Fratelli la Bufala

i've eaten a couple of times at la bufala in Hampstead and found it AWFUL! their manager, Mimmo, is arrogant and their food is not authentic - i am italian so i know what i am talking about!

there are much better italian restaurants in london...

one advice, dont eat here!

Luciano
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Luciano Pizzarro
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 0
Thursday, March 08, 2007

I had been meaning to visit this restaurant for a while. The daily specials board outside is always very appealing with the promise of fresh home-made pasta. Sadly, on my first and last visit, that promise turned out to be hollow. The cuttlefish ink pasta was said to be home-made, but to be absolutely sure I asked the waitress and she told me it had been made on the premises that morning. I used to live in Italy, and I make my own pasta. I have no doubt that this pasta was of the dried factory made variety. Nothing wrong with that if that is what they had told me. But they lied. And at £15 for a plate of the stuff I felt ripped off. I asked to see the pasta in its uncooked state. Much excitement followed in the kitchen and a sample of oil-covered half-cooked pasta was presented. This proved beyond a doubt that this was neither made on the premises nor fresh (you would not pre-cook fresh pasta, it only takes a couple of minutes to cook, and this pasta had bevelled edges that are created by industrial machines).

On top of all of this we wanted a bottle of soave fromt the meagre winelist but were told the owner wanted to change the list (?!) so there was none left. We would need to pay another £2 for a bottle of similar wine.

I have rarely felt so cheated by a restaurant - I don't think I have ever been lied to so brazenly. The experience was an insult to this customer's intelligence and a waste of my time and money.
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Simon D
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 0
Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Went on Saturday night and although a little hot (no aircon or not working) and the service is a little poor the food was excellent. I am not one who minds waiting if its worth the wait and find it amazing that some of the reviews give zeros all round. Especially when they left even before the food arrived!! If you want a quick meal don't come here go to MacDonalds!! The fact is the food is excellent and I am Italian so I should know.
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Paolo
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 9
Monday, October 30, 2006

Not sure why I havent heard of Fratelli la Bufala in London! Having been to their Napoli branch I was happy to try the London one, always in search of the best pizza this side of Napoli.

It didnt disappoint. The pizza's dough is soft, well balance, very flat and moist in the middle and crunchier but still chewy at the edges, without being burns. The ingredients are the real thing. i tried 'Irpina' with bufala cream, mozzarella, mushrooms and roast ham - and could actually taste the ham too! A bit disappointing on the desserts. it was saturday night and they had run out of most choices, their specialties being ricotta based puddings. I had Ricotta and Chocolate fondue and found it really good if a little too heavy.

We also had a couple of shared starters, which were good but nothing special, and Pinot Grigio which was chilled, crist and dry, very pleasant.

For people who fancy pasta or meat, then they have a wide choice - their meat is organic and comes from their own farms, too.

Will definitely go back for more!
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Fried Egg Fred
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 6
Monday, September 25, 2006

This restaurant is a rare gem. The family run place is always full and buzzy and welcomes children. A real treat is when the barman, who is a wonderful professional opera singer, performs during your meal. The food is fantastic. Wonderful pizzas, pastas and sea bass, with the most scrumptious roast potatoes and veg.
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Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Sunday, July 09, 2006

