La Bodeguita del Medio

My first visit here was very enjoyable, a lunch for 2 people with fantastic tapas and we enjoyed the restaurant's fun element of signing our names on the restaurant's 'wall of fame' in the courtyard on the way out! As a result of that positive experience we then booked the restaurant for a landmark birthday with 20 people. The party menu was understandably simpler but the flavours were poor and the food was either overcooked or bland compared to what we had eaten on the previous visit! We enjoyed the wines on offer but the waitress tried to bring more bottles when we had not ordered these so this seemed like an attempt to push up our bill! Service was slow but again we expected that in tandem with the Cuban style.

OTHERWISE we enjoyed the evening and I can recommend the decor and ambience in the restaurant but at £55 a head we expected a LOT more from the food and the service. We all eat out regularly at a variety of nice restaurants and this was below par in value. On the way out my friends wanted to sign the wall (which is customary there) and the manager objected this time so we made no fuss, said good evening and left the restaurant. Once outside on the public street some of our group were going home on the tube and the rest of the group were deciding whether to go on to another venue round the corner when the manager of La B del M had the audicity to come out of the restaurant and ask us to move on down the street! We couldn't quite believe this as he had been pleasant to us at the booking and meal stage of the evening and we made no complaints about the food being substandard to our previous visit. Additionally the public street is public, not his private property. It is curious that this manager was completely friendly right up to the point of us paying our £1100 bill but then he changed his tune...not a good way to get people to return and very disappointing when the manager knew we were celebrating a special birthday...needless to say we won't be returning while he is managing.
Comment on this reader review

Mary
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 1
Saturday, March 01, 2008

Not bad, but not brilliant. Good for informal gatherings and large groups, as the atmosphere is great. One of our waitresses was pretty sour, but then again the others were lovely so guess it's just luck of the draw.

The mains were good, generous portions (I had the Ropa Vieja, a spicy kind of beef stew; others had the swordfish and said it was excellent) but the desserts were very disappointing - "rich moist chocolate cake" was small and dry, and the accompanying vanilla ice cream came long after we'd finished the cake. Wine by the glass is £6 which is perhaps a little steep.

My overall impression: a bit overpriced for what it is. Probably would not go there again.
Comment on this reader review

Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 4
Sunday, February 24, 2008

Yesterday we had a corporate Xmas lunch at La Bodeguita. I must say that this place left amazing memories to me. Mixture of Cuban atmosphere, smiling stuff, a dash of latin music all these combine the great experience. Briefly about each point

Food

I had for a starter "Swordfish ceviche with lime and ginger". Fish was thick as a paper list which definetely cannot kill your hunger, but tasty. Starter portion could be larger. For main course I ordered beef stake and that one was delicious, melting in mouth a must to try! Allbeit I am not a big fun of steaks, I will come back here only for this. Finally as a desert it was "Christmas Pudding with Havana Club infused custard" another gift for a sweettooth.

Service

Our group counted up to 45 people and staff tried their best. Cheerful and hospital in Havana Club uniform, they delivered food in time, quickly without hustle.

Atmosphere

10 out of 10. Especially I liked stairs to bathroom, Firstly though it leads to another bar, unfortunatelly could find only toilets.

Value for money

Since company covered all expences, I am not aware much about all cost. However after 6pm we had to purchase on our own. I ordered for a double archers with lemonade and a bottle of beer. I was shocked when barmaid asked for 15 quid. In other places I have been this is price for a regular cocktail, but not simple mix of liquer and lemonade.

Making conclusion, I would recommend this place for those who would like to change daily environment for a friendly cubian corner in the centre of London.
Comment on this reader review

Alexander
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 4
Friday, December 14, 2007

I read the review beneath and think it was a little unfair on the staff.

The food in this place was very nice and although and the starters you had probably meant to have pepper on them. You can always send them back (Although I know sending stuff back can entail risks of its own - I used to work in restaurants!!).

My meal was very nice and I had a very nice fish for my main.

I will say, yes the staff are not very experienced here, but I think most of them are new and from other countries. The main thing is that they keep trying and although they mixed up one thing - it was very funny they thought I said can I have some pork, when I actually asked for another fork and they brought me a plate of the stuff - they apologised for about ten minutes afterwards and let me eat the pork dish for free, so I was the winner.

It may be a bit faulty towers at times, but I like that, especially if you eating on your own and need to be kept enterained. The main thing is that the food is good and the staff smile, even when they don't understand what your saying.

def recommend.
Comment on this reader review

Ted Striker
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 6
Friday, November 02, 2007

This was a real disappointment. After reading some of the reviews, we decided to try this place. Unfortunately, my friends and I had a bad experience. For starters we ordered some tapas and 2 of the orders had to be sent back, because the delicate flavours had been over-whelmed with black pepper to the point that it was inedible.

