Rate My Bistro

Gourmet Pizza Company looks like a beach hut and it may not be exactly next to a beach, but it has the River Thames on its side! The actual location is in Gabriel’s Wharf on the South Bank.

Seen as it is a pizza restaurant, it seemed wrong to order anything else other than pizza. The menu does have pastas and salads as well.

There were two pizzas that were especially appealing. One was the grilled vegetable and caramelised onion which had toppings of aubergine, courgettes, peppers, onions, mozzarella and goat’s cheese. I decided on the other pizza though which was generously topped with tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, roasted peppers, courgettes, olives, mushrooms, garlic and mozzarella.

The pizza base was perfect. It was crispy and still had substance to it as it wasn’t paper thin. The garlic with the tomato sauce made the flavour of the pizza really great.

Gourmet Pizza Company do a range of hot drinks including coffees and teas. The Earl Grey tea was served in a tall latte glass but I always prefer having tea served in a teapot. The fresh mint tea was also served in the latte glass. It was good that the mint tea was not made from a teabag but from fresh mint leaves.

This restaurant has an open kitchen with the dining area surrounding the kitchen. The decor is all wooden tables and chairs and there is also outdoor seating facing the river.

The staff were really friendly and very welcoming. They gave service with a smile and were not pushy in any sort of a way. It made the whole atmosphere relaxing and comfortable.

If you’re ever around Gabriel’s Wharf, then Gourmet Pizza Company is a lovely place to go for lunch or dinner. It would be great in the summer months too! 

Gourmet Pizza Company, Gabriel’s Wharf, 56 Upper Ground, London, SE1 9PP

Our Rating:

We went to this BFI cafe as our regular favourite BFI Riverfront cafe was closed on this particular morning. The decor looked very similar to Tibits on Regent Street:

http://ratemybistro.co.uk/tibits-regent-street/

Seen as Benugo Bar and Kitchen has been open for a lot longer, Tibits’ decor may have been inspired from this BFI cafe! Benugo is great as most of its seating is comfy sofas. This makes it an easy place to spend many hours! The area around the side of the bar is slightly dark and does not have much daylight.

As for drinks, I was happy that they served soya milk! The hot chocolate was quite rich and satisfying. The latte was also of a high quality. If you prefer the combination of coffee and chocolate, then definitely go for the mocha.

It was a good thing that we asked for our drinks to be served in take away cups instead of the normal mugs. The reason why I say this is because as we were being served, one of the customers came to the counter and asked for his drink to be changed because his supposedly clean mug had a lipstick mark on it.

The service was ok up to the point when it got to around lunchtime. We were then approached by one of the staff to ask if we were going to be ordering another drink. Bearing in mind that we had already had a couple of drinks each by then, we told her that we were not. She then said that it was getting to lunchtime service and we could not really just sit in the cafe area. The waitress cleared away our evidence of all the drinks that we had had, so it looked like we were just sitting there. We could slightly understand if the place was really busy but there were plenty of seats still available.

Benugo Bar and Kitchen has free Wi-Fi. This place does get very busy in the evenings as it is next door to the National Theatre and has a late closing.

BFI Benugo Bar & Kitchen, Belvedere Road, South Bank, London, SE1 8XT

Our Rating:

As promised, we have reviewed this place again, after it had been refurbished. The new review can be found at

http://ratemybistro.co.uk/the-riverfront-at-bfi-southbank/

Below is our original review from August 2008.

A popular cafe for Londoners and tourists alike as it is just next door to the National Theatre. Great views of the river, relaxed atmosphere and also has outdoor wooden seating. All the hot drinks are good here especially the mocha and hot chocolate. Only downfall is that it doesn’t have soy milk.

Has a few comfy seats, otherwise there are the high chairs by the window. Food is freshly cooked and the burger and chips went down well! Great place to sip your hot drink and watch the world pass by!

BFI Riverfront Film Cafe, South Bank, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XT

Our Rating: