Garufa in Islington

According to the sign in the window. Very disappointed that this has gone. This was a firm favourite for family meals prior to matches and events at the Emirates

Serves awesome argentinian steaks. If you are a meat lover, this is the place for you. Serves some tasty cuts of beef and lovely side dishes. Brunch is also a treat

Hice la reserva por Internet para una rara sábado noche gratis de nuestros niños pero pensé que mejor comprobar mi reserva por teléfono - después de varias llamadas y correos electrónicos, nadie volvió a mí para confirmar o se disculpó. es una pena que haya ido si para bien, pero es muy pobre de cerca y aún así estar tomando reservas si ese es el caso.

He estado en Garufa en Highbury Park muchas veces y disfruté, pero el último sábado hicimos una cena allí para una fiesta de la familia de 8 personas, que se vio confirmado tanto por correo electrónico y por teléfono, pero cuando llegamos allí el restaurante estaba cerrado con ninguna señal de cualquiera, y sin previo aviso en la puerta. Tiene el restaurante tenía a cerca de repente? Fue una gran decepción para la familia ya que era una ocasión especial y entramos por lluvias torrenciales para llegar allí sólo para descubrir que abandonado y en completa oscuridad. Se ha recibido ninguna explicación como hasta ahora.

Ambiente raccolto e intimo, servizio veloce e cordiale, cibo buono e di qualità ma porzioni ridotte per i prezzi proposti.

Este es un pequeño gran restaurante de barrio. Las ofertas durante la semana son estupendas, el Malbec lunes ) - y la comida es siempre bueno. Probablemente no recomiendo ir en los días de partido Arsenal ya que el servicio puede ser un poco exagerada. Aparte de eso, me encanta tener esta joya en el barrio!

El restaurante en sí es básico, los asientos eran incómodas y no una estética que se ha invertido. muy bien. Que es quizás una cuestión de gusto. La comida era muy buena, las raciones eran pequeñas (una guarnición de boniato no estaba ni siquiera una papa entera). El postre era incluso excelente. Los precios sin embargo son absolutamente ridículo. No hay un restaurante en las calles secundarias de highbury tiene los mismos costos gauchos. Había dos camareros unseasoned no cualificado, un interior que parecía un cobertizo y era básico. Estoy muy experimentado en lo que Londres tiene que ofrecía y precios que acompañan a una comida ... este lugar estaba muy lejos. Ya sea por su juego o dejar sus precios.

Visited the restaurant with family and friends. Food order was taken then brought out wrong, staff seemed unintrested and the bill was extortionate. Do not recommend or will I go back.

Fui con un amigo el domingo 13 de septiembre para ir a este restaurante, que he estado en varias ocasiones y estaba muy sorprendido por lo que pasó. Fue 6:50 por la noche y no había nadie en cualquiera de las mesas, pedimos una mesa para 2 y me dijeron que no había mesas disponibles, ya que estaban completamente llenos. Nos dimos cuenta de que no había espacios reservados señales en un par de las mesas y que ni siquiera estaban previstas y me dijeron que no tenían suficientes espacios reservados señales que ponen en esas mesas.

This was a family birthday celebration. The reception was great although we were a bit late! We shared starters, a mixed selection.. Brilliant! I really enjoyed the morcilla. The steaks were really good and cooked as requested. Practised our Spanish, great venue..

A delicious meal for 5 of us. Provoleta, chorizo and morcilla v.tasty although the chorizo was thinner than we are used to from living in Buenos Aires. The steaks were delicious although my rare sirloin was a little overcooked. The provenzal chips were excellent. Desserts fine but nothing special. Zuccardi wine lovely.

A very nice place, small but cosy, good food, the waiters helpful and quick, amazing steaks. The only flaw was the lack of beers. There were 5 type of bottled beers on the menu, but just 2 were available. A small suggestion: instead of refill the glasses with water when requested, just leave a bottle on the table.

The staff was attentive and friendly. The food was to die for and the wine... Just yum! There was 3 of us, we did book a table were happy we did. They fill up really quickly the later you go.

I had had lunch one day last week when a flank steak and chips were on offer for 10 pounds. Absolutely delicious, beautifully prepared medium rare and the chips are unbelievably good. Last night I took my daughter and she had the flatiron steak and chips (on special for 10 pounds) but I went back to my flank steak even though it was 50 per cent more 4expensive that last week lunch and without chips. So I added the leaf salad instead. The least expensive malbec was excellent, too.Service friendly and efficient. We will return.

