Comedor Grill & Bar

We visited the Comedor on a whim to try have something a bit different. We had eaten at some steakhouses in London and as an Australian are quite spoilt for good cuts of beef which had become apparent throughout the week. This was the first place I was completely overwhelmed with the quality of meat and the spectacular cooking.
The service was a bit slow to start but as there were only 2 waitresses available we gave them some leniency on that. The staff were friendly and respect the meat when one of our companions ordered a particular cut of meat to be done ‘well done’ she told him that will become very tough and suggested a cheaper cut which would benefit more from his preferred cooking method, something he very much appreciated.
We grabbed some empanadas too and were just as good as the meat, but you cannot go past the steak. The fillet was a clean cut with good marbling and at a ‘medium rare’ cooking method was just perfect. Even later on I could feel it comfortably in my stomach not sitting heavy like many poorer cuts you would find.
If you are after a meal it would be worth the cab trip out from central London. I very rarely give more than a 4 star rating as I feel most places can improve to find that 5 star rating, the Comedor would be struggling to improve from here short of slightly, and I mean slightly, building on the service.

Really good and proper steak house — Argentina style. They have the usual rump, sirloin steaks which are cooked really well, but they also offer the commodore cuts. The 700g steak is a monster. The sides are good also, complimenting what is already a hearty meaty meal. Wine is key and signifies whether you are eating at a good or bad steak house, and it certainly helps if the staff can help. They also serve wagu beef.
Service is on point, venue nice and cosy, I really dislike restaurants where they cram seats and tables, here for a change and for a long time, felt I can breathe and enjoy my dinner.
Importantly Mondays is half price steak and grille evening excluding the wagu, and it is awesome. Been a while of going out to dine well, and being excellent value for money.

Really, really good steaks and friendly service. The cheesecake was also delicious. Only downside was that the service was a bit too quick for us but I guess we could have asked for more of a space between courses. Definitely recommend and they take the tastecard so can get a good deal if you use that.

Great place.
The atmosphere is very nice and cosy. The service is friendly and quick and the food is excellent. We had two types of steak and they were perfect. Even the presentation was nice to look at. It was a great experience altogether.

This place is a real steakhouse — excellent taste, cut, and quality of all meat dishes on offer. Also if you like steak tartare their take on it is absolutely phenomenal. It’s topped with gherkins, and comes with a quail egg to pour on top after mixing. Really impressive presentation and consistently good plating on all occasions I’ve dined there. Sides are also very good, the asparagus has one of the better Hollandaise sauces I’ve tasted. The chips are thick cut and served hot and fresh. The sautéed spinach was great, as was the mozzarella salad.
As for which cut of meat to order? I’ve tried almost all of them, and they’re all outstanding. I would say that the asado is my favorite. Their asado is prepared sous vide, and is more like delicious rib meat than a traditional steak — if you like that sort of thing damn is it ever delicious.
The bartender is very skilled, and you can tell he takes a lot of pride in his work when you request that a drink to be prepared a specific way, and it exceeds your expectations every time. Both the mojito and margarita were great. I would have liked to see the beers they have listed on the menu, but that’s not a big deal.
Dine here and you will not be disappointed, will be great for a romantic night out, or dinner with a group of friends. Probably not the best place to bring kids. On Monday night all of their steaks are half off, so that’s pretty awesome.
¹⁰⁄₁₀! Will eat here again very, very soon!

Really cool bar (restaurant).
The Food is delicious, if you’re a Unilocaler you’ll get one free Cocktail ;-)
Staff is nice and since you order something you’ll get a mojito jelly cube for free to taste.
Free wifi available

During my visit to London (August 2013) I only ventured into this place because most of the other restaurant were crowded and I didn’t want to wait. Boy was I glad… I had the Veal, Mushrooms, Broccoli and the Dulce for dessert. Very flavorful, fresh and well seasoned. If I am back in the area, I will definitely eat here again.