I went to this restaurant on the recommendation of a foodie friend of mine, but like one of your reviewers have already said, it was a massive disappointment. My boyfriend and I went on a Saturday night, hoping for a quick meal before going on to a birthday party in the pub across the road. Although we had no booking we were given a table quite quickly, but from then on it was all down-hill. We first ordered our drinks -- apple juice, tap water and a glass of white trebbiano, which came in a teeny glass that looks like those you serve sherry in. Considering that it is at almost £4 a glass, I thought it is a bit cheeky but let it go. Since we already got to Hampstead late, I was eager to sample the food quickly and join the party -- as a result we just wanted two pizzas, which was what my friend recommended anyway, but the waiter kept suggesting starters, side, etc., and I had to politely but curtly let him know that we were happy with our original choices, so that he could get on with placing our order. Lo and behold, 45 minutes went by, and we were still gazing at our cutlery with not a single piece of breadcrumb on the table. We signalled to the waiter, he came round and explained that the kitchen was busy, and that our food would be with us in a minute. Five minutes later, still nothing. The last straw came when I saw two ladies -- who were waiting for a table when we were idling having placed our orders -- were presented with a pizza and a plate of pasta. I felt cheated. All that chat about busy kitchen was just that -- chat. That was plainly unacceptable. We had no choice but to leave with empty stomaches. Obviously someone had misplaced the order and could not be bothered to tell us about it. If we had known earlier we would have had the chance to go somewhere else and get a decent meal. As it happened we had to make do with a falaffel from the take-away next door. Even as we made our way to the door, no one bothered to offer to check the order etc as they looked at one another in a daze. By the way, we have called the restaurant number the monday after to complain, but we got to a full voice mail box and could not even leave a message. I have lived in London for almost a decade and have never been dealt with in such a ridiculous manner. It was simply mind- boggling. Utterly ridiculous and disappointing.
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Amanda Fong
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Wednesday, June 14, 2006

Absolute Shambles

At least they put the ice in the glass of water.

I went to this lovely looking restaurant on Saturday night. I went on recommendation as well, so was anticipating something a bit special.

The restaurant has a story behind it, (as detailed on the menu).

I think the restaurant was busier than normal (it had been a glorious day in london) and more customers came off Hamptead Heath. Notwithstanding this they juggled us around (we had no booking) and gave us a nice table inside in 2 minutes.

The waiter was prompt with the drinks and they put lots of ice in the water as I asked. (This is rare in London so I even thought this might be a nice place)

To cut a long story short, 45 minutes later we had no pizzas! I had asked both our original waiter (who assured me they would be 1 minute) and another waitress (who just didn't return to our table!).

A couple who came in 30mins after we sat down, of course got pizzas, and at this point, my girlfriend flipped. As a result, we just got up and I told one of the waitresses we were leaving. I also told her why.

She genuinely didn't know what to do

She consulted the waiter, who consulted the pizza chief and apart from a lot of shaking of hands, none of them had a clear idea of what to do.

As well as these 3 attempts to deal with things on the night, I have tried to call them this morning.

Their message mailbox is full.

This is why I'm posting this terrible review. I'm sure the lady who received her pizzas quickly had a great night, but the staff didn't know what to do and they clearly turned a small mistake into something bigger. They genuinely weren't able to do anything more than pour a decent glass of water.
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amangat
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 0
Monday, June 12, 2006

Absolutely loved it!! Being pregnant I had cravings for pizza, found this restaurant by chance and loved it! The best pizza I've ever eaten outside Italy, I though papagone in Finsbury Park was the best, but this was even better! (Trust an Italian on this!). Owner very friendly, moved our table as soon as I said I was a bit cold and saw the bump! Opera singing between courses added to this very friendly atmosphere. Husband had pasta dish, v good but I think cheese starters and pizzas are the speciality here! Desserts very nice, perhaps a bit on the rich side but will definitely go again!!
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Daniela
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 6
Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Very excited about booking this restaurant for Valentine's day having read so many fantastic reviews. The reality was a massive disappointment. A set menu - which we weren't told about when we booked - with little choice, a disappointing antipasto, bland mains (sea bass & lasgane), with the desserts being the only redeeming factor. The service was appalling, even though they weren't packed and there were lots of staff. We waited ages to get an answer on what was in a couple of the dishes on the menu because the first 3 waiters that came over didn't know and didn't seem to communicate that to each other. We then waited at least 15 mins for the bill. A massive disappointment and I cannot reccommend it.
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Kelly
Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 5
Thursday, February 16, 2006

I went to this restaurant for my 21st birthday. The estaurant itself was very pleasnt and the staff were very friendly. The whole menu is based around all things buffalo especially cheese. The starters in general were not great. The pizzas were outstanding, one of the best I have tasted. The desserts also featured alot of cheese but were also outstanding. I am planning to return very soon. Very resonable price as well.
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Alexandra Patey
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Monday, February 13, 2006