First time visiting the restaurant but we'd walked past a number of times and were keen to try it.The service was mixed - the blonde front of house lady was a bit cold one minute but then wanting to have a laugh the next. The ladies serving were very friendly which helped.Food was very disappointing overall. The burrata starter was shared and yummy, no complaints although not cheap.We ordered 2 pasta dishes for main course at £22 each. There is no reason why a bowl of pasta should cost this much unless there is an expensive ingredient like shaved truffle or lobster on it. Ours had neither - small portions, the prawns were more like shrimp accompanied by a bland, not very authentic tasting tomato sauce, and the pulled pork was very sweet and didn't quite work with pasta. Definitely not worth £44 for the two bowls!Nice atmosphere and decor but won't be in a rush to go back there.
Sally Prescott
Acena has been our ‘go to’ choice for special occasions over the past few yearsFood always excellent ( although an occasional change of menu would have been welcomed )Lovely friendly staff in a stylish setting….HOWEVER our previous two experiences have not been quite so good.I visited with my husband in October, the Maitre d/ manager ( tall blonde woman) was cold, unfriendly and makes you feel as if she’s doing you a massive favour by being there.My last visit was on Wednesday, I took a friend as my guest.Long story short Apple Pay was unable to connect, Amex card was unable to connect… ( no one’s fault) I used another card ( only wanted to put £100 on) and £40 cash ( bill was £135 inc gratuity, not cheap and with only one glass of wine for myself, I am not complaining about the price, just highlighting the cost ) …I was given back change of £.4.87 in twenty pence pieces and 3p..I didn’t make a fuss in front of my guest ( even thought she commented on all the coins) and the young lady serving was lovely and didn’t want to embarrass her.I returned yesterday evening and spoke to the Maitre d… a trivial problem became a huge issue… I asked for a refund of £15 gratuity… which IS discretionary and left the 20pence pieces there, so really only requesting £10 refund. The fuss this rude woman made was aggressive and upsetting.. her response simply could/should have been “ my sincere apologies , yes of course’ (and with a smile) and we would’ve returned as usual for our next special occasion, sadly we shall never go back again.A huge shame.
Chloe Colliver
We had a lovely time at A Cena. The staff were friendly and efficient and we enjoyed our meal. The starters were the highlight (the anchovies and the burrata). Tasty mains, though not particularly memorable, and all in all quite good value (we had the early dinner menu for £22).
Lucus
"The restaurant has good flavors, but the meat sauce spaghetti is a bit salty. The waitstaff is very friendly, but the manager, a lady with glasses, seems not very pleased. It's challenging to provide happy customer service if you're not happy yourself."
Jonathan Lewis
The waiting staff were excellent and engaging. The food was well cooked and delicious. The ambience was bright and busy rather than cosy and romantic. The manageress was sadly unwelcoming which made us rather uncomfortable.
C A
We won't probably go back, it wasn't as nice as you'd expect for the prices they charge. The Linguine with prawns were unfortunately very bland, the tomato sauce too much on the pinky side to be truly Italian and the seafood had lost all flavour, amazingly. But other things weren't right, again, given their prices. The waitresses were lovely, but too much walking around without taking notice of people waiting to order or to have their plates cleared and move to the next dish. Also a lengthy wait from the moment you get the bill to when someone remembers to bring over the card reader across... Last, but not least, when you pay these prices, you really don't want to receive 1 slice of bread per person, not in what should be an Italian restaurant. Bit of a disappointment sadly.
Olga
Manager (a tall blonde woman with glasses) was unwelcoming and made us feel uncomfortable. When serving food she placed a dish on a side of a table without introducing the dish or talking to us as if she was just passing by and decided to drop a dish on our table on her way somewhere else. Also, nobody asked if we liked the food.Food was acceptable, but not good value for money, and it took longer than usual to arrive. Waitresses were friendly.
A B
I had been to A Cena about 10 years ago. I recall the food being very good and the ambience needed work. Now I would rate it the opposite. The food was not truly Italian and the decor and atmosphere was much better except for the air conditioning that was blowing strait at my table. My pulled pork pasta was too sweet and rather spicy. The ingredients used for the dish did not seem mediterranean style, more like Indian (even though I like Indian food) and the portions were off - not what you would expect at a true Italian restaurant especially if you enjoy the simplicity and natural flavors of Italian cuisine. Did not meet my expectations. The polenta dessert was too sweet as well.The staff was friendly and nice, however not sure if they really understood the menu and the food took longer than usual to arrive.
Mani S
Lovely restaurant, great food and
SUZUKA S
My Italian friend recommendation.Most of the food are very tasty. Main was salty for us, but still enjoyed the flavor.Sorbet was lovely. Hope they will have chocolate dessert in future.Good cost performance.We will return.
Had a pre rugby lunch here. The service was excellent and the food was very good.
Anna M
Just lovely. Stylish, charming interior. Genuine friendly service, great timings between courses, not too fast, not too slow. Tasty food and good portions.
Georgina Hollomby
Lovely romantic setting, friendly staff and delicious food - really recommend the cacio e pepe!
Rita M
We came here to celebrate my friend’s graduation and I was thoroughly impressed. I do wish there was an option to have a larger bowl of pasta because that’s what I really wanted. Next time I’ll be sure to try the bigger mains.
