Gaucho Hampstead Review

Book a table at Gaucho Hampstead

Best for: north London carnivorous connoisseurs & hungry Hampstead meat lovers

Great: Argentine beef, a fine selection of boutique wines

Gauchos – the rustic, nomadic cowboys of the Americas – are most commonly associated with zorro hats, ponchos and leather belts festooned with silver coins. It seems ironic, therefore, that Gaucho – the rapidly expanding chain of up-market restaurants in London, Manchester and Liverpool – are less spit and sawdust and more steak and sauv blanc.

These eclectic yet slick restaurants – always adorned with black and white cowhides and luxe chandeliers – boast Argentine beef shipped straight from the pampas (chilled, never frozen, don’t cha know) and are most commonly located in London’s more touristy areas (Chancery Lane, Canary Wharf, the O2 and Piccadilly Circus), all of which are a far cry from the leafy north London suburb of Hampstead. But let’s not forget that Hampstead is no normal suburb; it’s one of the most desirable postcodes in London, home to Sting, Dame Judi, Jamie Oliver and renowned Times food critic, Giles Coran.

Always the snooper (falling somewhere between curtain twitcher and internet stalker) I researched Gaucho Hampstead prior to my visit and was met with a stack of reviews by discombobulated diners grumbling about everything from the stuck-up service to the extravagant cost of their meal. I read these and accepted, with a heavy heart, that I was in for a fairly mediocre night, at best. Fortunately, as they would say in Argentina, me equivoque…I was mistaken.

The specialty of these Buenos Aires bordello-esque restaurants is the endless slabs of Argentine beef they serve up; a sight to behold for carnivorous connoisseurs. Before ordering, my guest and I were presented with a board on which rested every conceivable cut of cow, from rump and sirloin to fillet and rib eye. Our very charming and knowledgeable waiter talked us through the dizzying myriad of options available, explaining to us the varying sizes and how each cut was best cooked.

My friend opted for the filet cut, and I took the award-winning house burger. The sirloin was juicy and oozed redness across the plate. My burger, topped with pancetta and cheddar cheese, was perfectly cooked and wonderfully succulent. Both left us dribbling and incapable of holding a proper conversation until the contents of both plates had been hovered up.

Contrary to the aforementioned reviews, my dining partner and I found the service to be impressive from the off. When it came to the wine, we left the decision-making to the experts and, having informed them what we planned to eat, asked them to pick wine to compliment our starters and main courses. Our waiter was more than willing to oblige and brought us a choice of three whites to accompany our fish-based starters, and the same when our meat-based mains were on their way (the 2009 Malbec Colome de Terruno was our overall favourite; an elegant accompaniment to the meat).

It’s worth pointing out that I did notice a slight (read: glaringly obvious) bias towards my companion and I in terms of service, especially when one of the waiters dropped an entire tray of drinks in front of our table and rushed over to apologise both profusely and personally – Faulty Towers’ Manuel style – to us alone. Slightly embarrassing.

For me, the main draw of Gaucho – aside from the super-polite if not slightly OTT service – is that it caters just as well for non-meat eaters as it does carnivores. Having read just yesterday that Jamie Oliver is encouraging patrons to “unleash their inner cave man” in his new City restaurant, I was disappointed to learn that the meat-centric menu – which lists 17 pork, chicken and lamb dishes – neglects veggies altogether (unless they fancy tucking into a bowl of olives or starter salad). Gaucho makes no such mistake, instead offering a plethora of seafood and vegetarian dishes to please even the fussiest of eaters.

The quality of the food, wine and service, however, is reflected in the cost at Gaucho, as many of those pesky reviewers before me had mentioned. The fact can not be ignored, Gaucho is by no means a moderately priced restaurant, and personally, I could only justify this level of extravagance for a very special occasion. But, of course, on this particular occasion, I wasn’t picking up the tab, so a perfect, albeit very indulgent evening was had by all. All that was left for me to do was sling on my poncho and bid my waiters adios. ...read more

Sophie Marie Atkinson 27 Oct 2010

Gaucho Hampstead Description

Argentinean concept specialises in particularly high quality free range Argentinian meat where meat is cut and cooked in full view of diners. Also houses largest selection of Argentine wines.

Additional Information

• Cuisine Type: Steak House
• Dress Code: Not Specified
• Group: Gaucho