Strada Southbank — Restaurant in London

Long story short, worst service I have ever experienced in any restaurants in this country. We didn't actually eat here as I felt we were asked to leave implicitly. If you have young kids, I would strongly recommend you look elsewhere.

So I and my two year old walked in this place for lunch. The lady with very curly hair and a cap at the reception served us. She showed me a table and told me I 'need to leave the buggy near the door' as she 'can't let us sit at a table with a buggy'. Note there was no 'please', no asking, just being told. I already had a bad feeling at that moment (not because of the buggy) but the way she talked. But ds really wanted pizza so l was ok with it.

But then when we were taken to the table, things became a bit funny. It was a very tiny two-seater with two adult seats opposite to each other. It was ok for a couple but you ask a two year old to have his lunch sitting in front of a table that he could barely reach, without any protection, too far to get help from mummy? There was no offerring a highchair or whatever. I was a bit shocked but the lady had disappeared. So I spoke to another lady about this. I asked if they could give us another table so that I could sit closer to my son and help him. She said it should be ok then walked away, presumably to find a table for us. Then the lady with the cap came to us and said 'I can't give you a table for four as we are fully booked'. Period. Then she stood back, almost leaning backwards, with her hands crossing each other resting nicely in front of her. There was then a moment of silence. I realised we had to leave.

I wouldn't feel offended if she just told us they were fully booked and offered any kind of help or alternative. It might not solve the issue but at least would show some gesture. Being sympathy is the very basic requirement for a restaurant staff. But I found none in this lady's service.

We went to the Wagamama next door. DS didnt get his pizza but was offered a pack of crayon and an activity sheet. We were offered a highchair but I said no need. So they let us have a four seater and offered removing a chair to allow space for the buggy. I left some more tips than I would normally as they really saved my day.

There were about two to three tables outside taken when we arrived at Strada on a bright sunny summer day. When we finished our lunch at Wagamama, to say Strada was half full would be an overstatement. I totally wouldn't be surprised if the lady was lying to us just to get rid of 'unwelcomed customers'.

I will never go to any Strada restaurants and I will tell all my friends who have kids to not to. Please dont take this as a revenge or threat Strada. This is a win win for both sides. You dont want us in your restaurants...

Really Disappointing! My partner and I walked along the river from London Bridge in the hope of enjoying a lovely meal, as we had done at the beginning of our relationship, years ago. We were seated immediately, which was impressive, as it was a busy evening and we thought we might have to wait. We noticed right away that people were absolutely packed into the restaurant, there was no more than 18” between tables, which in all honesty, made me a little uncomfortable and meant people walking down the isles couldn’t help but bump into the backs of chairs, or lean over other diners. The menu has been made smaller and simpler, which my OH was a little disappointed with, as there wasn’t much he found he wanted. We considered leaving and going elsewhere at that point, but in all honesty, we were hungry and I have always thought highly of the food in Strada, so we decided to stick it out. My OH ordered a burger and I the seafood linguine, which came out of the kitchen ridiculously fast (concerning). The burger was sad looking and very small, it was also rather pink inside, it wasn’t ordered rare. My linguine wasn’t linguine and the pasta was undercooked, in contrast the seafood (prawns and a handful of mussels) was absolutely tasteless and overcooked, to the point where the mussels were mushy. I wasn’t offered any Parmesan sadly, but the tomato sauce was nice enough. Other diners left and new ones were seated and we noted that the cleaning of the tables between covers was slap-dash at best, which was off putting too.

The diners sitting next to us, described their pizza as ‘sad’ and they ate less than half of it before leaving quickly. My OH remarked that he was glad it wasn’t just us who thought the meal was disappointing. We did finish our meal, but at no point were we asked if everything was okay, nor were we asked if we wanted dessert or anything else. Once the plates were taken, the waitress returned with the bill and simply asked “Card or cash?” took payment and walked away. We finished our drinks and left, without interest from the staff.

Unfortunately, Strada is no longer the nice restaurant it once was, it’s more akin to a high street pizza/pasta place and when you consider the poor quality and high price of the food and lack of any deals, you’re better off going to a...

I work nearby but this is the first time I've visited this Strada. Probably the last. Food wasn't bad quality, portion size was questionable given we were told the large antipasti platter served 4 - we opted for that and the garlic bread (which was a good size) between 3 of us and without the garlic bread it would've been mediocre at best. Mains were pretty good but the service left a lot to be desired. We arrived just after 8.15pm on a Sunday. Nobody mentioned they close at 9.30pm. We ordered drinks from a lovely waitress who shortly afterwards, told us she was leaving. No problem there. As we finished our starters, another waiter came to clear plates and told us the kitchen was closing so did we want anything else? Given we'd not even received our mains yet, we said no. Mains came out and a 3rd member of staff asked immediately after if she could leave the bill. A little abrupt but fine. She then returns 2 minutes later with the card machine, expecting us to pay when we've barely even started our main courses! The staff continued to fuss around us, clearing up even though it was 9.20pm, and offered no explanation or apology for doing so. It was a warm, sunny, Sunday evening on London's South Bank. Expecting restaurants to be open later than 9.30pm (especially when nobody has warned you it closes little over an hour after you enter) and treating customers with respect should surely be a bare minimum? If I had been a visitor to London or this had been my first experience at Strada, i certainly wouldn't have returned. As it is, I've worked nearby for 18 months and haven't visited before but would still opt for many of the other options nearby before I chose...