Merchant of Venice Restaurant in Leicester

Reviews

1. Bryony Clarke ★☆☆☆☆

   Incredibly slow service with substandard food. I had a booking for 5 people on Saturday evening for my birthday, when we arrived no one seemed to know about the booking, 3 different people asked us if we had a reservation before disappearing without any explanation. If there had been space to wait we wouldn’t have minded and would have had a drink but we had to stand literally in the doorway. 15 minutes after our booking time we were seated, outside, on a table that was dirty and had no cutlery, menus, salt/pepper etc. just 2 plastic outdoor tables. Our starters arrived before our drinks which didn’t come until we’d finished our starters. When drinks did come the waiter passed over a ‘white wine’ to which I asked if it was white or rose as I’d ordered rose and he was incredibly rude stating ‘look at the lighting out here how am I supposed to tell’. We then waited an hour before asking how long our mains would be to which we were told ‘they’ll be 2 minutes because we’ve got a big party upstairs’, however the table behind us had been served 4 courses in the time we’d waited for our mains so a party upstairs shouldn’t have been an excuse. When our mains finally arrived, 4 came and the 5th didn’t arrive until the waitress had already been away to get Parmesean, serve that and then go away and come back again with black pepper. The mains were incredibly average and not what I’d expect from an Italian who calls itself ‘Leicester’s best Italian’ on social media. The prawns in one dish were like rubber, most of the dishes were hot in places and cold in the other as if they’d been microwaved, and the carbonara had about a cm of oil at the bottom of the dish with absolutely no flavour. Not to mention the side order of garlic bread I’d ordered was the exact same as the bread that came with my mushroom starter - 1 slice of sourdough drizzled with olive oil… no garlic. When asked how we found the meal we did explain our disappointment to the manager and he was very apologetic explaining they had a big party, and it was just a Saturday in December - all things that are understandable and if the wait had been the only issue without the quality of both the food and service we wouldn’t have minded. The manager then repeatedly asked us to give them another chance and I explained that we wouldn’t be coming back to pay for another experience that could be just as bad. In reply to this the manager said he would ‘take care of the bill’, which I’d have thought to have meant that the food would be taken off of the bill entirely - however when the bill came what he meant was that he’d take 50% off of the food. They then did make a big effort to sing happy birthday which was lovely, however this was overshadowed by how old the piece of cake was. It was almost plasticky as if it had been left out for multiple days, I even ran my fork across the sponge and no crumbs came off as it was so stale. When we were leaving the manager then followed us out into the street continuing to apologise for the evening and asking another 4 or 5 times if we’d give them another chance which was just incredibly awkward. I can 100% understand a slower service when it’s busy, but as long as the customer service and quality of the food is still up to standard I don’t mind waiting, but this was just absolutely not worth the wait. We went to Casa Romana for my birthday last year on the last Saturday before Christmas and both the service and food were outstanding. So blaming being busy for an overall terrible evening sadly just doesn’t cut it, despite the staff being very apologetic.

   almost 6 months ago
2. Genka MacDoodletown ★★★★★

   This place is wonderful! The food is amazing! Staff were friendly and prompt. The atmosphere inside is perfectly set. Balancing quirkiness and style. Every inch of space has been curated with interesting features. Cosy and intimate, perfect for a first date or romantic meal. I went with two work collegues and the vibe was perfect for that too! When there we witnessed a very sweet moment of a group of teenagers that had seated outside and ordered tirimisu to share. You could see the delight in each spoonful.

   almost 8 months ago
3. Grant Stanley ★★★☆☆

   Whilst I had never eaten here before (only had coffee), my better half had eaten here once before and thoroughly enjoyed it. So, late in the evening of a Saturday night, we spontaneously decided to eat here; without a reservation. On arrival it was reasonably busy, but they were able to accommodate a table for 2 in a quieter area. They did offer us the novelty swing seats in the window, but we gracefully declined. I ordered the Lasagne and my partner ordered the seafood pasta. We had a side of sautéed spinach, an Galliano espresso martini and some tap water. Totalling £45, I thought that was reasonable! The food!!! My lasagna was weird! Far too much texture minced beef, no definable layers of pasta and not enough cheese/white sauce. For me it was one of the worst I’ve tasted for a while. The seafood pasta on the other hand was excellent! Plenty of seafood variety, a really nice tomato-based sauce and a decent portion size. I wouldn’t recommend the side of spinach either; bland, unseasoned and didn’t complement anything on the table. The service was excellent, the atmosphere was excellent, the price was great, but the food let it down slightly. There are very few places to park and the nearest NCP car park was closed.

   almost 10 months ago

1. Sylvia Martin ★★★★★

   The quality and quantity was freaking good at losebly lane! Chef are friendly and the servers are outstanding! Recommended!

   almost 3 years ago
2. Mandy Harrison ★★★★★

   Evening out with the girls. Amazing food, could have been a but busier seeing as it was Friday night however I think this place gets more business a coffee bar as when travelling by it in the day its very busy . Very good location to the train station. We will definitely be back but may try the other location in the St Martins area of the city

   almost 3 years ago
3. Rebecca Bromfield ★★★★★

   This place is amazing! I’ve been to both restaurants and they’re both great. The food is very high quality and the cocktails are the best in Leicester. Would highly recommend the bartenders choice; the Apple Strudel cocktail. The staff are very attentive and make the dining experience even better, Amelia was our waiter and she was so lovely, as well as Phillipe. Definitely visit!

   almost 3 years ago

1. Bryan ★★★★★

   Visited twice so far. First time for breakfast which seemed slightly pricier than other options, but still very good. We also visited the second time for dinner. We liked the aesthetic of the place and wanted to try it again. The servers are very attentive and friendly. Food was incredible and would definitely visit again if I'm in Leicester. They also have wall sockets and do not mind if you take out the laptop to get some work done. No WiFi available however so you might have to do with just a hot-spot, although we chose to visit a different cafe to work.

   almost 3 years ago
2. Christopher Walker ★★★★★

   Wonderful, really wonderful. The food and drink was predictably excellent, but I was also pleasantly surprised by just how nice the service was - smiles and warmth so early in the day is incredible!

   almost 3 years ago

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