Locanda Ottoemezzo

Fantastic Italian food, all prepared with its own style. The opposite of a high street Italian experience. Feels truly local and authentic, lovely inside too
May 3rd, 2023

So we arranged a family lunch at the Cafe Locanda Ottomezzo (next door to the Restaurant). It was a special occasion which I did not want to ruin by complaining at the time but I cannot ignore such poor cooking. To be positive the place looks nice and the alfresco table on the quiet street was perfect in the sun. The wine list was just what I expected and the Rosso di Montalcino was smooth and delicious (62). The two female staff were cheery but the male staff member looked out of his depth. We were brought some pizza slices as an aperitivo after we ordered which was a nice touch. We had to remind the staff to put condiments on the table & then also cutlery after the food arrived. Now to the food - I had the mussels and they were the worst I have ever had anywhere. They clearly had been cooked well in advance and then chilled and then a poor attempt had been made to warm them up - so I got rubbery overcooked lukewarm mussels in a bowl which at the edges was cold ie some mussels were chilled. Appalling not to be freshly cooked! Then the ravioli with beetroot and goats cheese was undercooked so the corners of the ravioli parcels were chewy and the overall dish was far too sweet as there was barely any goats cheese salty tang to balance it out. The pizza was pronounced as adequate but half of it was left on the plate and the aubergine parmiggiana was judged average. My main course was forgotten about and I had to ask about it. It arrived when the others were nearly finished with an apology from the waitress and also with a complimentary plate of calamari which was nice - unfortunately my main was the aforementioned ghastly undercooked bland ravioli. So good points were location and ambience, the wine was excellent and the wine list looked good, the female staff were very nice. Bad points were inefficient service and some very poor (and lazy) cooking. I cant believe this is the normal standard of cuisine as the business would struggle to survive.
Apr 29th, 2023

Apr 25th, 2023

Wonderful experience. Owning a house and spending a lot of time in Italy, I rarely go to Italian restaurants outside of Italy, unless its for pizza. However, Emidio greeted us warmly and enthusiastically and the evening continued on that note. Wonderful dishes that were well prepared and delicious and authentic. Fresh spring ingredients such as asparagus and stuffed zucchini flowers exemplified the meals and the decor is fun and festive. Great experience in London
Apr 20th, 2023

Apr 9th, 2023