Sarastro — Restaurant in London

Ah, Sarastro! Truly, a contender for the most enchanting dining experience of my life. First off, I almost spared myself the trouble of writing this review, but Google insists that I give them at least one measly star.

We booked online, blissfully unaware that we were about to become prisoners of Sarastro’s dining dictatorship. Did they mention that bringing more than five people turns you into set-menu captives? Of course not! It’s their little surprise. Goodbye à la carte menu, hello primary-school-lunch-themed set menus.

Now, onto the famed ‘free’ starter of dips and bread. Oh wait, did I say free? I meant sneakily-plonked-on-the-table starters that you have no choice but to pay for—like a welcome mat you have to buy before stepping inside.

But the real performance, the shining glory of Sarastro, was… drum roll, please… the service! Oh, theatrically terrible service, to match their theme. We had about five to six different servers waft around our table, each one as clueless as the next. It was a truly impressive display of passing the baton of incompetence. We asked to order from the à la carte menu—after all, it’s what we came for. Silly us! Of course, groups larger than five are simply not worthy of it. Even when we suggested that just one person ordered from the set menu… Nope, their immovable policy stood tall in the face of our common sense. Gotta respect the devotion to arbitrary rules, I suppose.

Ah, but let me not forget the main star of the show: the waiter who appeared just as we were desperately trying to decide between ‘Bad’ and ‘Worse’ on the set menu. When we asked for a bit more time, he graced us with an eye roll followed by a grand, sarcastic watch-glance. Truly, we were honored by this peak acting masterclass. And that, dear reader, was our cue to exit stage left.

Ignore the positive reviews left for this place from travellers who frequent M&M World and Madame Tussauds to take a picture with their fists up to a Muhammed Ali wax figure. If your idea of a good time is being herded like sheep and treated like an inconvenience, then by all means, visit Sarastro. For everyone else, save your sanity and go literally anywhere else.

I have to admire the creativity in your aggressive rebuttal, but let's not flatter ourselves by assuming that those "informative" emails ever made it to my inbox. Upon further investigation, it turns out they found their rightful home in the junk folder.

Now, a quick heads-up to my fellow restaurateurs: I find it fascinating how defensive one can get over a bit of yogurt and couscous—items typically provided free of charge at any Turkish restaurant—but here at Sarastro, they come with a side of sarcasm and an extra fee, presumably to make up for the fact that most patrons wouldn't stick around for the main course. Given the consistent unprofessionalism and attitude of the staff, it's almost as if they're banking on people calling it quits early.

Speaking of unaddressed issues, I noticed the owner’s indignant reply conveniently skipped over my mention of a staff member giving us a sarcastic watch-glance. Most people might take a bit of time deciding between two equally uninspired menus that look like they were fished out of a Christmas cracker.

Lastly, the mention of our supposed “walking out without paying” was a charming touch, albeit a little hypocritical for someone accusing others of superiority complexes. We did indeed decide to leave, but only after taking into account the fact that our card details were on file and would be charged anyway. I simply had no desire to hand over cash to a waiter who thought it appropriate to mock a party of five for taking a moment to choose between “Bad” and “Worse”—especially when, yet again, no emails regarding your beloved set-menu rules were received.

But hey, Sarastro, it's always a good sign when the highlight of your restaurant is the drama rather than the dining. Keep up...

This was our third time at Sarastros this time celebrating my 71st birthday. Each time we were lucky to get a balcony table and last night was no exception. Balcony table made for a great vantage point of the entire restaurant and not so cramped as being down on the floor especially when the conga kicked in ! Once the entertainment started the place was rocking with wall to wall eighties classics. Food weren't bad either I started with the prawns which came in a lovely herby finger licking sauce. Various mezze dishes and salads were enjoyed as starters. For the mains I went for the oven baked halibut which was very good although a bit over priced. It came rested on bed of roasted vegetables notably soft red peppers which really went well with the fish. A fillet steak a vegetarian aubergine dish and a tortellini dish were also ordered. I ordered a side dish of roast potatoes which were unusual as they resembled in shape like the wooden Jenga pieces. A bit under on the crispness front but still tasty much so that I didn't share ! Desserts all round highlight but not outstanding being the tiramasu. Drinks I had a couple of alcohol free mojitos and was billed free as the waitress knocked over my second mojito and replaced it but charged for the one she spilled.Always check your bill as mistakes are easily made especially when the place is rammed and very busy. All in all I and we had a very memorable night at Sorastros and would definitely re visit in the future and would recommend to others especially people celebrating a special occasion. The eighties singer really got everyone going and up on the floor for a boogie. All in all an enjoyable night although a bit pricey. Fernando Nieto celebrating my birthday in Covent Garden visiting from...

I was told to go here because it's worth it, but i wasn't told a price range or what you are offered and what to expect. I had a reservation and arrived 15 minutes soon, and the restaurant was half full. We were seated at a very low, hiden and cramped seating booth. We were hoping to be seated at one of the empty balconies seating as some were, but it didn't happen. Unfortunately, our night started bad as we entered, we checked the menu and decided in less than 5 minutes, but nobody came to take our order for about 20 minutes, while newcomers were seated and served before us. Finally, after we ordered and the food came, it was NOT a Mix Grill for Two, but one... the food is good, but small portions, and you pay not for the food so much, but for the live music that you are offered. They gave me a different wine than what i ordered. Not all waiters were friendly or helpful. The restaurant has a bad work system, instead of putting one waiter to take orders and another to bring the drinks (btw the guy was new and very lost, especially at the table of 20 people), i would use the old system especially that here is more challenging with the rows of balconies. They told us that we had to order a minimum of 2 dishes per person and that it is stated in the menu (it is NOT), i didn't want to after all the disappointments up till then. This place is not meant for people to go and eat well, but to be advertised and to drink expensively. The decoration is interesting it gives a theatre feeling, but it mainly represents lust, greed, and gluttony (paitings of orgys in the toilet, horned man in pictures, wine grapes, etc.). I wouldn't go here with an empty stomach and with little...