First time visiting the restaurant but we'd walked past a number of times and were keen to try it.The service was mixed - the blonde front of house lady was a bit cold one minute but then wanting to have a laugh the next. The ladies serving were very friendly which helped.Food was very disappointing overall. The burrata starter was shared and yummy, no complaints although not cheap.We ordered 2 pasta dishes for main course at £22 each. There is no reason why a bowl of pasta should cost this much unless there is an expensive ingredient like shaved truffle or lobster on it. Ours had neither - small portions, the prawns were more like shrimp accompanied by a bland, not very authentic tasting tomato sauce, and the pulled pork was very sweet and didn't quite work with pasta. Definitely not worth £44 for the two bowls!Nice atmosphere and decor but won't be in a rush to go back there.
Acena has been our ‘go to’ choice for special occasions over the past few yearsFood always excellent ( although an occasional change of menu would have been welcomed )Lovely friendly staff in a stylish setting….HOWEVER our previous two experiences have not been quite so good.I visited with my husband in October, the Maitre d/ manager ( tall blonde woman) was cold, unfriendly and makes you feel as if she’s doing you a massive favour by being there.My last visit was on Wednesday, I took a friend as my guest.Long story short Apple Pay was unable to connect, Amex card was unable to connect… ( no one’s fault) I used another card ( only wanted to put £100 on) and £40 cash ( bill was £135 inc gratuity, not cheap and with only one glass of wine for myself, I am not complaining about the price, just highlighting the cost ) …I was given back change of £.4.87 in twenty pence pieces and 3p..I didn’t make a fuss in front of my guest ( even thought she commented on all the coins) and the young lady serving was lovely and didn’t want to embarrass her.I returned yesterday evening and spoke to the Maitre d… a trivial problem became a huge issue… I asked for a refund of £15 gratuity… which IS discretionary and left the 20pence pieces there, so really only requesting £10 refund. The fuss this rude woman made was aggressive and upsetting.. her response simply could/should have been “ my sincere apologies , yes of course’ (and with a smile) and we would’ve returned as usual for our next special occasion, sadly we shall never go back again.A huge shame.
We had a lovely time at A Cena. The staff were friendly and efficient and we enjoyed our meal. The starters were the highlight (the anchovies and the burrata). Tasty mains, though not particularly memorable, and all in all quite good value (we had the early dinner menu for £22).
"The restaurant has good flavors, but the meat sauce spaghetti is a bit salty. The waitstaff is very friendly, but the manager, a lady with glasses, seems not very pleased. It's challenging to provide happy customer service if you're not happy yourself."
The waiting staff were excellent and engaging. The food was well cooked and delicious. The ambience was bright and busy rather than cosy and romantic. The manageress was sadly unwelcoming which made us rather uncomfortable.
We won't probably go back, it wasn't as nice as you'd expect for the prices they charge. The Linguine with prawns were unfortunately very bland, the tomato sauce too much on the pinky side to be truly Italian and the seafood had lost all flavour, amazingly. But other things weren't right, again, given their prices. The waitresses were lovely, but too much walking around without taking notice of people waiting to order or to have their plates cleared and move to the next dish. Also a lengthy wait from the moment you get the bill to when someone remembers to bring over the card reader across... Last, but not least, when you pay these prices, you really don't want to receive 1 slice of bread per person, not in what should be an Italian restaurant. Bit of a disappointment sadly.
Manager (a tall blonde woman with glasses) was unwelcoming and made us feel uncomfortable. When serving food she placed a dish on a side of a table without introducing the dish or talking to us as if she was just passing by and decided to drop a dish on our table on her way somewhere else. Also, nobody asked if we liked the food.Food was acceptable, but not good value for money, and it took longer than usual to arrive. Waitresses were friendly.
I had been to A Cena about 10 years ago. I recall the food being very good and the ambience needed work. Now I would rate it the opposite. The food was not truly Italian and the decor and atmosphere was much better except for the air conditioning that was blowing strait at my table. My pulled pork pasta was too sweet and rather spicy. The ingredients used for the dish did not seem mediterranean style, more like Indian (even though I like Indian food) and the portions were off - not what you would expect at a true Italian restaurant especially if you enjoy the simplicity and natural flavors of Italian cuisine. Did not meet my expectations. The polenta dessert was too sweet as well.The staff was friendly and nice, however not sure if they really understood the menu and the food took longer than usual to arrive.
Lovely restaurant, great food and
My Italian friend recommendation.Most of the food are very tasty. Main was salty for us, but still enjoyed the flavor.Sorbet was lovely. Hope they will have chocolate dessert in future.Good cost performance.We will return.
Restaurantji Recommends
Great experience and the food was perfect ..
Had a pre rugby lunch here. The service was excellent and the food was very good.
Just lovely. Stylish, charming interior. Genuine friendly service, great timings between courses, not too fast, not too slow. Tasty food and good portions.
Lovely romantic setting, friendly staff and delicious food - really recommend the cacio e pepe!
We came here to celebrate my friend’s graduation and I was thoroughly impressed. I do wish there was an option to have a larger bowl of pasta because that’s what I really wanted. Next time I’ll be sure to try the bigger mains.