La Gamba - Spanish Tapas Bar & Restaurant Reviews Summary

Food Quality

Pros:

• "Each plate looks beautiful and is brought down to perfection. Rich & tasty flavours, simply delicious."
• "Highlights were the Crab croquettes - absolutely incredible. Ham croquettes - melt in the mouth as they should be."
• "Food was surprising to find this great right below the Royal Festival Hall. The aubergine and pan con tomate were especially good."
• "Perfect food combination: pork, beef and tomato bread are the most recommended, interesting Spanish fusion tapas."
• "The food was some of the best tapas I have had and I have been to Spain multiple times! Croquettes are a must!"

Cons:

• "Food are quite average but they are still priced high thus utility per pound is barely minimum."
• "Only dish I wasn't loving was the chicken skewers. Whilst nice it was a step below the others."
• "Fish paella 🥘 that was too heavy and contained unnecessary melted cheese on it."
• "Basque cheesecake was incredibly salty. When we informed the staff about this they didn’t do anything about it."
• "Food was overall good but more classic tapas (not creative)."

Service

Pros:

• "Nice staff, very welcoming and happy to help with any questions regarding the menu."
• "Imogen’s was excellent. Always smiling, non-intrusive and guided us around the menu diligently."
• "Staff really warm and vibe nice is nice inside."
• "Every connection with the staff was lovely, everyone was attentive, smiling, and patient!"
• "Miguel, provided flawless service. Very lucky to find such an excellent restaurant close to home."

Cons:

• "Service could be improved - food comes out fast, but getting waiter's attention was quite a task."
• "Service was inattentive at times (slow to take orders, not topping up water, asking for the bill etc)."
• "Service was inattentive and slow, even though there with loads of staff about in the open kitchen & front of house."
• "The service was inattentive and slow, even though there with loads of staff about in the open kitchen & front of house."
• "We tried to be friendly and order in Spanish but our waitress kept responding in English."

Ambiance and Location

Pros:

• "This restaurant brings a cool Spanish vibe to the London riverside."
• "Fantastic food and a great find within SouthBank chains!"
• "The decor was also great, I loved the lights hanging and the artwork!"
• "The perfect spot for a date night in central. The restaurant is right next to the river and many other fantastic London experiences."
• "La Gamba will always be my first choice of restaurant in Southbank."

Cons:

• "The tables are crammed in, but that makes for a great atmosphere, although it’s not so noisy that you can’t hear."
• "The portion size for the tapas is smaller than expected, don’t be deceived by the pictures."
• "The acoustics are quite unpleasant - not helped by tables being packed in closely."
• "The food atmosphere was vibrant, the decor modern and well thought out, but the food was quickly served and delicious."
• "25 minutes after sitting, no menu or offer of a drink it was embarrassing."

Price and Value

Pros:

• "Price wise not bad. We had a couple of alcoholic drinks, some dessert and two coffees. Including service, £97."
• "Sangria jugs were great value for money."
• "Great quality authentic tapas classics - and the set menu is really good value and tasty."
• "Reasonably priced as well. Highly recommend will be going back again very soon!"
• "We had the set lunch tapas menu for £19.50 each and every single dish was beautifully presented and tasty."

Cons:

• "Food is overpriced or very small portions. Service wasn’t great."
• "The bill was as painful as the food!! Chorizo and goats cheese on sourdough (2 slices) which was chorizo paste, and £19 for 2 slices! 5 King prawns at £14."
• "Portions are very small and not super tasty. The meatballs were cold."
• "Food was ok, although I would encourage them to add more spices, as most of the food seem a bit bland. Also, they are on the spenny side, with 5 dishes costing is £42 (service charge included), and the size of the dishes is quite small."
• "The portions are a perfect size for two people to share. The dishes came at staggered intervals, which meant we didn't feel too rushed when we were eating."