Gaucho Chancery Lane — Restaurant in London

I must say it has been many years since visiting a Gaucho restaurant and when we were recently in the city and wanted something a bit more premium than pub food thought Gaucho steak and chips the perfect solution.

We arrived 6.30 pm were greeted at reception with glee and straight away there was a premium mood set a fine welcome , no reservations but were shown to one of many free tables .

Loved the open kitchen vibe but the decor is like stepping into a glammed up 1970’s Starsky and Hutch set long gone are the hide seats and the true Argentinian vibe that was in my memory bank .

Rump steak 300g ordered MR came rare and I wasn’t ready for the gelatinous texture of the meat or the flavour and aroma , fermented aroma slightly livery and unpleasant. Then the penny dropped having spent a decade eating melt in the mouth British dry aged beef and most recently a Spanish dairy Rib eye on the bone , this is just not in the same league this Frozen Argentinian imposter steak does not make muster . Most disappointing was the bearnaise sauce a favourite essential with steak . This poor poor attempt was free of any tarragon flavour under seasoned bland and was completely split the worst bearnaise I have ever had , in fact not bearnaise at all .

Chips were unremarkable frozen fodder no attempt at triple cooked here !!! and the tender stem broccoli was closer to raw than al dente .

Service was attentive and pleasant and efficient throughout the meal although there was no check “is everything ok with your meal “ which surprised me , our server was excellent.

Chocolate brownie arrived as a cold slab was dense and cloying ( 15 secs in microwave would solve this come on guys !!! ) the ice cream some flavourless factory churn did not help . Honestly I was left gobsmacked.

Glass of Argentinian Merlot was full of fruit and was what it said on the tin and the highlight of what was a completely disappointing meal .

This was a lesson learn sorry Gaucho not for me but I wish you...

Gaucho's is quite an expensive place, so you would expect quality when you visit. We visited as a party of 4, and were sat at one of the tiny 4 people tables which are barely big enough for 4 starters let alone wine glasses, a bottle of wine, a bottle of water and 4 water glasses. Still, you can look past this.

The service at Gaucho's was awful. Rude waitresses who couldn't seem to handle the pressure of a half full restaurant. Bread basket literately thrown onto the table. Cutlery, when it was brought, was dirty not washed properly and had to be sent back as there were bits of food stuck to it. No apology. Not one actual steak knife given to customers.......at a steak restaurant! Made the medium rare steak very difficult to eat. One of the worst things though by our particular waitress is there was no manners at all. When she felt like it she would reach right over the table, arm in front of your face, to refill the glasses. Interrupting conversation, interrupting the dining experience, no apology, as if we were there at her sufferance. You would think a place with a reputation such as Gaucho's would hire people capable of making the dining experience a pleasant one. It felt like you were in a regular cafe given the level of professionalism by some of the staff. Being seated next to the open plan kitchen was also not a good idea, as you can see just how little work and effort goes into your rather expensive meal.

Hawksmoor, for me always provides a good dining experience. Today at Gaucho's, it was awful and unpleasant, one we shall not...

For the first time in my life, I had a bad experience in a Gaucho restaurant. Have been to many of the Gaucho branches in London before so I know what to expect.

Therr were 4 of us at this branch for a business dinner last week. I have been to this branch 3 or 4 times before and always had a great experience. Not so much this time.

The service was the issue, not the food.

We Ordered no starters as we opted for 500gr Sirloin steaks instead.

We've asked for some bread to go with the pricy wine we bought. Bread slices arrived at the table nearly 25 minutes after we ordered. We were hoping for the famous cheese buns however they had "none left".

Eventually some freshly made buns arrived to the table (over 30 minutes later) which were yummy, however, the steaks arrived right after.

Steaks were perfect, as expected! Can't fault them.

The most disappointing part was for me to find a large piece of hard and sharp plastic in my green side salad. it seems to be some part of food packaging. It was hidden inside the large salad leaves and I nearly choked on it. Very sharp! The waitress came and said "interesting find", took the piece away and left.

We heard no apology and no compensation was offered. The waitress (she was also the host) was unfriendly the entire evening and my colleagues expressed their dissatisfaction from the dinner.

Unfortunately, I won't come back to this branch. There are great steaks in other restaurants, and with better and ...