We came here on our last night in London. First, I loved the chance to escape over to the Battersea everyone because it was so cute so location was definitely great. We did make a reservation for 4 people at 8:30 but honestly we didn't need it and the staff was very chill! We got some wine and beers to start and then we also got a little appetizer of the chorizo and the morcilla (blood sausage) which was yummy but the morcilla never compares to what you can get in Argentina. For dinner we got some of the steak to share with french fries. The steak was yummy and the fries were delish. We also got some bread which came which came with this STUNNING chimichurri butter. Overall the meal was delish! I really enjoyed the meal. read more

Santa Maria del Sur - Steakhouses Near Me - London, XGL

We were here for a bday dinner on a random Tuesday and as we arrived realized a resy was not needed. It was pretty quiet. However, the food was great! The staff were friendly and the decor was very nice. 1/4 Creamed spinach - did not like this - did not taste good 4/5 Fries - Cooked extra crispy and tasted very nice 3/5 Foccacia - served with balsamic and olive oil. It isn't your normal foccacia where the bread is thick and fluffy. This had some hard bread as well as a small round focaccia. Was okay. 4/5 Ribeye Steak - was great and cooked medium rare. Sauce was an extra fee which was odd but nicely cooked. 4/6 Half chicken - very tender and served with a chimmichurri sauce. Very good! Would come back for sure. read more

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This is cozy place in the middle of nowhere! The highlight of our evening was the super nice waiter! We started by ordering the house wine, which was outstanding. For appetizers, we ordered a charcuterie board, sweet bread, olives, and focaccia with cheese and butter spread. They were delicious! For mains, we had steak of four different cuts to share with sides, and chicken empanadas, and they were amazing. For dessert, we had cheese cake, Don Pedro (Amaretto) and ice cream. We had a very pleasant time. read more

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Food was good, but service was terrible. Also the fact that they charge £3 for a tiny bit of sauce (ie, chimichurri) is unheard of, in other Argentinian restaurants they add sauces without a charge. A positive thing is that they are BYOB and we'll keep it in mind for our next time there. read more

Great place for Argentinian steaks. Located in the Clapham neighborhood in London. My friend and I each ordered the 8oz sirloin. YUM! Also, another MUST GET item are the fries. Nice & crispy with garlic. See pictures & descriptions below (sorry for the bad quality for some of the pictures. My camera battery died mid-meal): 1) Churrasco a la parrilla con guarnición - 8oz grilled Argentine Sirloin steak with garnish (I ask for medium rare) - MUST GET - http://www.yelp.co.uk/biz_photos/rQENamiSDknaUFfzHfW6Cw?select=hq4aEtwrb1EhRjCurl5jiQ - Steaks grilling in front window - http://www.yelp.co.uk/biz_photos/rQENamiSDknaUFfzHfW6Cw?select=zyiooxplbF06-E4t9kV40g 2) Carne & Pollo Empanadas - http://www.yelp.co.uk/biz_photos/rQENamiSDknaUFfzHfW6Cw?select=_0CsKvVWT1jG94U2YVlSTA 3) Hongos a la parrilla con pesto y guarnición - two grilled flat mushrooms with pesto and garnish - http://www.yelp.co.uk/biz_photos/rQENamiSDknaUFfzHfW6Cw?select=aI2jwblJvMo1A676pQvrgA 4) Fries - MUST GET - http://www.yelp.co.uk/biz_photos/rQENamiSDknaUFfzHfW6Cw?select=TPQZ5KxBHbycQQw-Ehlo2Q 5) Desserts - both desserts are a bit too sweet for my tastes. Otherwise, flavors were pretty good. http://www.yelp.co.uk/biz_photos/rQENamiSDknaUFfzHfW6Cw?select=SNqNUYklqza6xMVTo7iZlQ http://www.yelp.co.uk/biz_photos/rQENamiSDknaUFfzHfW6Cw?select=ZB0E-NbsuhBMhdecUPTlAw 6) Drinks - http://www.yelp.co.uk/biz_photos/rQENamiSDknaUFfzHfW6Cw?select=2D_RtGMQs_rWNwjnCc_Dog 7) Bread - http://www.yelp.co.uk/biz_photos/rQENamiSDknaUFfzHfW6Cw?select=anny56FK6k33m0k_CiZRHw Must go for steaks! *Tip: Be sure to make reservations! This place is very busy. read more

