A la Cruz

The food is great here. I actually love their bread and to eat the vacio here is like one step closer to heaven. Tender, bloody beef– just the way I like it. I actually think the service here is great, but then I tend to always ask for the same waiter and I knew him from his previous job. Nonetheless, the price here is great for the portions and quality of the food. I find the wine list a little lacking, but if you ask me definitely go for the Catena.

The most amazing Argentinean experience in meat outside Argentina Try empanadas and Asado. Great value for money.

i SAID i’ll-be-back!
AND here I am… steak — succulent
just stay away from crème caramel… it’s DEF subpar. the rest is yum yum yum. yes décor is not anything to crave for… but seriously. if i do go there. i’ll go with my chompers sharpened and only eyes for my steak…
yes… b/​c i’m loyal like that!

I was treated to a dinner and and had a fantastic time. The staff was very, very helpful and charming and the meat amazing.
The only downside were the massively overpriced side dishes. £5 for a small bowl of ships or a tomato salad is too much, even for London. Better option would be having a starter together with the main dish.
Definitely coming back.

This steakhouse is hidden and that is the problem. About 75% empty on a Sat eve (granted a bank holiday weekend) does not bode well. Because it was so empty it lacked ambiance. I want an Argentine steak place to be bustling! It is a very pretty space (maybe it should be more gritty?)
The food was good – enjoyed empanadas and delicious aubergine crostinis, a nice piece of meat and good potatoes. Too many malbecs to choose from… could narrow down the list a bit.
The service was aloof which it didn’t need to be considering how empty it was.
The food was very good, but it didn’t blow me away and the atmosphere just took away from it because without atmosphere I was fixated on the food!

I came here for a late lunch on the weekend. Only two minutes from Exmouth market but judging from the totally empty restaurant that short distance has massively impacted on them.
The restaurant is beautifully laid out, dark wood and an amazing asador. Considering we were the only people there, we were welcomed and felt comfortable.
The mix of meats we ordered was far too large for me and I ended up taking a sizable doggy bag home. I really liked the different sausages, especially the Galician and black pudding. The flank was extremely tough and the rump disappointing. Doubt I would go again, but if you really enjoy eating ridiculous amounts of meat, maybe you would enjoy it.
The wine was delicious and reasonably priced.

Good steak, but done in the south American way which means it well-​well-​done! Ambience is ok, but not that atmospheric or memorable. The building looks more interesting from the outside (old little Clerkenwell building).

While Gaucho have cornered the market in the pricier end of fine Argentine dining they’re not the only cooks on the block specialising in the meat heavy cuisine of the region. John Rattagan, of Buen Ayre fame, is making his own slower push into the market. His original has been a popular authentic local staple on Hackney’s Broadway Market since 2004 and the management team have moved a little up market to a converted pub between Farringdon and Exmouth Market. Opened in 2009, it’s the first proper asador (named after the traditional fire pit that cooks most of the meat) in the UK.
Where the original is a little rough and ready with a large open firepit on which hunks of meat sit and sizzle, they’ve tricked this one out slightly differently. White walls, dark woods and a more refined air should justify a higher end price tag, but thankfully they don’t hike the prices to match. You can eat well here for not much more than a starter at Gaucho. Thankfully too, the grill at the heart of the restaurant remains.
Empanadas, the rock and roll brother of the Cornish pastie, stuffed with densely packed spiced mince (beef naturally) and deep-​fried for extra emphasis, they are a staple of Latino street food. Here they’re petit recreations, almost a little too refined, served with a fairly forgettable salad of roast veggies and thankfully, lest we saw them as too healthy, a slice of melted provolone cheese.
These were followed swiftly by plates of mixed sausages and charred, chewy sweetbreads, known as Mollejas in Argentine. The latter were served with vegetarian taunting similarity to barbequed halloumi, jazzed up with a sharp lemon drizzle. The sausages were fine in the main though the morcilla, Argentine blood sausage based on pork, was best. Dark, herby and with a subtle chilli tang, it was soft enough to spread on bread and truly a thing of beauty.
Nice as these all were, the steak’s the thing. Served to the table on Parillada grills, thin metal trays heated with charcoal, they’re mighty meaty lumps of rump and rib-​eye. The advertised 300g per head feels like an under-​estimation initially but it’s more than enough to tame the most savage beast and we’re forced to send shamefacedly for doggy bags. Great cuts, cooked well. The secret here is to get enough onto your plate before the residual heat of the grill takes it past the desired level of done.
Unable to give it true justice, I remember enjoying a dulce de leche ice-​cream and some fine coffee to finish, but I only had thoughts for home, my bed, and a long snooze. Meat dreams are made of this…

