Jamie’s Italian

Service was good but the food wasn’t. I think it was microwaved and it was very expensive.

My family and I went for a quick lunch here (although I have been for dinner here before). The restaurant itself looks nice from the outside. On the inside: the bottom floor is quite dark, which can make for a decent atmosphere I suppose, and upstairs is much more light and bright.
The food was prices decently, however I would question the value for money. I had the calamari as a starter, and carbonara for my main. The calamari was surprisingly good. However, the portion of the carbonara was less that generous, and is was very salty; enjoyable nevertheless.
The service was definitely the best part of the experience as a whole. The waiter was excellent; very prompt, thoughtful, and never left us too long without asking if we needed anything (but not in an annoying manner). Small things like refilling water without asking really make a big difference.
Overall, good experience, decent atmosphere and food, excellent service (both times). Would recommend to book a reservation beforehand.

Small pasta portions be sure and order starters. I had a great ravioli with fresh sweet peas and mint.
Great atmosphere. Indifferent service but I am from the states no different than most places in England.

I went here with some friends and we tried to call and make a reservation a head of time but no one picked up the phone. We finally went there and they said, «oh yeah the phone is in the back» Why would they not have a phone up front and the desk to take reservations?!
So we waited forever when there were so many empty seats around! Service was OKAY. I had a crab pasta dish. TERRIBLE. WAY too much garlic… I thought my mouth was on fire. Don’t do it. I have always loved Jamie Oliver’s recipes. But not his restaurants… The Tiramasu was bad too…

I have created a Unilocal profile only for the purpose of start giving my opinion about restaurants, hotels, whatever is allowed here. So, I had heard from friends that this place was not good. But I stopped here because it was the closest to the Friary parking lot and we wanted air conditioning (it was super hot out). I ordered Joole’s Tuna pasta and my mother ordered the rabbit ragu one. NOTHING special. None of them. Very plain. Lacked flavour, even salt… My nephew’s mac and cheese was very dense and not creamy at all. He lives in California and even Panera or going a little higher, like Tommy Bahama, the comparison is impossible. This mac and cheese seemed old. It came with the most atrocious salad (chopped celery, lettuce and some carrots pieces) in a hermetic container. The ice cream was so creamy we didn’t even finish it. Oh, the posh fries were ok, just had a little bit of grated cheese on top. I am not recommending it at all. I cook much better than that and refuse to pay for a mediocre meal. I did pay though, but next time, I will stick to the known like Zizzi or Loch Fyne. The service was ok. The waiter forgot the spoon, the kid’s drink and took a while to pick up the money. It was not even busy.

Jamie’s in my opinion gets a 3.5 score. Some dishes are are good, others are average. Most of the time, we found the service to be cheerful but during busy times, staff tend to be less attentive. This isn’t a fine dining place so I don’t expect first class service.

I have to be harsh but honest here. I felt very let down by my visit which is a shame because I hold Jamie very highly. The food was good BUT the staff were not very helpful. We were seated very quickly after walking in which was a good start but then we waited for around 10 minutes before anyone came to take a drinks order this was even more annoying due to the fact that three members of staff stood chatting even ignoring our attempts to make it known we were waiting (and before you say it, yes i am certain they were on duty) finally a very flustered young man rushed over to take orders. Seemed like he was running around while the three other stood and watched. finally they slowly began to help after a few other customers complained. The food was good but the lack of management and service really let this place down. Sorry but very much a let down.

Was traveling in Guildford for business and this restaurant was recommended by the local facilities manager. I mostly enjoy Jamie Oliver’s cooking shows, but had never been to any of his restaurants.
Overall, I was pretty unimpressed. It was okay, but not the type of place I would ever really care to visit again.
Started with the charcuterie, which was probably the highlight of the meal. Lardo and mortadella were very delicious, and I liked the mint/​carrot/​beet salad. I had the linguine with cockles and was very disappointed to learn that the pasta they use is dry, not fresh. The flavor was not very strongly developed, with the wine sauce it was served with being rather bland. The «posh» (shudder) fries are prepared with truffle oil, which makes me think that Jamie Oliver himself doesn’t really do the menus, which is a shame.
Finally, the service was generally pretty slow and would sometimes disappear for long periods of time while we wanted to order more drinks.

i went here on saturday night on a dinner date with my boyfriend.
the service was fantastic. it was extremely busy, but everyone that we dealt with was polite, courteous, and seemingly non-​stressed in an extremely busy environment. it really was service with a smile!
the calamari that we had as a shared started was probably the best i’ve ever had in my life. so tasty, and really high praise coming from me, as i do enjoy calamari.
i ordered the special seabass for my main. for £11.95, it was an extremely small portion of only one fillet of seabass, covered in a boring tomato sauce. the vegetables that formed part of the dish comprised of a quarter of a baby potato, and maybe a quarter of an onion. A seriously small portion, for a relatively large price. disappointing! i also thought that drowning the seabass in a tomato sauce was a waste of showing off how easy it is to beautifully flavour such a lovely fish.
my boyfriend had some sort of fried fish concoction which he enjoyed. with it, he ordered the funky chips. they were dry, overcooked, and not particularly hot. if i want to indulge in chips, i at least want them to be good — these were not!
we’ve been here once before, albeit it after a long day of boozing on the beach in brighton, and i thought the food then was better, so maybe the kitchen was just having an off night.
in any case, i would probably return to here, or to another jamie’s italian one more time, and if it still didn’t live up to my expectations, i will probably stop going altogether.