Visited few weeks agou with my 10 another friends. BEST STEAK EVER!!!!!! Starters was amazing. Especially my blood sausage whats reminded me of Estonian home Christmas blood sausages. Everyone was happy.

Having been to Garufa a number of times over the last couple of years we finally had the opportunity to take some good friends who are steak lovers like us and really bigged it up. Unfortunately we found ourselves having to excuse things and really don't understand why. Superficially nothing seems to have changed - the venue is as attractive as ever, the staff friendly (although not quite as they used to be) and the menu broadly similar - interesting starters, you still pick a steak and size and long red wine list made up almost exclusively of fantastic malbecs.The starters we had of empanadas, chorizo and argentinian black pudding were all fantastic - we wouldn't have changed a thing. Unfortunately the steaks just weren't as good as they used to be - don't get me wrong they are tasty good steaks but I don't know if they have changed their supplier or are saving just a little money on the quality but they just aren't that cut above other steak restaurants any more. Also the sauces this time really let them down especially the chimichurri that wasn't. Ok it is no longer on the menu and I asked for it specially but why can't an argentinian steak restaurant serve chimichurri? Instead they gave me some oily red stuff with some onions in it, with no hint of parsley or coriander - not impressed.The final problem that others have already mentioned is I guess due to demand that they have been putting up their prices. I am actually fine with this if the quality demands and historically I would say it did, but am much less certain now. If you are going to price yourselves with the big steak houses you need to offer at least the same standard and I don't think in either service (they need to return to the friendliness of before) and food quality (improve the core products of steak) that they are. Shame as I'll think twice before returning again.

Visited this lovely restaurant a few times now. Noticed it is getting more expensive each visit. 4 of us went on a saturday night at 8 pm. Only half full which was surprising. Had great steaks and 2 had dessert. 1 bottle of malbec, cheapest on the menu but still £20 ish. Total bill just under £200. Getting too expensive for a steak and chips place with a bottle of red.

Good steaks, and very nice sides. It is not the best Argentinian I've ever had in London, but it is very close. Starters, sides and desert are delicious.

Good relaxed small N5 place. A few too many places locally are named after the south London team that moved here recently for my liking but.... If you are not after a gourmet sauce the steaks are great. Hip hazard but friendly staff. About 20% dearer than it should be. Three stars for us is good - worth a visit.

Garufa is one of my favourite restaurants. Great steak cooked properly and pretty reasonably priced. The "chips" with the Provencal herbs are cracking! Really some of the best I've had, I'm not normally that big on chips.We also had a selection of empanadas which were light and tasty!This is a great alternative to some of the ultra expensive South American steak restaurants in London but still great if you know good meat and Malbec!!Will be back!!

The steaks and sides (particularly the humita) were fantastic, and very good value for the quality. Also a nice selection of Argentinian wines.

An amazing dinner for an amazing price. Was the first time to be there, not the last one...The meat just was delicious, it's very difficult to find in London a place to eat as well for that price, 64 pounds for two meals bottle of wine ( quality wine ) two desserts plus two coffees, highly recommended.

Following lunch time kick off at Emirates, we went here without a booking. Not overly busy and we were warmly welcomed. Only 10 mins walk from the ground.Interesting starters and fillet steak main was great. Humita dish was nice and creamy. Wine a touch expensive but good quality. The raza Malbec v good indeed. Will definitely return.

Early dinner here for us this evening. The waiter was friendly and the food was very good. A few ice cubes in my glass would have sufficed rather than a pint jug full of ice cubes (although we didn't mind as we all shared them).

Went with my steak mad 5 year old daughter so had an early dinner which was nice because we pretty much had the restaurant to ourselves.The steak was very tasty and in hindsight, i probably would have gone with what I ordered for my daughter, which was flank steak. I had the ribeye, which was very nice if a little on the cool side. Perhaps this was because it was standing whilst the other steak was well done. Nice chunky chips.Ordered the garlic butter, which the staff seemed to forget. When I reminded them, I received a hard disc straight from the fridge so that was a little disappointing, especially when you're paying upwards of £2 for it!That said, no major issues so I'd definitely go back.

A few of us from work make a point of sampling London steak houses every quarter or so. We decided to make the trip from the city up to Highbury to Garufa. We were not disappointed. The meat platters were very good quality, the Malbec flowed and the service was excellent. In fact we had a good old chat to the staff at closing time as they could not have been more friendly & helpful. We all had a very enjoyable night in a really good setting. The restaurant feels intimate and the atmosphere is good for couples or groups of friends.