A la Cruz is located in a quite area of Farringdon, but the smell emitted by the kitchen leads you straight in the door. I had the fillet steak priced at £19 plus a side order of chips, the food was delicious and worth every penny.
However I would only give this place three stars as the service is appalling (something echoed by the other reviews), whatever the staff are up to they don’t seem that interested in actually serving the tables.

After still getting lost while using my new phone gps system… I stepped into a cool, clean, yet cozy restaurant. Not too busy that Tuesday night so our big table wasn’t awkwardly packed like most places might be.
Do not come here for the expensive sides. They fill you up and that’s just silly cause you should be here for one thing only.
GOOD QUALITY MEAT TREATS YAH.
I highly recommend coming with a large group of friends like I did. Mostly because you can order lots of wine and not have it add up really. And you get to try other pieces of meat that you weren’t sure you wanted to order yourself. For Example: I got a taste of the chorizo, decent but not spicy enough for me. I got to taste some yummy blood sausage (the texture was a little strange for me but the flavor completely blotted that out of my mind) and I got to snag a few chips from someone. teehee.
Oh yeah duh what I ordered: Large, Heart of Rump Steak, Medium Rare. Friggin huge. Delicious and, with a little chunk of sharing offered, not too filling for me. Did I mention delicious?
Cons: It’s a little hard to find, and the wait staff seemed irritated that we were hanging out in their restaurant.
Strange Pro: With their open pit barbecuing techniques in the kitchen, I fell asleep that night smelling like I just went camping. Reminded me of the great meat I just ate and memories of past summer fun. mmm.

A la cruz is slightly difficult to find. Hidden deep within the maze of alleyways that is Farringdon, i didn’t realize that i was close to my destination until i was actually right in front of it. Even from less than 50 metres away it seems unbelievable that this street could have a restaurant (such is the lack of external lighting) … but it did … and so here i was last Tuesday celebrating steak night with a group of fellow meat-​hungry Unilocalers.
A few of us ordered starters … i took a few bites out of two of them. The large chorizo was very tasty … but excessively oily. The black pudding was remarkably different from the kind that we get in pubs throughout London … it was much better than most of those.
For the main course i asked for a 350 gm fillet, which was priced at a modest £25. The piece that i got seemed deceptively small in size. The meat was quite good … and it didn’t have any significant amount of greenery accompanying it (much to my delight :)). The chips were ok … with the individual pieces being abnormally large in size.
Some of the others were disappointed by the service here. I can’t comment much on that since i didn’t interact much with the staff who were waiting on our group. However i did notice that they didn’t get any menus for the people who arrived later until they were asked to. Also they referred to each dish by its Spanish name, thereby making it exceedingly difficult for each of us to recognize and claim our orders.
But the food was nice … and at £39 for a large steak, chips, starter, wine and service, not too expensive either. It would have been a good haunt had i lived within a walking distance of the establishment.

I thought the food here was lovely. I had the sirloin that was cooked perfectly. A salad of rocket leaves and parmesan that was nice.
I dont think the service matches the restaurant quality or prices. I didnt have any problems but others at the table did. I was late yet my meal came out with everyone elses. Water was placed on the table and was free (i think). Sure the waitress was abrupt and busy but Im so used to bad service everywhere I go that now I expect it. Just dont tip when the bill arrives.
Can I say this is a mans restaurant to me? Men I know outdo each other on the size of steak they can eat and the steak here is huge. Also would be nice for a date with its low lighting. Not for vegetarians though. The cuts of meat all looked delicious as did the sides of mushrooms, chips and salads going around.
Very enjoyable meal and wine.

