Osteria Mbare — Restaurant in London

UPDATE

It is a real shame that this restaurant is using ChatGPT to generate insincere apologies and responses to customers who have taken the time to actually write their reviews. This response has been copied and pasted word for word from the AI generated response. Don't believe me? Copy my review into the website and ask it to write a letter in response. Disgusting. LAZY. This place is a joke. See portion of now deleted-response below:

"Dear Joanna,

Thank you for taking the time to share your detailed feedback about your recent visit. We sincerely apologize for the lapses in service and the overall disappointing experience you had. Your concerns have been noted, and we take them seriously as we strive to improve.

We are genuinely sorry for the delays in taking your drink order and the mix-up with your Margarita, as well as the inadequate communication about the preparation time for our fresh dishes. It is clear that we fell short of your expectations in various aspects, including the quality of the pasta and the portion size."

Last Friday, I had the opportunity to dine at this restaurant with a small group of friends, totalling four people. We had made a reservation in advance and, upon arrival, our coats and bags were securely stored in a cupboard near the front door. Once seated at our table, we engaged in conversation for about 30 minutes, during which no one came to take our drinks order. When the opportunity finally arrived, I asked for the Margarita - referring to the only Margarita they had on their cocktail menu. I did not think I had specify that it was the Mango & Chilli Margarita I was ordering. As the waitress returned multiple times to inquire about my preferences, asking about ice, salt and spice, it became evident that a mix-up was imminent. True to expectation, the wrong drink was brought to the table, leading to an additional 15-minute wait for the correct one.

By this point, an hour had passed since our arrival, and our drinks had only just been served. Notably, I had also requested a glass of water with my cocktail, only to receive what could be described as a remarkably small shot glass. It seemed the restaurant considered hydration more of a privilege than a right. Nevertheless, let's get back to the dining experience.At this point, we thought it prudent to place our main course orders, as we had a specific timeframe to adhere to in order to make it to the cinema on time. However, when we communicated this to the restaurant host, we were met with a rather curt response: "This is not McDonald's; our food is prepared fresh and takes time." The tone seemed unnecessarily rude and condescending, as if we were unaware that we were in a fine dining establishment. The food eventually made its way to our table, and to be frank, the pasta left much to be desired. I've honestly had tastier pasta from a ready meal. The meat was virtually invisible, and the fresh, handmade pasta turned out to be thick and unappetising. Good thing the portion size was so small, otherwise I would have really felt robbed!

To conclude the evening, after parting with a considerable sum of money for a disappointing meal and overall experience, it's essential to highlight the staff. The communication with the waitress was challenging, as English appeared not to be her first language. Furthermore, the maitre d was conspicuously absent when it came time to return our belongings. After waiting for over five minutes without any staff member in sight, we eventually took matters into our own hands, retrieving our coats and bags from the supposedly "secure" cupboard before leaving. This incident raised concerns about the security of personal belongings, as it seemed anyone off the street could walk in, take something, and leave without detection. Regrettably, based on this experience, I have no intention of revisiting this restaurant and would strongly advise against...

It's taken me a few weeks to write this review, making sure it reflects our true experience rather than being written in the heat of the moment.

I was initially captivated by the enticing images and posts about Osteria Mbare on their social media. So, back in May, I made the decision to book tickets for the Bottomless Drag Brunch to celebrate my partner's birthday in September.

The entire booking process went smoothly, and I was thrilled that I'd organized something special well in advance. The day before our visit, I received a confirmation text from the restaurant. It requested some details about us for the day, including a photo for easy recognition upon our arrival. They even asked if it was a special occasion, which I gladly mentioned was my partner's birthday. This personal touch gave us something to look forward to.

We sorted out childcare for the day and made the journey from Northampton to Osteria Mbare. It was quite a trek – an hour on the train to Euston followed by a somewhat inconvenient 30-minute tube ride to Clapham. Nevertheless, we believed it would be worth the effort.

Unfortunately, we ended up rushing and arrived a few minutes late for our scheduled 12 pm slot. As we walked into the restaurant, it was painfully apparent that it was deserted. There was no atmosphere to speak of, and even the host appeared surprised by our presence. She certainly didn't recognize us from the photo we had submitted.

The host, who seemed clearly hungover, seated us at our table and expressed her displeasure about how busy it had been. We were then given some prosecco and briefed on the rules for the bottomless brunch.

Confusion set in as we wondered why we were the only ones in the restaurant. So, I asked if the drag show was still on, to which she bluntly informed us that it was a summer-exclusive event, and we had only booked the regular bottomless brunch. She was insistent about this, making me feel rather foolish for the mix-up.

Meanwhile, my partner was incredibly disappointed, nearly brought to tears, which only added to my own embarrassment.

I had to retrieve the confirmation email to prove that we had, indeed, booked for the Bottomless Drag Brunch. It was at this point that the host mentioned casually that they had ended the drag brunch with the summer season and that this update could be found on their website. I found this a bit unreasonable, considering our confirmation emails and the absence of any reason to check their website for changes.

The host, somewhat arrogantly, suggested that we could get a discount for our next visit. But considering the £65 per ticket cost and the lack of a drag show, this hardly seemed like fair compensation.

In conclusion, our experience at Osteria Mbare left much to be desired. The service was far from satisfactory, and while the restaurant was stylishly decorated, it was severely lacking in any ambiance. We left without tasting the food, and this entire experience felt like a stark reminder not to trust everything you see on social media. I have no intentions of returning to Osteria Mbare and cannot recommend it, especially if it requires a significant journey. London offers a plethora of dining options, and some surely provide better quality...

Our recent visit to Osteria Mbare, intended for a joint birthday celebration, left us thoroughly disappointed, primarily due to a series of missteps in both service and culinary execution. The evening, designed around a promising tapas-style concept, was marred by glaring timing issues, culinary letdowns, and a lack of attention to table etiquette that significantly hindered our enjoyment.

Right from the start, the initial starters arrived awkwardly, 15-20 minutes before the last ones, disrupting the anticipated synchronized dining experience. The bread, surprisingly, was one of the last items to reach our table, exacerbating the frustration of uneven pacing.

Transitioning to the mains, the Funghi pasta and Amatriciana made their entrance, but the culinary disappointments quickly unfolded. The pasta, served across the board, was uniformly overcooked, lacking the desired al dente texture. The Seafood pasta, purportedly featuring fresh fish, suffered not only from overcooking but also had an overbearing fishy aroma that permeated the dish, impacting both the smell and the taste, leaving a nauseating aftertaste—a stark contradiction to the freshness expected. The Veal Milanese, meanwhile, was not spared from culinary mishaps, arriving overcooked and lacking even the slightest amount of salt, rendering it inedible.

Moreover, the timing mishaps persisted with the mains; the Steak and Veal arrived a staggering 25 and 30 minutes respectively after the first mains, adding to the disjointed dining experience.

As if these culinary issues weren't enough, the service etiquette also fell short. Empty plates and glasses lingered on our table for an extended period, despite it being glaringly obvious that they were done with, showcasing a lack of attention to detail and neglecting basic table maintenance.

In addition to these egregious timing, culinary, and table etiquette issues, the oversight of our outlined birthday celebration added another layer of disappointment. Despite specifying the occasion during the reservation, there was no acknowledgment of the special day.

Osteria Mbare's unique tapas-style concept fell short on multiple fronts, with poorly timed delivery of dishes, culinary mishaps, and neglected table etiquette significantly overshadowing our shared dining celebration. Urgent attention to these concerns is crucial to provide a more enjoyable experience for future patrons who seek both a synchronised dining experience, well-executed, flavourful dishes, and proper table...