The Gaucho Grill, Southwark, London

I had a fantastic steak here the other evening; I was feeling particularly hungry as we were dining a little late (we’d booked the table for 8.30pm) and as we’d decided to skip the starters I opted for the 400g fillet steak confident in the fact that I could manage such a massive amount of meat as I was starving – and I’m pleased to say I did!!

I asked for my steak blue, which so often restaurants can’t seem to manage – minimum cooking required so how hard can it be?? When it arrived I was slightly shocked at how big it actually was, it sat there on the plate in all it’s hugeness, seared on the outside and when I cut into it perfectly blue inside and so tender it almost melted in the mouth. I also ordered a side of chips which were lovely and crispy (you can’t have a steak without them), and bernaise sauce which complimented the tender meat beautifully.

This was all washed down with a very nice Sauvignon Blanc, which at £35.50 a bottle was one of their slightly cheaper wines. At nearly £90 a head for a main course, a couple of sides and wine it’s not the kind of place I could afford to go to too often, but for a special occasion is definitely worth splashing out on; I enjoyed everything about Gauchos – the food, the wine, the service and the stunning views of Tower Bridge and I can’t wait to go back.

Good steak, friendly helpful staff and a feeling of rather gothic luxury, this is a fun place to come for a celebration.

Great rib-eye for lunch today. The best gauco experience I have had so far, have been underwhelmed previously but today was excellent

Full review at www.grumblinggourmet.com

Decorated like a goth's wet dream. This is uber masculine design. Consisting entirely of blacks, mirrors and the odd flashes of cow, the room disorientates at first, black doors open onto black rooms through black walls, until you manage to pick out the shades. The crowd in the place is similarly male, a slightly confused couple sat next to us slotted uneasily next to large groups of braying men, flushed of face with bonhomie, wine, good steak and self importance. Deals weren't being done, but like Keens and the grand old tradition of New York steakhouses, they were certainly being celebrated.

It didn't start well for for the restaurant service wise I have to say.. We sat in the (black) departure lounge of the bar and sipped insipid cocktails. I went for the Bloody Asado, a watery £8's worth of roasted plum tomato, red pepper and vodka, reminiscent of a very cheap salsa. 45 minutes after our reservation time we were still sat there. The location and the crowd would suggest they are focussed firmly on the volume business market and a random three top is of less interest.

We finally sat down at a table an hour and 15 after our reservation. The urgent need now was for food and fast so we skipped the starters and got straight in. For the record, the starters have always been a hit in the past. Fresh fish ceviche and tiraditos are bright and clean, served straight up with lime and lemon, the citric acid 'cooking' the meat. My guest and I looked no further than the Gaucho Sampler, a 1.2kg board of fillet, rump, sirloin and ribeye. The meat arrived served as requested (though identified incorrectly by the server) and was a melting joy. With a bottle of excellently chosen Malbec, recommended by the server (one bright spot was their wine training) the meat was exactly what we needed. Moving through the sampler board from cleanest (fillet) to most complex (ribeye) flavours I was amazed by how clearly the differences in cut shone through when served alongside each other. It's a must do experience for the steak lover. Sides were largely forgettable (and incorrect).

Ultimately you're here for the meat, and probably business. If you're looking for a great steak experience in London then go to Hawksmoor or Goodman. If you're looking for an authentic Argentinian steak restaurant, go to Buen Ayre in Broadway Market. If you're bringing your (mainly male) team to celebrate winning a piece of business over a few bottles of Malbec and some decent steak, then the Gaucho will do just fine.

Had a lovely steak here. It's great that they bring the different cuts of meat to show you, so you can decide what you want. They also do it with the cheeses at the end (and missed a trick by not doing it with the puddings - i'd probably have ordered one if they waved them in front of me!)

Service was leisurely but that was fine as we were just there to enjoy ourselves and not on a business lunch, as many of the other diners appeared to be (lots of suits).

Had a bit of trouble retrieving our coats from the cloakroom as the tags had got muddled up and some drunk accountants were trying to fumble about in there to retrieve their belongings.

And I nearly forgot to mention the view - Tower Bridge and the Tower of London! Absolutely stunning.

I went to this restaurant last new years eve. It was amazing. I have also been to the one in the O2 and west end. I think they are so reasonably priced and the steak is so fresh and comes cooked perfectly.
When you ask for rare, you actually get rare.

I recommend this restaurant

This Gaucho - the only one I have visited - is in the shiny and slightly soul-less 'More London' development by Tower Bridge and right on the south bank of the Thames.

From inside, upstairs, the view of Tower Bridge is fantastic.

Right from the minute we walked through the door to the end the service was consistently very high - attentive, polite, helpful, nice.

The food was very good.

Delicious empanadas to start (they look like mini cornish pasties but that's not fair on them - they taste lovely and light).

Incredibly tasty steak (I had the Ancho), seriously delicious tastes, great cuts of meat: this is proper red meat celebrated!

Drinks were good but not stunning - a nice Argentinian Malbec but not knockout, and interesting Argentinian beers.

The ambience of the place is upmarket, slick, comfortable, grown up. Not a kick back and chillsome comfy place, but a nice choice for a treat or a business occasion.

There were some minor quibbles. The food took a long time to arrive - too long in fact, and our guests were starting to tire. A few people felt that their steaks were a tad overdone, for example coming in as medium when they'd ordered medium rare. But neither of these really affected the whole experience.

I'd happily recommend it as an experience, would certainly go there again and try other dishes, and would confidently take clients there for a business dinner.

PS. Be ready for a red meat onslaught!

I had a major craving for red meat all week long and finally decided to treat myself to a slap up bit of Argentinian steak at Gaucho. I was not disappointed. In fact I was surprised at how large the steaks were. Opting for a mid size sirloin, not wanting to seem greedy by ordering the large one but realistically klnowing that I would not be satisfied by the small steak, I was impressed by the mound of meat that arrived at the table. The side orders were also delicious and the bearnaise sauce was spot on.

We had cocktails on arrival which were lovely and the only note of criticism is that the wine we picked from their extensive list was out of stock. So we picked an alternative wine. Which was also out of stock. Slightly irritating that they have all the wines on offer and then fail to supply them, and then also awkward when the waiter suggested a £50 bottle as a suitable alternative to the £25 bottle we had asked for. They did bring us a glass of sparkling desert wine as an apology which was appreciated. Bad luck I realise but more apology and less sarcasm from the waiter would have been preferable!

I would definitely go back though, next time i fancy the marinated steaks, they looked great on the beef board they brought over to educate us about the various cuts and styles. Mmmm, I can feel the craving returning again…

Only going to give this Gaucho a 4. It’s got a great view from upstairs of the Tower Bridge area, but for some reason it’s not quite got the same level of quality of staff, service and atmosphere as some of the others. It’s still a brilliant place for a steak and there is still the fun opportunity to see the cuts and have them explained along with how they are best cooked before diving in to the eating.

However, for some reason the environment doesn’t quite work as well as at other Gauchos. Added to this the last time I was here was with a chef from the Oxo tower and the Sommelier we had decided to try and convince us that the red wine we were having should be served at the same temperature as rose. Wrong, and simply not a very good idea when someone works in the area for a living. This undermined the experience a little - she should really have just admitted she was wrong and that the place they hold wine up from the cellar was a little too cold - but we still had a fun night.

Oh and if you really fancy a meat adventure - why not get one of each of the four cuts in a 1200 gram steak extravaganza…just don’t get two of them to share between 4 people. 2,400 g of meat is just too much steak!