The Gate Vegetarian Restaurant

I've just come back from a leisurely lunch there, where I had three of their starter-sized dishes: first some fantastic, delicate, light, intensely flavoured stuffed courgette flower, then a perfectly seasoned three-artichoke salad, and then some beautiful courgette and red pepper involtini with a lentil salad that was fresh and set my mouth tingling with fresh herbs.

The Gate is the best restaurant in Hammersmith - even better than the River Cafe. And believe me, this is coming from a dedicated meat eater! It's my third favourite restaurant in London after the Anchor and Hope and St John. The fact that's it's a vegetarian restaurant is immaterial - they deliver incredible flavour. I was put off from going for months because it was veggie, and boy am I kicking myself now - this place is a foodie dream and I could have had many more meals there in all that time!

What they do incredibly well is taste - delicate and well-balanced, it's truly a masterclass in how to take fresh ingredients and lift them up with perfect cooking and intriguing, subtle flavours. It's also beautifully presented. I was lucky enough to work nearby for two years and it has always been a true joy for the tastebuds.

I swear I am not at all even remotely linked to the restaurant - I'm trying to get more people to go there because 1) it's beautiful cooking and 2) I can't belive people flock to the River Cafe when they can get intriguing, much more interesting and beautiful food at the Gate for half the price. The only thing I would say is sometimes their desserts are not up to the level of their savoury dishes - but hey, I'm a savoury girl, so I don't care :-)

It's not that hard to find either. Walk down towards the river, leaving the Hammersmith Apollo on your left-hand side, and you'll find the eponymous Gate after a minute's walk - basically it's in the courtyard of the Christian centre.

Delicious, delicious, delicate food - it deserves to be a lot more popular than it is!
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Gilda Maurice
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, May 06, 2009

Visited for the first time on last Saturday evening (29 November 2008). First person met us was I presume a manager who neither smiled or said hello. Gave him my name which he didn't check off - fair enough I thought, perhaps he'd remembered the night's bookings?

The room, while high celinged, has been made to feel uncomfy. There are four rows of tables, tightly packed in giving it the feeling of a canteen type place such as Wagamama. Don't come expecting any privacy at the table. Would be much more comfortable if they removed one table from each row.

Service was fast; perhaps even too fast! It's nice to relax when you go out for a meal and are spending a little above your average. Each course was brought to the table very quickly and whipped away equally as quickly by the manager. I must say the rest of the staff were very pleasant and seemed calm and professional compared to air of stress and unfriendliness which came from the manager guy.

The food was very good - but when served in an atmosphere like that is hard to truly appreciate it and enjoy your time. We travelled over from London Bridge , an hour each way and don't think we'll bother to return. Hurray to the chef, boo the people who crammed so many tables in and employed a front of house misery to run the operations.

Oh - and the gents had run out of toilet paper by 9pm. Nice.
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Jonathan K
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 6
Tuesday, December 02, 2008

I visited The Gate tonight with my girlfriend and we had a most enjoyable evening. The aperifit, kir royale, was priced very reasonable at £4.50, and the fresh bread and finely flavoured olive oil was a fine accompanient.

Following, a mixed mezze starter (shared between 2) was exteremly tasty, and the main course was by no means a dissapointment....: the truffled rissotto cake with girolles and similar fine tasting mushrooms was enough to sastify any meat eater (which I am), and my girlfriend had a lovely fresh ravioli seasoned perfectly.

The ambience was intimate and the wine was priced reasonably.
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Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Friday, November 14, 2008

One of the few veggie restaurants you can take confirmed carnivores to - it may not convert them but its unliklely that they'll leave muttering darkly about rabbit food.

Only thing that stops me going back often (other than that I'm rarely in that part of London these days) is the pricing - not outrageous considering the quality but still a birthday and special occasions kind of place.
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Roger
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 8
Thursday, October 30, 2008

The Gate is a fantastic restaurant. Okay, it is not cheap but the meals are perfectly proportioned, fresh and prepared to perfection. I am unsure where these reviewers get their views from because i have always found the staff unobtrusive but diligent and the food of exceptional quality and consistency. I don't go to a restaurant to be pestered by or to look at the staff, but they are polite and deserve the 12.5% service they provide.