The restaurant is fairly small which is not a bad thing, in fact it gives the place a cool, cosy vibe, definitely a good place for a date!The main attraction are the steaks, they offer all the different cuts and different sizes, you can also have a steak platter so you can taste them all, similar to Gaucho.The steaks are always cooked to perfection, the chips are crispy and fluffy and the Chimichurri is one of the best I've had.Add to this an excellent wine list with outstanding, friendly service which all makes Garufa a great hidden gem that must be tried by everyone...See you there!

I enjoyed my birthday dinner here with family & friends last weekend. The service was good, steak was excellent, wine was fabulous (albeit pricey) and we had a good overall experience. I was disappointed with the quality of the 'seasonal vegetable' side dish and the sweet potato. But the chips with parsley & garlic were amazing!

I liked everything. The venue, the service, the food, the wine, absolutely everything. Steak cooked to perfection. Went for my boyfriend's birthday and we couldn't have asked for better. Go - you won't be disappointed.

Not as expensive as a Goodmans or Hawksmoor but very good steak none the less. Starters are very nice also and all the staff, especially Gonzalo are excellent. The only thing that lets it down in my opinion is the wine list which could do with a few more bottles and some variety.

Delicious argentine meat and wine!Parrillada with vacío and rib eye, black pudding, sausage and provoleta!Bottle of Zuccardi Z wine, the perfect match for the food!'

Garufin is a querky genuine Argentinian food restaurant with the best juicy, tender and fantastically flavoured meat and I am not a meat lover! The service is really good , the staff tries very hard to make you feel at home in this relaxed and yet tidy and neat atmosphere. The room downstairs has air conditioning and the tables are placed so that you can feel privacy but not isolation. The bar has a fantastic mood with windows and doors opened into a narrow traffic free road. There's Argentinian music playing but again not disturbingly. It is a vibrant but not a noisy restaurant . The dishes are also beautifully presented. The desserts are to die for! Highly reccomend it and you will definetely get good value for your money.

If you love meat, like an authentic atmosphere where you can talk with your man or friends! then that's the place to go. I like the medium size of the restaurant, the service was very good /cool/ /professional and friendly. The meat is amazing. Their burger is a beast! Try octopus as a starter that's delicious, it's grilled with an amazing spicy sauce and not fried degusting as it is usually served in other restaurants! We'll def be back with friends!!!

London is not short of steakhouses, but above and beyond the more fashionable places is this Highbury favourite. The room is simple and comfortable, the service is friendly and informal, there's a decent wine list and very reasonable corkage. And the steaks are the best in London. Full stop. Highly recommended.

Try the morcila fritters they are fantastic . Super service and very good quality meat. Try the Malbec dessert wine with their chocolate fondant pudding. A great combination that will ensure I return.

We visited on New Year's Day prior to attending a match at the Emirates Stadium. We've been a few times and have always enjoyed the juicy steaks which are full of flavour and cooked to perfection. It has a nice relaxed atmosphere and we were impressed on our last visit by the friendly service, especially as the waiter was serving on his own in a busy restaurant. Despite this everything came on time and with a smile. Desserts are rich and sweet but worth trying!

Very small portions for a lot of money! Plus food came out cold! Can get much nicer steak for less money with proper sides without looking far! Not recommended! Currently cooking toast as despite burning a hole in my wallet I am not satisfied!

I am fortunate enough to live near this restaurant and have been a number of times - it is always faultless. Great food, great staff and lovely atmosphere. The food really is unbelievably tasty and cooked to perfection..every time. Steak is incredible but so is everything else on the menu. Check the prices to see if it is in your budget but the price reflects the standard of food. The atmosphere is relaxed but with attentive service. Brilliant!

Have been to this restaurant over a number of years and it is not as good as it was. Served the wrong steaks to people and didnt accept this had happened meaning that they cant tell their fillet from their sirloin. Also, much more expensive than it used to be. Disappointing and wont be going back

This small local restaurant is dedicated to meat and delivers excellent quality beef expertly cooked. We had the fillet and the ribeye and both were done exactly as requested ( although 'medium rare' seems to be the default when ordering- no getting sniffy if you want it differently though). One malbec sauce was plenty for two.The chips were good (again one portion for two) as was the char-grilled squash( a freebie to compensate for some spilled wine) and spinach.The only slight disappointment was the tomato salad which didn't feature the expected large slicing variety, but bog-standard quarters.Service was very friendly and efficient and for the quality the price was good (for London!) and the steaks were as good as much more expensive places we've been to.Highly recommended.

