Ottolenghi Islington Reviews Summary

Food Quality

Pros:

• "All our chosen dishes were so flavoursome."
• "The beautifully presented salads are piled high."
• "Incredible food you'd expect from Ottolenghi, and nice staff."
• "The aubergine is a must have, followed by their green beans."
• "The food was fantastic."
• "Definitely great food, especially the salads!"
• "The food always blows me away with the way flavours are combined into stunning tasting dishes."

Cons:

• "Broccoli didn’t have much flavor, and melon was under ripe."
• "The main, seabass with romesco sauce was ok, but the portions were TINY."
• "The food followed suit by being pretentious."
• "Food was tasty enough but nothing really stood out, I have to say I expected more."
• "The lamb has such a strong mutton taste I could not eat it."
• "The food was a bit disappointing compared to what I had expected."
• "The dishes were not well seasoned, lacking flavour."

Service

Pros:

• "5 stars for the lovely manager who got us a table for 30 minutes to enjoy a coffee break."
• "The service is impeccable: super friendly and super fast."
• "Special shout out to Atkin, our waiter who made our night so enjoyable!"
• "Service was very fast and courteous."
• "Our server (Sarah I believe) was so sweet and helpful and attentive."
• "Service was fantastic and our server was the best."
• "Super friendly service from start to finish. A very knowledgeable staff."

Cons:

• "Service is all over the shop. Lacks leadership and professionalism."
• "So sadly we didn't get to try your food as waiting time was too long at 20 to 30 minutes."
• "Service is good but a bit on a slow side."
• "The service is also really really slow so remember to order all your food at once."
• "However, I have to say the service, while efficient, is far from friendly."
• "Very poor service. Took a while to be seated after having a reservation."
• "Incredibly poor service. Constantly having to ask for someone to take our order, ask for menus and dessert."

Ambience

Pros:

• "The seating feels very much like a retrofitted space with folding tables and plastic chairs and it adds to the special nature of the experience."
• "You are sat quite close to other diners but the room is lovely and bright."
• "The atmosphere of the restaurant had a Scandanavian/mid-century modern feel to it."
• "Full white with plenty of light."
• "The atmosphere was calm not quiet with a nice vibe."
• "Plenty of space to sit and enjoy whatever you choose with normal prices."
• "I loved the decor, very light and airy."

Cons:

• "It puts me off having to sit next to other people without your own table and space."
• "While that is a nice idea, the lack of any sound absorbing materials or insulation in the ceiling mean that you will soon find yourself shouting to hear your group."
• "The coffee could use a little work—a bit bitter."
• "The idea of the long table is nice but due to the bad acoustic and therefore noise it is difficult to talk at all."
• "A bit cramped, eating at communal tables elbow to elbow."
• "The atmosphere feels a little cold, stark white everything, but I guess that's the style they are going for."
• "The communal tables were extremely uncomfortable and really detracted from the experience."

Value

Pros:

• "Meal with wine and service was under £40 a head which to me is great value."
• "Honestly cannot complain for the price and the taste of the foods."
• "This is a great place, fine dining but very relaxed and affordable."
• "Price/quality is very good for this restaurant."
• "Reasonably priced for the great quality food we ate 3 plates each circa 7£ each plate."
• "For such a well known name, the prices were very reasonable."
• "Great restaurant with unique dishes, definitely recommended getting a reservation a couple weeks in advance and noting any allergies."

Cons:

• "All in all left massively disappointed having spent £160 on a meal for 2."
• "Food is great, but wine seems overpriced for what they offer."
• "Only downside was price, it's not super expensive, but about £40 per head, excluding wine."
• "The desserts are delicious but have a slightly higher price tag."
• "The coffee was burnt and when I asked for a new one, it was still very bitter."
• "The prices are super duper pricey."
• "Doubt I’ll be returning especially now with extreme pricing."