The Starting Gate — Restaurant in London

We chose The Starting Gate to celebrate our registry ceremony on 21st June 2025, and we honestly couldn’t have asked for a better venue.

We reserved the space from 4 pm until closing time for around 60 guests, who were comfortably seated across the back area and the patio. We were blessed with a gorgeous sunny day (31 degrees!), yet the space still felt cool and comfortable throughout.

This venue holds real sentimental value for us, as it was my local when I first moved to London ten years ago. It felt beautifully fitting to mark the beginning of our married life here. The Starting Gate really is the perfect name for such an occasion. We booked it months in advance to make sure we didn’t miss out, and I’m so glad we did.

The location is lovely, nestled on the edge of Ally Pally and facing a stretch of greenery. The pub itself is full of character, with its original wooden furniture and delicate glasswork. The staff even added tasteful decorations for us, which made the atmosphere feel extra special.

From the beginning, Liam, one of the managers, was brilliant. He was always on hand with information, updates and the reassurance we needed to feel everything was in safe hands. On the day, Nikos looked after us wonderfully. He was warm, attentive and made sure everything ran smoothly. It all felt friendly and welcoming, like celebrating at a favourite local rather than a hired venue.

Our guests were full of praise for the food. We chose 50 Platinum Buffet Packages and the quality was excellent. Even our most demanding guests from Italy and Spain couldn’t fault it. The craft beer went down well too, and the team catered for everyone’s needs, including vegan options and allergy requirements.

The price was very fair and transparent, with no hidden charges or pushy upselling, which we really appreciated.

If you’re looking for a beautiful, down-to-earth spot for a special occasion, I can’t recommend The Starting Gate highly enough. Friendly staff, a charming location and delicious food. A personal tip: don’t miss the arancini and...

Absolutely disgusting service.

I came in to the pub last night for a drink with a friend. After waiting for approximately 15 minutes plus to be served I was finally served by a member of staff by the name of Isabelle served us (there was only one person I could see serving and Isabelle thought her time was best utilised by chatting to other customers whilst others were waiting for over 20 minutes to be served – customer told me). She filled two glasses up full to the top, I told her that I did not want that much ice in my drink. She started making another and whilst doing so slamming glasses down in and strop. I then went to pay for my drink using my credit card and then she walked off without giving me my receipt. I asked one of her colleagues to tell her that I wanted to talk to her. She turned around and said she was busy serving others. When she finally came to me, I asked her was it a policy not to give receipts to customers? She responded with “I do not have to talk to you”. I said I merely asked was it a policy not to give receipts back to customers? I just wanted a yes or no. I eventually gave up and asked to speak to or have the contact number of someone I could make a complaint to. She said her manager was available and called him over. A man by the name of Connor (who claimed to be the acting manager) came over and I explained the situation about how rude Isabelle was and his answer was that the pub was busy and they were stressed. I asked him only because the pub was busy and they were stressed, does this mean that service and politeness should be compromised and again he emphasised they were busy and stressed. I eventually asked for a refund and then went back to the table to return the drink to Connor. When I called out to him, he answered “I am busy!”. I placed the glass back on the bar in the way it...

Consistently rude and incompetent staff. Poor food but even poorer service. Not bad if you just want a quick pint, but anything beyond that is a big ask at this place. You won't be told what components are missing from your meal until after you have paid for - and received - it. After that you will be held in contempt for expecting some basic empathy and a reasonable solution for having paid £13 for basic pub food which is incomplete. If you value your time, money and common courtesy, avoid. The place was quarter-filled on a Sunday afternoon and I can't say I'm surprised.

Edit: as you will see from the reply I've received, the sarcasm and contempt for the customer is what comes first at this place: 'sorry we missed a ball of stuffing'. Don't advertise 'lavender stuffing' as a key feature of the chicken roast on the menu if you consider it so insignificant. How about adding 'ball of stuffing' to the menu description? All I got from Dominika was childishness - I was made to feel like a nuisance rather than a customer. I don't know who trains these people but this is a place on the slide. The only consolation to this tale is that I told it to my English class and they found it incredibly...