Came here with friends for lunch and stayed all day. Food was excellent, wine choice was equally good and it was a great relaxed atmosphere. The service was polite with a smile so no complaints at all. Loved the steak; if you're a red meat fan like me it doesn't get much better than this.

If you thought Highbury was famous for footy, think again. Go on, have another guess ... No ? Well, let me tell you. Pin back your lugholes and get a pen. Write this down somewhere. Ga-ru-fa. Spelt as it sounds. Forget the footy. If your ever down this neck of the woods, tear up your ticket for whichever Arsenal home game you've forked out for, and go stick a fork in one of these guys magnificent steaks. Mmm. You'd be better off mouthwatering over a gorgeous beautiful steak than sticking your gnashers in some sinewy overpriced dog meat burger at the footy, whilst trying to keep warm. Trust me on this one. Tell you what, if I had my way, the Argentine can keep the Falklands as far as I'm concerned, so long as they keep on churning out those delightful melt-on-the-tongue meaty delicacies. Yes sirree ! An no mistake. Wouldn't give you a farthing for a plateful of rabbit food, I wouldn't. Get yourself on the outside of a decent bit of protein, I say. Wouldn't give you houseroom for a dishful of wet lettuce and chickpeas. Tell you this for nothing - do you honestly think we'd have single-handedly won two world wars, one World Cup and countless Eurovision Song Contests on a bowl full of three bean salad ? No. Exactly. Smash open your piggy bank, and herd your pennies down to Garufa. Get yourself a nice bit of steak and a decent portion of garlic chips. Still rather go watch the footy ? You must need your head testing. Laverley !!!!

If you are in the mood for meat, this is the place for you. Garufa is an Argentinian parilla in North London, just a hop-skip-and-jump from the old Arsenal stadium in Highbury. Last night we took some friends there for dinner, it was a gorgeous evening and sitting beside the opened frontage watching the world go by one could kid oneself we were in Buenos Aires! The eyes of the two chaps in our group lit up as they saw all the amazing steaks on offer. We shared some Empanadas (little meaty Argentinian pasties) and some Morcilla (black pudding but not like British black pudding, softer and very subtly spiced). Then it was steaks all round. What can I say, they were amazing. A bottle of a very mellow Argentinian malbec was just the thing to complement the big meaty flavours.Friendly and efficient service from the staff, and someone who really knows how to grill meat - it was a terrific evening.

We are very lucky to be so local, just living around the corner to the amazing little gem.We don't often review places but Garufa is just so lovely that it deserves its stars!Latest dinner here was tonight, and in true style was delicious and fresh and perfect.Steak here is fantastic, equal to Hawksmoor and Gaucho, made better by personal service and a friendly local atmosphere. Strongly recommend: the sweet potato side, ALL STEAK, the don pedro dessert and the very authentic Pisco Sours. We will be coming here for a long time to come.

The mixed grills here are amazing - excellent steak, more than enough food for two and the grilled provoleta cheese and chimichurri sauce make it perfect. Great value and a nice cosy, local atmosphere. Ideal for when you don't want to pay a fortune / get dressed up and head into town.

We happened to walk by this place and popped in for breakfast and what a treat! I had a steak which was cooked absolutely perfectly. My husband had the vegetarian option which was delicious as well. Will definitely go back for dinner sometime!

Garufa is awesome. Every time. Steaks are petfectly cooked, selection of sides is great abd the chips - theyre the best chips youve ever had.

Went with family for a celebration. The restaurant is small and there was only one waiter, as we went early evening, so I wondered what to expect, but I was very pleasantly surprised. The service was very good and our steaks were some of the best we had tasted in London and many places abroad - cooked to absolute perfection and just as we had ordered - medium was medium etc. The wine-list was well suited to any of the dishes and fresh and tasty. Desserts were quite ordinary, but again just right. I would recommend it to anyone who likes a good steak..

