themselves in the Jermyn St. area of St. James's to hasten to this unique restaurant.

An authentic Italian Restaurant staffed by Italians with just a smidgen of

indigenous staff to make an eclectic mix!
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Helen & David Horne
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, August 09, 2007

I read with interest the above reviews. In early July my husband and I came up from Kent and literally 'stumbled' upon Al Duca in St. James's, Duke of York St..

We enjoyed the most wonderful, authentic Italian cuisine accompanied by excellent recommended wines. Our casual entry was greeted by front of house staff with warmth, and sincere interest in our enjoyment and wellbeing. The service was smooth and efficient with ambience to match concern for our comfort.

The cost of our meal - the quality of which could not be equalled in our area was amazingly reasonable and we would encourage anyone finding themselves in the Jermyn St. area of St. James's to hasten to this unique restaurant.

An authentic Italian Restaurant staffed by Italians with just a smidgen of

indigenous staff to make an eclectic mix!
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Helen & David Horne
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, August 09, 2007

I always enjoy dining out with my gourmet friend Eric who tends to take me to good restaurants ie places run by people, not teletubbies, who are dedicated to

sound hospitality.

Tonight, not for the first time, though, we decided to go to

Al Duca as we fancied nothing too elaborate, honest fare as serious Italian professionals can provide at all times.

WE WERE NOT DISAPPOINTED. We opted for the same choice of pasta with broccoli and Italian sausage after I'd thoroughly enjoyed a traditional Ligurian starter of crepes stacked with real tomato (!!!), pesto and fresh cheese while my companion had a superb platter of prosciutto and sweet melon.

The very amiable Luca recommended a succulent red wine from Trentino and got it so right.

That simple but real feast did cost us about £70 which is certainly less than we often spend in all those all too common pretentious eateries run by self obsessed managers where the mediocrity of the food is only second to the vanity of the chef...

Keep the good work, guys. I only missed the spontaneous charm of the French lady who once looked after the reception!
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Philippe
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 10
Monday, July 16, 2007

Incredibly disappointing. Poor service from staff who would have probably preferred us not being there. Wine was okay, food not great. Veggie options limited so I had a roasted beef tomato with what tasted like packet rice inside. Friends had duck, liver etc - but had to wait a very long time for vegetables to turn up alongside. All in all a highly disappointing venture - would have had a better at a Pizza Express or Carluccio's no doubt.
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Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Saturday, July 07, 2007

Not impressed by this place in the slightest. The staff were unhelpful. Seemingly more interested in gossiping with their colleagues than waiting on customers. Our "waitress" slammed the bottle of wine we'd ordered down on the table so hard, we thought she was making an actual bid to break the table. The service was just laughable. Particularly as the restaurant was virtually empty (people clearly knew better than us than to eat there?!)..

The food was questionable. My melanzane was cold in the middle. My friend's gnocchi undercooked. We'd begun to lose the will to live so just paid and fled.

It's up to you if you wish to spend an evening in a place like this but I personally wouldn't recommend it.
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Charles
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Went to lunch here yesterday with a colleague and a client. Not particularly cheap but the food comprised good quality ingredients and was well executed and presented, if not very imaginative, e.g. linguine vongole, beef carpaccio. Represented fairly good value for the area I'd say. Sunny day and the decor, although pretty basic worked well in the sunshine (not sure how it would be on a dank November day).

In terms of service, we were seated at the right time, everything brought at the right time, wine glasses filled appropriately etc. Having said that, there were a lot of suits in there (um, myself included) and the waitress though polite was pretty charmless and perfunctory - didn't bother me or affect our enjoyment of the lunch but I certainly wouldn't be going there for a date.

Good for a business lunch I'd say (maybe a dinner) but nothing more intimate. As clear from the other reviews, there's also no waiting area or bar area so if you do turn up early and they aren't ready, there's nowhere to go apart from the pub next door...
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Sam
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, May 23, 2007

I was so livid at the poor attitude of the staff here that I had to write a review. It looks as if a lot of people have had the same experience reading the reviews below, but really - for the price or a meal in this place you'd think that they could muster up a little bit of common courtesy.

Their 'greeter' was the least accommodating and welcoming women I have ever encountered. We arrived at 6.15pm and said that we wanted the pre-theatre dinner. Before being seated we were asked if we wanted water and were met with a disapproving frown when I said we wanted to see the menu first. Then we were given the standard menu (which incidentally is a minimum of 2 courses for £23.50!) When I asked for the pre-theatre menu (again) I was told that I couldn't have it as we had to be out by 7pm if we wanted it! The manager upon hearing this comment leaned over and said he was prepared to make an exception - cue much sighing and stomping away by said greeter who then ungraciously thrust the new menus at us.

I asked for 2 glasses of Prosecco and we shared a bottle of water. In fairness the food was pretty good. I had pasta with bacon, turnip tops and a lot of garlic which was very tasty. My friend had a basic but nice spaghetti with tomato and basil sauce. Desserts were okay, the tiramisu was a deconstructed little number in a crisp cup of wafer. My friend had chocolate ice-cream. I couldn't help but think they had a good mark-up margin on the meals for the £15.50 we paid for their set menu though (again a 2 course minimum.)

Another big gripe was the fussing over the tables which totally inhibited conversation and made us feel quite uncomfortable. I started counting the amount of times that arms were thrust in front of us to remove cutlery, glasses, even salt and pepper; brush away crumbs, add cutlery, etc! We had over 10 visits from the waiting staff - my friend commented they were obviously trying to justify the obligatory 12.5%. I would have been far happier if they'd just left us be - or at least cleared everything at the same time!

So, next we had the happy task of calling for the bill. Checking through it I realised that we had been charged for more expensive glasses of wine. I queried this with the waitress who then referred me to our friend the 'greeter.' The women snappily told me that they had run out of Prosecco, but that the waitress had told me this before bringing our glasses of replacement wine. I told her that nothing had been said to us and we had assumed we were drinking what we ordered. Without saying a word the women stalked off to tell the manager! The implication being that we were lying! The manager (who in fairness seemed a nice chap embarrassed by her appalling manners) said that he would only charge the price of the Prosecco. The whole thing was just so classless and crass that it made me furious - I shouldn’t have had to be handled by 3 different members of staff for a mistake made by them. The greeter then slammed the new bill in front of us without a word - again, pointedly turning her back and walking away. We paid the new bill and left.

Although the food was pretty good and the manager seemed helpful and flexible, I was so disgusted by the manners (or lack of) by that particular member of staff that I would actively discourage people from visiting.
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RC - London
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 5
Friday, April 13, 2007