Zoilo — Restaurant in London

Zoilo has been on my shortlist for quite a while. Finally found an opportunity to have a business meal here.

Upon walking in through what looks like a residential door, we were immediately struck by the fine balance this small restaurant has between casual bar in the centre and refined dining at the tables around the edges. Although we were having a business meal, there was a couple two tables down from us on a first date ("nice to meet you") confirming it is a good date venue as we suspected. Greeted by the maitre'd we were seated in a corner table under the speaker. A request to turn down the music slightly so we could hear each other was immediately actioned.

Service was good. Prompt with the only area for improvement being timing of questions. Rather than wait for a pause in conversation, the different servers would approach us to ask and crowbar their question in. Seems quite common in restaurants but not the way high class service is. Hence four stars in this area.

Everything else was to a very high standard. Onto the food:

In-house Charcuterie (salami, pancetta & pork shoulder), pickles & toast: absolutely outstanding and a great price considering the quality. In fact, if you go downstairs you see the fridge where it looks like they're curing the meat. I'll make sure to ask them next time.

Grilled Hand Dived Scallop, fennel, anchovies & apple, roe sabayon: sublime and as good as Gordon Ramsay's Petrus where a similar scallop dish has been on the menu for years as a favourite.

Bife Ancho | Rib Eye & our chimichurri sauce: could not be faulted. Cooked to perfection and the sauce was a fresh accompaniment with layers of flavour.

Bife Angosto | Glazed Sirloin, house chorizo, shallots & tarragon jus: again, fantastically prepared. Out of the two steaks, I preferred the chimchurri, but if you like a little bit of sweet tang to your sauce then get this dish.

Hand cut chips Provenzal: can't really go wrong with chips. Good to see they didn't here!

Dulce de leche Crème Brûlée & "banana split": this was the dish where I was a little disappointed. It was fine, but not standout. Although I'm not sure how you make creme brûlée standout. The serving of the dessert in the centre of the table and two spoons during a business meal without our request was a little....strange. Had to laugh at what they might have been thinking.

Overall, a fantastic experience in a cut throat London restaurant market. I will visit again and bring a date here. It's...

Very good food. And even friendly and quick service once seated...BUT (and it's a big but), they didn't make us feel welcome, and they didn't value or prioritise our custom:

I had booked well in advance for my wife and I, and on arrival (about 10mins early) there were 2 empty (2 seater) tables upstairs (ground floor as you walk in), and an empty table for 4. Upstairs had natural light, proper sit down tables, and a good ambience.

They checked my booking and proceeded to lead me through the small restaurant - I asked if I could sit at one of those empty 2 seater tables, but was told they were booked. Hm, usually it's fine to choose any empty table if you've booked, as long as it seats the right number for your party - but ok not a huge deal, I hadn't seen the downstairs yet.

They lead me downstairs...where there is no natural light, there are no tables but only stools at a counter, and it was totally empty...and put me in the absolute furthest dark corner, under a pipe leaking (or dripping condensation) onto our stools.

I asked a different waiter to move from the wet stools in the corner - he happily lead me to another stool in the middle of the counter, and I asked (cheerfully again) if we could sit upstairs, and was told again that they were fully booked upstairs. So, I pointed out that I also had a booking - and on booking had seen no option to specify or request any particular tables, and he offered to check with his manager, returning a short while later confirming again that they would not be able to seat us anywhere except at the stools in the basement floor.

I was in the mood to have a good time and not cause a fuss, so I didn't press the matter further...but spent the evening on stools that were more uncomfortable than they looked, & unfortunately not able to give my wife, who arrived after all this (I'd been early), as pleasant an experience as I'd hoped to.

We enjoyed the food but left feeling slightly unwelcome and undervalued, having been treated as second class customers. It's the sort of thing that sometimes seems minor on one hand, but is also very annoying to be treated as though your custom is not good enough for them.

I will give them one more try, as the food was good, but if it happens again I will insist on a satisfactory explanation, and not recommend them or return...

You could easily be dining somewhere in Palermo or Recoleta, given the classy Argentinian vibe of this restaurant. From the decor and background music, to the delicious food and wine, not to forget the hospitality of the staff. Easily one of the best restaurants I've had the pleasure of trying in London, after 15 years living in this amazing city. The staff were really 5*, which allows you to settle in immediately, even before you seat at your table. Started with a delicious tasting of 3 types of empanadas (beef, spinach and duck), but can't really decide which one was the best given they were all so spectacular! Maybe the last one was the best (as I was a bit hungry in the beginning :) ) For the main course, a delicious and perfectly cooked (medium to perfection) 400g ribeye steak, accompanied by an inviting "coal roasted aubergine" (which exceeded all expectations! That smokey taste was divine! Huuuuuuuummmm...). The classic provolone cheese was also tasty, but I had to be selective as I started filling up! ;) You can't go wrong with Argentinian red wines, so we had some Malbecs, but spent a few minutes going through their 6 (!!) pages of wines... could have gone for Salta or Patagonia too (besides the usual Mendoza selection), either by the bottle or by glass. You decide! Overall a 5* experience at all levels and certainly replacing my previous #1 Argentinian restaurant in London...