OMBRA — Restaurant in London

Really poor experience here, which is a pity because it looks great on paper. Probably my most disappointing dinner in London of the last few years.

The food is solid (not amazing) but portions are small and extremely overpriced. Three of us spent about £60 each, sharing some snacks and the cheapest bottle of wine followed by a starter and main each, and we left so hungry that we got kebabs on the way home. The wine prices that evening started in the mid-high £40s (their online wine list has cheaper wines but they weren’t listed on the menu that night).

The staff pressured us hard to order more, which we couldn’t afford considering it was a casual dinner with friends, and even insisted that we get the tiramisu after we said we definitely didn’t want dessert - very awkward for all of us. Service was extremely slow and they forgot one of our dishes, which became even more awkward and confrontational when we had to convince them that it really didn’t arrive.

We were sat on a sharing table right next to a couple on their date night, which in itself is not terrible (probably worse for them than us) but it was another mild unpleasantness to deal with.

At its price point and portion sizing I think it’s trying to position itself as a fine dining option in Hackney, but neither the food nor the service nor space deserves this. We spoke to some friends afterwards and they told us they’d also had bad experiences at Ombra and they would have told us not to go if we’d asked them.

The passive-aggressive responses to reviews by the owners leave a sour taste in the mouth. Maybe they should incorporate the feedback rather than sarcastically dismissing it.

The second star is just because the dishes mostly tasted good.

EDIT: revising to one star because of their obnoxious reply. Not a hint of self-reflection. I’ve been to both the fine-dining places they “suggest” and honestly both are better value than Ombra - more expensive yes, but you actually get what you pay for and leave content. I’ve lived and dined in this area for a decade and I know what you can get for £60, and it’s a whole lot better than this. Years later, when my friends and I walk past this place we still joke about how uncomfortable...

I went here when it first opened over a decade ago when it was finding its feet, and again maybe 5 years ago. I decided to give it a go again as I discovered that they share owners with Forno, a patisserie across the road that is very good.

The service was faultless. I wish I could say the same abut the food. I don’t believe amongst our group we had 1 dish that anyone actually liked. The starters: pork belly skewers were visually confusing, small pieces of what seemed more like bacon with oodles of flavourless sauce. The pork fritters were presented in a more appealing way, but the one I bit into had a giant bit of gristle in it. For the main, I had the kale spaghetti with muscles which was again very overly sauced, and very under seasoned, and didn’t have any sense of where the flavour was. The food generally seemed confused and lacking in flavour. We decided not to venture into the deserts based on the mains.

I still want to love Ombra; the setting is nice and appealing, and it’s stood the test of time as a local restaurant. I don’t like leaving bad reviews unless I genuinely feel the need to warn others about parting with money, but I’m not sure I have had a meal this bad for a long while, and there are so many places around Hackney that are fantastic at the same price point. With different food this place...

Literally the worst experience I have received in a long time. £200 for 4 people after getting money knocked off the bill. I have been a regular customer for a long time but the amount of food was a joke. Management didn't have an answer and I can't explain how disappointed I am. I used to recommend people to this place but it turns out they are just looking for a quick buck and living off the east London gravy train.

EDIT - just to be clear the total cost was not this issue as I was very aware what we had ordered and would have been happy to pay. However for £33 a head plus service and drinks I was not expecting every member of our group to leave hungry and irritated. Having now done some research I understand they have a new chef and new up market direction, and in one online article seem quite proud that they have 'lost 90% of the once regular customers'. I am unfortunately one of those. Much better restaurants in the area for the money. Seems I am not the only one to think so if you read through recent reviews over the past year.

One other note would be maybe if whoever answers the Google reviews spent a little more time reading them and taking comments on board, rather than trying to be witty and dismissive, the business might actually be able to get back to the days where is was actually a pleasure...