Waltham Forest
La Baita

La Baita

98 Station Rd, Waltham Forest, United Kingdom

Pizza • Pasta • Italian • Vegetarian


"Three of us invaded this lovely eatery in Chingford on a busy Saturday night, and we weren 't disappointed. We were warmly greeted by Silvo and shown to our table. The decor remains unchanged: romantic lighting, light coloured walls, and prints of Italian locations. Armed with two Aperol Spritz, we perused their wide ranging menu, especially when you include their Specials ' board. Accompanied by welcoming background music and the polite chatter and laughter from other diners already there, we made our selection. Soon, Orazio joined us, and the chat and laughter began with Silvo and Orazio. Our starters consisted of Avocado and Prawns for two; and Avocado, Prawns, and crab for one, off their specials ' board. The freshness and flavour were outstanding. Our mains were as great, too. There was Lamb, fresh Tuna, both with sides; and one Linguine Marinara: all were presented and prepared to perfection. This was baptised with our traditional Primitivo: a full bodied red from Italy with a hint of sweetness and an appetising aroma. We gluttons then found room for dessert: profiteroles and ice cream; afrogato, and an apple pie drizzled off menu with Amaretto. These were delicious. We concluded this culinary perfection with an Americano, lemon tea, a cappuccino, and two black Sambucas. Plus, complimentary ones from our gracious hosts grazie mille, Silvo. It was truly a splendid dining experience. Our compliments to the chef for his artistry and friendliness, and a big 'thank you ' to all at La Baita for the chat, laughter, and superb cuisine. We will be back soon. Until then, keep smiling, be safe, and happy. Ciao."

Lord Palmerston

Lord Palmerston

252-254 Forest Road, Waltham Forest, United Kingdom

Pizza • Dining • British • Fast Food


"I've lived around here for years, and this used to be the sort of place where you got what you paid for. It was not flashy or high-quality, but it was a solid, old-fashioned boozer where you could get a cheap ale and some pub grub while watching the football. Now you don't even get that. In the last few months, new management has wrecked what little quality this pub had. It's constantly understaffed (sometimes just one person serving a full bar), the kitchen has been permanently closed, they have barely half the drinks on tap most days, and it seems like you need a degree in electrical engineering to use the speaker system, because not one member of the team ever knows how to change the feed. It doesn't help that staff turnover is turning over like a washing machine (obviously they're as unhappy as we loyal customers are). It was never fancy to start with, but now it has really gone down the pan, and it shows because people who used to come here all the time now go elsewhere. Meanwhile, the prices just go up and up. I know this isn't the fault of the people who do their best working there; it's the management's problem. Sadly, if you're after anything more than your third-choice drink served very slowly by underpaid and undervalued staff who don't want to be there anymore than you do, then go to the Chequers instead, a great pub on Walthamstow High Street. It's a bit dearer, but they do good food, it's cosier, the atmosphere is always fun, and they have multiple screens where you can watch live sports with commentary. I waited a long time before posting this review, because I wanted to give the new era a chance over several visits, but it just ain't working."

Singburi

Singburi

593 Leytonstone High Road, Waltham Forest, United Kingdom

Thai • Fish • Curry • Seafood


"The hype currently surrounding Singburi has reached stratospheric levels, and even though it is quite a trek from home I thought it had to be tested out. Following their Instagram account is key to finding out about the release of reservation slots. I had to book around 3 months in advance for a Saturday evening, and at the time bookings could only be made via the phone on Wednesdays. According to my iPhone, it took 28 attempts on the day before managing to get through to them and secure my booking. Hyped up indeed! Fast forward to the day we arrived on time to a very frosty welcome from who I think was the person in charge of things. She also was the one who took our order and barked at me when I had any questions about menu items. Anyhow, the 3 of us focused our ordering on items from the specials board, which seems to be the unwritten rule. We tried the clams, whole crab curry, crispy tilapia, chicken and liver curry, beef massaman, and the salt fish rice. The food was very nice and we enjoyed the spice levels in some of the dishes. Service continued to be quite unfriendly and robotic but fairly speedy. The bill for our meal came to a very reasonable £110 for the 3 of us. The conclusion a nice authentic Thai meal but I didn’t see what all the fuss was about. The comparison that popped to my mind was 101 Thai Kitchen, another hole in the wall casual spot which is close to where I live and in this case very easy to book perhaps the food at Singburi was one notch better but it wasn’t much of a difference, certainly not enough to justify jumping through hoops to get a booking. I’m glad I crossed it off my list but I doubt I would return. Note: it is BYOB. They do provide a wine bottle opener and glasses if needed. Also note it’s cash only, there is a Tesco just a minute away which offers up to £50 cash back."

Brewers Fayre Royal Forest

Brewers Fayre Royal Forest

4 Rangers Road, E4 7QH, Waltham Forest, United Kingdom

Pubs • Full • Steak • Buffet


"We attended a funeral in the function room at this venue today.. it was an absolute disaster from the start. We went to the loo as we arrived and there was no paper in the disabled loo (it was only early lunchtime so not at the end of a busy session). When we walked into the function room it was freezing cold…it was raining outside and a chilly autumnal day but they still had cold air con on and two windows open/broken. We went to get a cup of tea from the station set up but there was no hot water so we had to wait for that.. that came but then there was no milk. When the milk was served it was in a huge jug about 4 litres which I couldn’t lift. The mugs didn’t fit the saucers and wobbled and spilt the tea. The food was served late and it was not labelled so couldn’t work out what anything was. Disastrous for vegetarian or allergy sufferers. The “hot food” was stone cold, greasy and rock hard. The sandwiches were awful, thin stale bread with little filling… there was no garnishing or anything to make it look appealing either… I wouldn’t recommend this venue for a function. The staff were polite but not very efficient. It’s a cold dreary place that needs a good clean and lick of paint wouldn’t go amiss.. I would be embarrassed to serve and charge for food like it. Weddings and funerals should be catered for properly so they run smoothly without stress for the families. It wasn’t even busy so there was no excuse with at least 3/4 waitresses working. It was appalling."