E'Lupo's — Restaurant in Rotherham

One of the weirdest nights out ever! Arrived and our table had been given away, so had to wait for 20 minutes to be seated. The bar area is tiny so there was no real place to wait for a drink. People were leaving tables and ordering drinks directly at the bar which was odd for a serviced restaurant. We were finally seated and it took forever for someone to take an order, even though we had promoted staff several times. Then the place turned into what can only be described as a working man's club. A singer appeared and was a typical female club singer and started singing typical club/karaoke hits. This is an Italian restaurant not a club! This really ruined the atmosphere as everyone had to shout to be heard over the singing. When orders were actually taken the food came out fairly quickly. Unfortunately the food whilst being okay was sub-par Italian cuisine with random salad garnishes, etc. typical of 90's dining. Whilst we expected trattoria style cuisine this was nowhere near as good quality. We are quickly, paid and left with haste. We won't be coming back. Poor service, poor food, run down building. Even the sign was hanging off the outside of the shop...

This is our favourite restaurant by a mile and we have been here for family meals, birthday celebrations and just my wife and I on quite a few occasions. Normally the whole package is impeccable and I have never ever found fault before. This evening however was a total disappointment to the point I was on verge of walking out and I didn't even tip (which is a first). The waitress who showed us to our table was lovely and no issues with her, the younger waitress however didn't quite meet the usual high standards. I was quite shocked to hear the foul language from her mouth whilst stood at the server telling one of the chefs to "F++k off" the latter then sticking fingers up at her in return. Cutlery not replaced after starters, potatoes were rock hard on outside but raw inside. Bill brought to table without been requested was a surprise especially as we normally have a coffee before leaving. In my opinion it was a case of 'the boss is away so f++k it'. The only thing that saved the evening was the salmon which was sublime. The chair I initially sat on had no padding and I had to swap it myself. Absolutely gutted, 25th wedding anniversary as well. Poor effort...

Firstly to mention the staff were absolutely wonderful, accommodating, and great hosts. Additionally, they had a wonderful singer performing for the meal which made a great atmosphere. Unfortunately however, the food and drink I experienced wasn’t good at all, and that’s 80% of what a restaurant is. The calamari starter was very bland, with no obvious seasoning in the batter. I asked for chillis or spice in my mains, but they didn’t do this, although I will say the tomato sauce tasted homemade and delicious. The paprika sprinkled on added no flavour. They didn’t have the wine on the menu, but had an alternative that wasn’t pleasant at all. It was a basic cash and carry wine that was sharp, cheap, and unenjoyable. There were no veg with the mains, so if you order a lasagne - you get a plate only with lasagne, no garnish/salad/veg etc. Finally, the table clothes were wipeable white plastic sheeting. I appreciate that probably saves a lot of money, but it wasn’t even wiped when we sat down so wasn’t nice. I’d come again as everyone was lovely, but this wouldn’t be my regular...