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Lena Restaurant

Address:66 Great Eastern Street, London EC2A 3JT
Tel:020 7739 5714
Email:
Website:Visit Lena Restaurant website
Price: £45.00Wine: £16.00Champagne: £38.00
Opening Hours:Mon-Sat 12N-3pm 6-11pm

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Live jazz packs in the punters on Friday & Saturday nights at this sophisticated Shoreditch Italian, suggesting that Lena (named after the owner’s mother) may have succeeded where previous occupants of the glassy street-corner site have failed. The decor is all hard-edged chic, but there’s much to like here – from the congenial service to the accomplished cooking, which has a southern Italian bias. Good olive oil & soft, cake-like bread set the scene for a subtle insalata Lena with white chicory, watercress, walnuts, radicchio, pear & pecorino. Main courses encompass grilled calf’s liver with fennel & tomato, as well as wonderfully eggy ravioli of sea bass with caper & parsley butter. The wine list is loyal to the home country, & there’s an Italian slant to the cocktails mixed in the snug basement bar. Try the martini made with Kahlúa, Wyborowa vodka & Molinari espresso.

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Reader reviews of Lena Restaurant:

Gemma T.

Gemma T. ( 20s, Female, United Kingdom )

3 COURSES FOR £14!!! Lena is not only a cool and tasty Italian it is a generous Italian.!!The £14, 3 course set menu was incredible; the quality of the food is the same standard as the al la carte and the service was friendly as ever. If you haven't been to Lena I suggest you do; it's not often you can sit in such luxury for only £14!!!

23 July 2010
Overall:8
Food and Drink:8
Service:8
Atmosphere:7
Value for Money:10
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Daniel C.
Reviews: 1

Daniel C. ( 30s, Male )

Visited Lena restaurant on Friday (14th August) for a work Summer party, and just want to congratulate the restaurant team for making it a memorable visit. The food was top quality and the service faultless.

Will be bringing back more of my clients in the future!

20 July 2010
Overall:10
Food and Drink:10
Service:10
Atmosphere:10
Value for Money:10
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Guy H.

Guy H. ( 30s, Male )

Definitely one of the better Italian restaurants I have been to. The service is friendly and efficient. The food is great; I was a little disappointed by the size of my starter but this was made up for when I recieved my main course! It is a little more exspensive than some Italians but that is because you are paying for better food and a much better collection of wines. I was very happy and will definitely go back in the future.

12 July 2010
Overall:7
Food and Drink:8
Service:7
Atmosphere:7
Value for Money:7
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Caroline O.

Caroline O. ( 20s, Female, United Kingdom )

Lena is by far one of my favourite Italian restaurants. The menu offers the traditional dishes along with house-specials allowing you to try original, inventive Italian food and the decor is chic and stylish. The decor is not fuelled with red, green and white wallpaper and hanging sausages etc – the food and service are enough make this a great Italian!

21 June 2010
Overall:8
Food and Drink:9
Service:9
Atmosphere:8
Value for Money:8
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David W.
Reviews: 1

David W. ( 20s, Male )

We had visa card which we paid with used for fraudulent transactions soon after paying for this restaurant. The waiter took our card away saying he had run out of paper only to find out the following day it has been used for online transactions which the bank luckily stopped as they spotted it. We're certain the manager is also in on this as he acted like it was nothing new to him and hardly paid any attention to any of our concerns He was very unpleasant & rude.

Please take great care of your visa credit/debit cards when paying at this restaurant.

Thanks.

21 December 2009
Overall:2
Food and Drink:5
Service:1
Atmosphere:3
Value for Money:1
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Alan H.
Reviews: 1

Alan H. ( 40s, Male, United Kingdom )

This place had a good shot at ruining my Friday evening. We arrived at 9pm, on time for our booking, having been told that the only tables were available at 7pm or 9pm; but were then asked to wait in the bar area (for over 50 minutes as it turned out) only to be told that the table wouldn't be coming free after all. The previous diners would not move and nothing could be done. After some shrugging a table was set up at 10pm in the noisy and crowded bar area downstairs. But we were forgotten again: the main course (which was passable) arrived around 11pm, 45 minutes after we had finished the starters. The owner attempted to elicit sympathy rather than sort things out, and the manager was frankly unhelpful. When I suggested that they make a gesture on the bill, the offer was quite inadequate. I would not recommend this place to anyone.

5 December 2009
Overall:1
Food and Drink:3
Service:1
Atmosphere:2
Value for Money:2
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Gigi R.
Reviews: 1

Gigi R. ( Male )

Food was average and the service the worse in London.
The waiters had no understanding of who Lena was, about the dishes and let alone the wine.
They desperatly need training especially the owner Francis which recommended wine only because it must be good if it's exspensive.

June 2009
Overall:1
Food and Drink:7
Service:1
Atmosphere:3
Value for Money:1
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