Spuntino

Pretty average on the whole - the truffle toast and the Jerusalem artichoke salad were very nice, the sliders were very average and over priced. It makes me sad to think that this place is so hyped with people already lined up for "their turn" at 6pm on a Wednesday for the pleasure of eating some over priced, over hyped food. Places like Spuntino should be the norm in London not a dining experience.. Also wtf is it with queuing for the honour of eating somewhere ? although we que very well as a nation none of us like it, this is London not LA, get me a reservation.

We were looking forward to eating here after Polpo and the good Time Out review but we found the food disappointing, the service inattentive and slow and it was poor value (£2.50 for half a pint of beer). What a shame as the decor was cool and the place had a laid back vibe and could have been really good.

Hugely disappointing compared with their other eateries.

The sliders, fries and salad were decent but £5 for one slider?! The croque monsieur was the worst I've ever eaten and charging £3 for 1/3 of a sandwich is a joke. The clam chowder was overly salty and nasty.

Such a disappointing meal after a 4 star review from time out. Do not waste your money in this place. Portions are miniscule with huge price tags. Service was pretty poor. If you want to spend this much money you could eat at a michelin starred restaurant and they might actually fill you up! London restaurants do not all charge these obscene prices and do much better food. Don't trust the reviews.

Average food, wildly overpriced, full of trust funders on an away day from Dalston.

Specifically, cheesecake & burgers both very average, fries fine. Negroni not up to much. Been twice, so not a one - off. Bar staff (with one exception) an irritating combination of inattentive, over - friendly and inexpert.

Nowhere near Polpo or Bocca. Very much for those who don't pay their own bills.

Really nice place to get something to eat. Really enjoyed the pulled pork mini burger but service was awful. The staff could all do with a massive injection of enthusiasm. Shame because as you sit facing the staff, they serve you drinks and food and provide the view / entertainment, so it's a bit all about them as well as the food, it would be nice if they looked like they were having a good time and wanted to be there. We were lined up waiting for a table and were offered drinks. The people in front of us got theirs, the people behind us got theirs and we were forgotten. We went and got our bottle of wine ourselves in the end. Then our fries came as we finished our burger. Fair enough they were taken off the bill but the excuse was it was tapas style so the food came when it came! Burgers eaten and then the fries come, I don't think so. We decided we weren't going to pay the service charge as we really didn't feel we received a service at all. A real shame. Spuntino staff, have some fun with your customers, liven yourselves up, enjoy your job a bit and make it a more interesting fun evening for everyone.

Back for the sixth time and Spuntino continues to deliver on all counts. Laid back attentive service, food with all the focus on flavour and no excessive pretentions and an ambience that is second-to-none. I too am over 35 (over 50 actually) and believe Spuntino is right up there with Terroirs, Bincho, Cay Tre and Hawksmoor in defining London as one the most vibrant, ground-breaking restaurant scenes in the world

Simply the coolest place to spend an hour in the afternoon, the kids behind the bar are laid back and not in your face and play great music and serve great drinks. I don't know what some of the people below were expecting but this is a bar with surprising small plate bar food and great cocktails (yes in thick beaker glasses Diane, get a life, if you want 'wine glasses' go to one of the zillion lookalike wine bars or 'Italian restaurants' in the immediate vicinity and leave the precious bar space to someone who 'gets it' as you say. I am over 35 years of age by the way..just not a weekender or a square with a stick up my ass)

Most of the food was average. The sliders were poor. Only the calamari and squid ink dish had much flavour. Music deafeningly loud for eating. Service seemed ok, but it was fairly empty at the time. Loved Polpo & Polpetto, but won't be going back here.

Nice atmosphere, great music. Lovely!

Dear Timeout reviewers,
could you please clarify whether you have any conflict of interest with Spuntino (like the owner is your best friend or something...). Cause that's the only possibility for giving such a high rating to this kind of place. The place looks great, no doubt, and it deserves your award...but then the food came. A meatball that they dare call 'burger' and that is stack so high to make it look big that you can't bite it. A softshell crab dish with a pile of wet fennel and a pool of aioli to distract you from the almost absent crab. The worst Old Fashioned (and the smallest) of my life, which took 10 minutes to prepare by a guy who wasted far too much time on awkward jokes (see comments below too). And the worst dessert ever: figs (although the plural must have been a mistake) and cheap meringue slobbered with some mayo-like cream. So, honestly, can you please explain a bit more in detail what lead you to the unfairly high rating you gave to this place? I always admired your ratings...Terroir, Koya, Whistling Stop...you're always spot on...but this one...you let me down.

The food, music and atmosphere were simple but great. The service was horrific, they told me my card had declined and then remarked only joking - hilarious!

Was a great place to get a quick bite

A great addition to London. Maybe it's trying a bit too hard to be cool, but it also pulls it off. If you want 'Dinner' then go elsewhere; this is about an enjoyable 1 hour pitstop as part of your evening in Soho - but it will probably be the highlight of the evening.

[Btw - If you want a cheap meal go to Macdonalds or move up North]

Yes you have to queue and yes the service is a little third world but it is a good restaurant/diner if all you are interested is the food. If you want good service, menus is Italian and a piano being played in the corner then go to a restaurant the other side of Regents Street.

Extremely bland and over-priced food. Quirky venue but left me wanting much much more.

Not great food and over-priced. Nice interiror but let down by unfriendly bar staff. If you're hungry or want something special go elsewhere. For those who think central London just HAS to be pricey you're just suckers!

Grow up, everyone!

It's a diner, not a restaurant. Go for a burger, fries, a beer, a coffee or 6 (the only place I know that does genuinely bottomless coffee) and leave after 30 minutes with change from £15. It's Ed's Easy Diner with attitude and London is better for it. Sit and whinge in Strada, will you, and leave those precious seats for us.