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Like many, I was attracted to visiting Santa Maria del Sur following its coverage on Gordon Ramsey's Channel 4 programme and I was certainly not disappointed. I can quite confidently say that Santa Maria del Sur served the best steak I have ever tasted, without exception. The waiting staff were warm, friendly and welcoming and the service extremely efficient. Although during busy periods you are allocated a two hour "sitting" period, at no point did we feel rushed or under pressure to "drink up and go". The restaurant itself is quaint and intimate - ideal for first dates, anniversaries or small birthday celebrations. There is an extensive menu of genuine, rustic Argentinian cuisine; don't be deterred by the limited on-line menu - this is just a snapshot of what's available. The menu is also accompanied by decent wine selection. The only drawback is the restaurant's location. Not tourist-friendly (but maybe that is a bonus for more savvy visitors and locals?) A good 15 minute walk from Clapham Common Tube Station. Either take a taxi or rely on your mobile phone's GPS to find it! Don't miss this little gem. read more

Santa Maria del Sur - Steakhouses Near Me - London, XGL

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Even though I came here just once, my experience was pleasing enough for a five star rate. This place is lovely, warm and very neat. From the moment I arrived, to the moment I left, the service was fantastic and super friendly. As a meat lover, I must say I have eaten some fantastic steaks in London before, but nothing even comes close to the steak I've had here. It was delicious and perfectly cooked. The meals here are what definitely make the place. I left pleasantly filled up and willing to try everything on the menu. I already know I'll be coming back... The cheesy thing is the restaurant is located in South London and 'Del Sur' basically means 'from south'. read more

Everyone knows not to mess with an Argentinean steak so I was wondering how Santa Maria would turn British beef in South American heaven. They do it well. And medium and rare. Steaks are juicy and tender - not the very best I've tasted but certainly worth a recommendation. The wine list is really good with most wines, if not all, coming from Argentina. The setting makes the food more enjoyable too. It's busy and buzzy, the staff are friendly, with lots of Spanish being thrown about adding to the mix. I ignored starters to rather indulge in a milk toffee cheesecake. It was delicious. read more

This place is right up there in my carnovore's guide to London and you will struggle to find a better piece of red meat than their fillet. Santa Maria Del Sur does fantastic steaks and is well worth a visit. I was torn between offering 4 or 5 stars for this place. The steak is as good as you will get in London, but there were just a few things that pushed me towards a 4. The service was not very good and we sat at a plkey little table in the corner. Also (very pedantic) I wanted some sauce for my steak (I didn't like the Argentinian sauce) but we could not get the rude waitresses attention. The food was very good. The chips (ala provencial) were tasty and the steak divine. The fillet was sublime and the sirloin and rump are both very good. They do mixed grill (to share) which includes sirloin, rump, sausage, black pudding and cheese. We didn't have this, but the table at the side of us did and it looked wonderful. When I go back (a good sign) I'll be sure to try this. You WILL need to book in advance for this place. You may get a table at 6pm or 9.30 a couple of weeks in advance, but if you want a table at 8p(ish) then you'll need to book months in advance. If you are a red meat lover then you simply must try this place. The steak was some of the best I'd had. read more

