Clos Maggiore

I was disappointed. We booked a month in advance as a special treat for my partner and I. We were sat on a the corner table next to the bar. My seat wouldn't fit in to the table straight as it hit the side of the bar and was very uncomfortable, and at one point, some water from the ice bucket splashed on my head. I saw twinkling lights in the space at the back. I guess that was the bit that gave this restaurant the reputation of being "the most romantic restaurant in London". I would have thought booking a month in advance for a table for two on a Tuesday night would have granted us a table there but alas no. The service was extremely slow and the food was very average for the price. We'd really been looking forward to it so it was a real shame. If I were to go again I would ask to be sat in the "romantic" area, but with so many other good restaurants in London I won't be returning here.
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3 Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 1
Thursday, December 16, 2010

The fourth time I've been to CM this year and still, I think, one of the best value prix fixe lunches in London for the quality of the food, the service, ambience and wine list.

Took five members of my family. They have been before, but again throughouly enjoyed every moment of the expereince. Right beside the Piazza, this is a hidden, quality gem in an otherwise unprepossessing area of London for decent restaurants.

Highly recommended - and will definitely be returning.
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- View all reviews by this user
10 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Monday, December 06, 2010

I found Clos Maggiore after a search for a romantic restaurant on the internet and it kept coming up as one of the most romantic in London. The photographs looked good, the menu also and its wine cellar is highly rated. Still, there are some poor reviews on line but on balance I decided to book and take my girlfriend to celebrate our anniversary. I am so glad I did.

After a few emails I got the guarantee of a table in the conservatory ( as by all accounts this was the place to be ) and was much reassured.

My Girlfriend and I are well travelled and an evenings entertainment for us is to enjoy a fine dining experience. When done well it is hard to beat and Clos Maggiore was everything I hoped it would be.

From the moment we arrived the reception and service was impeccable, appropriately formal for a restaurant that takes dining seriously but still warm and friendly......they have the balance just right.

We decided on the seasonal and vegetarian six course taster menu's with wine and cannot fault it in any way. If I am to be picky, and it is being very picky, the sommelier was excellent in describing the choice of wine for each course ( and each wine was a perfect choice ) but the same couldn't be said of the waiting staff. That doesn't mean that the service wasn't good, it was very good, and that the food wasn't outstanding, it was, it would just have been nice to have had a similar introduction to each course as we had with the wine.

Each course brought new wonderful taste sensations and looked as good as they tasted. The timing of the service was again perfect as we were not at all hurried and felt able to relax and take our table " for the night" and fully immerse ourselves in the wonderful atmosphere of the conservatory and the wonderful sensory experience of dining here.

After many years dining at some of London's finest establishments, including some supposedly superior Michelin starred, I can honestly say that our evening at Clos Maggiore rates as one of the best.

The bill for two at almost £250 makes this a restaurant I will have to keep for special occasions but it was worth every penny.
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Jonathon Miller
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, November 30, 2010

I took my boyfriend there for his birthday last Thursday. When we arrived, we were taken to a small room on the first floor. My first impression was: the room was full of old men with their highly botoxed wives. They seemed to have just came out of a wind tunnel or something. I shouldn't have said this, but I thought that was probably the sort of customers the restaurant wanted/targeted. The waiter was extremely rude to us from the beginning. He grabbed the wine list (which was quite thick, like a phone directory) away from me, but when I told him the wine that I wanted he seemed puzzled as if he never heard of it before. He reluctantly gave me back the wine list and I had to point out the wine I wanted for him. The waiter kicked my boyfriend's chair every time he walked into the kitchen, due to the fact that our table was next to the kitchen door. But one would expect the waiters to be more careful and well-trained. I ordered duck breast for my main, which I preferred well-done. The waiter repeated again and again my order many times to the point that I thought he was rude.