Great little restaurant, clean and relaxed. Food is absolutely delicious! Went for breakfast for my partners birthday and as meat lovers we were delighted with the big Garufa breakfast! Tender steak cooked exactly to our preferences (one rare, one medium), a delicious sausage and perfect scrambled eggs, plus a few other tasty breakfast bits! Their homemade toast and special butter they do is also noticeably delicious - although you only get one tiny piece each and need to order more. They didn't charge us for this though - but whether this was a mistake?! We also felt the breakfast was fairly well priced for what you got. Freshly squeezed orange juice and excellent coffee means this will now be our breakfast venue of choice - plus, we're keen to return to try their dinner menu!

We had been to an expensive West End restaurant two days earlier. We stumbled on this unimposing place by chance (it was open on a Sunday lunchtime). We had the Picada, bread, the burger and scrambled eggs with rump steak (the menu, while good,was a little more limited than the one on the web) and a bottle of Domingo Molina torrontes. It was all extraordinarily good - far better than the West End restaurant and half the price. We finished with coffee that was intensely flavoured without being muddy.What else to say - the service was friendly (but then there were only a dozen people in at any time), the portions substantial, the meat extremely good - the burger was NOT homogenised and tasted real, the steak well-chosen and well-cooked. If you enjoy meat, do try this restaurant and don't be put off by its modest exterior.

We visited Garufa this month for my partners birthday and we found it a brilliant experience - from a lovely pint of Estrella Spanish lager and a cracking mojito, we then shared a starter and had the medium sized rib eye and sirloin steaks. They were cooked to perfection. The side dishes were lovely, especially the garlic and parsley chips! I enjoyed the chocolate fondant which they pre-warned is cooked from scratch so takes a little while but it was worth the wait. The overall meal wasn't cheap but really nice for a more special occasion. The atmosphere was friendly and the service was attentive but not overbearing. We shall definitely return with family or friends.

We passed this restaurant by chance on a recent trip to the area . It was a sunny day so the window frontage of the restaurant was completely open , this and the fact that the premises were nice and clean encouraged us to enter . We didn't realise this was an Argentinian restaurant ,we just wanted something ,anything to eat in clean pleasant surroundings. Well we got more than we bargained for . Succulent steaks , a smooth bottle of red and great big chips . What more could you wish for on a sunny bank holiday . The staff were also exceptional, informative but informal . Finally a little mention about the children's menu . A small beautifully presented homemade burger again with those chips made our youngster smile . It's such a shame we were only visiting , we could easily become regulars if it was in our area

We booked a table of 10 and had a great evening. The food was great,the service friendly and informative and the meat.WOW.I shared a platter with a friend and it was awesome. I highly recommend this place.

Went out for an impromptu steak night, and couldn't get into a Hawksmoor, so had a google and found Garufa. Had been to Santa Maria Del Sur before, so knew what to expect from Garufa (same owner). Food was fairly good, we were served an incorrect starter, I think due to the language barrier with our waitress, but they then brought out our correct order, and left us with the wrong one ( we still got charged for it, despite it being their error) Two of us had a mixed grill, which was good, if a little thrown together, and one of us had a nice looking rib eye. The rib eye was woefully undercooked, it came out blue (which i'd have liked) but our friend had asked for medium. It was sent back, and returned cooked medium. I don't think I'm expecting to much for a Steak restaurant to cook your meat correctly the first time, especially when you're paying £28 for a steak?We had a couple of pots of sauce as well, which were thimble sized and £2 each. Not great value. The wine was lovely, a very nice Malbec, and a pre dinner beer was served in an old fashioned dimpled pint jug, wich was nice.Overall, we weren't disapointed, and I would return, but wouldn't rush back.

Noticed beforehand that many of the most positive reviews are recent, while many of the more negative are mostly older. Having read reviews on this site and several elsewhere, glad we ignored the negative ones and trusted fair reviews and our own instincts. This is a great Argentinean Steak Restaurant. It offers a limited menu option for non-carnivores, so those that complain about that - go somewhere else that caters for your food tastes, choices or restrictions. If you like quality grilled meat cuts you will love Garufa. Part of a group of Argentinean SteaK specialist restaurants, the meat was cooked to perfection, tender and tasty. We loved the starters. The sweetbread served as a small style brocheta, very tasty, could have done with a few more bits of the sweetbreads. Nicest Empanadas we've tasted for a long time. We then ordered, amongst some other dishes, a mixed parilla, medium rare. All meat was grilled perfectly. Side dishes, spinach & especially the chips all excellent - good portions enough for everyone. 4 of us shared 2 desserts nothing that stands out, but both perfectly acceptable. All accompanied by a good Malbec red wine. Price was just under £35 per head including a service charge which granted is not cheap, but given the quality of the meat cuts, the wine & the always attentive service we got from all the 3 or 4 front of house staff members on duty that dinner night, was very much within London prices. Would definitely recommend & personally really eager to try other similar restaurants of this same group.

