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“Lovely Italian restaurant”
Review of La Gaffe

La Gaffe
Ranked #3,737 of 27,346 Restaurants in London
Price range: £10 - £23
Cuisines: Italian, Wine Bar
More restaurant details
Restaurant details
Dining options: After-hours, Reservations
Description: Since 1962, La Gaffe has been opening its doors to locals and overseas visitors alike. We opened originally as a French restaurant before finally reverting to our roots and becoming an Italian restaurant.
Reviewed 2 November 2020

Family run gorgeous restaurant with an old time feel! A good selection of dishes and very friendly staff!

Date of visit: November 2020
1  Thank ej270296
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
LaGaffeUK, Owner at La Gaffe, responded to this reviewResponded 4 September 2021

Thank you for your kind words. We try to maintain the same ethos as established by my parents in 1962. Good food, good value, good atmosphere.

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Reviews (127)
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9 - 13 of 127 reviews

Reviewed 18 September 2020

The place has been here for a long time. Traditional, old-time. Not your typical hotel restaurant. Some of the items on the menu are very tasty - try the liver or lamb. Fair prices, not high markup on wines. Friendly and quiet. Would take a friend here to have a bit and talk over a glass of wine.

Date of visit: September 2020
    • Value
    • Service
    • Food
1  Thank Peter B
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
LaGaffeUK, Owner at La Gaffe, responded to this reviewResponded 24 September 2020

Thank you so much. You have expressed exactly what I feel we are and what we try to offer. Please come again soon :)

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Reviewed 3 September 2020 via mobile

I was so pleased to see that La Gaffe had reopened and even more delighted that they are taking the COVID precautions seriously. Hand sanitizers everywhere, staff wear gloves and mask, tables are sanitized after each guest. While these new precautions initially take a bit of getting used to, the ability to enjoy another meal at La Gaffe far outweighed the necessary changes. I have eaten here twice this week and enjoyed both meals. As with most places, the current menu is scaled down but with excellent choices. The first night I had the steak and mushrooms. I like my steak medium rare and it was cooked perfectly. Last night I had the fettuccine with prawns and the sauce was lovely and fresh. I asked for capers to be added, just because I love capers in anything. Really enjoyed it. It feels like coming “home” to be able to eat here again, and after what we have all been through, that feels good. If you haven’t ventured out yet, this is an excellent way to start feeling “normal” again.

Date of visit: September 2020
2  Thank RestlessNative365
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
LaGaffeUK, Owner at La Gaffe, responded to this reviewResponded 5 September 2020

Thank you so much for your very kind words. So glad you enjoyed your meals and coming back to us a second time. The greatest compliment we can receive is that we feel like home to our guests. I look forward to the next time you come home.

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Reviewed 28 August 2020

Having lived locally for over 30 years we finally decided to give this place a try on the Eat Out to Help, having previously thought it looked both tired and rather over priced.

Perhaps we were unlucky but even the very pared down menu ( a fraction of what is represented on the webpage) was incomplete so, avoiding Veal, we were down to a choice of about 2 mains and 3 or 4 starters. Most were unappealing.

After waiting nearly an hour (!) for our starter I had pate that looked as though straight from a packet in Sainsbury's accompanied by a slice of cucumber and a quarter of a tomato - with absolutely no dressing whatsoever . I honestly wouldn't serve something that blandly at home . I might have expected something similar in a provincial cafe about 35 years ago.

My sons endured whitebait that was definitely past its best, leaving a strong tangy aftertaste even after they had finished their meal. And that was at £10 a plate !

Mains - after another hour or so !,- were an over cooked lasagne and a couple of chewy lamb steaks with far too much rosemary at £20 apiece on top of which we had to pay another £4 for each of the vegetables.

I appreciate Covid issues and the staff seemed genuinely concerned to make us welcome but 2 hours to be fed food that was well blow par and expensive to boot !

Sorry, La Gaffe, but we waited 30 years to sample you and wont be back.

Date of visit: August 2020
    • Value
    • Service
    • Food
1  Thank HampsteadDiner
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
LaGaffeUK, Owner at La Gaffe, responded to this reviewResponded 29 August 2020

I am very disappointed and sad to read your review. Disappointed that we let you down to such an extent and sad that this was your first experience. In the current climate, we are offering a reduced menu at prices that I believe are fair. The menu is displayed on our website in a pop-up window on top of the previous menu. This is not a fixed page as we are changing the menu on a regular basis to reflect the ingredients that we source. Everything we serve is fresh, we prepare ourselves and all dishes are made to order. Some dishes take longer than others, but we should not have kept you waiting and presentation should have been better. I am glad you mention that our staff made you welcome, and they would have been happy to deal with any issues you had with the meal. We are human beings and we do not always get it right, but 58 years in business tell you that we get it right far more often than we get it wrong. Never the less, we did get it wrong on this occasion and I can only apologise.

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Reviewed 21 August 2020

My husband and I stayed for 3 nights for a short break. The room was very comfy; good job there was a ceilng fan as it was 34 celsius! Breakfast was croissants, yoghurt, toast, cereal, orange juice, tea or coffee. The restaurant is decorated in traditional Italian style; we had a meal in there which was really lovely, I had spaghetti alfredino and my husband had the steak. You could choose extra sides. Lorenzo and Salvatorre, the 2 brothers who run La Gaffe couldnt have been nicer; they were chatty, friendly and made us laugh! We loved La Gaffe and will definately be going back! I should also mention that La Gaffe is a 5 minute walk from Hampstead Heath if you wanted to go for a walk.

Date of visit: August 2020
3  Thank WendynAndy99
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
LaGaffeUK, Owner at La Gaffe, responded to this reviewResponded 22 August 2020

Thank you so very much. A real pleasure to be your hosts and we are extremely grateful to you and all the guests that are coming to stay with us at this time. Your support is much appreciated :)

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