Lena

Went to Lena on the 16th of February for dinner and got the 50% off food offer. I suppose that makes it harder to complain but the bill still came up to £60 for a beer, a glass of wine, two starters and two mains. I know that is not expensive for london prices but had I paid £100 for the fully priced meal, I would have gone home absolutely furious. The food is oversalted and generally not very impressive, we left thinking it was "ok". Nice decor, slow unenthusiastic service and just ok food.
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Potta
6 Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 5
Monday, February 21, 2011

This was certainly a case of mistakenly judging the book by its cover. The decor is great and I must say the jazz band performing in the bar were very good indeed and the staff even looked the part (but behaved like amateurs).

Upon arrival our table was not ready (okay fair enough) and then we were left in the bar and forgotten about for 25 minutes until I sought out the waiter. Wasn't too impressed with the wine list. They have nicer wine in my local pub.

Anti pasti was a joke - over salted olives that were akin to spooning balls of salt into your mouth alongside soggy salted mushrooms possibly from a can. Not a pleasant combo.

They were very slow to take our order and I was insulted that the "langoustine" that was supposed to be served with the risotto starter was nothing more than a couple of king prawns. The accompanying clams that were supposed to make up the dish had "sold out" and were hastily replaced with unwashed gritty and over-cooked mussels. Scallops starter had also "sold out" which meant we had to change our order.

The mains were very average - venison was well cooked but my over elaborate polenta "cake" was a polenta brick. Embarrassing that they even served it on a plate. Jus was thin and watery.

The Steak dish was served with the afore mentioned soggy salted muchrooms possibly from a can. They present their steaks better in weatherspoons.

There was an unnecessary 30 minute wait between courses (including desert). Since when do restaurants keep people waiting 30 minutes for desert?

All in all an absolute shocker. Would not recommend this place to anyone for a romantic meal. There are far more down to earth Italian restaurants to chose from and far more honest places to eat in east London
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jammin - View all reviews by this user
3 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 2
Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Oh dear :-/ ....my bosses just returned after their first visit to this restaurant for a business lunch with clients, it is a relatively new restaurant and close to our office so thought we would give it a try, they were the only people in the restaurant this entire lunchtime, so one may have thought this would mean speedy service, however, they waited well over 45 mins for their meals and the food was mediocre at best, the waiter spilt coffee into the saucer when serving and just left it did not replace, disappointing and expensive, will not be going back.
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PA
0 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Female diners beware! I came here for a friend's birthday and was so disappointed by the whole experience that I would not come back to Lena's even if you paid me.

Before we get onto the food, the service is horrendous! Restaurant's manager treated us in such an appalling manner that we were left in tears, reeling from the experience. Upon leaving the restaurant, having spent more than 2.5 hours waiting for our mediocre and overpriced food, I was told by the snobby maître d to get our coats ourselves from the cloak room. When I complained to the manager about the poor level of customer care, he hurled so much abuse at me that made me question his level of education.

If you can avoid this restaurant, do at all costs! There are too many other, better restaurants in London that serve good food and know a thing or two about, dare I say, customer care.
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0 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Sunday, November 28, 2010

Went to the lovely lena last night! nice and busy with a great atmosphere! the veal ragu was divine and perfectly portioned. love love love the rosemary potatoes and broccoli which are so resonably priced! going back again and definatley have my eye on their chicken wrapped in pancetta ! would definatley recommend it for bubbly and authenetic italian evening out!
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10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, August 12, 2010

Pleasantly surprised - much better than expected.

They managed to make my boring salad starter really tasty, and my veal was excellent.

Hub's fish and soup both good.

Extremely lovely maitre'd who has a real way about him and kept us amused without being annoying or overbearing.

Be careful if you go on the special offer - we had the 50% off but he said that wasn't supposed to be for the A La Carte (luckily we had the email confirmation which showed very clearly it said it WAS for A La Carte). He was very nice about it but just be careful.

Recommended, and we'll be back.
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8 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 7
Sunday, August 08, 2010

Visited Lena last Friday (16th August) with a group of 14 work colleagues for our Summer party... We work nearby on Curtain Road, and were given a fantastic long table by the window. Would highly recommend for corporate entertainment.

The food and service was exceptional, and to be honest you'd pay a lot more in the West End for the sheer quality of the food, and the calming and serene ambience of the restaurant.

Price-wise, Lena has a £14 lunch option for those on a budget... which is fantastic value. And the a la carte menu will certainly not break the bank either for taking the wife, girlfriend or bit on the side! ;)

The staff were spot on with service, and the veal ragu is to die for... Just promise me one thing, that you leave some space for the desserts, as I think you'd struggle to find a better selection in London. Go for the Tiramisu, probably the best I've ever had...

Good work Lena! Absolute gem in the heart of Shoreditch!
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Dan
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, July 20, 2010

I really enjoyed my visit to Lena. The interior design is fabulous; a high-end Italian restaurant that serves great food. I thought my starter was a bit small but that may be my greed talking!

I will definitely go back with friends as they also have a jazz bar with cocktails and live music etc.
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Gemma - View all reviews by this user
8 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Monday, July 12, 2010

I've recently gone into Lena for the first time. The decor is fabulous, it really felt like an up-market venue and with pristine white furniture I'm sure this is hard to maintain!

The food was lovely, I had the fettucine but everything that I saw coming out the kitchen looked delicous. I was a little disappointed by the size but I think that was just because I enjoyed it so much; I was stuffed to the brim!

I will definitely be going back to try more on the menu!
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Nic
8 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Monday, June 21, 2010

I recently took a group of business colleagues to lunch at Lena. The food was outstanding and they managed to get us in and out within an hour and half. The service was excellent - informed and professional staff. Will definitely return.
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Rudi
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Sunday, March 07, 2010