Search

Gastro

67 Venn Street, SW4 0BD Full details & map

Bistro: French (traditional)

Time Out says 6 Users say 3/5 Rate it

By Time Out Editors Posted: Dec 15 2009

If you want somewhere more French, take the Eurostar. Everything - the dark interior; the classic cuisine; the smouldering, shrugging staff - is straight out of central casting and gloriously, uninhibitedly Gallic. Such bustling brasseries used to be all over France, places to eat croissants before work, or steak frites before visiting the cinema opposite. The cooking makes no concessions: start with snails, moules, fruits de mer or a chèvre salad; follow with bavette steak, andouillette sausages, magret de canard, salade niçoise or a lobster whisked straight from the tank. The menu enfant does indeed feature steak haché or escalope volaille; desserts bring you mont blanc and crème caramel - or maybe strong cheeses from the mesh box on the zinc bar. Spread across the two dark rooms are rickety tables (and a very large communal one), the lobsters in their tank (and their plastic brethren on the ceiling), French adverts on the walls, and a phalanx of strong liqueurs behind the bar. OK, the chips were lukewarm on our visit, and the salade verte rather gritty; but grilled entrecôte was done to a turn, and a lovely syrah house wine came in a Duralex glass. Vegetarians can, it seems, eat frites.

Tags: European, French, French (traditional), Breakfast/brunch, South, Clapham, Mid-range, Restaurant, Brasserie, Bistro

Comment 6 Tweet Share

Gastro details

Address

Gastro

67 Venn Street SW4 0BD

Transport Clapham Common tube

Telephone

020 7627 0222

Breakfast served 8am-3pm, meals served noon-midnight daily.

Main courses £12.95-£16.75. Set lunch (noon-3pm Mon-Fri) £9.95 2 courses incl coffee.

Credit cards MC, V

Facilities

Tables outdoors ( 6, pavement ), Babies and children admitted, Booking advisable ( Fri, Sat dinner ), Separate room for parties ( seats 25 ), Disabled ( toilet )

Gastro map

Expand the map

Restaurants & cafés near Gastro

See all restaurants near Gastro

Bars & pubs near Gastro

See all bars & pubs near Gastro

Just drinking? See Bars & Pubs

Share your thoughts

Name (will appear on the site) *
Email (will not appear on the site) *
Add a star rating Min 1 star. Zero stars will be treated as unrated.
Enter text...
Keep me in the know with the latest London news, offers and events.

* Mandatory fields for leaving a comment

Comments & ratings 3/5 (Average of 6 ratings)

By SarahMGBrown - Feb 9 2012

4/5

"À LA CARTE" a bit pricey, but the set menu was v. good value and rather tasty. House (red) wine was nice, steak cooked to perfection. Cheese very smelly, staff pleasantly cheeky. Encore!

Report

By cookiemonster - Jan 14 2012

1/5

We went to Gastro one last time as the decor is nice and we're local but the food was absolutely aweful! I had no idea that it was possible to turn seafood into such a bland, tasteless slob of mud.. I'm afraid it was just disgusting! We also witnessed the manager being quite rude to some French clients a while back, he seems to think that being a guest is a privilege.. Ridiculous! From the outside it looks just like a bit of France in London but don't be seduced to go in there! These people need to get a grip, being rude doesn't quite cut it. Instead, try learn how to cook and be hospitable and accomodating to people. I've never bothered to leave reviews but I feel people need to be warned about these loosers. Somehow there still are people around who think that to be a French waiter you have to snort at people and get offensive if your customers complain. As my French friend said to me when we left "Ohlala!!!"

Report

By tantan - Nov 12 2011

1/5

I ve been to gastro recently and I can tell you I ve been really disappointed. We went there one thursday night, there was nothing left! It was like 8.30. Each time we asked for one main course, they told us it was out of stock. The waiter and the manager were quite rude "french style" (I can say it.I m french!)

I used to go there with pleasure, i won't go anymore. It's pricy and the quality of the food (not even talking of the service...) is not as good as it used to be!
Go for the restaurant "the chardon" in clapham south!

Iwon't go back to gastro definitely...