Rossella — Restaurant in London

It’s a real shame that I’m having to write this, as I try to support small businesses, but my experience at this restaurant was simply ‘NOT SATISFACTORY’; I arrived at 7:30pm. At no point was I welcomed, asked what I’d like to drink or whether I’d like a starter. By 7:50pm I tried to get a waiters attention. The young waiter I spoke to brushed me off, telling me to ask someone else! I appreciate the restaurant was busy, but staff should be trained in common curtesy, waiter/customer etiquette & manners. The whole evening (3hrs!) was spent endlessly trying to get a waiters attention, in order to order food, drinks or to query something. It became extremely tiresome & we were unable to ever really relax. There was one waiter in particular, an older man who was extremely rude to us on several occasions. He became agitated with us when he couldn’t understand what we were saying, at one point we witnessed him slam a menu down behind the bar in response to having just spoken to us. This made us all feel very tense and uncomfortable. This same waiter has had complaints made about him before. I recall several years ago being warned about his rude and abrasive manner!. The other staff were polite enough, but there was zero ‘customer care’. At one point, someone in my group actually said ‘I feel uncomfortable asking for another drink!’.

I ordered the fresh pasta/mushroom truffle, (£17) it was very bland, & watery. The wine and garlic bread were good, as was the dessert, but the tomatoes in the mozzarella salad were as hard as stones and raw!

We left the restaurant feeling as if we’d been an inconvenience there! Due to the fact that we were never asked if ‘our food was ok?’ & that we had to get up several times to go and ask the staff for something. The customer service was NOT GOOD. Several items we asked for, were forgotten about, one was even wrongly charged for, later this was amended, but again, due to the customer having to get up and query it.

This isn’t a high end restaurant, we knew that when booking, however, at over £45 per head I’d...

A massive Thank you to Luca and his team at Rossella. Myself and my new wife held our wedding reception at Rossella this past week and I have to give them 5 stars not only for the service and food but also for their assistance with planning which began before the pandemic scuppered our plans. When it came to choosing a venue for nearly 70 of our friends and family to share our day with us there was only 1 place we wanted to do it. Having eaten at the restaurant previously and impressed with the food quality and service we returned to speak about the possibility of utilising the venue for our special day. From the moment we spoke we were reassured that we had indeed made the right choice in Rossella. Luca - the owner is hands on and really knows his food...and wine. We had a few testers and decided on the menu. In the lead up to our day Luca helped us with seating plans and the logistics of the day which we hadn't given a second thought too. On the day of our wedding we arrived to be greeted by a champagne reception and a smiling Luca. Nothing was too much trouble. The whole team were accomodating to all from our 6 month old neice to my wife's 90 year old grandmother. The food was top class and portions generous. I had a T bone steak which was cooked to perfection and tasted beautiful with the family wines we had chosen - this wasn't a one off from the seabass to the meatballs many of our guests have said that the food was the best they had ever had at a wedding. We danced the night away - the team again being accommodating to our dance group which was the evenings entertainment - nothing was too much trouble - Luca from myself and the new Mrs. T thank you to you and your team we had so many wonderful compliments on your venue and the food. We will always remember our special day with a smile and the taste of those...

A surprisingly delicious and hidden local gem between Kentish Town and Gospel Oak stations - look for it tucked into a row of shops including a pharmacy and a hair salon. It's generally easy to miss, but lately I've found that the crowd spills onto the street during dinner time.

I went with my parents on their first night in London, as they wanted to try a place near my new flat that would also allow them to get in and out fairly easily (oh, jetlag...). My father got a pizza, which was unexpectedly good - thin crust, slightly chewy and slightly burnt. Just the way we like it. My mom and I both got a linguine marinara with seafood. The seafood was definitely fresh and tasty, though the sauce was a bit spicy. I liked it, but it was too hot for my mom to eat.

The only downside here was the staff. They were extremely nice, but very very slow. We asked for the bill three or four times and had to keep asking for more water. The slow service meant our meal took longer than desired, but it was still very very good.

With a bottle of wine, two starters, three mains and a dessert the bill came to about 35 GBP - a bargain! I believe during the week they have a lunchtime deal for 6 GBP of any pizza or pasta plus a soft drink.

UPDATE: I've gone here multiple times with my boyfriend and we've started to think of it as "our" place. The food is great and the staff has really improved. They're polite without hovering, and clearly interested in turning people into regulars.

The pizza is consistently good and the garlic bread is mouthwateringly delicious. I had their version of chicken parm last night and my health-conscious self loved that it was grilled, not fried, and came with perfectly cooked potatoes and carrots instead of pasta. Yum!

The ice cream is another plus. Creamy and easy to eat without melting all over you....