The Bench Cafe - Carte

Champagne Route

➤ 30 Gauging Square Docks E1W 2AE, London, United Kingdom

Carte • Wine • French • Brunch • Drinks

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"Tucked away from the road in a pedestrian square between office blocks (it was a little difficult to find), a signpost led us to a delightful square with a ground fountain feature, where children were splashing about in swimming cistumes on a sunny Friday evening. This was a chic boutique size restaurant whose apparentlt basic menu did not appear to celebrate the true quality of its food, which was outstanding. Each course was delicious and melted in our mouths. It was very quiet (few customers, surprisingly), with just some gentle background music and a perfect setting for a romantic evening out."

The Sichuan

➤ 14 City Road, EC1Y 2AA, London, United Kingdom

Carte • Asian • Salad • Chinese • Sichuan

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"This is an exceptional restaurant that specializes in Sichuan cuisine. Contrary to many beliefs, this is not always spicy hot! We ordered a good variety of dishes and they were all absolutely fantastic. As we do not live in London, this place is on our priority list when we make the trip. The food is incredible, and over the past decade has actually made us come to London just for their unique dishes."

Ops Wines

➤ Unit 128 Druid StreetGreater SE1 2HH, London, United Kingdom

Carte • Full • Tapas • Bar-lounge • Mediterranean

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"The food here is tremendous and there is an excellent selection of wines to go with it. The prices are very reasonable considering the quality of the food, we had to double-check our bill as we thought they'd left a few things off. That's a rare thing eating out in London these days! The only negative was the servers seemed rushed off their feet and a couple of times we ordered something from one person that never arrived so we had to ask again. Everyone was absolutely lovely and knowledgable about the menu, perhaps it's just an IT system issue, it was a busy Friday night."

Il Bordello

➤ Metropolitan Wharf70 Wapping Wall, London, United Kingdom

Carte • Pasta • Italian • Seafood

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"I had an amazing experience! The atmosphere was warm and inviting, and the service was outstanding. The food truly captures the authentic taste of Italy—rich, flavorful, and made with care. I highly recommend trying more than one dish to fully enjoy the variety and quality they offer. A must-visit for Italian food lovers! Price per person: £30–40 Food: 5 Service: 5 Atmosphere: 5"

Vasinikó Pizzeria

➤ 7-9 Burleigh St, London, United Kingdom

Carte • Wine • Pizza • Pasta • Italian

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"I’m so disgusted by the behaviour at this restaurant. We had pre booked a table for 5:30pm and by 6:30pm they were pushing us to leave and gave us the bill before we asked for it. Keep in mind we still had half a bottle of wine to drink, we were looking forward to a relaxing evening and catching up with friends. Once we were forced to pay we were basically chased out because they wanted our table for another booking. When I raised this with the staff member, he got very defensive and followed me outside to tell me that all bookings were only for an hour slot and that I should check my booking because I was apparently in the wrong. I checked both my email and text message that I received from the restaurant and neither one of them stated it was only an hour slot. The male staff member proceeded to try to argue with me and honestly was the worst experience I’ve had with a restaurant. I work in the f&b industry and would never expect anyone I know to behave the way that this man did. Do not go to this restaurant unless you want to finish your food and drinks within 5 minutes. Disgusting behaviour from their team, I definitely won’t be back."