La Taverna — Restaurant in Gateshead

Sham-bolic! This place is a complete joke. As a group of 11 we’d booked a table in the restaurant for 8:30pm to have a Saturday evening Xmas party meal. However, we ended up all crammed around a table in the centre of the main bar with loud music pumping and 2 incompetent bar ladies trying to serve us. - Apparently, even though we’d pre-booked the restaurant was too busy as they’d over-booked! In the dim light the place looked ‘manky’ and we waited and waited and waited until eventually around 9:30 we were served our meals. Unfortunately by then, after sampling the dirty glasses, dirty toilets and incompetent staff the scene was already set, so the main courses were never going to impress! By this time none of us felt confident enough to order a starter and the main courses were poor. Cold plates, lumpy mash... oh, and when we questioned why there were no yorkshire puddings we were simply told they had been burnt!!!! No apologies whatsoever. None of this was deducted from the bill so to avoid embarrassment we just paid up and left because the place felt so ‘hostile’ and ‘uncomfortable’. All in all an experience I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy and my wife and I will certainly never ever recommend nor return to this...

Terrible service. Booked a table for four at 6.30. arrived to be told no table available but to have a drink at the bar. At 7.00 again told no table available, but we could eat outside. We agreed and were led outside and left. 30 minutes later and still nobody arrived to take our order. Finally seated at 7.30. food is good but the service makes the trip pointless. Starters finally arrived at 8.00. It's now 21.07 and still waiting for the...

Big shame - service just too slow, 45 minute wait for potato skins is no good. Asked for extra chilli on one pizza but there was none added, asked for bill, waited another 15 minutes - then had to go pay at desk to escape. Didn't even bother with the dessert I'd paid for. Shame as we'd had some nice times there over the years. Staff were friendly and I enjoyed my food. Some of my family...