Bellini: below average
Rossini however very good
service outstanding
Anglesey Sea bass fresh and tasty
Grilled Chicken very tasty
Smokey Scamorza Arancini good
Posh Chips very good
Crispy polenta chips good
Cockles Linguine PERFECT
Salted Caramel Ice Cream with crashed nuts and seeds excellent
Tuscan Eat & Mess was ok
What I didn’t like was the water glasses were not that clean and turned upside down touching the table surface.
Toilets roomy and clean

Loud, busy, but lots of staff. Part of a chain. It was okay but somehow I was expecting more. Pasta was nice and fresh. Avoid Jamies world famous olives, what a rip off.

Above review with ONE star is not right. The guy dishes out one stars like sweeties so take with a pinch of salt — and phoning those in the land of the battered Mars Bar for an opinion on FOOD? Oh please.
Yes this place is busy (luckily we booked in advance) and yes there is a big queue. But the guys and girls serving us were outstanding, friendly, great with the kids (they were quite happy to let my daughter watch them make pasta and gave her bits to play with) and attentive.
Sharer plates were fantastic, they didn’t mind alterations to dishes (e.g. no cheese) and very tasty. All washed down with well-​selected beer and wine.
The only thing bad about this place was the noise — but that is kind of linked into the sort of place it is. Large place, busy, with an open plan kitchen — it’s going to be noisy. Those seeking intimate, go elsewhere, but for a busy and fun lunch venue it is good.

+ Freshly made pasta
+ Freshly baked bread
+ Lots of staff
+ Great for informal dining
— Fast-​food feel to the venue
This is part of the empire of Jamie Oliver, a well-​known British TV celebrity chef. I have never really liked Jamie’s advocacy on animal rights, so I went in there with hesitation.
The restaurant spans two floors, packed with tables and chairs through all available space. There is just enough space to walk around each table. The open and bright layout (especially on the second floor were we sat) meant it didn’t feel particularly claustrophobic, although we could always smell our neighbour’s food, which is good for advertising before one orders but can cause buyer’s regret if you didn’t order what the neighbouring table had!
The staff is friendly and numerous, so we were serviced quickly during our dining experience despite a packed venue (of over 100 diners on a Saturday lunch time). The menu has a good selection of starter, pasta, mains, desserts and drinks, each with scrumptious description to whet the appetite.
My boyfriend and I shared a starter of bruschetta with Devonshire crab with chilli, which was beautifully plated and came with generous quantity of crab atop freshly baked bruschetta.
I had the wild truffle tagliatelle and my partner had the scallop and squid ink angel hair pasta for mains. The tagliatelle was indulgent in flavour and consistency, while the angel hair pasta tasted of fresh seafood with a hint of chilis.
We saw fresh pasta being made and freshly baked bread going into an oven. The food we ordered were fresh and tasty, so perhaps the restaurant has picked up the slacks since the last review on Unilocal.I would say that the packed venue on Saturday also spoke for itself as a sign of quality.
Overall, I recommend this restaurant if you are in Guildford town centre and fancy some fresh pasta, especially if you are going as a large group. I wouldn’t go out of your way for it because the prices were a little high for the home-​y styled food, but at least you will walk away feeling full and satisfied.

Located at the city centre with parking slots nearby and easily accessible by bus. Interior is practical but stylish, it’s loud and crowded — a mix of canteen and restaurant but in a nice way. I enjoyed it compared to traditional restaurants where it is to quiet and formal.
The food is really, really good. Nothing too fancy but definitely worth its money. High quality ingredients and a small but great menu. I tried the Bruschetta as a appetiser and it literally made me cry — I was absolutely flooded with endorphins and couldn’t do anything but smile and hold back tears of joy. I know it sounds stupid, but I never felt anything alike during a meal. You must try it! I order it as dessert as well :)
You can check out the menu here:

The waitresses are very kind, charming and know all about the restaurant and its menu. Prices are fair and when you want to enjoy a night out a visit to Jamie’s is absolutely worth its money!

We visited at lunchtime during the week, and although the place was busy we were able to get a seat straight away. The canteen look red chairs, and tea towel napkins give the place a quirky atmosphere.
We all opted for pasta options, and whilst they were tasty enough, they were not exaclty mind-​blowing. The desserts on the other hand were amazing, I had the chocolate, ameratto and raspberry, it was gooood.
The thing which let this place down was the service, I don’t expect some cocky Italian waiter to ruin my lunch. I don’t think he spoke a word, just nodded his head with arrogance, and ignored us and the rest of the tables for most of the time! The small touches also let this place down, such as the foil stuck to my dessert still, and a piece of blue paper stuck to my friends Polenta cake.
I may try another location, and hold out hope, but i won’t be rushing back.

Part of chain, which in other Unilocal reviews got major raves. We went for lunch, large party, and tried most dishes with great expectations. Location chosen due to closeness to my sisters house in town.
Restaurant looks like an upmarket cafeteria, not too much to right home about but nicer than most family Italian interiors.
Service was good and friendly.
Now lets get down to what matters, Jaime you need to visit this location. May be we got it on a bad day but the food was plain awful. I ordered the «PAPPARDELLE MEATBALLS» — there was an abundance of cinnamon sprinkled around the plate which i wiped off (it certainly did not positively enhance the flavour), the pasta was not al dente it just wasn’t cooked, the meatballs were mushy and reminded me of bad school dinners. Thought i was alone in my thoughts but all 8 of us thought the same of our courses. I took two bites and left my food. I also called friends in Glasgow; you know what, same bad reviews up there. That tells me something is wrong in Jamie’s kitchen. Truly these locations need work if they hope to get those same rave reviews. Cant imagine recommending this restaurant or returning in this life time.