Brutto Reviews Summary

Ambiance and Setting

Pros:

• "Loved every second. The seating was a bit cramped but it certainly added to the atmosphere."
• "Hidden gem, completely bustling at 2:30pm on a Saturday down an alleyway in Farringdon. Loved the ambience and the food."
• "The environment is nice, it reminds me of a real Italian trattoria but cooler."
• "Delightful service and food in an idyllic venue. Such a refreshing and authentic breath of Tuscan air."
• "The atmosphere of this little Italian restaurant is superb. Only outshone by the amazing food."

Cons:

• "The dining room is rammed - and excessively loud - and the kitchen finds it difficult to keep a good tempo between courses."
• "I was really excited about this place, but the service is quite bad and slow, they are all in a rush, and kind of forgot we were there."
• "My first visit with a friend who is a regular. We were sat next to a very loud party in the hot back part of the restaurant."
• "We sat at the counter in the evening. A fantastic and memorable meal. But any quality here is dampened by excessive noise levels."
• "I was initially opposed after reading a review but happily wrong in my assertions about the food: it is excellent. But any quality here is dampened by excessive noise levels and inattentive (or lack of) staff."

Food Quality

Pros:

• "We opted for 3 courses and each was as fantastic as the next."
• "I had liver toast, pasta and steak. Steak was better than average but others not too exciting."
• "An absolutely charming trattoria. The food was delicious, the service was excellent and the overall ambience was fantastic."
• "The food is excellent, extremely authentic and it was a seamless transition to dining in the Tuscan hills to central London."
• "Simple and delicious. Top quality ingredients, well prepared."

Cons:

• "The Florentine steak is tougher than it should be, and the pasta is no better than boil your own from Tesco's."
• "The food is okay, we ordered a bistecca alla Fiorentina, was nothing special and not as rare as it should be. The sides arrived cold."
• "The hazelnut cookie meringue was interesting; I did not know what to expect but I did enjoy it. The ice cream, however, was very watery."
• "I ordered a tiramisu, a must have in any Italian restaurant for me, and hazelnut cookie meringue with ice cream."
• "The pasta's texture hints to them being freshly made and cooked. I personally could've eaten 2 plates myself."

Service

Pros:

• "Service with a smile, relatively fast and the ingredients were definitely local and traditional Italian affair."
• "Great menu and friendly service. Get the £5 negroni to start and share lots of plates."
• "What a fabulous place! Delightful service and food in an idyllic venue."
• "Brutto has the best staff of any restaurant I have eaten at in London."
• "The food and service at Brutto were perfect - the atmosphere was thrilling - such a lovely buzz, full of happy laughing diners."

Cons:

• "The inexperienced waiting staff do their best, but the dining room is rammed - and excessively loud."
• "The service is quite bad and slow, they are all in a rush, and kind of forgot we were there."
• "I had liver toast, pasta and steak. Service quality was really bad."
• "Once we finished our starters they left us waiting with the dirty and empty plates on the table, and they only took them away when the main arrived 1hour later."
• "The worst customer service in my life!!"

Value for Money

Pros:

• "Everything was completely delicious and quite reasonable."
• "Very lively atmosphere! Everything was so simple and so good! Pasta was perfectly Al dente."
• "Best Italian restaurant in London. Had pasta and aperol spritz and we loved the atmosphere and every bite of the food."
• "The food is excellent, extremely authentic and it was a seamless transition to dining in the Tuscan hills to central London."
• "An absolutely charming trattoria. The food was delicious, the service was excellent and the overall ambience was fantastic. Really high quality dining but in a laid back relaxed environment."

Cons:

• "However, I found the overall value to be a bit lacking. The price of around £45 for the meal seemed steep considering the portion sizes provided."
• "The pasta was dry and not seasoned well. The side of cannellini looked and tasted like a supermarket tinned variety with a dash of oil."
• "It’s hard to get a booking and I had to practically beg to get a walk in table 😆 but thankfully it was worth it."
• "The food is simple but sadly not executed to a standard deserving of the price point."
• "Food is okay and location is stylish and trendy, but it's criminally overpriced."