Comedor is yet another Upper Street gem! Until very recently, I was loyal Garufa customer, but when I stumbled across this delightful establishment, I figured it was worth a try — especially because they accept Taste London and Gourmet cards. The ambiance is cool and quirky. Tables are strewn about at strange angles, lights are dimmed low and the kitchen boasts a glass window so you can keep your eyes on the chefs. As far as Argentine grill goes, this place is rockin! Their menus are quite sizeable and the portions are awesome! Steaks start at 300g… holy moly! I usually go for 225, but I dutifully accepted the challenge of a 300. Super hungry eaters (or Man V Food fans) can attempt the 800g steak, however, I watched my massive water polo playing friend attempt and fail — so hungry man be warned… it’s tough! They cook their steaks on the rarer side (a good thing) and are always happy to advise on cuts and sizes. Sides include all of the usual trimmings… chips, vege and carb. The mashed potatoes are out of this world — fantastically fattening! Service is superb, as is the wine list. Prices are very reasonable (especially with a discount card), and all in all, it”s great place to chow down! Sorry Garufa… you’ve been replaced in my books!

*I’m not sure if it has been corrected, but the check-​in deal for Comedor is not correct anymore. They still honored mine when I had dinner, but I can’t guarantee they’ll do it for everyone.*
I was in Comedor for dinner a few nights ago with a friend, and we shared a lovely three course meal. We shared prawn and potato appetizers, I had an amazing tomato and goat cheese salad, and we shared a delicious chocolate dessert that really topped the whole experience off. The food was great, easily on the high end of the gourmet spectrum which I eat, and a really nice meal for the price.
The service was good, almost too attentive though, as several times when my friend and I were catching up, they kept trying to take our orders. I can’t blame them for that though; it’s better they keep checking in than not check in at all!
Overall, it was a delicious meal with good service and great company. It was my friend’s first recommendation via Unilocal,so I’m glad to report she did a good job. Previous reviewers have done well, and I’m just chiming in to report the same: Comedor is a great choice on Upper Street.

Really nice South American restaurant on Upper Street.
Have passed it so many times, never gave it a second glance, but we were looking for some steak in Islington and found this restaurant on the net.
It’s a gem of a place, especially in a city that is fast becoming a place for finding the next big hipster venue with the longest queue outside. Sadly, these places don’t always deliver on taste and value. Thank god for places like Comedor!
Really great South American seafood and steak menu. Fresh food, excellent value, unpretentious, lovely staff and a really cosy environment — ambience ¹⁰⁄₁₀!
Really recommend it!

May I just mention that I very rarely write a review to a
restaurant (although I dine out quite often), however Comedor definitely
deserves praise. Comedor was highly recommended by a friend of mine and most
certainly lived up to my expectations. As soon as you walk in, you could almost
immediately feel the incredible atmosphere, easy to adjust to, whatever the
mood. The service was exceptional; nothing is too much trouble for the staff. Comedor s unique menu is most certainly refreshing. The food was
exquisite, absolutely had the WOW factor, and the presentation of the food was
absolutely amazing. For starters we shared the Prawns Stuffed Calamar and the
Quinoa Stuffed Aubergine, both mouth watering. I had the fillet stake for main
course which was absolutely out of this world, cooked to perfection. The Dark
Chocolate Torte was the perfect finish to my dinner; just a small slice will
satisfy any sweet tooth. I would most definitely dine there again, and would
highly recommend it to anyone who wants an amazing dinner/​night out at a very
affordable price. Absolutely incredible!!! Thank you to all the staff! Sanya Child

Passed by your place last night after a drinks with a friend got very distracted by the delicious aroma wafting out
of your super cool kitchen (liked the fact you can see the cooks at work through the huge glass window). Food and flavours very good, interesting but not over powering. Don’t know a
huge amount about really authentic South American food and always worried it could be quiet heavy, but we had the most delicious Pollock and a light, tasty Salad to share with the Calamari, defo coming back again. And once
winter is here we’re trying that steak!

