Lupa Osteria — Restaurant in Gauteng

My fiancé and I went for dinner at Lupa a few Fridays ago. We drove past it and thought we should try it out. After looking up the menu and seeing quite a few homemade pastas on the menu we thought it would be a nice treat and worth the higher price tag. Unfortunately our expectations were not met. On arriving they didn’t have our booking which we had made on the dine plan app. Luckily we were there early enough for them to find a table for us. We then ordered our starters and they arrived very fast, but unfortunately we soon realised why. They were pre-made and had just been heated up. I would have been happy to have waited for them to be made fresh than to be served warmed up food. We then asked our waiter for recommendations of the pastas, since we wanted to try out the homemade pasta. We ordered his top two choices which are apparently the most ordered dishes on the menu with the types of pasta he told us were made on site. On arrival we soon realised that there was no way that pasta was homemade. Or at least not on site by them anyway. Both of us are Italian and we both make our own homemade pasta often enough to know what it tastes like. And that was not it. That was the third disappointment of the night. The pasta was also over cooked and not cooked the traditional al dente way which is the way we both prefer our pasta. Another disappointment was realising that our sauces had not been made fresh. Not then when we ordered not even that day. They had probably either been made days ago or came out of a jar or tin and were now, once again, reheated. Our dessert was the unfortunate last disappointment. We thought we were ordering some form of creme brûlée that was flavoured differently (by recommendation from our waiter) but it turns out it was ice cream. The description on the menu was not accurate. It came with toasted marshmallow on top, which I couldn’t wait to eat, but was soon disappointed again, because it had been added and toasted who knows how long ago and been put in the freezer like that. It wouldn’t have been hard to add the marshmallow when it was ordered and freshly toast it, to contrast the cold and the hot. That really would have been delicious. But unfortunately once again everything had been pre-made. The whole experience seemed very commercialised. The restaurant was packed full and they were trying to get food out as fast as possible. It seems like quantity was being prioritised over quality. We had a very mediocre meal that we paid more than we would have like to have for such a disappointing meal. Our service wasn’t bad, but there were too many disappointments for...

I've eaten at Lupa many times but didn't realize how unprofessional the staff were until today. I reserved a table for my anniversary and stopped by to ask that they make it nice. By that, I meant put the special table cloth out and add some decor, which every restaurant does. An anniversary is a special occasion. I would know as I was the hostess of a 4-star restaurant on the coast. We had stuff to out on the tables. We had everything but flowers, which we only arranged on request and added to the bill. The guy who spoke to us simply said they don't do that. He didn't even care to ask what we wanted. Instead, he was highly unprofessional and rude. I will never support this restaurant again. And thanks for making a couple feel like their anniversary wasn't worth your time or effort. In that case, your restaurant isn't worth our time, effort, or MONEY

My review wouldn't change due to the response, as it's blatantly arrogant and untruthful. Again, I was the hostess of a 4-star restaurant that truly catered to customer service. I was not allowed to be rude. The manager did indeed say he could bang a bottle of champagne on the table, but that's it. He made it clear there were no napkins or tablecloths or anything else special. Zero decor was available unless I took time off my full-time job to run around and buy stuff for the decor. I did that at my post as a hostess. I charged patrons for what they wanted, but I went out of my way to get special stuff.

Furthermore, the manager never mentioned a single thing about a plate with chocolate or anything. He was pretty adamant (arrogant) that the restaurant could only lay out what I went to collect from the stores in the same center during my working hours. Every restaurant has napkins and simple things they put on tables for occasions. How can a place be service-orientated without that? Finally, the manager didn't once ask what we wanted help with for our anniversary dinner. He merely hopped onto the "we don't do that" train without asking what we wanted to do. For example, he mentioned the champagne (the only thing he ever mentioned) without even realizing we don't drink alcohol at all. If he'd spent two minutes simply asking us what we wanted, he could've made suggestions as a professional.

Therefore, my review remains the same and won't change. I have high standards for the hospitality industry and won't change that because I've worked in it myself, even studying at Stenden University. Perhaps, I can recommend the manager gets some formal training through a...

Tried Lupa Osteria Meyersdal for the first time last week. On first glance, a beautiful setting and décor. On arrival we were greeted, but informed we should’ve booked a table. We accepted the explanation and as we ventured off, we were stopped by the Manager and informed that we could sit outside if we wanted to and they have heaters outside. We opted for this, as we really wanted to try this Restaurant. No heaters were lit, although it was a chilly evening. The young gent who took us to our table was friendly, handed us menus and wanted to take our drinks order straight away. This to me is a bit of a put-off as it gives the impression that we’re pressed for time. Our waiter arrived and introduced himself and brought our drinks. He too wanted to know which dishes we’d like to order, to which I replied that we needed some time to look at the menu, as it is our 1st visit to the Restaurant. Menu dishes look appetizing. Wine prices, considering local SA wines a bit on the hefty side. Cocktails at R90 for a g&t cocktail (indicated as pink gin) was not cheap. Honestly, didn’t see pink gin or pink tonic. Tasted like an ordinary g&t to me. My husband opted for a Hawaian pizza and I opted for the lasagna with a salad (with additional feta). Our food arrived, my husband enjoyed his pizza. My lasagna was obviously overcooked and I had to wait for my salad. Lasagne seemed fine at the top but as I got closer to the middle and bottom, the sleeves of pasta was hard, rubbery and either prepared a while back, or left in the oven way too long. A different waiter brought our food, our waiter was nowhere to be seen. Whilst my lasagna was getting cold, I waited for my salad, which came 10 minutes later. When it came to getting the bill, again another waitress and then another waiter who stood there with the handheld machine, waiting for payment. It seems with payment, waiters are fast. Overheard next table complaining about waiting 30 minutes for their food. The Manager visited our table and I did show him my lasagna, to which he stated that he’ll inform the kitchen. This could turn out to be a good Restaurant, one the South of Joburg most certainly needs. As long as Management keeps an eye on the waiters insofar service (including the disappearing act) and kitchen insofar food preparation (which is obvious from this photo that the lasagna was a disappointment to me). Plan to visit them soon with a friend, hope that my 2nd visit will be...