Next onto the mains.... we wait... we wait... eventually we ask them where are the main courses we ordered. This caused a small flurry of activity and they eventually returned to tell us that "we don't have a record of you ordering anything further". I was shocked at this. Considering that we had already had a bad experience with the starters. We decided to leave. For a restaurant in Kensington, you really do expect better than this.

Avoid.
Comment on this reader review

Dan M
Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 1
Monday, October 15, 2007

At last. Good value tapas that doesnt taste like the rubbish they serve at La Tasca!

We visited 'La B del M' on a Monday night and as expected is was relatively quiet at 9.30pm but the few tables that were there seemed to be having a good time.

The lighting, the music and the temperature were all just right. The tapas were tasty and hot, the portions a little generous but at £20.00 for 5 tapas dishes - excellent value.

I took a punt on half a fresh lobster for my main, which came simply grilled with a little butter, garlic and olive oil - I'm not sure if it was very Cuban, but delicious all the same.

Guests said cocktails were great, but I can only vouch for a Torrontes from South America which was aromatic, fruity and off-dry - a pleasant change from Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc.

Staff were smiling, friendly and inobtrusive.

I would certainly recommend Bodeguita - you'll probably see me there too.
Comment on this reader review

Nathan Jones
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Monday, October 08, 2007

We visited Bodeguita deL Medio last night with friends and had a fabulous evening. The atmosphere in the bar was buzzing and the mojitos were some of the best I've tasted.

We shared 5 tapas between 4 of us and all but one of the dishes were excellent, well cooked and flavoursome. The homemade meatballs in particular were delicious - what out for the sauce which was quite firery!

Mains were also very good. Argentine ribeye and a marinated pork chop off the grill were hot and came shortly after the tapas were cleared.

Service was relaxed, but friendly. The tapas was good value getting cheaper the more you order. If you can resist the mojitos the chilen chardonnay was lovely.

I would recommend going with friends for an informal dinner.
Comment on this reader review

Catherine Rake
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, October 03, 2007

We went here last night and had the worst restaurant experience we've ever had. With high prices, poor food and bad staff, I would not recommend this place to anyone.

After waiting almost an hour for any sign of our food, we spoke to the waitress and she arranged for some bread. The starters arrived about 20 minutes later. Half were ok but the others were burnt or lacking flavour. When the main courses arrived, one dish was wrong and the food was generally unimpressive. Highlights of the bad food: the chips had a ton of salt on them so we sent them back; the moros & christianos (beans & rice - a staple Cuban dish) were bland and watery; the tuna tasted of pepper and nothing else.

The waitresses were nice & did a good job (except for the one wrong dish). However, this place didn't score very highly on service because we complained to the manager about the delay and his response was to look up our order on their computer and tell us we had ordered 45 minutes later than we did and that we must be lying. He then agreed to discuss the issue with just one member of our party (fair enough) but it took 10 minutes of discussion for him to admit that there was a problem. In the end he gave us 1 bottle of wine gratis. Considering we had ordered an extra 2 whilst waiting for the food this didn't feel like enough. He also told us we didn't have to pay the service charge (we had decided after the starters that we weren't going to pay this anyway!).

The other problem was the noise - whilst some people like an 'atmosphere', I prefer to be able to have a conversation with the person sat next to me without having to shout!

On the plus side, the wine and cocktails were lovely. Although being charged (and paying) an 'optional' service charge at the bar without being warned was irritating.
Comment on this reader review

POE
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 0
Thursday, April 19, 2007

I have been here twice. I was taken away by the quality of the food. The burger that I ordered had to be one of the best I have ever had in my life (I really mean it) I also order the beef enchiladas as a starter and that was really good. One of thing I do hope that they improve of is there service which is really slow. I feel like they need some additional staff. It a new place but and it looks like the new owner/manager is keen on improving on this aspect so hopefully my next visit will be all 10s
Comment on this reader review

Mark
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Monday, February 12, 2007

Very warm greeting upon entering. The atmosphere was energetic, from the crowded bar to the decor, a lovely space that places you outside London for a evening. Mojitos are great, especially 7yo, better than other cuban restaurants. Most of the food selections we have had, from starters to mains, are tasty, however the rice and beans needs special attention (expected more in a cuban restaurant from this cultural staple). The major issue was the slow service...both from wait staff and the kitchen. So, if you have the time on your hands and want to drink, eat tasty snacks, and chat in a lovely environment than this is a great place. Hopefully, the hands-on owner will sort the inconsistency in the kitchen and wait staff, so this restuarant reaches it's potential.
Comment on this reader review

El Gringo Salsero
Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Saturday, December 09, 2006