Fare — Restaurant in London

We recently hosted our wedding reception at FARE in London, and it was nothing short of perfection. From the moment we walked in after our ceremony at Islington Town Hall, the décor set the tone for an elegant and truly magical celebration - it had a truly beautiful ambience. The space has been thoughtfully designed—modern yet inviting, making it an ideal venue for a city wedding whether that be in winter like ours or in the summer when i'm sure you'd make more use of the courtyard!

The venue was the perfect size for our 70 guests, providing just the right balance of space and intimacy. The layout of the venue, spread over two levels, also worked brilliantly to break up the evening creating a natural flow for the different parts of our wedding: we used the upper level for the drinks reception and canapes, and post dinner cocktails. The lower level was used for a more formal seated dinner and then later on… lots of dancing. This setup allowed our guests to enjoy different atmospheres and made the whole evening feel dynamic and engaging. There was even enough space to accommodate both a mobile acoustic band and after that two DJs.

The staff were exceptional; their professionalism, attentiveness, and friendly approach ensured the evening unfolded without a hitch. They were always one step ahead, ensuring our guests were looked after with extra attention on the👰🏼🤵🏻‍♂️!

We received so many compliments from our guests about the food (including the canapes), the wine and the cocktails which went down extremely well! A big bonus i of hosting your reception in a restaurant I believe is the selection of dishes you can offer your guests. The entire evening ran flawlessly, and that was down to the FARE team. We had a vision for what we wanted from the day but without a doubt all hopes and expectations were exceeded making our wedding a truly unforgettable experience.

We are so pleased to have chosen FARE which was a chance viewing having viewed a couple of venues in the area. It didn’t take us long to decide however, as we were immediately drawn to it both by the décor which is stunning – lots of greenery and fantastic lighting which helpfully creates a beautiful backdrop. What secured it for us though, was meeting Joe, Ricci and all the other staff. It is evident they are all incredibly passionate about the restaurant, and their customers. If you're looking for a venue for a special occasion, wedding or otherwise, we couldn’t recommend FARE enough.

Thank you to the entire team for helping us create such...

I live around the corner and am a loyal customer - I have easily been to FARE over 30 times, and also frequently order from Deliveroo. It’s my first time back since the lifting of lockdown restrictions and it was a shockingly disappointing experience. Perhaps management have changed. I don’t know what has happened since but the service and food quality was suddenly very poor.

We ordered a beer each but we both received the wrong ones. My ‘correct’ beer order then took 25 minutes to arrive - by the time of which my friend had finished his beer.

The sea urchin pasta was inedible - I was starving but left half my plate, the taste was so bad I literally couldn’t finish it. The langoustine sauce tasted off, almost expired and not fresh - or artificial at worst.

After the food was served, none of the servers came to our table to check whether the food was alright, if we would like to order another drink or dessert or even pay. We were waiting outside in the cold for ages. Finally we decided to go into the restaurant to flag we wanted the bill.

I feedback to the hostess / floor manager. She quickly thanked me for the feedback and gave us the bill as soon as possible. I was disappointed in the lack of proactively to rectify the issue, to suggest what would be done differently next time or to even offer a proper apology - which was the bare minimum for a place of this calibre. It feels like there was zero care the customer at all. They try to churn customers in and out as soon as possible, like a factory.

FARE is not the place it once was. Previously the price point made sense for the quality, but now it does not. There has been a huge decrease in food quality, service and attention since it first opened. And there are many better alternatives out there - try Oi Vita, Gloria or Napoli Gang for instance - where the food is excellent and service attentive, warm and...

Meh....went there for a working lunch. Food was OK, but pretentiously-sized overpriced portions.

Wasn't expecting much from the place to begin with so at least I can say I wasn't disappointed.

LPT: To avoid disappointment, it is best to have low or no expectations at all! That way, the blasé will slip away into the ether of your mind almost completely forgotten, only to be vaguely reminded by a notification on your phone asking for a review.

TL-DR: OK place with decent food, an average experience.

P.S: I am just some guy on the internet voicing his own thoughts and experiences about the place. If you want to find out for yourself, then go out and experience it first hand! Life is too short to base our decisions on the opinions of strangers on the internet!

Go out into the world and explore! Meet people! Next time you're on the train or walking along the streets of the city, just smile and hum a tune! A friendly greeting to the newsagent, a smile and a nod of thanks to the bus driver!

But instead we settle for staring intently at the blue screen all day, everyday. Failing to look up and missing the opportunity to meet that friendly face with whom we could have gotten along with so well.

Our technology has provided us with this immense possibility of voicing our opinions publicly for all to see, but at the same time the experiences we witness become blasé in comparison to the flashy colours and calls for attention on our devices, pushing constant subversive advertisements in our faces. A curse in disguise.

If you have gotten this far in my diatribe, then I implore you kind reader, to put down your phone and actually experience the world around you. The world is an amazing place filled with lovely people for us to meet. Lest we just look up and live it, rather than letting the experiences slip down into the ether of...