Grappelli Cobham — Restaurant in Elmbridge

This is difficult as my review is that of a Gluten Free Vegetarian- if you were a meat eater ( as the rest of my table were ) then it would be a 5 star review. The restaurant environment is fabulous, a little piece of Italy ( although ££££ ) on Cobham High Street - hence why so expensive. The staff are a perfect mix of friendly and professional, its loud and buzzy in there - we went on a Friday night. So, yes, the rest of the table had a 5 star experience - it was excellent for them, however not so for me and I hope its clear the 2 stars are based purely on my food. I called in advance to say GF Veggie - I was assured that there would be GF bread plus lots of pasta dishes and salads. So I was really looking forward to it. On arrival - amazing - they had given us the table I had asked for - big round one at the window in the front...thumbs up. For me it then went down hill. No GF bread to serve with cover of olives and oils etc - despite the promise on the phone. When I questioned waiter ( who was lovely )for a GF Veggie option for main course - I was offered GF spaghetti with pecorino cheese and black pepper.... I decided to also ask for a side of spinach to mix in . So essentially I had pasta with grated cheese ( it was nice but not worthy to sit at the same table as the meals my family were tucking into ) - the spinach I had ordered to mix in it to make it more exciting only arrived half way through the meal - after I had asked for it again. My meal was definitely not a priority and so like many establishments who score highly on meat based meals - they have a thumbs down from me - I wanted it to be different - but hey maybe they will change as there are a huge amount of veggies out there and a fair few are GF. Good allergen advice from waiter though - who advised me against my choices of zucchini and melanzane , he knew the menu and it was not his fault that there are no exciting alternatives to meat available . Rest of the family completely loved...

Honestly, this place is 10/10. The decor and interior styling was absolutely brilliant, it really encapsulates what it is to be dining in a top end Italian restaurant. The service tonight was exceptional, the staff have the perfect approach to serving and have clearly struck the right balance. And let’s get on to the highlight, the food. Calamari and Avocado Salad Tacos to start - just wow. Calamari is a commonly served dish in many types of eatery but this here, in its fritti style was exceptional. As were the tacos, crunchy and punchy, full of flavour. We chose the fusilli venison ragu today as a special choice and it didn’t disappoint - it was sublime. As was the halibut. It’s difficult sometimes to make white fish tasty but the tomato sauce complimented it so well it was almost moreish - well prepared all round. Dessert was a particular favourite of mine, the pistachio crème brûlée was heavenly. I couldn’t stop eating it! My wife loved her chocolate covered strawberries with cream, a novel dessert idea and a fantastic one. Grappelli has been on my list for a while. It has exceeded all expectation and I can safely say this is the best Italian restaurant I’ve ever been to. I’m not an easily pleased man so this has come from an incredibly critical viewpoint, but honestly I can’t fault this place at all. I chose some dishes that were out of my comfort range and loved them - that is the mark of a top notch restaurant. I cannot WAIT...

Nice atmosphere, buzzy, without being overwhelmingly loud. The tables are packed in, especially the two-seaters along one wall, but the hum drowns out the conversation from the neighbouring tables so it doesn't feel like you're being eavesdropped. We were given the option of a table in the back room, but it was lacking atmosphere.

Generally good service, and very friendly, although it took a while for the wine to arrive - our starters (which came alarmingly quickly) arrived before the wine did. But we didn't feel rushed, as the conversation lingered long after the table was cleared.

What let it down was the quality of the food, especially for the price. More bistro than fine dining. Although generous, the lamb cutlets were cooked well done, the cherry tomatoes with the rocket salad under it were flavourless, and the oyster mushrooms were few and far between. The spinach side dish had a texture more like kale.

£200 for two cocktails, three starters, one main, a £50 bottle of wine, and a bottle of water.

Won't be...