Azzurro (Waterloo)

Looking at the bad reviews it seems like a lot of people have gone here expecting something fancy which this is not. I have been here many times as have my parents before concerts and the food, service and wine has always been good. It is your basic pizza/pasta chain restaurant but the house wine is great, the staff are friendly and I have never had to complain about the food. Overall a great place to catch up with friends over a bottle of wine.
Comment on this reader review

Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, April 01, 2008

Went to this restaurant on Sunday evening, only 5 other customers in the restaurant. The decor is really nice....simple, however that is about as good as the night got.

Given the lack of customers I expected the service to be excellent and the food, as it wasn't as if the chef's were rushed off their feet.

My starter was oven baked mushrooms, with spinach and ricotta in a creamy bechamel sauce......what I actually got was two mushrooms in what can only be described as some sort of cheese soup....awful!!! My partners tomato and mozzerella salad was uninspiring!

The main course of seafood risotto was more like a bland, dry paella.....although my partners spag bol was passable!

All this topped of with some wierd euro-trance/dance music in the background.....not exactly fitting the Italian theme!

Definitely the worst meal I have had so far in London and I would advise anyone considering this restaurant to avoid!!!
Comment on this reader review

Natasha
Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 1
Tuesday, February 19, 2008

My first time at Azzuro, Waterloo will always be THE most disappointing experience of my life. I made a quick stop to this so called Italian restaurant and had the most awful pizza!

I had ordered a big vegetarian pizza with some extra toppings (olives,mushrooms,onions) and was quite disappointed with what was served. The thin crust pizza looked half-burnt, with hardly any onions or mushrooms and exactly 4 black olives (and I was paying extra for the EXTRA toppings). The very sight of the pizza killed my appetite and when I ate it, it was cold (not even warm). It tasted stale. I cannot describe the after-taste of the half-eaten pizza. The ambience of the place is very average and the service is very mediocre. The guy didn't know what he served me and didn't quite understand what we were asking him.
Comment on this reader review

Dee
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 0
Thursday, January 31, 2008

Went here for my work's Christmas do and it was appalling. After waiting for forty-five minutes we had to ask a waiter to come to our table to take our order. When it did eventually come, not one single person had a nice thing to say about the food. Mine was supposed to be sirloin but was more like an old boot. The fish was overcooked and tasteless, the risotto undercooked, and they obviously couldn't be bothered with the presentation. Why not just throw the food on the plate, it's Christmas, they probably won't notice! The one redeeming factor was the dessert which was OK.

I had eaten here before and had the pizza which wasn't too bad. I can understand it was their busiest time of year, but that's no excuse!
Comment on this reader review

act
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 0
Friday, December 21, 2007

Went there a couple of weeks ago after a concert. Everywhere on the south bank was full.... now i know why this one was nearly empty!

The waiters (and the "restaurant manager") could barely speak English... you can see the cooks from our table. The management should be ashamed! The pizza taste like something that you can buy from Iceland, the tables are greasy. We complained and we, at least we didnt pay, but it really ruined a nice evening!!!!!
Comment on this reader review

Giorgia
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 2
Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Visited on thurs25 oct, only because elsewhere along the south bank was full. I see others have made the same mistake as me. Whilst I have not been to every italian restaurant in london, I would be surprised if this wasn't the worst. We waited ages to order drinks before two waiters showed up and proceeded to compete for our order. Our starter arrived with 10 mins but then they was a gap of 55 mins before anyone came over to explain what had happened to our mains. Apparently they were delayed due to a big group booking they had in (the restuarant was maybe half full.....)

After 1 hour ten mins, my pizza finally arrived. it looked like something you get out of the freezer at a supermarket. it had clearly been cooked over an hour before and then reheated. When i commented it looked over cooked I was informed by the manager I had asked for it to be 'well done'....err...no I think that was the steak my wife ordered ! One bite of that and it was clear it was just made up of fat.

When I complained to the management they just shrugged and said 'well you do want it or not'. No, thanks I don't. We left without paying...and I still felt ripped off...
Comment on this reader review

Andrew
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 0
Friday, October 26, 2007

I've been here twice and have been happy both times - its standard italian chain-type food at reasonable prices and is usually one of the few places with available tables! Pizzas are good and pasta is fine too. I like the setting in the arches. It may not be the most exciting or elaborate of places but don't be put off by the negative reviews.
Comment on this reader review

Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 8
Friday, August 17, 2007

We went to Azzurro last night as we had been several years ago and had a pleasant meal and thought we would give it another go. The meal was terrible. Pizza was soggy and the caesar salad main course size was tiny. Lettuce was brown around the edges, vitually no chicken and croutons stale. Should have sent it back but just too polite! Ordered cheese for dessert because still hungry. 3 jacobs crackers with mound of cheese with bits of green stuff all over it - looked like it had been cut with knife used on something else. Sent it back and asked for some "fresh" and clean cheese. Came back and was a bit better though stil bits on the cheese. Was better presented as strawberry in middle of cheese though on examination it had a cut in the middle (as if it had been taken off side of pudding bowl/cocktail glass) and was slighty "off" and squidgy. Service was slow and staff quite rude. All in all not a pleasant experience. best thing is to stop just for drink on the way to Waterloo - whatever you do, do not eat!!
Comment on this reader review

Hannah Evans
Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 1
Friday, June 01, 2007

I have been to Azzurro twice and have been severely disappointed both times. The food is awful! Special mention goes to the undercooked risotto (which was served not far off from being cold) which was preceded by a very shabby soup. On requesting that the risotto be returned I ordered a small salad (I had lost my appetite by then) which after studying the bill had somehow become a large salad.

After having argued to return the risotto already I didn't have the energy to dispute the size of the salad but I cannot recommend this place to anyone and will never go back.

Real shame since the interior is quite nice.

If the food was even half decent I wouldn't mind the poor service.
Comment on this reader review

Kesh
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 1
Monday, April 16, 2007

Dining at Azzurro was an all round horrible experience. At first we were forced to move tables as we were initially seated in the cavernous extension around the back where I literally couldn't hear myself think. Then it took 45mins to receieve any drinks, after the third time of asking. When I proceeded to point this out to the waitress she went back to her colleagues and mimicked me talking to her. My food was average but my sister's garlic mushrooms were horrible and she was very ill this morning! The staff were rude and slow and needless to say that we took the service charge off the bill. I won't be going back to this place!
Comment on this reader review

Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 2
Friday, February 23, 2007