Estuve 5 dias en Londres y fui a comer una noche a Garufa !Como vivo en Italia, hacia mucho que no comia una carne y unas empanadas asi.El lugar es muy acojedor y el servicio muy bueno.Te traen la parrillada a la mesa en una parrilla individual con velitas.... asi la comida no se enfria...El budin de pan con dulce de leche.... increible !Gracias por hacerme sentir en mi querido pais, estando lejos !

Excellent evening spent with friends. All the meals were cooked to perfection and matched well with great wine. Excellent service from friendly staff. Will definitely be back again!

Excellent steak, wine, and atmosphere. Easily one of the best restaurants in London. Will go time and time again!

We had a great meal there for my birthday. Lovely atmosphere, attentive and friendly staff, excellent food and very reasonable prices. Their meet is absolutely fantastic. We could not recommend it more strongly.

This place is easily one of my favorite restaurants in London. It's warm and cosy, and has a genuine argentinian feel that will make you forget that you're in the cold, dark London. The best part though, is definitely their meat. The first time I came here I had their rib-eye, which was excellent and easily one of the best I've had. I especially appreciated that, (even with the large group I was with, who all ordered steak) the medium-rare I had ordered was cooked exactly how I would expect a medium-rare steak to be cooked. Hats off to the chef! On my next visit I was treated to their mixed-grilled, and unsurprisingly, it was fantastic. I will be coming here again and again, and would recommend it to anyone.

Of the four us three had steaks. I had the ravioli. Ravioli was very nice indeed and well presented. Everybody enjoyed their steaks. Argentinian wine was very nice. The chips were excellent - as nice as I have tasted anywhere. Service was a bit hit and miss - we had to attract their attention as they did not keep a close eye out when drinks were needed etc - but friendly enough. Relaxed informal atmosphere. Recommended - if you like steak.

this restaurant is very meat orientated but has a limited fish and vegetarian options on the menu which should not put non meaters off, the staff are great, very helpful and the Cris Rose to die for.The bread baskets with nibbles is wonderful. My husband says the steak is first class, I have had the chips they are so tasty.

This was the fourth time we have waten here and it is just superb. A great neighbourhood restaurant if youlive nearby - friendly and welcoming - but also well worth travelling to from elsewhere in London. The rib-eye steak was perfect in every way and the patatas provenzal the best chips I have had. They also do dome creative non-steak options, have a great wine list, have live Tango music (guitar player) on a Monday and £10 corkage Sunday-Thursday. It rocks!

First the negatives - before a major football match Garufa was rather busy so the space was a tad cramped. However, service was brisk and my partner expressed a wish to come back for dinner ( this was a brunch trip). The Bloody Mary was excellently balanced and the steak breakfast an ideal start to the day. Maybe a tad pricey but the service and quality make up for that.

I went to Garufa last night (23rd October 2012) to celebrate my girlfriends birthday together with her Mum. To help give this review some context, my girlfriends mother is Spanish and has owned her own restaurants for decades in both Spain and London. Their family live for good food.We live locally and this was our second trip to Garufa in 7 months. On both visits I have been blown away by the steaks. They are cooked to perfection in my young (ish!) opinion. I have previously read older, but negative reviews, so felt obliged to tell you about our experience. We each had a starter. All around £6ish. All really well presented, but most importantly, tasted lovely. The tama del pollo was great. For mains we all had a different type of steak, well priced for the size. Again, this is the best part for me – it tastes amazing. The homemade chips are also really tasty. I’m not sure what they do to them, but the chips are the best I’ve had. The wine - the Malbec at £18 was the cheapest, but was extremely tasty. Complemented our steaks really well.Further to the above meal, my girlfriend is diabetic, so I called in advance and arranged for a home-made cake to be dropped off a day before. The staff were happy to hold on to this and bring it out after our mains. In addition (and one of the reasons I'm writing this review) they then brought us 3 glasses of complimentary dessert wine to enjoy with the homemade cake. They did not need to do that, especially as we weren’t paying for a dessert, but they did. A good touch. For 3 people enjoying the above over 2 hours, my bill came in just under £90. For the above quality of food, the surroundings, the willingness to help with the cake, and the complimentary dessert wine, I had to write this positive review. I encourage you to go and try it out.To make sure this is a balanced review, I need to be ‘a bit BBC’ and highlight one area for improvement. The only downside for a perhaps more 'traditional' customer is their phone manner. This could be improved a little. But this would not stop me going again and knowing I will have great quality food in a lovely restaurant.