You'll read other reviews harping on about how this place has "OMG THE Best Steaks EVA!!!", "The food is just AMAZEBALLS!", or "I saw this on the f-word!". It seems people have run out of superlatives to describe it, and that by virtue of appearing on a telly program (presented by a celebrity chef whose restaurants serve pre-prepared food) means it must be good. Well.... s'alright. It's not amazeballs, and neither is it donkeyballs. To risk stating the obvious, it's not a place to take a veggie (or indeed pescatarian). Nevertheless, we took one, and she plumped for the fish option. It was a beheaded trout (not a tuna steak, as the online menu says), it wasn't really cooked that well, and didn't come with what it said it would. But blah blah blah, we're not here to talk about fish, we're here to talk about slabs of succulent steak... ...or at least I wish we were. Two of us shared a Parrillada Piazolla: 11oz Argentine Ribeye steak + 10oz grilled Argentine Rump steak + 2 Argentine-style sausages + Black pudding + Provolone cheese Almost £50's worth of meat and cheese arrives on a sizzly tray thing, heated underneath by glowing charcoals. Yes, it has an 'oooh factor', but if you think about it, steak is much better when left to rest for 10 minutes, right? I guess their thinking is that it's a fair amount of meat, and that it'd go cold if it wasn't heated by something. But the result is that the steaks aren't in peak condition when they arrive, and who's going to plonk the steak onto their plate and wait ten minutes before eating it? Perhaps the individual steak orders are rested before they're served, but for the platters, this method doesn't do the meat justice. Yes, it's tasty meat. Yes, the chips are good. But the little details aren't looked after, and at a little over £100 for three people (inc. an £18 bottle of wine), it's not cheap for what is essentially a jumped-up barbeque. The service was brusque, and didn't really justify the discretionary 12.5% tip, if I'm being super-critical and tight. I'm sure there's better steaks out there, I just haven't found them yet. Maybe one day I'll re-mortgage my non-existant house for a square inch of kobe beef to see what the best tastes like. NICES: * Extensive (if expensive) Argentinian wine list. * Jolly atmosphere. * (Potentially) tasty food. NASTIES: * Service is so-so. * Not really veggie friendly. * Awful bovine-related "paintings" that look like they were fashioned from assorted piles of dung and sticks. read more

Nice and cosy atmosphere with good music. Had a few cheeky cocktails which were very tasty. I enjoyed the Picada Santa Maria (feeds 4ish) and ordered another which was a big mistake because I didn't have enough room for my steak and sides. But overall, had a delightful experience. read more

Santa Maria del Sur - Picada Santa Maria. - Steakhouses Near Me - London, XGL

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I really wanted to love this place. There has been so much hype, esp amongst us south west londoners, that I was highly anticipating an amazing steak dinner. I was also thinking maybe my perception of the food wasn't as good because I spent quite a lot of time in France having deliciously cooked steak frites. (I did have steak for lunch and dinner the day before in Bordeaux). Okay, my biggest problem with steak houses in London is that they never get medium rare right (except the Popeseye in Putney). I had the Corazon de Cuadril (rump steak with mash and porcini mushroom sauce). The flavor was amazing but the steak was just way too tough for my liking. It was a bit pink but far from medium rare. I feel like I've almost given up on telling the restaurant how I want my steak cooked because it always comes out medium well. If you like garlic, definitely try the garlic and parsley chips. I am willing to give this place another shot. Maybe order the fillet instead and maybe start requesting my steaks to be rare (might get medium instead!). read more

This is a fantastic argentine steak place in Battersea - I'd say they offer one of the best steaks you can get in London, really. Open charcoal grill, very tasty chunks of meat, really all you'd ask for. Pricing is great, too - you'd pay about half of what you'd pay in Gaucho, with the meat being just as good. Good selection of argentine wines. The atmosphere is ok, but tables are relatively close together. Service was ok and friendly. Don't expect a super fancy place - feels more like a family run place, really. The only real downside (for me) is the location - I wished it was closer to my place. One of my favourites! read more

