Jamie's Italian (Islington)

Avoid,AVoid AVOIDDDDDDDDD!!!!!!

The starters were reeking of OILLLLL,,took ages to get served.We had some olives for starters,reeking of oil,then had to ask 3 times for some BREAD.

Ordered seabass,with vegetables,got a TINY seabass,wait for it,wait for it,one carrot beside it,on grease paper,i thought was crispy bread,again ,reeking of OIL.

Appalling,for the prices charged.Jamie Oliver needs to pop into this branch,if he dares,put things,vaguely right.

Putting your name to something,is not enough.Quality of food,good service must be adhered ,too.

I work in the area,refuse to ever have a meal there ,again.
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sev James - View all reviews by this user
4 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 3
Thursday, May 17, 2012

sunday lunch for 3 generations of family- very good service- excellent food- although a bit noisy- and very child friendly- would recommend it.
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paulk
8 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Monday, April 30, 2012

Had been to this chain at Canary Wharf which I really enjoyed so was embarrassed when I took friends and family to the Islington branch to be served the worst tasting meal in my life - honestly! The wife takes clients to Fifteen and loves it and we have more than our fair share of J. O. cookbooks so we were trying hard to like this but here's why we couldn't

1) service - had to beg for menus, order, food, drinks - staff were harassed, tired and out of their depth

2) quality of food - meatball pasta was cold, watery and inedible - my family nickname is the dustbin...it takes a lot for me to refuse food I paid for.... I think this was the first time!

3) noise - had the acoustic qualities of a train station....how did they manage that?
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Steddie
0 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Sunday, April 29, 2012

This was so disappointing - our starter was quite nice although very small and then we waited nearly an hour for our main course. When it finally came it was cold and overdone. I ordered the steak and my husband ordered the turkey escalope which he found quite oily. Our drinks took nearly 30mins to arrive and so most of the evening was spent waiting around watching other tables also devoid of food (presumably waiting as well). It's a bit expensive which is ok but they obviously can't deliver for those prices. Our waitress offered the explanation that they're 'busy' tonight. Jamie's crammed in tons of tables and chairs and clearly the staff can't cope with that amount of customers. My recommendation is to not waste your time or money going.
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Wanda - View all reviews by this user
3 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 0
Saturday, April 21, 2012

Went here for I thought was going to be a nice Friday night dinner with friends. Boy was I wrong!!

Was going to go straight to the bar and order a drink before we were seated but was told it would be much quicker to order at the table. So, proceeded to be seated. Waited about 10 minutes before someone came over to our table. I wasn't desperate for a drink so ok.

Sat down to find that the table was rocking very badly, asked the waiter if he could help. He was very helpful and tried to wedge the table so it wouldn't rock. Another waiter (perhaps the manager) came over and told us that the table is rocking as it was large!! How totally ridiculous!! I told him I had a table that seated 8 and it didn't rock!

OK...so we got our menus and the lights were dimmed so much that we had to look at the menu with the light from our phones. They would not increase the lighting...probably so we couldn't see how terrible the food looked!

Starters were straight out of Sainsbury's packets. Nothing that anyone could not do at home in 5 minutes. Mains lacked any type of authentic italian dishes my steak was overcooked and tasteless. I know how to cook a good steak and this was something I would not even feed to a dog. I actually left most of it.

Drinks were ok but we didn't order anything that was going to be difficult....bottle of wine please. Asked for Barcardi Oakheart as I had seen it at the bar, only to be told they dont have it. I corrected the drinks waitress. We ordered sambuca shots after our food and were asked if we would like black or white sambuca. We asked for black, to be told they only had white?????? eh??

I would never go back here or to any over Jamie Oliver restaurant after this experience. Jamie is obvious a money making machine now and forgotten that good honest food got him there in the first place. Why don't you fix your own restaurant before you go prancing around america (more money) trying to sort their food issues out.

Our waiter however was very nice and attentive. The only positive of the restaurant.
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Dal
4 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 3
Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Contrary to most reviews here.. my experience was lovely..

1) Service was fantastic.. They are genuinely friendly!! It was a friends birthday and we got her a cake in advance to get out as a surprise.. They were very co-operative and decorated a tray and the staff got out the cake in time and sang for her.

2) They also gave her a free shot!!!

3) The Food was Delicious!!! Well priced!!! LOVELY!!!

4) They dont hover over you to leave so you can relax and take your time!!

5) They gave us personalized bills!!!

Overall it was a brilliant experience.. Will definitely recommend and go back!!!
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9 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Sunday, April 08, 2012

I try never to eat at cocky TV celebrity chef restaurants as they are generally overpriced and the food can be a let down. But I forced myself to go to this restaurant for a friend's birthday. And what do you know, Jamie's lived up to my expectations.

The minute I saw nachos on the menu, I knew I didn't belong here.

Honestly, I can cook a better prawn linguini with fresh prawns (not frozen), using a home made sea food sauce. Everything was bad including the rushed service. Felt like eating in a noisy railway station. This is an insult to good Italian cooking.
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Don
0 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Sunday, April 01, 2012

Contrary to most reviews on here, I ate here last night with a friend and we both loved it. The food was delicious, although as commented previously, a little short on veggie options. I had a lovely mushroom pasta dish which was yummy. Service was quick & friendly. Not too pricey - 3 courses each with side dishes and 3 glasses of wine for £72.

I would probably rate Carluccios a little higher on the food, but overall we enjoyed our meal very much.
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Jo Gunn
8 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 7
Wednesday, February 22, 2012

We've been to that particular branch a couple of times now. Really disliked it the first time, since the starter of cured meats tasted like it was straight out of a package from Tesco, and the main of seafood stew was too spicy and too salty, and on top the fish was horrible quality and had all the bones in it. We didn't order desserts after such disappointing quality of food, especially for the price charged! Decided to give it another chance recently, but it was equally disappointing. Won't be coming back, especially with such a variety of local eateries around Islington that are more reasonably priced and serve yummy food (ie Bill's cafe that just opened up around the corner)
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ina m - View all reviews by this user
3 Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 2
Monday, February 20, 2012

Somehow (given Italian food is one of the worlds most vegetarian friendly cuisines) apart from a salad there are absolutely no vegetarian mains. 9 or 10 pasta dishes and all sea-food or meat. Not something you’d expect from a chain restaurant owned by a chef who is very vocal about the benefits of a bit of vegetarian food!

Also very embarrassing if you, like me, booked a group meal with several vegetarians in the group.

The people who could have mains found them a mixed bag. The restaurant also lacks atmosphere and is very noisy.

Overall, for the price definitely would not recommend. You’d be better off at Zizzi, Carluccio’s or Pizza Express.
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3 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 3
Saturday, January 28, 2012