We've been living round the corner from this awesmoe steak restaurant for about a year and have been several times. I should have reviewed and praised them sooner - it's great! Food is excellent, interesting wine list and really friendly welcoming staff and very reasonably priced. Can't wait to go back!

We went here for a friends birthday and had a brilliant night! The staff were really friendly and attentive but best of all didnt rush us!! The food was absolutely amazing! We couldnt stop commenting to eachother about how delicious it was!!! Even though there was about 10 of us, all the steak was cooked to perfection! Tip: try the garlic and parsley chips - YUM!!! The atmosphere was also lovely with the staff making time to chat as people were settling up, looking forward to next time already!

A friend recommended Garufa to me around the beginning of the year (thanks Nik One Take) and I must have eaten there eight to ten times now. Of those I have had several excellent meals, some very good ones and suffered one good but not exceptional performance. Overall a very reasonable batting average I would say.It is important to get the place in context, this is Highbury bordering on Finsbury Park, you are not at the Savoy. OK the standard of service has a touch of the nice side of Fawlty Towers, they are charming but their abilities do not match up to their aspirations, but go with the flow and enjoy the food. Expect a few gaffes here and there, it would be really great if they actually had all the wines on the list and the odd dish will go missing every couple of visits, but it is hard to find a better steak than this outside of restaurants costing twice as much.I have had very enjoyable social evenings and successful business dinners there (as long as you explain that the food makes up for the service). If you are going to start pulling your hair out at the odd service failure eat somewhere else (or take a chill pill and enjoy the experience). Be careful not to over order starters and sides, some can be very generous. Don't have too many of the excellent cocktails unless you are happy to feel a little rough around the edges the next day.

not so good as i told ,bad service and very very expensive. looks good from the out side, once you in there is not space and privacy.

Argentine steak, soft and fragrant red wine and excellent ice cream. And tango lessons on a Monday night

We stopped going to this restaurant a while ago because the service had become rushed and at times rude and the fish option never changed from the predictable salmon.However we thought we would give it another try and were pleasantly surprised. The service is excellent, the two waitresses were welcoming and attentive when needed. The food has always been good, although my partner would now recommend the sirloin over fillet steak. As a non beef eater it is reassuring to see that the fish option is referred to as 'Fish of the Day', (today it was sea bass which was beautifully pan fried), implying that it changes regularly. The only thing we would recommend is this, steak ought to be served with chips without them having to be order as a side (which should be a third the size of the standard side order potion which is enormous).Overall a lovely dinner, we will be back.

Always full whatever day of the week. The steak is consistently good, the environment is great and a perfect setting for a date or to eat out with family and friends. The staff are welcoming, service is good and there is a vast choice on the menu.

We stumbled across this more or less by accident before Coldplay at the Emirates and enjoyed the meal greatly.The fillet steak was beautifully cooked and the garlicky "Provenza" chips moreish if a little oily.You could do with a bit more leg room in the Ladies, but that's the only big fault.I agree, it's much better than Gaucho and a return visit for the next Arsenal home game we attend is a certainty :o)

This small Argentinian restaurant in North London serves the best Argentinian meat in town without the grandeur or the prices of Gaucho. Their empanadas are just fantastic and taste really home made. The staff is lovely and booking is essential especially over the weekends.

Garufu is a great restaurant in Highbury. It's definitely worth booking as it gets very busy on a Friday and Saturday. There is an excellent choice of steaks with an impressive wine list to match. Well worth a visit.

This really wasnt what we expected. Poor service and very average food… Don't go!!!

Fantastic find. Just round the corner from the Emirates Stadium. Steak was delicious, perfectly cooked and service with some of the best chips I can remember. The staff were friendly and fun. The house Malbec disappeared too easily. Would definitely recommend.

A very busy and popular steakhouse. It's Argentinian beef and they cook exactly how you ask for it which is a pleasant surprise. Definitely worth a second visit.

I went there for the second time, the first time we took a good friend of mine visiting from Germany, and tonight we went just thee two of us.We had both a beautiful cooked peace of meat on a the plate. A wonderful dessert, and to be honest a rather good priced bottle of red. the only thing I didn't get is why was there 1 table free in the restaurant on a Saturday night???