There are few 'vegetarian' restaurants in London. I am happy to enjoy a meal here without the fear of a chunk of meat coming anywhere close to my food. I have eaten a strict vegetarian diet for over 18 years and have been to The Gate at least once per year for the last 7 or 8 since discovering it. I go for my birthday or my partner's birthday or when meeting old friends. In summer, sitting outside is a joy that most establishments in central London are unable to offer.

I suggest trying The Gate before listening to any of these reviews. Although that would mean disregarding this one but that's okay..... you'll soon see i was closest to the mark.
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J Bevan
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Thursday, August 28, 2008

I feel compelled to write a review as there are quite a few bad ones on this site. I have only been once so maybe I was just lucky but I was very pleasantly surprised at the taste and presentation of the food. I had spring rolls for starter which were good and an amazing lasagne with Dolce Latte cheese for main course. We were a table of four and two had food allergies which were accommodated without a problem. Desserts and wines were nice and the overall bill was about £50 each. Everyone agreed mains were the winner. I think it's worth a try but judging by other people's reviews, maybe not for a special occasion!
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Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Friday, August 01, 2008

I had dinner at The Gate on Wednesday (30th July) and it was as good as it's ever been. It was a beautiful evening so we had a table outside in the courtyard which is sheltered enough to feel intimate. If I was going to make one complaint it would be that the table for 2 could have been a little bigger but the food was so good it really didn't matter.

I first went to the Gate when I still ate meat (just fish now) and I really didn't miss it. I think it's the best vegetarian restaurant in London and have never been disappointed there. On Wednesday the service was great, the wine was perfectly chilled and the food itself was heavenly. The bill came to £80 between 2 of us for 2 courses & coffee each, a £25 bottle of gorgeous New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and service. Worth every penny.
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BH - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Friday, August 01, 2008

I agree with Sophia's comments, I found the food tasteless, overpriced, and the staff were disinterested.. I really don't know what the fuss is about.

At the time I was so annoyed I wrote a letter of complaint which The Gate never replied to, which again demonstrates their levels of customer service - I oppose paying for service when you don't receive it!
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allie
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Went here last night. Thought it was some of the best vegetarian food I've had in London.

Sat outside on a very warm evening and the atmosphere was really nice and service was always prompt. not too sure why the waiters looked like they were dressed for a hike but that didn't effect how quick and friendly they were.

Mezze of starters was good. Had aubergine teriyaki and corn polenta cake for mains which were both excellent. Great flavours but we were both grateful to swap dishes half-way through - not of a lot of variety of flavours within each dish. Followed up with a lovely chocolate and chestnut torte.

At around £80 for 2 starters, 2 mains, 1 shared desert and a £20 bottle of good wine, it's not cheap but I didn't think it was rediculously over-priced.
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Daniel
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Visited The Gate restaurant last night for my birthday and unfortunately we were really disappointed. I'd been wanting to go a long time and the the food had the potential to be tasty based on the ingredients but was bland, needing some salt and spice - we had the laksa and the aubergine noodles in case that helps. The Manager had told us on booking that he could only let us have the table for two hours, which is pretty rude anyway, and despite there being empty tables all around us, we were not offered dessert as we only had twenty minutes left on our time. We were charged a 12.5% tip on the bill which we always find presumptious and when we asked to have it removed, the Manager told us we had to pay it aswe had had the service. We told him that it was listed as optional on the receipt and he relented. All in all, excuse the pun but it just left a bad taste in our mouths. The food was pretty pricy too, £55 for two starters and two mains. Pretentious food and even more pretentious management. What a shame, particularly on my birthday. Avoid.
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Sophia
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Sunday, June 15, 2008