Cantina Vinopolis

Went to Vinopolis last week. Food was overpriced for it's quality. £20 for a main course that is average is just not good enough anymore. Atmosphere was terrible, service (considering the place was at times nearly empty) was poor to average. After the meal a small query on the bill (which we were happy to ignore) escalated into a full blown argument due to Vinopolis' confrontational manager.

We politely queried one item which we were sure we did not receive and his initial approach to the problem was not to look into it but to accuse us of lying. We decided that we should probably leave as he was looking for a verbal fight over it. We asked if this is the way they treat all guests who pay a £700 bill who query a £5 item on it and were pretty much told that there is another table in the restaurant that has spent £800 so what's the big deal about how much we have spent"

I have never written on this site before but feel compelled to by the quite unbelievable attitude of this manager and urge you not to go.
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Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 1
Monday, May 19, 2008

Went here last Friday with a group from work, despite the poor reviews. If you want some advice, don't bother. Average food, over-priced, no atmosphere in a nearly empty restaurant, poor service topped off by a surly French manager. We won't be going back.
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Ben
Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 1
Monday, May 19, 2008

In short do not go out of your way to book this restaurant unless on a vinopolis wine tour (which is next door). The wine list is naturally fantastic with good quality wines from all over the world. The food is good, not great and the atmosphere is ok. Situated under the arches of the south bank it is fairly romantic.

The problem comes with service. The starters and mains were perfectly timed and everything was fantastic until the main course plates were cleared. After this point we asked the same waiter 4 times for the desert menu which eventually appeared nearly 40 minutes after finishing the main course. The deserts then took nearly 20 minutes to arrive so we finished them 1hr 20mins after we'd finished the main course. Then came the final straw. It took half an hour for them to bring us the bill.

To add insult to injury there is a 12.5% service charge. A small point but while we were there we saw 3 other tables complain about the service. again only book if you've no where better to go.
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David
Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 4
Saturday, February 16, 2008

Eat here with work colleagues for a christmas outing - for the first and last time! Firstly we had to wait over half an hour for our table and then were left to wander over to it when we queried how long we had been left waiting. If the staff worked any faster they may just be in danger of breaking into a coma. Their general demeanour and attitude to the clients can only be explained by the recent death of a favourite pet. I have seen more engaged and animated corpses. The food is very hit and miss (almost exclusively miss), what is not charred beyond recognition is served semi-raw and all finally presented in the "greek style" i.e. tepid. I will avoid a specific examination of each dish - the memory is still too fresh to wiilingly revisit it. Wine is average and charged at more than above average prices and all of it served at the same temperature; extraordinary at a place professing some expertise in the subject of wine. But by the time the wine was eventually served nothing could further surprise me by this extraordinary culinary experience. Arrival to departure took three and a half hours for lunch in a two thirds full restaurant. Once colleague who pointed out he had to return to the office had his dessert delivered promptly, finished it and departed before the rest had sight of theirs. Even the coffees arrived before the dessert. Never, never again. Only take a client here if you wish to never work for them again.
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Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 1
Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Returned here for the first time in a while and.....oh dear!

The service had to be extracted

Our wine was served insufficiently chilled

My Goats Cheese starter was straight out of an Iceland Party Pack - tough, deep fried , breadcrumbed and clearly frozen before.

My friend's Liver (ordered medium) was so rare (bloody liver - nice!) it could have run around the plate.

My chips were raw in the middle and when I asked for a new portion I got what looked suspiciously like the same ones back, still raw in the middle but colder. Hey guys a tip from me - to cook a chip you blanche it then fry it!

Best avoided. Terrible.
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Tony J
Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 2
Friday, October 05, 2007

I was pleasantly surprised by Vinopolis. A tad pricey but the fresh mushroom pasta was great for a main, the wine list is fantastic and I had expected it not to be good! Blue Bar is a great place for a pre-dinner drink and I consider myself to be somewhat in the know when it comes to food.

Worth a try!
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Alison
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Friday, March 23, 2007

Really enjoyed our visit to Cantina Vinopolis. Food was cooked to perfection, fresh, hot and tasted delicious. The service was excellent and very professional. Very good value for money.

The wine tasting tour was an education.

Great day out!
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Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Monday, February 26, 2007

Valantine's Day was to be a special occasion and so we thought that a lunch and wine tour would do the trick. We opted for the Cantina Vinopolis (3 Courses) plus Vintage Tour £60.00 per person. The cost of the tour on its own is £26 but does NOT get you the headphone set - that would be free on the cheaper tour but an extra pound on the more expensive option! So what do you get for £34 per head?

It seems very little. Presented with a set menu of 3 starters, mains and desserts we ordered a variety of each. I started with the tuna that was finely cut with a light salad on top and my wife took the soup of the day option which was an old favourite - pumpkin. Both were ordinary to say the least and the soup had to be sent back as the salt content made it too overpowering to consume. On its return, a fresh soup that resembled the complete opposite of the first – gravy like consistency and void of taste. As for the tuna, well let’s say that usually thinly slicked fishes and meats are generally strong in flavour and so one only requires a small amount. In this instance I could have eaten the whole fish and still wondered what type it was! Void of taste I was hoping the next course would be better, much better.

The main course was…. Better. The lamb was of a decent taste yet the excessive fat could have been removed. My salmon was again of the non-descript variety although it is the first time that I have ever had Salmon with potatoes, onion white source and tomatoes! Not often does a tomato of no taste accompany a large salmon piece with equally little taste.

Desserts were ok to good.

As for the waiters, well the main waiter was non descript and hard to find when problems arose. The head waiter was very nice when we asked if the service charge could be taken off. He seemed concerned and wished that it was not a package deal so he could refund the money for the soup.

Overall this is a VERY overprice ordinary restaurant that would be fine and a pleasant experience if the meals were half the price. For the money paid it was outrageous, lacked atmosphere and class.

Oh and one last niggle was that fact that it was valentine’s day and no one mentioned or even hinted at the fact let-a-lone brought a glass of bubbly or put a special flower on the table for the occasion. It doesn’t take much to be nice.
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Dawson
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 2
Thursday, February 15, 2007

went there yesterday as part of a 12-people group party from work. although we were the only customers there, it seemed that the staff felt slightly overwhelmed. the place is not unpleasant (although pretty cold) but the meal was a real let down. each of the three dishes we had was mediocre at best. the squid rings were non-existent beneath a thick layer of batter. the chicken breast was dry and bland, and the ricotta (although pretty good) was drowned under a thick soup of berries so sweet that no flavours could come through. the whole thing is vastly overpriced and there are many better places to eat in london - don't waste your time here!
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Oli Somenzi
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 2
Friday, June 09, 2006

Four of us went for a meal that i'd been dreaming of for years and were not dissapointed. the serveice was attentive but not intrusive and the food discribed, presented and cooked to perfection (especialy the Monk fish and seebass). a great man was there to wish happy birthday to an elderly lady and seeming very humble in the process. I did make it to the kitchen to meet the head chef and I got to thank him for the wonderful meal, and I must also say a big thank you to Trevor for a great night. my only complaint could be the wine to expensive and the missing wines from the list.
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Anne
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 6
Friday, April 14, 2006