This is a solid neighbourhood restaurant. But Argentinian steak has gone too far down the path of USDA Prime. It just doesn't have the depth of flavour of British meat. If you don't believe me, take a trip to Hawksmoor.

Siamo andati per brunch una domenica mattina, e sebbene fossimo solo in 5 avremmo dovuto prenotare perché il locale era pieno, ma con un po’ di attesa ci siamo seduti. Il posto è grazioso, semplice ma accogliente, ed il servizio è stato buono. Abbiamo ordinato “Argentinian Breakfast”, piatto abbondante, ma le salsicce erano troppo piccanti a metà mattina, mentre la carne dello" Steak Sandiwich" era deliziosa. Al mattino possibile ordinare anche svariati piatti per vegetariani, mentre i dolci scarseggiano. Buon rapporto qualità prezzo, ci torneremmo.

Our party of nine raided most of the menu, choosing a large selection of starters (many unusual items here) and various meat dishes between us. All were pronounced satisfactory, some very good.My own 225g (8oz) sirloin was superior to the average steakhouse offering but not outstandingly tasty. Given that chips and veg are extra, I felt it was on the expensive side (decent sized steaks are over £20). For that kind of money you'd expect something special like cooking on a wood-fired range. As far as I could see, the steaks were just grilled.An Argentinian crooner/guitarist entertained the full house of diners (Sunday night) with well executed Latin-American songs and responded to requests. Nice touch.My dining companions at the other end of the table went silly with wine, leading to a bill of nearly £50 per head. A lot to pay for a steak dinner, but it needn't be that much if you order carefully.

We had a fantastic night out at Garufa. Friendly service, relaxed atmosphere, and fabulous steaks and sides. Really good, fresh, tasty food.

On Saturday, September 10th, i and a colleague of mine decided to go to Garufa restaurant after visiting Emirates stadium. Not many restaurants around this area so we used google maps and picked Garufa as our destination.At first, the place was almost empty at 5.30 pm which was alerting bearing in mind the lack of proper restaurants in the area. We were told by a small bold guy with a very prominent forehead that "we are totally booked, we only have a table that is going to be occupied at 7.00". 1.5 hours is plenty to eat a horse, we said, and the guy unable to find another argument let us in. Though the table was half in the kitchen half in the toilet area, we agreed due to being hungry. Going a little forward, when we left the place at 6.30 it was as vacant as it was at 5.30.As for the food, the steaks are overcooked and the side dishes are ridiculously small. “Esparragos” - a tiny piece of bread with 2 small overboiled asparagus sprouts and a fried egg on top of it - all served on a tiny saucer plate. Together with Esparragos the “Bife Ancho” 225gr was ordered – the real Argentinian beef rib-eye steak which appeared to be an overcooked sinewy burnt piece of meat. Though it’s not the case, the prices seemed to be above what is usually paid for a way higher quality steaks at Smollensky's at Canary Wharf, etc.The jewel of this place is the level of service you receive if you don’t book a table in advance. Moreover when I asked for a receipt second time after 20 min of waiting I was told to relax and was given a receipt with wrong dishes 2 times. After that a proposition of “calling the police” followed from the small cheeky bold guy which I gladly accepted though didn’t get any.In summary, I warned all my friends and colleagues of this place and want to warn everybody who is lucky to get to London for business or leisure purposes. The place has a nice concept of Argentinian cuisine in a “pub and sandwich” city, but an extremely inferior client service and low quality of food. Highly dissuade from visiting Garufa restaurant.

I would highly recommend this excellent Argentine steak restaurant. Warm service from the argentine staff, and cost atmosphere. The La Linda Malbec was beautiful and the filet steak was amazing. It's not cheap, but you pay for what you get, and having tried the Gauchos chain I would choose this restaurant over theirs any day of the week, it was also cheaper than gauchos. Fantastic.

Kleines argentinisches Restaurant in Arsenal aber auf jeden Fall den Weg aus dem Zentrum Londons wert. Sehr empfehlenswerte Kueche mit hervorragender Fleischqualitaet. Auch der Service war gut und sehr zuvorkommend. Das Restaurant bietet ein schoenes Ambiente, wenn auch es an einigen Tischen sehr dunkel ist. Aber der Service war sehr flexibel und hat das Licht im Restaurant gerne ein wenig heller gedimmt.