Sosta Restaurant

Went to this place last night. It was excellent. Fresh bread, massive juicy olives, a very reasonably priced house Merlot to kick off, and they leave the olive oil and balsmic bottles at the table rather than in stingy dipping dishes. It was busy but food was served promptly, as was a large carafe of tap water with ice and slice.

The place feels very traditional; whites, beiges, yellows, starched linen.

To start, a plate of melted, delicious cheese with a fanny-craddock swirl of vinegar and sprig of just-picked parsley. My girlfriend had meats and treats, which also tasted very good and the salad was crisp.

The service was demure and smiling.

For the mains i had the veal, which was tender and served on a very light mash. She had the grilled sea bass, which was crisp on the outside but not overdone on the inside. The vegetables were sweet and salty.

All this for around 40 quid seems well worth another visit.
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si
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Friday, May 16, 2008

Visited this restaurant last week on a friday night. As Anna (below ) says, it is a bit like a time trip here, and rather unnecessarily fancy for a neighbourhood restaurant. That wouldn't matter if the service matched the style, but it was desperately slow and inefficient (and I have found this on previous occasions) ; wine took more than 15 minutes to come, bread even longer, and mains only after two reminders. The food is nice enough, and not expensive, though not copious. Don't go if you want a quiet relaxing time.
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scot - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 4
Monday, March 24, 2008

Recently visited sosta on a monday night with my partner. although there was a 4 course menu for a cheap price of £11.95, we decided to go a la carte. the food was wonderful, especially the tagliatelle with tiger prawns and we had a very nice bottle of gavi di gavi wine, will definately go again.
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Jason
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, October 04, 2007

Bizarre - a sort of 1950s British reinvention of Italian cuisine. The atmosphere and service were fine and the wine was decent, but the food was atrocious. The menu was so incredibly old-fashioned - & not in the sense of 'classic'. It might almost be worth returning for the comedy value.
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Anna
Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 4
Friday, August 24, 2007

This restaurant looks great inside and out but i must say that me and my partner were really dissapointed with the food there.

The first course came and i can say we had no problems with it. It was light, tasty and enough. However the second was awful so much so that we left half of it. The wine was expensive and so was total bill.

The place was cold, they stuck us out the back and the staff weren't interested and now either are we!
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- View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Monday, July 23, 2007

Took my partner there for her birthday meal recently, more by fault than by design - I had booked at the Pavillion on Park Road but walked out due to large group of male drinkers at bar and very loud plasma TV screening the Eurovision Song Contest. Not much scope for any ambience there that night.

Hadn't booked and it was Saturday night. However, we were seated in the back room, served G & Ts, olives and bread and provided with menus and the wine list until a table in the front area of the restaurant became available (some 15-20mins later).

The food (sea bass & monk fish for main) was excellent and the the service was attentive but not intrusive. The wine, a very decent bottle of Pinot Grigio, came with ice bucket etc and chilled water was also supplied.

Overall, I was impressed by food, service and price (approx £75 for two - 3 courses, aperitifs & wine included) and will go back. The place was packed with people who looked as though they too were enjoying their meals.
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Paul
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Monday, May 28, 2007

We went to La Sosta last night and had a fabulous meal. We chose the set price menu (only £10.95 + £1 cover charge), fantastic value for a 4 course meal served impeccably by attentve, friendly staff.

We had bruschetta with mushrooms and mozarella for starters, then a delicious little dish of pasta with a fabulous sauce - just how pasta should be. For main course we had grilled chicken with vegetables, again delicious and beautifully presented. The dessert was a triumph, a yummy Tiramisu (sp?) that looked as good as it tasted, presented in a way that would not disgrace the Ritz. Frankly, I don't know how they manage to produce such quality for the money! The house wine was as good as ever (we're regulars) and we left feeling very satisfied, not over full; these people get it exactly right to our minds.

La Sosta is brilliant value - and kitted out like the Savoy with sparkling white table linen and comfortable upholstered chairs etc. Also, no ghastly musak destroying conversation. We can highly reccommend the restaurant as arguably the best in the Crouch End area, also recommended by the Evening Standard as good value in London generally, we notice.
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John
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, May 08, 2007

I've been to la Sosta many times and we've had excellent food and first rate service. My partner and I both found the house wine very good. The portions were just right, not huge (I noticed another reviewer complained about 'size'). We've never been disappointed with the starters, and all the various main dishes we've enjoyed have been quite delicious, with wonderful desserts to follow. The bread is lovely, varied, and to start you are given first class cold pressed virgin speciality olive oil and balsamic vinegar to dip into. We found the service was all that could be desired - very well timed with attentive staff who know what they're doing. To add: there is no horrible loud music, the seats are upholstered and very comfortable, the tables beautifully laid, the lighting and decor classy. On top of all this La Sosta does a bargain lunch (which I've also enjoyed with friends) for around £8 during the week. As for the complainers - sorry to hear you had a hard time but it must be unusual. We've always had a great time, very satisfied. I came across the reviews whilst looking up the phone number to book (mislaid it) so thought I ought to put the positive side! One of the best restaurants in Crouch End!
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Alisha
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Monday, May 07, 2007

I've been to la Sosta many times and we've had excellent food and first rate service. My partner and I both found the house wine very good. The portions were just right, not huge (I noticed another reviewer complained about 'size'). We've never been disappointed with the starters, and all the various main dishes we've enjoyed have been quite delicious, with wonderful desserts to follow. The bread is lovely, varied, and to start you are given first class cold pressed virgin speciality olive oil and balsamic vinegar to dip into. We found the service was all that could be desired - very well timed with attentive staff who know what they're doing. To add: there is no horrible loud music, the seats are upholstered and very comfortable, the tables beautifully laid, the lighting and decor classy. On top of all this La Sosta does a bargain lunch (which I've also enjoyed with friends) for around £8 during the week. As for the complainers - sorry to hear you had a hard time but it must be unusual. We've always had a great time, very satisfied. I came across the reviews whilst looking up the phone number to book (mislaid it) so thought I ought to put the positive side! One of the best restaurants in Crouch End!
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Alisha Sufit
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Monday, May 07, 2007

What's happened to Sosta? It all began so well -- we used to go quite regularly and had no issues with the food (though the inexplicable changes of cutlery were a bit intrusive). The last time we went the set menu portions were tiny and the wine was overpriced and not quite cold enough. I wont be going back.
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shah
Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 2
Friday, April 20, 2007