Mmmm... big juicy steak! Their flame grilled steak is out of this world. Not sure it's worth the month and a half advance reservation it requires to secure a table for 2 on a weekend at a regular dinner time here, but once you dig in, you kind of forget that. They do have some sauces you can take in addition but NOT required. Actually preferred my filet without. Their apps were tasty, enjoyed the fire grilled chorizo and empanadas and their dessert (dulce de leche pancakes) were all delicious, wine not so bad (they do actually have a bit of choice by the glass if you're not in the mood for a whole bottle). Definitely recommend giving it a try if you can get a reservation! read more

Often when I've been to steak restaurants the steak is amazing and the rest is fairly average...not in this case! Not only was the steak one of the best I've eaten, but the sides, veggie options and cocktails were all great too. The Parrillada Deluxe comes out to your table still sizzling on a mini grill along with some delicious provolone cheese (I do love cheese), and was a really generous portion for the three of us that shared it. I'd recommend the butterbeans too - very tasty. Our waiter was fairly new and didn't have the best knowledge of the menu or wines but the overall atmosphere was relaxed and we weren't rushed out of our seats at the end of the meal. I'd definately go again, despite it being kind of out of the way for someone who doesn't live in the area. read more

Still 5 stars. FIVE juicy, tender, slightly charred, delicious stars. I do have a lot of love for this place. read more

Truly an amazing meal and experience. I ordered a shared meal, a mouth watering ribeye and a juicy sirloin both cooked perfectly and sitting on top of a miniture grill with hot coals powering it. A very interesting talking point and lots of fun. They have a fantastic selection of Argentinian wines, as a red wine drinker myself they had a great variety. I will definitely be returning again. read more

Walking in off the street one Sunday lunchtime, we were lucky enough to snag a table for two in a rapidly filling dining room. Sharing a starter of full bodied Serrano ham and palm hearts ( think of something along the lines of artichoke in texture and flavour), we moved on to the main event the finest beef I have eaten in london. Indeed my steak was comfortably in my top three pieces of red meat I've eaten. No effete Wagyu here, lardy-@rsed after mincing round some bovine health spa, nor a named breed a simple choice of ribeye, sirloin, or rump, or the finest quality. I don't care where it came from it deserved a First Class seat from Buenos Aires ( although the prices do not reflect this). Order it blue and be met with an approving nod from the friendly staff. If you want it well done, leave you're in the wrong restaurant ( there's a small selection of vegetarian dishes and some fish, but you'll miss the point of a place like this). Gorgeous. I recently had occasion to visit on a weekday lunchtime it was my birthday, so you can probably tell the esteem in which I hold this place. I took care to book. However, for a Friday, I was quite surprised that we were the only diners. I don't mean that there weren't many others, I mean we were the only people. What was more, it was pretty clear they weren't expecting a busy lunch there were only two members of staff there, one in front, and one in the kitchen. This had no impact on either the quality of food, or of service it basically meant we had them both to ourselves. All that said, the meat was, again, excellent. Coming from a family that's been in the meat trade for more than 250 years, I've eaten one or two nice bits of meat. Sides were very pleasant too there chips with garlic and parsley are very moreish ( even if, since my other half is allergic to it, we dispensed with the parsley all done with good grace). Why does no-one else seem to do this ? The wine list, too, contains some real stars the Perdriel Privada is pretty special. Still, for two people eating mains, a couple of (admittedly large) glasses of the aforementioned, and coffee, the thick end of £100 does seem a bit steep. read more

Very good food (although perhaps not quite worth the price), but service not great (they're always packed with customers but not particularly attentive, you have to work to get the waiters' attention!) Oh, and there's a LOT of garlic going on. If you hate garlic, avoid this place! read more

London's best steak restaurant? Perhaps. I loved this place. The steak is renowned but the wine very much compliments as the starters were also welcome. This is an authentic Argentinian experience in South West London. Very much worth a visit. Just make sure you book well in advance otherwise you will be disappointed and you shouldn't be. Note to self for next time. Go for rare steak, the meat just melts in your mouth. read more

This was an amazing dining experience. The food was great and the service was even better. David was a spectacular server and was extremely nice. Whenever we come back to London we are coming here for sure. read more

