Arancia (Bermondsey)

I have written a nice review about this restaurant in the past. However, this time i am posting a review which is not so nice. Me and my g/f went for a meal and it was not a nice experience at all.

The waiters were inappropriately dressed and just didn't care about treating us like a valued customer. We arrived and waited 20mins just to be served a drink. We ordered Apple juice which was warm. The 3 ice cubes didn't stand a chance.

The bill came to £40 for just a main meal each and a glass of apple juice - not good value for money.

my g/f had a lamb stew which was flavourless. I had turkey with an aubergine chutney type thing - was not nice. It came with a dollop of mayo.

The waiter had the cheek to ask for the tip in cash. NO tip was left!
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Clive
Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 2
Monday, September 15, 2008

WE live nearby to Arancia and at one point we went there all the time because the simple yet authentic food was really good and offered tremendous value for money. However, as some of the reviews suggest, it may have rested on its laurels and stopped offering the ingredients that made us come back.

Now IT IS BACK! And it is lovely! I think it is the combination of simple yet delicious food, good service, nice wines (we recommend the Barolo) and interesting deserts. The dish that turned around our opinion in a single mouthful was a pasta starter - with pumpkin and Gorgonzola. It was divine and is now greatly missed on the menu.

If i could change anything it would be the fact that it is not open on Sundays because I imagine they could do a really interesting twist on the Sunday roast. Overall though, we are loving Arancia and would strongly recommend it to anyone wanting good, honestly priced, flavoursome food with a smile.
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bensa
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Sunday, November 18, 2007

My experience over many visits over the years is that Arancia is a home made Italian style food cooked by a food lover who will experiment and try new things, which occasionally results in nothing special; but majority of the dishes have been special and distinguished. While the service may be slow, it fits a nice relaxed, romantic dinner well. Wine list suits the neighbourhood place image and tops out at £30, so do not expect names and vintages, but plenty is drinkable. Always see if desert is available, and the home made ice cream is a special treat. I always look forward to coming once again.
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Mark Lapidus - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, August 15, 2007

My husband and I love this restaurant & eat here often. The food is always fantastic and great value. Yes, the service is patchy and slow, but the food more then makes up for it.

Ok, so Southwark Park Road isn't the most pretty of streets, but it's definetly worth making the trip. This has to be one of the best value restaurants in London.
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Jessie
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 10
Monday, July 23, 2007

We came to Arancia after getting a recommendation and chose from a rather limited and uninspiring menu. We had the bean soup which was the most bland dish I had ever eaten and the linguine with clams which had far too much garlic in it. The main courses took well over and hour to arrive (after us having to chase it up with the waiter). Again, the main courses were rather bland. Certainly had no intention of staying for dessert! One of the worst meals we've had in ages. The service wasn't good either. We weren't asked how our meal was....kept waiting all the time (and only 4 tables were occupied!)...and when we suggested the meal wasn't good we were told that 'Noone else had complained'. So what ?? We're complaining! All this _and_ it was overpriced at 40 quid with no wine or dessert for 2.
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Will and Shahin
Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 3
Tuesday, July 03, 2007

Had a great meal at Arancia, first visit but will defintely be returning. Food fresh and delicious and atmosphere very laid back and welcoming. Service good, attentive but not over fussy or rushed. Both food and wine great value too.
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Rachel
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, June 06, 2007

went back to arancia after three years expecting good simple italian food and enthusiasm- got poorly judged dull food- insipid red pepper soup, toast with the burnt side turned down called bruscetta, gcse courgette fritters . the service was just sad like they didnt want us there- we saw the guy pulling faces to show his disgust for certain dishes as his friends ran through the menu with him!
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fergus clague
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Monday, March 12, 2007

We had a fantastic meal at Arancia on Saturday. Every course was spot on, and the house wine was lovely too. The atmosphere is perfect - totally unpretentious, and with a friendly yet unintrusive feel. I'd heartily recommend it.
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Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 6
Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Ate here for lunch - a bit disappointed considering it's been here for a long time and has a good reputation. Food mediocre, thought my fish wasn't fresh.
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Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 4
Thursday, December 14, 2006

The food was lovely, but the service was very slow and inattentive, giving the experience of eating at Arancia a rather unpleasant touch, also on the second try.
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Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 4
Sunday, November 05, 2006