When he served the main, he was trying to pour some creamy-looking sauce on my boyfriend's fish. My boyfriend looked concerned, stopped the waiter from doing so and asked him what was in the sauce. The waiter repeated "chorizo" again and again. At that point we knew that he was downright disrespectful because we knew what chorizo was. It's a bloody sausage, not a sauce. At the end he admitted that there's cream in the sauce, which my boyfriend is allergic to. My boyfriend said he didn't want it. The waiter just slammed the sauce pan on the table, and said "oh well, your friend might like it". And that's not the end of it. My duck came out so pink I couldn't possibly eat it. It was a disaster as far as my special bash for my boyfriend goes. But I was trying to keep my cool, so not to cause a scene and ruin the night. Overall, the food was ok but not that I would have it again. The service was downright none. You don't even get this kind of rude service in any French restaurant (I mean, in France) these days. The venue was pretentious (it looks luxurious at first glance, but you soon realise there are just IKEA mirrors cleverly used everywhere). Value for money, I think La Petite Maison at Mayfair is a much better French restaurant to go to.
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Eddie Chin
4 Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 3
Friday, November 12, 2010

Went there for Saturday lunch. From the the first telephone contact to the final 'goodbyes' the staff couldn't have been better.

We opted for the set lunch which had plenty of choice and every course was a delight. The bill for 4 with wine, coffee, petit four and bottles of sparkling water was around £170 including service. Pretty good for food of such quality. The only minor gripe was that the wine could have been a little more chilled. Well worth a visit.
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Aitch - View all reviews by this user
9 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Tuesday, November 09, 2010

It was just the two of us for our anniversary, and we got one of the tables in the extra room upstairs.

It was a cosy, warm and relaxing atmosphere with a fire place and neutral decor. The waiters were very attentive and pleasant.

We couldn't resist having a full meal a la carte, seeing as it was a special night. The starters were light and very tasty, the main meal was cooked to perfection, and the desserts were very original. Try the roasted pear with gingerbread ice-cream! Delicious.

The wine selection was also exceptional and the somellier was at hand when we needed him.

All in all it was a lovely experience and well-worth the money. Just not too often!
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Lady Cheesecake - View all reviews by this user
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Sunday, November 07, 2010

Dined upstairs at Close Maggiore last night. The food was okay but the head waiter upstairs was extremely rude, surly, arrogant and unhelpful on the occason of our visit. I have never been treated like this in a London restaurant and I would urge others to give this venue a miss until the management train the staff properly. One would have thought he was paying us to be there and not the other way around. He completely ruined our evening.
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MBackman
2 Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 0
Friday, November 05, 2010

10 of us went and had saturday lunch to celebrate my wife's 40th birthday. The set menu was tasty, good value and wine recommendations good too. However, the waiter was very rude. From the time we arrived at 1pm sharp and were seated in an upstairs room the waiter told us we had to leave by 4pm. He continued to remind us throughout lunch, when he hadn't disapeared. I had to go downstairs and find him at one point. Disapointing service after reading such good reviews.
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Will McQ
6 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Thursday, October 28, 2010

I and friends dine at Maggiore very regularly - up to once a fortnight . We are such loyal customers because we are always extremely impressed by the superb quality of the dishes you serve and by the excellent service. Indeed, I had my 60th birthday dinner at Maggiore.

However, on our last two visits (October 2010),we have noticed that the usual first-class running of the restaurant and attention to diners is not what it was. Two or three weeks ago, we and others were kept waiting quite a while for our tables while the staff had a meeting in the restaurant which went on well beyond your opening time. Afterwards, the waiting staff appeared, for the first time ever, to be quite hassled. They were as courteous as ever but there was quite a lot of confusion about our order - both the wine and the food There seemed to be a new manager present who had had quite a seriously unsettling effect on the smooth running of operations.

When we next wanted to reserve a table,the usually helpful and efficient receptonist was not there; instead we had to deal with man who made much of how busy the restaurant was before grudgingly accepting our booking. We were surprised on arriving to discover that the entire staff appeared to have been replaced. The new staff were extremely professional though they still seem to be finding their feet.

Something seems to be going wrong at Maggiore - whcih is a great pity as we have always rated the place very highly as a rare haven of good food and service in Covent Garden.
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8 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 7
Saturday, October 23, 2010

I took the other half there last night (Tuesday) for an early evening pre-theatre bite to eat, before whisking her off to see War Horse (fantastic!), as a birthday treat. We found the place to be very well run, with friendly, attentive staff, with a warm relaxed atmosphere. We had the set price 2 course meal with a bottle of very good white house Roussillon. I definitely scored some brownie points last night, and we shall be returning to go al a carte in the near future.
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Watt-O - View all reviews by this user
9 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, October 20, 2010