I came here with my Dad and both My sisters as a treat. We were greeted warmly at the front door by the manager and shown to our table, towards the back of the dining room. We were made comfortable and we ordered our drinks, which were delivered very promptly. I ordered the 14oz Sirlioin cooked rare, my dad had the 10oz rump cooked medium, my sister Sam went for the 12oz Ribeye cooked medium and Kelly went for the 14oz Sirloin cooked Medium. To cap it off we all had the Beef Empanadas and 2 (quite large) portions of chips flavoured with parsley and garlic. The steaks were served with a delicious dipping sauce, with a taste similar to chimichurri, and it complimented the steaks perfectly. The bill (including 4 bottles of Corona) came to £119. Which i though was perfectly reasonable for London. All in all everything was excellent, the staff were very professional and courteous. A great experience. read more

I recently visited this restaurant with friends and had a great experience. The staff were polite & very willing to help us choose from their selection of steaks. We opted for a range of steaks, sirloin, rib eye and a meat platter. The Steaks were divine. The best steak I have eaten in a very long time. They are not cheap, but not excessively expensive and worth every penny. You do have to pay for side orders such as chips, salad etc and they were on the pricey side, but I would recommend not ordering too many. For 5 of us, we had 3 chips and one salad, that was far too much for us and we left quite a bit, 1 or 2 side orders would have been fine due to the size of the meat you get. My partner and I opted for The Parrillada Piazolla (min. dos personas) £22.00 per person 11oz Argentine Ribeye steak + 10oz grilled Argentine Rump steak + two Argentine-style sausages + black pudding + provolone cheese The waiter suggested we have 2 ribeye steaks instead of having one rump. Very glad we did, they were cooked to perfection. I would definitely go back. Go hungry! read more

The BEST steak in the whole of South London bar none!! Juicy and succulent Argentine beef Cooked perfectly and in full view of everyone that walks in the door! As with most steak restaurants the prices exclude any sides that you may want with your meat but it's worth the price in my opinion! Their garlic and herb chips are SUPERB! Definitely pricey but certainly worth the price tag! read more

I have been trying to go here ever since a colleague saw this place in the "f- word" and told me about it. But a combination of factors ... its located far away from everywhere and getting a reservation is difficult ... prevented me from visiting earlier. It took us ages to walk to Santa Maria del sur from Clapham Common on a bright saturday afternoon. But it wasn't too difficult to find.The distinctive red facade was a giveaway. I had expected a good steak but i was pleasantly surprised with our first order, the cocktails. My friend got an awesome margarita and the pisco sour that i ordered was about as good as the ones i have had in Callooh Callay. The cocktails were among the best i have had in a place thats not a specialized cocktail bar. This set a very pleasant tone for the rest of the meal. The rest of the meal involved a 14 oz argentine sirloin steak (which costs just £18). I wanted it well done. Normally this is all i would have needed to say. But here i was asked more questions. How juicy did i want it ... and what should be the colour on the inside of the meat (could i have it blue please ? :p) and so on. My steak was very very good. My friend wasn't sure of what to order and so the waitress explained to him the technical details of each of the cuts. He went for a smaller fillet. It cost a bit more than mine and i realized why when i took a piece from him. The meat was much softer and better than in my sirloin cut. They didn't offer us a choice of sauce or breads like Gaucho would have. But they did get us bread with blue cheese and cream and some chilli garlic sauce (at least that's what i could gather) that went remarkably well with the meat. We had ordered chips with parsley on the side. Though they were good, neither of us could finish it. We could barely move when we finished and were looking with awe at the table next to ours where the two men were already on their 3rd starter (plus beer). I wonder how they would have had their main course. I strongly recommend this place for top class steak and cocktails. But try to go for lunch ... this area can be quite creepy at night. read more

