La Figa

An small Italian restaurant that serves good food and wine with a friendly personal service. Price is reasonable and quality excellent.

As a local in Limehouse I've been going to La Figa for 10 years and was proud to take lots friends and family there over the years, all who have raved about how lucky i am to have such a fantastic place on my doorstep. However the last few times i have been i've noticed a decline in several areas. Whats left of the original staff is probably what is keeping this place going. After having a very disappointing meal the other day a new member of staff asked me if I enjoyed my meal and when i said no he walked off half way through me explaining why i was disappointed. The dish was on the specials menu, so over twenty quid and was described as Sicilian seafood pasta. The pasta had no taste, much like the gluten free muck you can buy in the supermarket and the seafood consisted of all mussels with three clams. My fellow diner ordered the sea scallops linguine in a brandy and cream sauce, a dish she has enjoyed many times before. It was tastless and the scallops had a distinct overpowering smell of what i can only describe as “farmyard”. She luckily only had half of the 6 scallops and left the rest as did I making it fairly obvious that we were very unhappy with our meal. It took ages for the £41.00 bill to come and bearing in mind we had no booze, 1 starter and tap water we were furious. We told the girl on the desk who was very pleasant. She said because she had put the bill through she couldn't offer any discount but would we like a free baileys instead. We declined. I feel sorry for the people who work so hard at trying to keep La Figa a fantastic place to go and i feel sad that i won't be returning any time soon. I'm hoping Il Bordello will be as good as i remember La Figa being over the years.

Very mixed reviews. We all have different tastes/ideas//views…but I'm going to be as honest as I can. La Figa is the sister restaurant to Il Bordello. They like to stick to their sittings… 07.30 – 9.30pm…and then the late shift. …but it's not LAW . You do have to book though . .It's a busy vibrant place …for me that isn't a bad thing. .It's not a tinkling of cutlery or quiet conversation type place, .Contemporary design to the place and as you enter you see this long bar that caters for the pre dinner drinks..(some prefer to actually eat at the bar..) I think table cloths would be nice…but that's a me thing. .They are Italian to the core…warm smile …very busy aura about the place ..rushing here…rushing there. They like to sit you , serve you and then move on. But it's all done very politely and with good heart… thats the way they are. Quite an extensive menu with a specials one attached. They serve all the pasta dishes you can shake a stick at. …cooked anyway you want it…and yes…they are LARGE portions. If you have 3 teenage sons then this is the place to go haha ! We have always been greeted warmly and with a smile. The one time the table wasn't ready..it wasn't an issue… a free to drink always helps a 20 min delay .. If I have any pasta dish I always ask for a 1/2 portion..I literally cant eat the protions they serve. Hey …big portions you can leave…small ones you can't change. So when you sit and see the food that is served at the table next to you… ask for the size you want. …simples ! Last visit I asked for a child portion of arrabiatta and then had the claves lives for main …bof of which were cooked freshly and served piping hot. My partner had grilled fished with lemon and garlic sauce ..again not bad at all. If something isn't right…they'll change it for you.. Waiter service is fine…A quick raise of a hand is soon approached. The manager is constantly walking and observing. I personally don't mind the place. No I wouldnt go there every week…but once in a while,,,or with people who have big appetites it's a good deal. Yes it is very good value for money. . yes it is worth a visit…yes I will go back …

La Figa is okay for a cheap and cheerful night out with the kids.

I Couldn't disagree more with Liz review below! This is one of my local restaurants and really deserves a good review! First they make you feel like part of the family, all Italians! they are very polite, nice and happy waitress. The food is amazing! Huge portions plus excellent quality. I had a veal and my hubby had a steak and we were both very happy with our meals. Dessert was amazing as well. Very good value for money as well if you compare it to other restaurants where for the same price you get half of the portions! Overall Excellent and highly recommend it!

This is a very noisy restaurant that seems to focus on the quantity of portion size rather than quality. It's all very quick, impersonal and tasteless. Plus you have to walk through the wall of smokers standing outside. It's cheap, and if that's what you are looking for, why not bring the whole family – everyone else does.