Pescatori (Fitzrovia)

We went on Saturday and having enjoyed a previous visit, were suprised and delighted to find a 30% off food offer for a busy December Saturday.

The food was generally very good - my sardine starter and gnocchi were delicious and my husband enjoyed the mussels he had as a starter but found his crab risotto a bit odd - it had deep fried piece of crab as the centrepiece and not much crab apart from that.

The service unfortunately let it down. It was all a bit chaotic even though the restaurant was only half full, with olives arriving after the starter (with no apology or "do you still want these?") and several different people serving us. We had to ask several times for the bread that came with the olives and we waited ages for dessert. Even getting our coats back was a bit of a mission. Also, some of waiters were wearing scruffy converse trainers in what is supposed to be a smart restaurant. It wasn't terrible by any means, but I'd be annoyed if we'd paid full price.
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5 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 6
Sunday, December 09, 2012

I'm very surprised to see some of the reviews, because I have absolutely nothing bad to say about this place.

I've booked it for a work dinner (12 people), and everything was planned in a brilliant way, even though we decided to change the menu as last minute.

We had the room we asked for, even though we were not having the all group as planned, the food (sardines / risotto / bruschetta - lobster / steak - pannacotta - sorbet - cafe affogatto) was absolutely brilliant. Everyone enjoyed it very much, and some of us have been in Michelin stars restaurants before.

From the manager to the waiter, the atmosphere, the welcoming..all fantastic. We will definitely going back (maybe not work related though).

I highly recommend it. Very good value for money on the offer on going!
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Filipa - View all reviews by this user
10 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, August 11, 2011

I took my parents to this place yesterday evening. Sicilian tomato & red onion salad is the tomato sliced in 6 pieces with a slice of onion. Lobster linguine, tomato & garlic had less than a spoon of the lobster meat (cost £22). We have been given coffee instead of Peroni beer and the waiter spilled water next to the glass on the table cloth. No one could communicate with us very well and we had 4 people serving us. I would not reccommend this place to anyone.
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J.
1 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 0
Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Not worth the money!

The person who takes the bookings didn’t make us feel welcomed when we arrived.

Our waitress was miserable and unhelpful. Another waiter didn’t know the ingredients of the dishes, but at least he was a nice chap.

We order some bread and it was stale. My wife ordered a risotto which was mediocre and the prawns have not been deveined. Not what you would expect from an Italian restaurant.

My main dish, the red mullet with fried calamari rings, was dull and dry.

The lobster linguine was actually lobster spaghetti!! and didn’t seem to be made with fresh pasta. Plus you get 4 small pieces of lobster with it.

My daughter enjoyed the dessert though.

So to summarize you probably be better off going to a chain restaurant which will cost you less and you probably get a better service.
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damianh - View all reviews by this user
3 Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 2
Monday, June 20, 2011

We had a company do in the restaurant. I have to say it is one of the worst restaurants in London.

I ordered scallops and I only see one tiny scallop in my plate and served with Bacon! It tasted very fat and creamy and tasteless...

Try to avoid that place!
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1 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 1
Tuesday, June 14, 2011

I was apprehensive about booking Pescatori for my friend’s Birthday after reading some of these reviews, but she loves seafood and Italian so it ticked all the gastronomic boxes and I thought I'd give it a go.

I was worried that the experience would turn out to be horrendous – but the moment we walked in the door we were put at ease. There were 5 in our party and, apart from a minor mix up with one round of drinks, the whole evening was perfect.

The food was really lovely (I had the Lobster) and the service was excellent.

I had to ask if anything had changed recently as the reviews for the service had previously been ‘unfavourable’ and was told that the company was the same but the Manager was new, so maybe that was the difference.

Certainly, we never received anything other than efficient, fast and welcoming service when we went (2nd June). My advice would be to give it a go. I’ll certainly be going back.
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Kirsten Riley
9 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Thursday, June 09, 2011

I can't believe the other reviews about Pescatori. I've eaten at so many - even michelin starred - restaurants, that have left me feeling pretty unimpressed. But Pescatori on the night of Thursday 13th January was a fantastic experience.

The service was attentive, but subtle. The food, delicious. I had the scallops and the halibut - both beautifully cooked. My friend had the trout and the lamb. She was full of compliments.

I will definitely be returning. It was a memorable meal for both of us. At not an unreasonable price,
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Louise - View all reviews by this user
8 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 7
Sunday, January 16, 2011

Come on Pescatori, you can do a lot better than this. Let’s try and inject a bit more of that Italian passion in your service that can painlessly turn a good eaterie into special dining experience.

On my latest visit to Pescatori, I ordered the prawn risotto with saffron. It was exquisitely light, visually attractive, delightfully fragrant and the flavours danced gently on the taste buds. However, the staff scored zero points for hospitality.

I’m not asking for singing waiters here. Nor do I want a violin serenade or a prowling accordionist but just a sprinkling of welcome and warmth that many Italian restaurants manage with supreme ease. What’s more, they don’t charge anything like the prices at Pescatori.

But will I go back? Quite possibly. But next time, my tip won’t be monetary but instead I'll just leave them the name of a good charm school.
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Dragon - View all reviews by this user
4 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 5
Wednesday, December 29, 2010

I ate as part of a group of four on Monday evening (25.10.10) and was very disappointed with the whole experience. The food was very, very average and hugely overpriced. The wine was OK but nothing exceptional. We were served in a very aloof manner and had a poor reaction to a request for tap water. I was pleased to finish the meal and leave the resturant. I would not recommend Pescatori to anyone. The final bill was just under £50 per head inclusive, at this price I have had superb dining experiences in London.
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2 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 1
Friday, October 29, 2010

This place was extremely disappointing. Talking about the mediocre and completely overpriced food later, the main problem of this place was the awful service. The long wait for drinks wouldn't have been an issue, if we had been greated with some friendliness rather than with the rude attitude of the waitress which was appaling. We actually enjoyed a delicious scallop starter (while still trying to ignore the service). One of the mains,a sirloin steak was not bad, however it said rib eye steak on the menu. The flavors of the baked john dory with a lemon thyme crab crust however did not work at all. The fried courgettes as a side were even worse and just greasy. Being put off alread by the bad service and the mediocre food, the bill was shocking, and we just wish we had cared about making the fuss of not paying the automatic service charge. If you want to enjoy your dinner, go somewhere else. This is a distasteful rip off.
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angry_and_confused_in_goodge_street
1 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 0
Friday, October 08, 2010