Caffe Vergnano 1882

Although this is a nice venue and the service was friendly, the food was mediocre and overpriced. With starters at around £10 and main courses at £15 upwards (apart from the pasta) we would have expected a lot more - Stick to the coffee and hot chocolate offerings. I would not recommend it as a restaurant.
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Zoe
4 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 3
Thursday, December 03, 2009

My boyfriend and I went to the Caffe on the Southbank before a performance at the Royal Festival Hall. The service was absolutely atrocious. The food took ages to come (we waited for over half an hour and then paid and left), no one stopped by our table to see if we wanted something more to drink, there was no focaccia bread (they ran out?). After waiting for over half an hour for our food, we asked for the bill and the manager (hot tempered) argued with us and eventually we paid without eating and left. I even had the service (which was included in the bill) removed because it was that bad.
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0 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Thursday, October 15, 2009

went last night for dinner and was sorely disappointed. The milanese looked and tasted like it had been deep fried. service dreadful. room looks very nice though, and expresso was very nice.
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Darshak Shah
1 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 0
Saturday, May 30, 2009

I went there last night and the service was pants.
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1 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 0
Sunday, February 15, 2009

We ate at Caffe Vergnano last night before a concert. We did not experience any of the service or time pressure problems referred to in earlier reviews, so maybe they've got those aspects sorted.

But the food itself was disappointing and poor value for money. I could give several examples but the worst costwise was a sea bass dish for seventeen quid that comprised three small pieces of fish on a small circle of spinach. Nothing else. I'd guess total cost of ingredients (even if you bought the sea bass as a retail punter at Borough Market, say) can't have been more than three quid. That's some gross margin!

Great decor. I suppose they have to recover the fit out costs somehow.
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Trevor - View all reviews by this user
5 Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 2
Sunday, January 25, 2009

Fabulous! It was my first time there and I would go back again. Great food, service, coffee, cocktails and atmosphere. A very trendy, comfortable and welcoming environment. Very reasonably priced for this part of town. Definitely check it out.
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Nikki S
9 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Saturday, November 08, 2008

I will be returning for my third visit tonight. The food and wine has been good, the service courteous if a little sparse. It's main achievement is to have a relaxing interior (downstairs) and, if prices are a little expensive, it still represents good value relative to the competition at South Bank. One restaurant (which I won't mention) nearby charges £7 for scabby sandwiches you have to beg for.

The coffee, as you might guess, is sublime.

Conclusion: a reliable, comfortable and superbly located eatery: posh enough to please your mother-in-law; yummy enough to satisfy a foodie like me; and just the right side of overpriced to get away with it.

For these reasons, I think the bad experiences of other reviewers are probably atypical. And, as I say, this is my third visit...
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Angus Bearn
7 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 4
Tuesday, October 21, 2008

A terrible experience. Diners putting coats on and standing in desperate attempts to get their bill. Others concerned that they'd miss trains and concerts because their food was so slow in arriving. After 40 minutes of waiting my wife and I just gave up, left cash for our drinks (as there were no staff available and little chance of getting a bill) and went elsewhere. Any questions were greeted by blank stares and no action. Completely hopeless.
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Tony Hockley
1 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 0
Tuesday, October 14, 2008

I found the last review to be a little unfair.

We had dinner there last night.... by accident. We were hoping to eat at Ping Pong but the queue was massively long and the steamer was broken.

Searching for somewhere to eat we ended up here. The pasta dish was tasty and the chicken was moist and tasty. The cheese plate and the pudding was a large healthy sized portion.

Service is not the best - that is true, but it was not rude service - just a little inattentive.

Would go back.
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Malachi Williams
7 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 7
Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Dreadful. Got a table, which was probably the first indication of trouble as everywhere else was full. The waiter was rude and disinterested, brought me a beer instead of the orange juice I asked for, replaced eventually. We were given someone else's starter which was then moved away a couple of minutes later. Took forever to order food. Half our starters didn't turn up. The main, each of us had veal, was appalling. A piece of meat no thicker than a slice of ham, with the worst, overcooked, vile chips I've seen in a while, for £15 each. Our plates were left in front of us for a good 30 minutes before being cleared, no desert menu was offered. It took a good few more minutes to get the bill which was then left with credit cards for ages more. The place wasn't even that busy.

Never, ever going back.
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P
2 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 0
Wednesday, July 30, 2008