Along with Barrafina, Polpo, Fernandez/Wells and Bocca di Lupo, this place is what Soho dining is all about.

The same old show. It all looks very nice but come on the food is very below standard and for around £40 a head with a few drinks you want more for your money than sloppy cheese grits, a terrible chicory dish and eggplant fries that are so sweet they should be dessert. Staff of course are lovely but the whole experience should be half the price. Critics get a grip!

We went early in the day during the week, so the place was empty and we were seated immediately (though by 1pm, when we left, it was very busy). The food was very good, though I would not go as far as to say amazing (the mac and cheese was a bit of a disappointment), and the price was not as bad as I was expecting, though certainly not cheap.

But the best thing was the service. I've spent a few years living in the US, and it always pains me to come home to the UK, where restaurant service is mostly terrible, and the food usually accompanied by mild contempt from waitstaff (particularly in hipster-ish places like this). But at Spuntino the staff were wonderful - they offered recommendations, topped up our drinks at the right intervals, and were very laid back, cool and courteous.

I'd definitely eat here again, though I would not bother battling the crowds at peak periods, since its not very big and I imagine not nearly as enjoyable when its too busy. Best to come here during off-peak times.

overpriced for what it is

It's not cheap but don't eat in central London if you want cheap and good food. The food and drinks were great but I found the service to be outstanding. Natural, genuine and effortless hospitality struck the perfect balance between being left to enjoy the company you're keeping and minding your needs.

Went last night for a quick bite before the theatre and was very pleased with our new find! Beef slider was delicious, albeit slightly over priced at £5....best mac n cheese ever, served freshly baked in an iron skillet which was a great touch. Bill was just under £50 for 3 sliders, mac n cheese, large slaw and 2 pints of pale ale....so probably more than anticipated but has not put us off going back - there's far too much more food to try!

This place had so much potential with a lovely looking building and great sounding menu. Such a shame that the staff are trying so hard to be cool that they just end up being rude. The drinks were yummy and the food was not. Apparently if you say 'we bring the food as it is ready' it means it is OK for food to arrive 30 minutes after everyone else has finished. Expect to pay £25 minimum for two small drinks and two very small dishes ... and expect the staff to complain if you don't pay the full 12.5% discretionary service charge for sitting a bar and having your food dropped in front of you by people who look like they wish you weren't cluttering up their restaurant (we accidentally underpaid our £90 bill by 20p).

THE GF AND I WENT LATE ON SATURDAY AFTER AN AWFUL PLAY (FLARE PATH, SINCE YOU ASK) AND WERE FEELING GRUMPY AND HUNGRY. THE INSTANT HIT OF BUZZ LIFTED OUR SPIRITS IMMEDIADETLY. WHAT AN ATMOSPHERE! STAFF COULD NOT HAVE BEEN FRIENDLIER. FOOD WAS GREAT FOR A DINER - SLIDERS, MACARONI CHEESE, SHOESTRING FRIES - BUT DONT GO IF YOU ARE EXPECTING MICHELIN STAR FOAMS AND THE LIKE. IT WAS REALLY NOISY AND PACKED TO THE RAFTERS. MY PARENTS WOULD HATE IT. MY NEW FAVE SOHO PLACE.

DISAPPOINTED THEY DONT SERVE LAGER THOUGH - ONLY PALE ALE!

Wonderful, yummy food & a delightful and funny staff!

best dining experience i have had for a long time! friendly service, great vibe and the food was amazing! loved the macaroni and cheese, the chilli and mint pizza, the salt beef slider, the peanut butter and jelly sandwich dessert and the complimentary chilli popcorn on arrival! reasonably priced too. my new favourite place in London!

I can't believe the people below went to the same place; we went on Monday and as "serious foodies", we thought the place was aces. The Eggplant chips were fantastic, the grilled cheese is now my last meal choice and the mac 'n' cheese was fan-f******-tastic. The squid was great and really squid-Crab was great, little greasy, but tasty. I thought the place was fab. I do hate not being able to book, but a tiny annoyance, forgotten once the orders poured in.

Marcus,

Sorry you were disappointed with your trip to the restaurant, though whilst your opinion obviously diverged with our reviewer's I can assure you our reviews are always conducted anonymously and are never paid-for.

Just wanted to clear up any misunderstanding as this is something we take really seriously at Time Out.

Best,

Sophie, Time Out Digital.

Diabolically poor and over priced.

with 4 stars from time out and i'm here from NYC for 8 months, i have been dying to get over to this place. it was AWFUL. the slider was £4.50 for the tiniest, dryest thing. if you want a burger go to goodman in mayfair, if you want calamari go to bottega on rivington, if you want to be treated like you should feel priviledged to be eating somewhere and then served up awful food at a high price from a place where the time out rating was obviously paid for, go to this place.

rude incompetant service from waiters who seem to think they are doing you a favour. So it thinks it New York...service like this would not be tolerated but we mumble thank you and accept this. Not good enough

Great decor and the food was very good, over-priced and poor service though.

interesting ambiance, but not proper slider burgers as described. service is a bit loose, and prices are a bit high for a mini burger at 5 pounds. was an ok experience, wouldn't go again.

If you are over 35 don't bother - you won't get it. We found the space cramped and uncomfortable, atmosphere dull, welcome luke warm, as was the white wine, served in a thick glass beaker. Food unexciting - what is so amaxing about a mini burger, or cheese on toast with an egg, or a soft boiled egg in a dry and fairly tasteless crust ? It is really just a bar, with a limited drinks menu and expensive bar snacks, and the seating is not conducive to comfort or conversation. Lots of reviewers seem to love it - I really can't understand it and will be interested to see if people find that they want to return regularly and take their friends there.