Garufa

I went here with my wife as we live around the corner and hadn't been in for ages (only been once before). We won't be going again, which is a real shame as what they are doing is simple to do, it just needs to be done well.

The quality of the produce was poor and the food itself bland. My wife had a burger which was served to her black & blue (rare) in a standard processed burger bun. She asked for it to be cooked through a bit more more & it came back blacker, but still blue. The bun was now soggy too, they reluctantly took it back again and it came back (the same burger still) charred and grey this time!

The service was unapologetic and we were made to feel that we were making a fuss. My steak was ok but bland, the one good thing was the chips.

The annoying thing about this place is that it is as much as a gourmet burger restaurant, but dull and thoughtless.
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Jon
2 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 1
Monday, August 08, 2011

I felt very let down following my recent visit. Two of the main courses had to be sent back out of the three as they were not cooked correctly. The waitress rather than try to appease our table then chose to argue that the restaurant could not cook a rare steak and that it would have to come out blue?!

It is a real shame as the quality of the meat is very good. It is evident from the other comments that I am not the first to have sent food back. There have to be real questions asked if a steak restaurant cannot consistently cook its main ingredient correctly. At £28 simply for the steak and then £4 per side this restaurant simply must deliver. The service coupled with the high prices make this restaurant instantly forgettable.
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Andy
3 Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 2
Saturday, July 16, 2011

Last Friday went to Garufa for a dinner with my friend and his mum. Unfortunately, must say it was one of the most terrible dining experience I ever had. I never write a review but this time I just dont want other people to get disappointed and waste their money. My feedback:

- awful waiters behaviour (just one example out of many: when I asked for a tissue to wipe from my table a spilled by HIM drink the waiter pointed by HIS FINGER on my napkin);

- unreasonably high prices. Regarding the area (be fair Islington is not Mayfair ;)) and their prices on drinks (average £7 for cocktail) and mains you would be expecting at least a decent value and welcoming staff. Also waiter gave us menus and when we ve started ordering he announced: "Oh, sorry, thats our old menu. But I dont have a new one. I dont know where is it." - Im sorry WHAT?! on friday evening, half empty restaurant and you done have a proper menu?? and you want me to pay £25, not incl drinks and sides???! (but I idnt say it to him and saying now!)

- Steak arrived not as we ordered... One "well done" came good and very tasty, another "well done" was like "medium" and my "medium" end up being "raw"... Obviously we asked them to fix it, however, by the time it arrived our friend finished his meal.

For all that "amazing package" we payed about £130 on tree people which is £43 each. Next time i will add a couple of pounds to that and go to Gaucho ;) at least value is matching the price over there.

Do I have to say that service charge was already in our bill? well it was.
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Irina
1 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 0
Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Service was quite disinterested and unhelpful. Ordered the 300g Fillet (rare) and the 400g Sirloin (medium). Friends Fillet was very good. My Sirloin was terrible disappointment. Tough, fatty and stringy. One bottle of red and 2 mains (with chips and salad). £105! No starters, no desserts, no other drinks. Rip off.
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JAP
4 Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 1
Thursday, August 26, 2010

Went for dinner last Saturday for a massive meat blowout.

I was a surprised to learn from the excellent Garufa service team that in Argentina, it is traditional for a succession of steaks to comprise an entire meal. No vegetables, no salad, just meat.

We ordered empanadas which were superb, followed by a meat platter with some salad and chips. The steaks were first class. It was interesting to try the different cuts side by side. Our fillet was a little overcooked and, after sincere and profuse apologies from all corners, was replaced within minutes with a perfectly cooked alternative.

A reasonably priced Argentine Malbec (£17) was robust and punchy enough to take on the job of accompanying this orgy of meat.

I woke up the next morning with the meat sweats but not for a minute did I regret my 'When In Rome' commitment to eating my entire bodyweight in fine Argentine steak.
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quentinhapsburg - View all reviews by this user
8 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Tuesday, August 10, 2010

This restaurant continues to surprise me as I sample more dishes from the menu: everything is average and hugely overpriced. I can safely say that I have now got the message - I hadn't caught them on off days on my previous visits. Shame, as it is very convenient for me to get to, but continuing disappointment has eventually got the better of me. I'm finished with it.

The service is also unmemorable. In the mornings it is actually comedically rude.

As I said: what a shame. We would need good, fairly-priced eateries in our area.
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Charm_Personified - View all reviews by this user
2 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 2
Sunday, July 11, 2010

VERY small portions (and not cheap), mediocre service.
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3 Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 1
Monday, February 22, 2010

I went to Garufa tonight with a large group for a friend's birthday. The welcome was friendly, the atmosphere and decor great, and the wines hearty. The food was good but +ridiculously+ overpriced. I ordered a rare rump steak which was far too gristly and tough to cut. Not a good cut of meat. Others seemed to have better luck. My friend ordered the salmon with roquefort sauce at £16. At that price expecting a decently-sized piece of fish would not be too over the top. What was delivered was half a small thin fillet of salmon and three lonely broccoli florets. All tasty, but £16? Come on guys - get a grip. Sides of chips were very good, but all the sides were again tiny portions and overpriced. £4 for one grilled pepper. The Humita norteña - fresh corn, onion, basil, and butter cooked in oil - sounded great but turned out to be a tiny saucer with a very thin layer of the above spread over it. And a whopping £4.50 for the pleasure! Desserts were tasty, with dulche de leche featuring in many. If they can get their pricing to match their portions and quality I might return based on the atmosphere and other good points, but otherwise this will have to be a one-off visit.
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Paulo Gonçalves - View all reviews by this user
6 Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 2
Monday, December 14, 2009

Checked Garufa out last night with a friend - very impressed though agree that it is quite expensive, particularly on side orders. However in mitigation, there was some good value on the wine list and the quality of everything was very high - e.g. amongst the best chips i have tasted recently. Unlike many others, I enjoyed the service which was friendly but not overbearing. A great addition to the Highbury restaurant scene...
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CPW
8 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 5
Thursday, May 21, 2009

Being a local, I was over the moon to hear of this new steak restaurant opening and my boyfriend and I went along for dinner in it's first month. While I must say that the steaks were incredibly tasty, I must agree that everything else was nothing better than average and WILDLY overpriced. A tiny bowl of chips is £4 and when a side of mushrooms for £3.50 came to the table I looked on in disbelief.... it was one mushroom on a side plate?!?! Even a tiny eggcup of sauce is an extra £2. In the end we paid well over £100 for dinner which is just crazy for a local restaurant. I cant see this place surviving the current economic downturn, especially with the grumpiest waiters and waitresses I have come accross. They stand around looking vaguely suicidal and forget to bring things when you ask them. Its a real shame because with friendly staff, some good music playing (it was very quiet) and more reasonable pricing, I woudl be recommending this as a perfect local.
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charli
5 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 2
Thursday, February 12, 2009