I’ve noticed this new restaurant for the past few months, but ventured in yesterday for a dinner date.
Though we were the only two in the restaurant for a while, we couldn’t understand why. Because…
(1) The restaurant is beautiful. The atmosphere is very homey. Think wooden surfaces with touches of color.
(2) The prices are about the average prices of surrounding restaurants.
(3) The large windows make it a great place for a summer’s meal to enjoy the sun and people watch.
(4) Our server was very polite and personable.
(5) An AWESOME bar. + Good wine list.
In addition to all those reasons, our food was great! They specialize in cuts of beef. I had a burger that was well seasoned and cooked to my liking (medium well). It was served with a delicious home-​made relish made with sweet red-​peppers. I’d come back just for the relish… hahah. They also gave us a small sample of yucca (cassava) chips to try. Surprisingly, delicious! They are hand-​cut and fried then lightly seasoned. They taste like a really dense chip. And are quite addicting.
We will definitely be back to try the other menu items! I have my eye on the steaks with a side of yuca chips paired with one of their yummy homemade sauces.
P. S. We also learned that it was formally «Los Mojitos» and this family has been in the restaurant for almost 20 years!

We (My family and I) used to eat in this restaurant a lot when it was La Piragua and thought we would try it again recently. The interior is a lot better, however, the food is a BIG step down. Their speciality is supposed to be steak I strongly disagree. My husband is a big meat hand and had the Churrasco, which was a big let down. He said it was tasteless and would never pay the money for it. I had the burger which was near enough raw and also lacking flavour. I thought things would be on the up for dessert as I have a sweet tooth, sadly that was not the case. The figs were vile and the ‘fruit platter’ wasn’t up to much either, it was more like a tinned fruit salad. However, that was not my first choice, my first choice was something else which the waiter advised me not to order as it had been lying since a few days before.
Another bad point about this restaurant is the service. There are too many waiters who have a serious lack of English and they all seem to be floating about doing nothing. I was also sitting near to the kitchen and it was too hot.
On the plus side, the cocktails were good. However, I couldn’t bear to stay in the Restaurant long enough to try any more.
I am unsure as to why the standard of food has declined. Maybe it is because it is now owned by someone who is not from South America (as one of the waiters informed me) and has a lack of knowledge about the South American cuisine, unlike the previous owner. Needless to say, I won’t be back and would strongly recommend you not to go either. P. s I gave one star as it was compulsory, one star rates this place too high.

I recently ate at this restaurant. My partner and I really fancied a steak and, being regular visitors to the area (as we live in Highbury), we decided to try this place as we knew that it had only recently changed and the owners were no longer the same. I have read the comments above and am somewhat surprised because I thought the best thing about this place was the service (and the empanadas). I really, however, did not enjoy my steak I ordered the Churrasco which I have eaten in many places in London and it was flavourless, tough and just not very nice. At times, I felt like I was chewing on a piece of leather. My partner had the Sirloin which she thought was acceptable but nothing special. For this reason I have given the place two stars. It will struggle on Upper Street at this rate.

Comedor Grill and Bar has replaced La Piragua or at least they have given the place a massive interior redesign. The kitchen is now glass fronted and the lighting (at least at the back) is green. Unfortunately neither works. Maybe they were having an off day, having just opened this week, but the whole evening was pretty laughable. The multitudes of staff appeared clueless forgetting to ask how we wanted our steak cooked is a fundamental part of working in a steak restaurant and confused about important things like who ordered what or which plates/​glasses were finished. The waiters mostly stood about watching although they did manage to spill drinks (on someone), attempt to clear unfinished wine glasses and cram into the kitchen. The kitchen (now visible) was always crowded with staff but it was hard to tell what they were doing. The food arrived at random times, cooked to varying degrees and we observed several dishes sent back. It was odd things like the mains arriving but the accompanying (cold) sauces taking another five minutes. The food itself was OK but nothing special. The steaks weren’t particularly juicy and I have definitely had better elsewhere (A La Cruz, Garufa or Buen Ayre). The sides were small. It was reasonably priced though. What was particularly odd was, at the end, we were asked How was everything? and replied it wasn’t perfect to be told well you are a big party. There were seven of us. Why ask if you don’t want to know?