Il Gusto

Attempt to grab quick breakfast before friend’s train to airport (from paddington).
Food: 2 star. ordered full english breakfast around the table. as said by fellow diner, «nothing to write home about». toast was not served (2 per plate promised) initially, and less than promised served (¹⁄₃ people received). server neglected to ask how we wanted our eggs. they were fried and tasted meh. sausage, beans, and mushroom were good.
Service: 1 star. ordered taken quickly, but waited over 45 for food. tables seated later got food first. mostly ignored by staff. didnt get toast that was supposed to come with meal. annoying that service charge was included — rare time that i wouldnt tip
Bottom Line: skip it. many similar italian joints in this area.

Service was slow, food didn’t come with everything the menu stated, but the coffee wasn’t bad. Staff only bother to get to know us while the credit card was being processed, but other than that it felt very transactional.
Bottom line — I would not return for the food but maybe for a cup of coffee.

Great breakfast spot before going to see the Liverpool match. The usual British breakfast and coffee were the order of the day. Both acceptable and nothing more.

I’m being a bit generous with the stars but bear with me. The food is pretty darn good. It won’t knock your socks off. Very straight forward. Simple dishes. Service is a little slow. If you’re in a hurry this isn’t a good choice. But the staff is great. Very sweet. Very genuine. They have a great breakfast menu and you can feed four people for £25. Dinners are also a great value at around £50 for main courses for four without wine or beer.
Bottom line. I’ll eat here again next summer when I come back.

Very good B’fast, good value for money and friendly staff! What more do you want to start a nice day

God help you if you have to communicate any problems to anybody. I tried to ask about the contents of a dish, and all the waitress could say was «You want?». I ended up ordering it rather than trying to press the issue. As I could only eat about half my dish, I asked for my leftovers to be wrapped up. The waitress took them to be thrown out. When I protested, she went back to retrieve them. Soon afterwards, I was presented with a takeout container with just the garlic bread. When I asked what had happened to my meal, I found out it had been thrown out. The chef apologized and volunteered to prepare half a dish to replace it, even going so far as to ask how many meatballs I had left. I eventually got a dish with just the meatballs. I asked again for them to complete the actual dish, and they added a miserly dollop of sauce and cheese. By that time their feeble attempts to «correct» their mistake had made me angrier than them throwing my meal away in the first place.

I want to give this place a higher rating because the people working in there are really nice, but the food was just so bad I can’t bring myself to do it. This was some of the worst Italian food I’ve had in the last year+. Step up your game Il Gusto!

Had Pizza there. Found it quite boring. Not a place I would visit again for that price. The staff was friendly

Great service and great classic Italian food! Just was passing by an they gave me 20% off it exceeded all expectations.

I had a simply meal at il gusto. I ordered a pizza and bruschetta. My hubby and I were on a carb diet that day. The bruschetta was just ok, however, the pizza was very good. My favorite was a coco powdered vanilla dessert. It was delicious! The staff was extremely friendly and professional.

I work nearby and eat here often for lunch. Great location, Tasty food, great value for money, friendly staff and owner, well kept and clean bathrooms, tasteful and cosy décor, outside tables for that charming sidewalk café feel, what more can you ask for?
I particularly recommend the carbonara

I just moved to London and live in Paddington so been exploring the places nearby. I’ve walked by this place 50 times and have been meaning to stop in. I’m writing from the restaurant right now. This is a review for the English breakfast with 2 pieces each of ham and sausage, which is a good deal at 5.50 pounds including a drink or coffee/​tea. They also have free wifi which is a plus in this area. I’ve only found one other breakfast place nearby with free wifi and that’s the Mad Bishop & Bear which is inside Paddington Station. However, their English breakfast for 5.50 only has one piece of ham and sausage and no coffee. There are a bunch of other places along Praed and just off of it with breakfast for 4.50−5.50 with coffee but if you need wifi, this is the only one. I did have breakfast at one of these called Light Bites on London Street which was also 5.50 and you could get on the wifi from Sawyers Arms.
Ok, so how was the breakfast? Well, how good or bad can breakfast be? That said, compared to the 3 other times I’ve had an English breakfast in London, this was right up there in terms of quality of the meats. To be honest, the only place that was noticeably different and of lesser quality was Light Bites. The other pluses for Il Gusto, they also gives you some really tasty grilled mushrooms and overall the portion was larger.
Given the construction, the door closest to Il Gusto is closed so it’s not as close as going to London Street which is where the station exit is now. Don’t let that determine where you eat though. You can cut out most of the walk by taking the elevator or escalator up to the Starbucks and then cut through the Hilton, turn right and it’s about 100 yards down on the left. The managers are super nice and friendly. One time when I walking by just looking at the menu, I asked if they had wifi and the guy just offered to let me sit and use it, even though I told him I had just eaten. haven’t tried dinner yet but have been meaning to. They currently have a special where any pasta or pizza is 6.00 which seems like a steal.

One of my favourite restaurants in London.
The staff are very friendly and helpful, and the service is efficient. The food is great. There are plenty of vegetarian options, and I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve eaten there. The prices are also extremely reasonable, especially considering the location. There’s also a very good selection of wines.
It’s an ideal place to go for either lunch or dinner, and I’ve taken my friends/​family there so many times. I’ve always been completely satisfied. There’s a nice atmosphere, but it’s not over the top. Highly recommended.