Avenida Restaurant — Restaurant in London

What a delight. Wandered out in search of a good steak, and found this gem of a restaurant in Welling. Read the menu, and was pulled in by the great valued t-bone steak.

First impressions

Was a little worried when we entered to be the only ones in the restaurant, more staff than people. The decor is dated, though that grew on me as the meal went on. Felt like a place that truly believes "if it isn't broken, don't fix it".

The Meal

The food was delicious. The halloumi to start was a healthy three slabs, a good portion for the price, and accompanied by salad-y bits.

The t-bone is the king of steaks, and Avenida served it justice. Cooked medium, to perfection - very juicy and thoroughly meaty. The chips were so-so, but the spinach side was great, cooked up with fresh garlic.

It was around this time that the chef came to say hello. An older gentleman, early 70s perhaps, every inch the grandad stereotype - warm and appreciative of people enjoying his food.

Being the only ones in the restaurant, we'd caught eyes a couple of times as I looked around, and it was a nice touch, him coming over. He'd commented on the steak being "a tasty one" - and he was correct.

Finally dessert. The chef came over again after the plates were cleared and suggested two of the night's specials - a freshly made fruit salad or the creme caramel. I opted for the creme, and again enjoyed every bite of it.

Overall

I don't know if it's being reminded of my grandfather, or something else that really tugged at my heart strings. The Avenida has no right to be as quiet as it was on a Friday night. Every element of our experience was immaculate, and well priced for the experience too. Little things were taken care of, bathrooms were spotless, the waitress was warm and lovely.

We'll certainly be back, and very...

I would have given a rating of zero if I could, as we never got to taste the food. We are incredibly disappointed with the Avenida Restaurant. We called them to arrange my mother's 70th birthday party, as this is in December, we started the process in early August. After calling and speaking with the manager, we made a provisional booking for 60. Obviously we needed to send out invites and wait for replies, so the manager told us to call back with the final number and to pay the deposit in early September, but when we called back on 3rd of September, we were told that they had booked 2 other large parties in, and now couldn't accommodate us. The excuse was that while the manager was on holiday someone had taken the bookings, so it wasn't his fault. There was no contrition or apology, nor any willingness to put things right, instead, when we asked whether he was concerned about how he was treating us, and any negative publicity for his restaurant, we were told he 'had been in business 40 years', I presume he usually treats customers better, or perhaps he was saying 40 years has made him embittered, and he just doesn't care any more. Either way, thank goodness for George's Greek Taverna, just down the road. They have been incredibly accommodating. My advice to the manager at the Avenida is, there are several new and established Mediterranean restaurants in the area now, so if you want to stay in business another 40 years, you need to treat your customers with...

DON’T EVEN CONSIDER GOING TO THIS RESTAURANT!! ! I booked a table for 31 people as a surprise for my sister’s 60th birthday. Some of the guests were on budgets and others had smaller appetites so before the night, I sent a copy of the weekend menu (as on their website) to everyone for reassurance. When we arrived, we were all presented with a fixed price, 3 course, £32.50 party menu (that’s not even on their website) so people were forced to eat more and pay more. I didn’t want to cause a scene but did query it and was told that’s what larger groups have to use, which I wasn’t told at the time of booking. The staff were lovely and the singers great but the manager was the opposite. Rude, impatient and obnoxious and many of the guests commented. Also, when I went to settle the bill, he was adamant that there were 32 guests but had inadvertently included my 3 year old niece, despite my being told at the time of booking she was free. Lastly and disappointingly, it was only our group left and my daughter offered to pay £20 if her fiancé could sing “Piano Man” on the microphone (a family favourite and nice way to end the night). He refused, which says it all really. Apart from our table, there were only two others all night, which is very quiet for a Saturday. No surprise...