The place is located in a residential area, meaning that there are few other places around. The atmosphere is intimate and the staff is kind and super available. The meat is great, I especially recommend the Parillada deluxe to share (for minimum 2 persons). Price is not cheap, but is fair given the high quality of the steaks! read more

this place was awesome. after seeing it on 'the f word' over a year ago i vowed i had to go. some friends of mine live just down the street in battersea so a group of us went on a monday night for a belated birthday celebration. first, reservations. i was told they would be tough to get so we booked a few weeks ahead of time online and did a week day to avoid hassle. however, the place was not packed. if you were a table of 2-4 you probably could have easily gotten in just when you showed up. the place didn't fill up during the night, so i would definitely say week night is the way to go. next - the food. just amaze-balls. i wish they had a 4.5 star rating because my favorite steak place in london is still le relais de venice entrecote, but this was just great. we ordered the mixed meat platter, so you got different kinds of steak, black pudding, and some cheese all on a sizzling hot griddle served on your table. the meat was perfectly cooked and all the little sides we got were fabulous too. i know there are some other steak places that get rave ratings (ie. gauchos) but come with a much steeper price tag. i will happily stick to smaller places like this, that while not cheap, are worth every penny. read more

One of my fav steak places in the London! Really great food and service is excellent!

Really nice steak restaurant. Brilliant meat and wine. If you stay around here this is perfect for a cozy datenight!

Definitely the best steaks in London, you pay handsomely for the privilege though.

This is honestly the best meal I have ever had. I was staying at an airbnb and my host recommended this place. I was forewarned that I needed to make reservations. Being the last minute planner that I am, I showed up on a whim hoping to get seated. There weren't any tables available but they were very accommodating and made a table for me and a friend in the back. Our server was very attentive and wanted us to have the best experience. He had personality for days and made this experience even better. From our wine to our empanadas to our steaks... I couldn't ask for anything better! Y'all do yourself a favor and get the mushroom as a side (with cheese!!!) . I'm still raving about it! Hope you enjoy this place as much as I did. If I ever come back to London I will definitely be eating here again! read more

Very, very average and unbelievably overpriced - in fact a cynical, disgraceful rip off. Tasteless, tough steak, noisy unpleasant place, not one eighth as clever as it thinks it is. We looked forward to trying this place for months and went with a party of seven. The bill, with two bottles of horrid house wine, was £300. It wasn't worth a third of that. £14 for a starter plate of supermarket cheese and salami. Crude salad served without dressing. Garlic and parsley chips, which can be fantastic in decent Argentinian places, served with powdered garlic and no parsley. Bought-in, commercial deserts. Rubbish for the gullible, uncomplaining, witless Battersea gentry. Gordon Ramsay must be deluded - or the place has changed since he went. read more

This was a bit of an impromptu visit, so please forgive the lack of photos. This local Argentinian came recommended by a few people, so we were fairly excited to taste. We are both big fans of Gaucho so I guess Santa Maria del Sur had a lot to live up to. Unfortunately it didn't quite meet the grade. The glass fronted open kitchen displays a large tantalizing charcoal grill and every time we passed by the Empanadas would tease us. So naturally we couldn't disappoint those pequeño empanadas. Compact Chicken and beef pasties were delivered to the table steaming hot. Whilst tasty the pastry wasn't quite melt in your mouth. Summary of the main course was a big plate of sizzling meat. Presented on a charcoal-filled table BBQ box was a selection of sirloin steak, fillet steak, black pudding, pork sausage, and provolone cheese with a side of grilled mushroom filled with pesto. Most people know how important it is to rest meat before serving. It allows all the wonderful juices to redistribute and for the meat to de-contract. Well as one might expect from meat which is still being cooked when brought to the table, the meat was dry and tough. I'm not sure that's how the Argentinians would want it served. As for the rest, the mushrooms were chewy and the cheese tastless. Desserts are marginally better with a running theme of Dulche de Leche: cheesecake and a caramelised bread pudding. Who couldn't love the creamy sweetness of the dulche. The cheesecake was on the dry side though. At £102 for three courses and a bottle of wine for two this certainly wasn't a value for money meal. For this sort of cash we could have had a meal guaranteed to please at Gaucho. Food: 2/5 Meat must rest before serving really basic stuff! Service: 3/5 Friendly but average Environment: 3/5 Your average local restaurant read more

