"We were a group of friends meeting up after 45 years of being Facebook friends and simply chose Il Gusto bc of its proximity to Paddington station. Online reviews seemed okay but boy, how wrong we were to book a reservation in this restaurant! Normally Italian restaurants are known for their friendliness and good service. Not here. I was the first to arrive, 20 minutes early bc my trains only run hourly. It was pouring with rain and so I was surprised that the waiter told me that I should return in 20 minutes. He was standing in a nearly empty restaurant with a few people already tucking into their lunch. I suggested I waited on the booked table, he said no table had been allocated. So I ordered a glass of wine and olives while I waited for my friends. To be fair there was a waitress who was friendly and seemed embarrassed by her colleagues offhandedness. When my friends arrived the service did not improve. Really, trying to take away plates when we’re still eating is the height of rudeness. The restaurant wasn’t busy, there were other people eating but the staff weren’t rushed off their feet. My family work in hospitality so I know a group of well mannered friends are normally welcomed, not least bc it’s very easy to upsell to a happy group. The starters were fine, but the mains were disappointing. Not awful just nothing to distinguish them. A further point- are the staff trained to deal with nut allergy sufferers? I’ve never has such a disinterested response from a waiter for years, even when I took out my epipen to empathise my point. So, in summary staff training is needed bc if it wasn’t for the fact we’d planned this meeting for some time we would have walked out to find another more welcoming restaurant. By the way I was so shocked by the trashed toilet door I took a photo."
Black Truffle