I know Buen Ayre well and have been there many times so when I heard about this place being a sister venue I was quite exited to see what I would be getting. Now like Buen Ayre this place ain’t cheap but the steaks here are nowhere near as big or filling as those you get on Broadway market.
I don’t really get what happened with the service, a mexican wave couldn’t attract the attentions of the staff. Whatever happened to upselling? We were more than willing to drink more wine and the dessert order came far too late for me to consider ordering one. I had a fillet steak which was nice and tasty but chips, even good ones, at £4.50 is a bit of a rip off if you ask me although other steak joints are also guilty of this. Plus my salad didn’t arrive and when I managed to flag down a waitress to tell her this, no apology was forthcoming but a minute later the salad was plonked on the table next to me.

You can’t beat the meat. Not here anyway.
The black pudding for the starter was easily one of the nicest that I’ve ever head, possibly due to the hint of fruit within it. Then came the main, what looked like a huge piece of meat. Thankfully the ‘Vacio’ was incredibly tender and once the inedible piece was discarded was a sensible size.
The meat was good, no doubt about it. Unfortunately this just showed up the other aspects of the restaurant that weren’t up to scratch. Every dish was served with a few salad leaves with absolutely no though gone into them. Order a green salad side and you get a whole bowl of them with just as little thought. The waiting staff were also fairly rude and/​or disinterested — far below the quality of the food.

I will echo Lizzie’s review of this place. The food was great and I definitely know what I want to order the next time I come but I should remember to prepare myself for the lackluster customer service.
The lady who was serving us was rather unpleasant and did hide how annoyed she was to be working or just annoyed with us.
With that aside, I definitely recommend what I got, the Asado. However, I would get the A la Cruz Tradicional (minimum two people). I didn’t get this actual dish but I saw the table next to us get it and it looked so delicious. Various grilled meats served on sizzling grill right at your table.
I recommend this place because the food is good. However, I do wish they had rice as an option for one of their sides. Anyway, go. Definitely a great setting for a date.

Would you like some meat with your meat? Yes? Okay, then head over to A La Cruz and they can sort you out good and proper. From the moment you walk in and are greeted by the glass elevator holding two huge chunks of meat over an open fire pit, you know that this place takes themselves seriously.
As a sister place to Buen Ayre I had high hope but as soon as I arrived the minimal, modern décor informed me that this was going to be slightly different for what I’d expected. Saying that, the quality of food is fabulous, Seriously amazing meat and the side are fabulous, you get generous portions, freshly made and there is also a lovely wine list. We ordered a lovely Malbec to go with dinner and it was fabulous. The only down side to this place is the service. That was really disappointing. I actually had to wave my hand like a child in a classroom to get some attention and when we asked for menus even though not all of the party arrive, we were questioned why. Why do I want a menu? So I can have a flippin’ look at it of course!
One thing that is great is that a large group of people can come here and they don’t insist you order from the set menu. It means you can try the a la carte with all your friends.
I will come back here again. It’s perfect for a date night and if you are passionate about good meat, they certainly know what they are doing here. Just expect to suffer poor service.

Looks very authentic with a very professional assador (bbq) behind glass so you can see whole carcasses being cooked. The chef looked quite warm…
Food was very good, all meat of course. My son ordered for us in his best south american accent honed from 6 months in the bars and barrios of BA.
We had a great time, I dont think it was overexpensive, and we’ll return.

The sweetbreads in this restaurant are incredible. Before I went, I’d already heard fantastic things about them on the grapevine and so just had to try them for myself — they were rich, buttery and just tasted completley divine. My partner was a bit wary about eating the thymus glands, so chose the provoleta, but couldn’t resist stealing sweetbreads from my plate!
We both opted for the vacio for our main course, a cut of meat cooked on the restaurant’s asador — which is essentially a large barbecue style-​pit where sides of meat are roasted on giant metal spikes. We were both given huge cuts of meat, which made us wish that we hadn’t over-​indulged on the bread basket! The meat was very flavoursome and extremely tasty — I just wish that we could have managed more.
The restaurant has an extensive wine list, but I chose beer instead which came in at pretty standard price. My only gripe with the restaurant is that the waiters could have been a little more attentive, after finishing my drink I wasn’t asked if I wanted another and I had trouble finding a waiter when I wanted to query my order.

Noticed that a new restaurant had just open at this location and called in to check this out. It’s an Argentinian restaurant with a big asador (a smokey, bbq type pit where sides of meat are roasted on metal spikes) as a focal point. Staff were really friendly and gave us big samples of beef and lamb which were really tasty. We were just after a meal so didn’t have room to order any more food. Cocktails were also top class. Definately going to go back for full meal