I love this restaurant. Whenever me and my wife get a chance we head down to Battersea to have the fantastic Steak thats on offer. We always buy the set grills that come with great tasting Chorizo, cheese and steak. The service is great and always friendly!! You should try this restaurant if you love meat. If your a vegetarian there is no point eating here!! read more

What a terrible experience Santa Maria Del Sur was Easter Monday. I had booked a table for my girlfriend and me, to celebrate her birthday. I had made the reservation for six pm and was told we are very busy; you can have a table but only for one and a half hour. This was ok, but we arrived at the restaurant at 5.55pm and they did not open the door until 6:10pm leaving us and others to stand outside on a horrible grey pavement and not a nice stretch of the Queenstown road. I should have known the night was going to be bad right then. We were seated by a professional guy but no smiles or welcome, or sorry to leave you standing outside a main busy road; and for opening late. The grill hadn't even been lit! As most people know it takes a grill at least half an hour to forty five minutes to reach the correct temperature. It seemed they were still preparing to open as customers were in their seats ordering. Really bad ethos. We ordered, I had the tuna steak at 6 15pm to start and asked for it to be left pink inside. It arrived at 6 45pm overcooked. We had waited 30 minutes for our starters; I didn't say anything. Next I asked for my fillet steak to be cooked medium, it arrived charred outside and red rare inside. When I cut in to the chips oil seeped out of them, obviously the oil hadn't been heated and was cold when the chips were put in. Then the insult to injury, the head guy comes and asks me if I mind moving from our table to one right at the back. He says he knows the grill was late in firing up, right there I reminded him also that they opened late, he then says "oh you came early." "I said no I got here for 6pm which was the time I was told to arrive at" he ignored that and said we can have dessert if we want to but at the table in the back. Now it seemed they didn't really want to open on Easter Monday, it was a half hearted attempt to run a professional busy restaurant, greed has got the better of them. Then they wanted almost £9 for indifferent (not rude but indifferent none the less) service on a £75 bill for two(without dessert and only one alcoholic drink)mm. I was not going to pay the service charge, but my GF reminded me how difficult a job this can be..blah blah. (before you start, I have waited tables and tended bar with 12 tills and 400 people on a night) So ok I rewarded them,ARRRRGH. Their sign outside says best steaks in London as seen on the F word, what rubbish! The success has really gone to their head and standards are dropping. I should have complained but for two reasons I didn't. One it was meant to be a special occasion for GF and I didn't want to ruin it for her. And second in my experience if a place is so busy and has fame currently on its side the management don't care about the complaints. They tend to be rather short sighted and think there are enough people who will keep coming. Not the few smart ones who read reviews though I hope. Save your money go elsewhere. read more

I'm a fan. If you are ever in the Battersea area I do recommend you check this place out. It does have it all. The staff are very friendly and the place has a family feel about it. Recommended. read more

Great steak / relaxed atmosphere / absolutely amazing Chimichurri !

