La Pampa Grill

I can honestly say the service was appalling (a waiter continually metnioning "tip" and forgetting our order), and the food was pretty dire. One of my party ordered a salad which turned out to be half an iceberg lettuce, and our seasonal vegetables were courgette and brocolli. The wait staff were rude and unhelpful. I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone. The only good thing was the red argentinian wine - which I could have purchased at Waitrose.
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Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Friday, August 17, 2007

I was very dissappointed.

The steaks were burnt on the side! I think the people that have given a good rating here, have never tasted a good steak!

The Service was very bad and unfriendly. Not very argentinian!

Atmosphere was normal.
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Mario
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 0
Wednesday, August 08, 2007

I was very surprised by some of the negative reviews...I have been going to La Pampa regularly in the last year and can honestly say that on every occasion the steaks have been fantastic! I would rate it the best steak/value for money in London...
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Michael
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Friday, August 03, 2007

My girlfriend and I went to this restuarant on Saturday night and arrived just after 9pm. The restaurant by this time was very busy but wasn't excessively noisy. The ambience of the place is quite unique, with fairy lights and candles around the place, and subdued lighting. We got a table by the window, which although pleasant as you can look out the window has the disadvantage of being right beside the entrance door which slams every time someone leaves or enter. After a few times it's pretty annoying, and this is a problem which you would have thought they would have addressed. Anyway after sitting down we were immediately brought a basket of tasty fresh bread, which we were grateful for as nobody came to take our drinks order until I managed to grab the waiter's attention after being there for about 25 mins without anyone coming to serve us. Two other tables across from us also had to speak to the waiter in order to have their orders taken - you get the impression that they are rather understaffed. I ordered the fillet steak (rare) with two fried eggs, my girlfriend got a chicken dish. I found the steak fairly tasteless and not very juicy, although my girlfriend found her dish very nice. Obviously after I'd tucked away my food I got stuck into hers, and the chicken was pretty good. The service throughout the night wasn't fantastic but did improve, and the staff we friendly and polite. A previous reviewer mentioned that the ambience made it feel as though you might be on holiday - by the end of the night the temperature in the place had risen so much that shorts and a t-shirt wouldn't have been out of place. As the night went on they crank the music up (around 10.30) and start playing some ridiculous euro-pop. So in summary, I wouldn't go back there as there are better (and cheaper) restaurants in the area, but we didn't find the restaurant as bad as previous reviews suggest, but speed of service is definitely a problem. And fix that door!
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Dave
Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 5
Sunday, July 29, 2007

Best Steak I have had in years and a fantastic bottle of Argentian wine was enjoyed too !!! Job done !
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Paul T
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, July 25, 2007

I am stunned by some of the negative reviews I have just read about La Pampa. I love this restaurant - the steaks have always tasted great and we always order the potatoes and vegetables as sides because they taste so good. The vegetables in particular are always steamed to perfection. The staff are lovely and friendly, the red wine never disappoints, and the atmosphere (including the wooden tables and chairs, the flashing lights and the music) are just part of La Pampa's charm. But each to their own, I suppose. Judge for yourself ...
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Emma
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Monday, July 23, 2007

It's the best steak i've ever had, i went previously to the Northcote Road branch and the Manager there was very rude and all the service there was a disgrace, but last week i went to the Battersea Rise one and that was what i call "the Place". The Manager, a portuguese guy, Oscar, I think, was very good recommending the wine and how we should ask for the steak to cooked, the food was amasing and a simple, but five star service.
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Tom Peterson
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, June 27, 2007

After visiting this restaurant last saturday night i felt compelled to say something to counteract the negative reviews on this site. Yes it is noisy, and yes the tables are quite close together - but that's just the type of place it is. It has coloured fairy lights, plastic animals and a fun, holiday type atmosphere- if you want silence and silver service, then this is not the place for you.

I found the staff to be pleasant and helpful, there was always someone around when you needed them. The food (although not the best steak i ever had) was very nice, the fillet steak was very tasty, the baked aubergine and chorizo starters were exactly as expected, the chunky chips and vegetables were perfect companions for the steak, and the wine was lovely - the waiter was also helpful in choosing the wine by recommending a great one that was the same price as the one we were originally planning to select.

We had a lovely evening in there and thoroughly enjoyed our food, we left full and happy. It's an unpretentious restaurant, which was very busy on a saturday night, and anywhere that is that busy, can't be as bad as reviews on here suggest. So don't be put off by negative reviews, try for yourself.
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Kirsty - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 6
Monday, June 25, 2007

The worst experience I have had in a London Restaurant for a very long time. The waiters/manager were rude and ignorant,.My rare steak came comepletely over-cooked and tasted like an old rubber boot. When the bill came there was so much on there we didnt have I had to ask the manager if he had given the bill to the wrong table. A blatant attempt to rip off a large party by adding at least 6 bottles of wine we didn't drink and 5 sides. Even with these taken off we all paid £42 each for no starter, rubber steak, no dessert, no coffee and average Argentinian wine. DO NOT GO TO THIS RESTAURANT. If you want a steak its Gaucho Grill all the way( top service, fantastic steaks and a great atmosphere.
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Mark Bell
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Thursday, June 07, 2007

This is one of the most disappointing restaurants i've ever been to in my life. I grew up in Clapham and have often walked past La Pampa seeing the cosy, candlelit tables and thinking that it'd be great to have a steak in there one day. When I finally got round to it I wish I had never wasted my money. £1.95 for the stale bread they put on the table when you first sit down, the steak was passable but the potatoes it came with were a few days old (and really tasted it) and the side salad (£4) was just iceberg lettuce with two pieces of tomato and two pieces of dried up cucumber. The only thing that was worth the money was the wine. I'm certainly never going back there again - the quality of the food was almost insulting given the cost (around £70 for 2 people). I could cook far better myself and will do next time!
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Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 0
Saturday, May 05, 2007