Almeida

I have dined in many fine restaurants, and I have to say that my experience here ranks top of my list! Right from the moment we stepped into the restaurant we felt pretty special... the receptionist was warm and friendly, and ushered us into a section of the restaurant that was set slightly apart (at a lower level) from the rest of the restaurant. The decor was original and understated- some cool and quirky black and white framed photos provided us with a lot of amusement, the lighting was initimate, the atmosphere relaxed and informal, with a slight tinge of decadence. The food was to die for, and the presentation excellent! But the one thing that really topped it all off was the service- our waiter was attentive, friendly and imminently professional. We went as part of an offer, which generally means in many restaurants that you get a sub-standard service- this was definitely not the case here, and I highly recommend you go and give it a try as you will fall in love with it as I have! :-)

We had a family dinner at the Almeida last night and whilst the room is lovely and the service good, making for a very pleasant atmosphere, the food was extraordinarily bland, making it the defining feature of the evening for all the wrong reasons. Devoid of flavour and seasoning, 'gratin' was served as mash potato with cheese on top. The word from everyone at the table was that their meal didn't really taste of much. Far be it from me to advise a professional chef on how to do their job, but I would certainly recommend he stage some kind of reacquaintance with salt, like, now. One of the diners was asked by a waiter how they had found their meal; on informing him of it's blandness, he stuttered, said he would inform the kitchen and then walked off before asking anyone else at the table. If this sounds overly negative I should say we had a very nice evening, but that was all about the company, not the food. As if to suggest we hadn't quite got the joke, the bill came. Far too expensive for such average fare. Comedic in fact. And by the obvious seriousness with which this establishment takes itself, I'm certain it's not the experience they had intended to provide. Don't let them pull the wool over your eyes with good service and an atmospheric room. If it's a great meal you seek and good value, you shall not find it here.

I was shocked to read the below reviews of Almeida. I dined there last weekend for lunch and had a lovely afternoon. The staff were attentative, friendly and knowledgable. The service was efficient and there was a great atmosphere in the restaurant which is a wonderfully bright and open space. Most importantly, the food was delicious! I also had the crab terrine starter which was superb. Subtle flavours and creamy textures ( and no tough bits of avocado in sight!) For the main I had the mushroom risotto (a choice which was greeted with great approval from my charming waitress). The dish was incredible. My partner had the duck which was tender and cooked to perfection. For dessert I recommend the passion fruit tart with yoghurt sorbet which is absolutely splendid, refreshing and full of flavour! The value for money is excellent. 3 courses and a bellini for £27.50. They could really get away with charging more but I commend them for keeping their prices affordable, especially as they are a lovely, local restaurant. All in all I would definitely eat there again and have recommended it to several of my friends already.

wish I had read georginas comment before going. I ordered the duck as well and though the duck tasted okay, the potatoes were pretty much raw as well. had dressed crab with avacado tian for my starter with lumps of completely unripe avacado in it. waitress was so softly spoken that she might as well have been whispering as well. definitely wont be going back again.

wish I had read georginas comment before going. I ordered the duck as well and though the duck tasted okay, the potatoes were pretty much raw as well. had dressed crab with avacado tian for my starter with lumps of completely unripe avacado in it. waitress was so softly spoken that she might as well have been whispering as well. definitely wont be going back again.

I had the misfortune to visit this restaurant tonight and have to disagree totally with the previous review ,although the service was very good, the food was awful. I had the duck and it was so over cooked I could not cut it, even though the parsnips and roast potatoes were raw.When I mentioned it to the manager I was told it had been cooked slowly for 8 hours,he was very patronising , assuming I knew nothing about food, but how little I do know about food I do know that you should be able to cut it with your knife and fork.I have eaten in some lovely restaurants all over the world and without a doubt this is overall with the quality of the cuisine and the attitude of the manager one of the worst meals i have ever had,please dont ruin your evening by going to this restaurant