What a terrible experience Santa Maria Del Sur was Easter Monday. I had booked a table for my girlfriend and me, to celebrate her birthday. I had made the reservation for six pm and was told we are very busy; you can have a table but only for one and a half hour. This was ok, but we arrived at the restaurant at 5.55pm and they did not open the door until 6:10pm leaving us and others to stand outside on a horrible grey pavement and not a nice stretch of the Queenstown road. I should have known the night was going to be bad right then. We were seated by a professional guy but no smiles or welcome, or sorry to leave you standing outside a main busy road; and for opening late. The grill hadn't even been lit! As most people know it takes a grill at least half an hour to forty five minutes to reach the correct temperature. It seemed they were still preparing to open as customers were in their seats ordering. Really bad ethos. We ordered, I had the tuna steak at 6 15pm to start and asked for it to be left pink inside. It arrived at 6 45pm overcooked. We had waited 30 minutes for our starters; I didn't say anything. Then I asked for my fillet steak to be cooked medium, it arrived charred outside and red rare inside. When I cut in to the chips oil seeped out of them, obviously the oil hadn't been heated and was cold when the chips were put in. Then the insult to injury, the head guy comes and asks me if I mind moving from our table to ones at the back. He says he knows the grill was late in firing up, right there I reminded him also that they opened late, he then says oh you came early. I said no I got here for 6pm which was the time I was told to arrive at he ignored that and said we can have dessert if we want to but at the table in the back. Now it seemed they didn't really want to open on Easter Monday, it was a half hearted attempt to run a professional busy restaurant, greed has got the better of them. Then they wanted almost £9 for indifferent (not rude but indifferent none the less) service on a £75 bill for two(without dessert and only one alcoholic drink)mm. I was not going to pay the service charge, but my GF reminded me how difficult a job this can be..blah blah. (before you start, I have waited tables and tended bar with 12 tills and 400 people on a night) So ok I rewarded them,ARRRRGH. Their sign outside says best steaks in London as seen on the F word, what rubbish! The success has really gone to their head and standards are dropping. I should have complained but for two reasons, one it was meant to be a special occasion for GF and I didn't want to ruin it for her. And second in my experience if a place is so busy and has fame currently on its side the management don't care about the complaints. They tend to be rather short sighted and think there are enough people who will keep coming. Not the few smart ones who read reviews though I hope. Save your money go elsewhere. read more

When I first moved to Battersea, my housemate gave me the tour of the local area. What began as a long list of fabulous places to explore, shortened pretty abruptly when we went past the restaurant Santa Maria Del Sur. We were both glued to the window, gawping at the fat juicy steak chargrilling on the open grill, or parilla as they're called in South America and the handsome Latino chef casually flipping them over. Said chef looked slightly amused by us, gave us a cheeky smile and ushered us in. Sold. The phenomenal steak restaurant that is Santa Maria Del Sur, an Argentinian restaurant run entirely by Argentinians that specialises in flame grilled meat and hearty red wines. The restaurant won Gordon Ramseys F-word last year, just after the first time I went. The F-word gives awards to local eats who offer their clientele something different, special and grounded. This restaurant is exactly that. It offers a fantastic experience built around delicious simply cooked food, the trick being that everything on offer isn't played with. The ingredients are top quality and stand our for themselves, sometime enhanced with some fresh parsley, a slither of red pepper or a simple tomato and coriander salsa. The steak was (on both occasions) probably the best I've eaten. I've been to Argentina and apart from the prices and not being offered it by a gaucho in a poncho, the quality and freshness is comparable. The fillet was thick, smooth, smoky and rich and cut like velvet. The inside was pink and juicy whilst the outside remained slightly cripsy and caramelised. Each slice encouraged more and more salty and meaty juice to come trickling out, the perfect accompaniment to triple cooked crispy chips. To start, there was chorizo, firey and crumbly and empanadas, deep fried pastry parcels filled with spiced spinach and ricotta, fresh and fragrant. This was all set in warm candlelight washed down with top-class full bodied red wine from Malbec. The meal for two came to £70 for two starters, fillet steaks (only £18 each) with chips and a side salad that we really didn't need..I always try to sneak some green into my meals..and a bottle of wine. Only thing is we had to book a table 2 months in advance for my second visit.. The F-word may have not changed the quality, but sure has upped its popularity so always book in advance. Santa Maria Del Sur Queenstown Road, Battersea, SW8. read more

I had a really delicious meal at Santa Maria del Sur and really liked the atmosphere of the place. I'd recommend booking because it fills up pretty quickly and I think you'd struggle to get a table with one. My only criticism is that it is quite expensive, especially when factoring wine/drinks etc, but think it is worth it as a treat once in a while because the steak is great. read more