L'osteria 57 - Camden

Its ok, the food is tasty enough but the pasta portions are tiny and we all left feeling hungry. The pizza eaters were happy, but on balance won’t rush back.

Staying in unfamiliar part of Bloomsbury so thought we 'd give the Gray 's Inn Road eateries a try, as we 're usually Southampton Row devotees. Two main courses, both very good, though a little on the small side as has been mentioned in other reviews that 's something coming from me, as I usually can 't finish a standard main course); tiramisu to share for pud, fairly sure this wasn 't homemade, sponge was a little dense heavy, so we were a tad underwhelmed. Had to wait quite a while for our bill, as the main staff member was busy chatting to people I assume she knew this was a little annoying, as was the by now fairly standard discussion between my friend said member of staff when my friend said she wasn 't willing to pay the automatically added 12 a half per cent service charge member of staff asked if the service was OK, my friend said yes, but nothing special, hence not being willing to pay the charge when will restaurants learn that stating on the bill service charge not included encourages people to tip well it certainly encourages us) if you feel the service has indeed been very good in one way or another, when will customers realise not be embarrassed to not feel pressured into paying) that an already added service charge is not compulsory? Not sure the young lady appreciated our take on the service charge thing, but I feel strongly that it 's up to the customer to decide what to pay by way of a tip or service charge, not the restaurant or cafe to tell the customer how much they 'ought ' to pay!

I have eaten here now 4 times as my office is nearby. It doesn’t look much from the outside or inside... except an everyday Italian cafe/ restaurant. However the service is quick, food is excellent and I keep going back. Moderately priced and value for money

I had a mediocre dining experience at this restaurant while on a business trip. There wasn't a single smile to be seen throughout the entire meal. The food was average, with a sauce that seemed store-bought. The restaurant is small and cramped, adding to its character as an established eatery, but it lacks attention to detail and care from the management. Placemats were worn, cutlery was stained, and the service was unfriendly. One of the servers' friends was in the dining room drinking beer and playing music loudly from his phone. None of the staff had the sense to ask him to stop or use earphones. There was a lack of consideration for customers and the overall ambiance of the restaurant. The accessible toilet downstairs was in a narrow corridor and room, and the urinal was broken, making it inaccessible for disabled individuals. I would recommend a change in management or better supervision during lunch hours. I would not recommend this restaurant for any occasion.

We went for a team lunch with 11 people and pre-booked a table, but we ended up ordering our food there. The dishes came out promptly and were delicious.