Sonrisa Comida Argentina — Restaurant in England

I have tried contacting guest services prior to posting this review.

On 31st January we had our first visit to Sonrisa. We were booked in for 7pm however we were very early and we were able to be seated as it was not very busy at all. We were seated and served by Amber. We were excited to try the restaurant as we had purchased birthday vouchers and had come out for a special occasion. We were advised how much food to order which was helpful. We ordered drinks of which we then asked for water for the table.

A few moments later Amber returned with an open bottle of water charged at almost £4, when all tables around us had tap water. It felt quite dishonest of her to be honest.

We ordered our food and it came out quickly. Unfortunately, it simply was not good. It was chewy, and actually quite flavourless. It was beautifully presented which is why I was so shocked about the lack of any Argentinian flavour whatever.

We even left food - it was just such a disappointment. We got the bill after around an hour and 10 minutes. We didn't order more drinks purely because we were annoyed about the large bottle of water we had to get through. We would of ordered more cocktails but just had a sour taste in our mouth. We paid the bill with the discretionary charge. We didn't speak with Amber regarding our experience, purely because we felt as though it wouldn't be taken seriously.

Fast forward to 6 hours later over night, both my husband and I are deeply unwell overnight, dehydrated presumably from the amount of salt used in the dishes, to the point of unfortunately being sick.

We are honestly so disappointed, I purchased vouchers because I saw such excellent reviews of the restaurant and for it to be such a let down like this is really sad to see. I am also not one to review any restaurants, but the experience was genuinely so disappointing I had to raise it with you in the hope it's being taken seriously.

The sickness overnight was the last...

We recently visited Sonrisa with high expectations, but unfortunately, our experience was far from what we’d hoped, especially given the premium pricing. We ordered the £70 steak, asking for it to be cooked medium, but it arrived well done. We noticed it had been sitting under the heat lamp before it was brought to us, which likely caused it to overcook. Additionally, the plate was covered in blood—a clear sign it wasn’t prepared as requested.

When we raised this with our server, Michael, we expected he would address the issue professionally. Instead, he insisted he had “facts” on why the steak was supposedly cooked correctly. Without taking it back to the kitchen or checking with the chefs, he returned only a couple of minutes later, doubling down with more “facts” and dismissing our concerns.

Rather than offering to replace the steak, he just stood there and asked us, “What are we going to do about it?” in a confrontational tone. At that point, we realized he wasn’t willing to handle our concern, and rather than waste a £70 steak, we decided to just eat it. Michael did offer a small discount of £11, which did little to make up for the experience.

To make matters worse, as my friend was still finishing the steak, Michael hovered by our table asking, “Are you done?” This dismissive and unprofessional attitude from the server made us feel rushed and uncomfortable. Given the poor service and lack of accountability, it’s hard to recommend Sonrisa. We left feeling disappointed and certainly won’t be returning...

Update October 2022

(Original review was in December 2021, preserved below)

Sadly our second visit was a letdown and we’re unlikely to return. Started with olives: we got 7 for £3.50, or 50p per olive. Yes they’re large olives but that’s poor value. The star dish from our first visit was very poor this time. A tiny piece of cod loin for £9 was really disappointing.

The prawn dish was good, and veg sides (cabbage and beans) were fine. The chips were lovely.

Once again the desserts were fantastic, and if we do return it’ll be for these. Had the same as on our first visit and every bit as happy with them.

I overheard a waiter telling customers at a nearby table that the best dishes are the steaks. Maybe that’s the focus now? Cannot recommend any of the starters, mains or sides that we had. Overpriced and meagre portions.

Original review December 2021:

Interesting and different food, slightly let down by a couple of dishes. Star was the cod loin, and both our desserts (orange polenta cake and moscovado pudding). Our other main dishes (octopus and halibut) were ok, the latter was very expensive and therefore poor value. Other sides (cabbage and artichokes) were fine and worked well. Weakest dish was the cauliflower which was just florets with a garlic butter, which was properly cooked but unreasonably expensive for such a basic and frankly quite unremarkable dish.

Will definitely return and try some of the other dishes. Probably have the same desserts...