Gaucho at The O2 — Restaurant in London

Fantastic Food, Absolute Shambles of a Restaurant – Treated Like an Inconvenience, Not a Guest

Let me be crystal clear: the food at Gaucho O2 was great. But the way this place is run? A complete and utter joke. What should’ve been a nice dinner turned into a chaotic, aggravating mess because the staff — and particularly the manager — have zero grasp of customer care or how basic hospitality works.

Booked a table for 5:30pm. Due to heavy, unforeseeable traffic, we were delayed. At 5:25pm, I responded to their message confirming we were still coming. No option to call the restaurant directly (because apparently, being a high-end chain means hiding behind a generic customer service line). Still, I did my part and let them know.

We arrived 50 minutes late. Not ideal, but I confirmed I was on my way. Instead of holding the table — which was mine for 1 hour and 45 minutes — they gave it away. No apology. No ownership. Just a smug manager telling me they had to seat “guests who arrived on time.” Oh really? So despite my confirmation, you reward punctuality by screwing over paying guests who actually bothered to let you know they were coming?

Then they made us wait another 30+ minutes for a new table — one that still wasn’t ready when they said it would be. All this while I stood watching others dine comfortably at a table that should have been mine. The absolute audacity.

I explained (calmly at first) that in any decent restaurant, if a guest confirms they’re coming — even late — the table is held, especially when there’s still time left to dine. I could have comfortably finished within the original booking window. But that didn’t matter. All I got was attitude and deflection. They tried to twist it around like I was at fault. No. I confirmed. You gave my table away. That’s on you.

We were finally seated at 7pm. Finished by 7:45pm. Quick, smooth meal — proving exactly what I said. But by then, the evening had already been soured by sheer incompetence and arrogance.

I’ve eaten all over the world — high-end, low-key, and everything in between — and I’ve never been treated this poorly for simply running late due to traffic. Especially after confirming I was coming.

Gaucho O2 needs to get over itself. Fancy décor and good steak don’t make up for sloppy operations and a manager who clearly thinks he’s above being accountable. I wouldn’t go back if the...

Such a wonderful experience here. Book a meal here for 4:30 before we came to a concert at the o2 later that day. It was a special occasion for us so on our booking I made a note that it was our anniversary and upon arrival they offered us complimentary champagne. We don’t drink so we had to return them but the gesture was lovely and the waiter understood.

Our server showed us all the cuts of steak upon request with great recommendations on how to get them done and was happy to confirm which cuts of steak were halal on the day. We ordered the Fillet steak 225g, medium rare which I recommend and the rib eye steak 300g medium. We found the rib eye to be way too filling and slightly tough. If you want to go for rib eye we recommend ordering with and appetite and getting it rare or just opt for a wagyu steak instead. The only qualm I have is I wish they offered smaller cuts of steak, since everything we ordered was too much for us. Also wish the presentation of the steaks were done a bit better as opposed to just offered in the middle of a large empty plate. Regardless. the tasted good.

For starters we ordered the bread and olives which we 100% recommend over any starter. Bread was so fresh and served with chimmichuri. The olives were large and juicy and also quite spicy too! Very flavourful.

For sides with our steak we ordered the truffle mac and cheese, chips and mash. We shared these between two and it was more than enough food. We opted for bernaise sauce for our steaks which paired very well. we initially wanted confit mushrooms as a side and the peppercorn sauce but were told that both were made with wine, so be aware of that if you avoid alcohol.

At the end we asked for our bill. Our server took quite a while to come back and we were getting a bit frustrated. However we realised that instead of coming back to charge us, he brought us a very large slice of cheese cake for us to celebrate our anniversary. Such an amazing gesture that we didn’t expect. The cake was delicious as well. It was comped on our bill but costs roughly £10-11 and I think it’s very much worth it bc of the generous portion size.

I came with not very many expectations here but I ended up having a great experience that makes me want to come back here!...

I had a booking at the o2 for a first date and it was horrible.

When we arrived the Gauchos staff asked what the occasion was and we said that it was a first date. He asked how we met and I said Instagram. Then when he asked for the name on the reservation - I said my first name and the staff member read out loud my whole name which I did not appreciate. I didn't want my date to know my full name and I don't think that that was very professional given that he knew it was a first date. I don't even have a common so there was no need for it. He could have put me at risk.

Then when we were being walked to our table, another customer asked for the toilet, and the man left us to show them directions which was rude. He should have said, let me get them seated and I will be with you. We were standing there all so confused waiting to know where to go.

When I made the reservation, I put on the notes that it was a first date so we didn't want to sit in the middle of the restaurant; if they could put us somewhere near a wall so we could get to know each other without feeling like we were being watched. I was also called the day of the reservation and I reminded them, that we wanted to not be in the middle of the restaurant. When we got there, they took us to the middle of the restaurant and we had to ask for a different table which was awkward because we had already been waiting around. It was clear that they had not read the notes on the booking at all.

Then when we ordered the food and drink, they brought over the wrong drink. I had asked for apple juice and they got me a watered-down orange juice.

This was my first ever experience at Gauchos and the experience was so poor - especially for a first date. It wasn't even busy so I am not sure why the staff members weren't more attentive. It made it an awkward start for the both of us. It was...