OTTO Restaurant Bar — Restaurant in London

I have dined at Otto on several occaisions before and thought the food and service were impressive. I'm not sure if last night was simply a glitch, however the food and service, were sub-standard. Usually I have been welcomed with a smile and they are very courteous....there was a coldness in their approach this evening, I was attending with a relative from abroad, so thought it would be nice to take her somewhere really nice, being the socialite she is!

The mixed Meze platter was ok enough, however the mains were awful....I am a Pescetarian and had ordered the Mixed Seafood stew on previous occasions....it left much to be desired. It was watery, lacked substance and was very bland. It was supposed to have Seafood, however contained more vegetables, than anything else.....I had to search for the five pieces of seafood. My guest was also underwhelmed....slightly embarassing, considering my descriptions of the restaurant before arriving.

Our drinks were mediocre.....

On another note....there was a Black lady who i assume was requesting a table for her and her family....and became quite distressed stating that the owner was discriminating against her attending the restaurant because she had children. The interesting thing was that I noted at least two families who attended after, whom were White and were 'walk-in's' who both secured tables at the restaurant...like I mentioned interesting observation. Thought the owners interaction was very hostile and rude to the lady.

I did wonder why the restaurant wasn't as busy as it usually is....considering it was a Friday night! Not sure if there has been a change of Chef etc, but something is different. Would I return based upon this experience? No, unfortunately not, it's not a risk I would...

The service was decent, but the food was far too minty. I ordered the Virgin Mojito & all I tasted was mint & water. As starters we ordered the mussels, good portion size but the mussels are tiny. The shells are quite large but when you actually pick out the mussel it's really small. Other than that the flavour of the dish was okay. We also ordered the lamb liver, was not a big fan. As it came on a hot stove, I burnt my tonge which is my fault. So we waited for it to cool down, once it cooled down it tasted absolutely horrible. It had a gritty texture and was soaked in oil, since we had to wait for it to cool down it went hard & wasn't edible. For the main my bf ordered the lamb shish & it had a strong charcoal after taste, he had 2 bites and couldn't eat anymore. I ordered the lamb tagine, nice large portion but the amount of rice given was ridiculous. Weirdly enough to everything tastes minty & we're not a big fan of mint which ruined our meal. We drove from Kent and was in a rush to get back, so we asked for the bill. I sat there for 5 minutes & the waiter didn't come back with the change, even though he walked past to check on my table. Once I left, that's when he decided to clean the table.. & he still didn't have the change in his hand. So we ended up tipping him more than he deserved.

If you like mint, a quiet atmosphere and a waiter who take the bill within seconds and doesn't come back with the change, this place is for you. But due to our experience, we definitely wouldn't recommend this our friends & family or even come...

Absolutely terrible. After seeing the good reviews I ordered food for my elderly mum. I ordered falafel, mixed vegetables and rice. The falafels were burnt, I tried one and could barely bite into it. The mixed vegetables were soggy my mum didn't even bother to try them. My mum didn't even want to try the rice, I tried the rice and it had a funny taste to it. The bread was stone cold. For the price they charge you would expect very good food but it was terrible. My elderly mum was left hungry and very disappointed. My mum phoned the restaurant to complain and the man on the phone was not pleasant at all. My mum was getting annoyed with him so she passed the phone to me. He was rude, condescending, obnoxious and arrogant. I tried to explain about the burnt falafels but he didn't want to listen, he kept interrupting me and telling me that the falafels were not burnt, that no one else has complained and they have been open for 20 years ect ect. I told him that I eat falafels and I make them. I have made falafels quite a few times so I know when they are overcooked and burnt. He then said with an attitude 'well how do you make them then'. I was shocked at how he spoke to me. He then kept going on and on about how they're made and I told him numerous times that I know how they are made. He then called me stupid! I'm absolutely appalled at his behaviour. He kept rambling on and on so I had to end the call. I'm very upset at how I was treated. I would highly avoid at all costs. Save your money and go to Gökyüzü in...