Unbeatable steaks!!! The whole experience is great, especiallly if you're lucky enough to get a monday booking with Live music to accompany a wonderful dining experience.

Great food!! We both had steaks and chose two sides to share, which was plenty – mushrooms and chips, both were delicious and steaks were cooked to perfection.
Service was great, waitress explained and recommended the perfect wine.

The only thing was that our booking wasn’t on the system when we arrived, however they managed to find us a table so it might be worth ringing ahead to confirm the booking.

Was a bit sceptical after reading some of the negative reviews but I would highly recommend it and will be back here again.

We visited this restaurant for my birthday on 23/10/10 having seen it on the F word last year - we were not disappointed by the food !
The starters were great and the steak was excellent, superbly cooked and good quality and cooked exactly as we requested.

Service was a bit lacking, especially given that the restaurant wasn't overly busy when we were there. The waiter was helpful but could have been a bit more cheerful. The starters arrived very quickly and the waiter seemed to be hovering a bit waiting for us to finish them, he even started to clear the table when one person on the table was still eating ! Given that the restaurant adds a 12% service charge to the bill the service received should reflect this charge and it didn't really manage it. A great dining experience is about service as well as the food.

Overall the restaurant is worth the trip out to visit and I would happily go again. If you like good steak and nice wine to accompany it then its worth the trip.

Dear Sir , Madam. My name is Gerardo and I am the manager of Santa Maria del Sur. I write this in response to some of the reviews I’ve read recently in several sites (some of them are, in reality, the same review, posted under different names in different sites)for those of you who wrote those fantastic emails and words of encouragement and compliments; a huge thank you. Unfortunately, bad reviews sound louder, so I am mainly writing to those whose reviews weren’t what we hoped for, and for those who are thinking of coming to visit us and upon reading these reviews, are thinking “ Oh dear. It doesn’t sound good”. First of all, I am really truly sorry if your experience at Santa Maria was not what you expected. I could sit here and write a defense of my restaurant but you’ve got your views and I, of course, respect that. Some of the points made are valid and help us get better, and on others I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree. However, there’s one particular comment which I read and I will 100 % refute and it’s what prompted me to write this. The success some people refer to, has not gone to our heads and we care greatly about our customers and their comments, particularly if they are not good. We are not a fancy restaurant or a flash, pretentious venue in the West End. We are a local restaurant in Battersea. That’s how we started and that’s the way we like it and how we’ll remain. Success or not success. Therefore, our customers and neighbors are all we have. New and existing ones; and them leaving happy is all we care about. Since December last year when we appeared on the F Word, we’ve seen a dramatic surge in the amount of customers we cater for. Our business changed and the way we used to do things had to change. It’s possible that somewhere along the way we made mistakes, or that on a given night, things didn’t go according to plan. When that happens, our customers have the right to be upset, but I can assure you, so are we. But whil

Well worth a visit, We made a trip especially to visit this fantastic place and we were not let down as the food staff service were all fantastic and I will not hear a bad word said about the place as I could not pick fault with the place and I am known to be pretty fussy when a restaurant is involved.

Book a table now You will not regret it

What a disaster! Me and my boyfriend have been trying to get a reservation at Santa Maria del Sur for over two months and finally we found a table for 18th may at 6:15. We arrived to this very dull and dirty restaurant (my plate was dirty and table un-wiped), which was empty after waiting months to book?!. The waiter was very cold and uninterested as we ordered. I ordered the sirloin medium and my boyfriend the rib eye. I could barely cut into my steak, even with a steak knife and found it very hard to chew, my boyfriends rib eye was very very raw and practically breathing. They forgot our sauces and after nearly finishing our steaks did they bring them over. After all the hype on Santa Maria del Sur on tv and by Gordon Ramsey (who is supposedly a michelin star chef with high standards) we were completely shocked and very disappointing and let down by Santa Maria del Sur which is supposed to be the best steak in london. The steaks had no flavor or any texture at all - seemed like we were eating very cheap cuts of meat. Also do not eat the mushroom, so salty, un-melted warm cheese on top - horrible! Overall extremely disappointed by Santa Maria del Sur and in Gordon Ramsey and feel like Santa Maria del Sur should have been on 'gordon Ramseys kitchen nightmares' not on the F word!

Santa Maria del Sur - Visited April 7th 2010

I booked months ago as I was taking my boyfriend there for a special anniversary. The night before I was looking up directions when I came across all the recent bad reviews for this restaurant. I was so worried I nearly cancelled as my boyfriend is very fussy when it comes to his steak and I didn't want him to be disappointed.

But in the end I did take him and boy am I glad! It was terrific.

We went on a Wednesday night and it was packed, but we were met at the door and seated immediately. Our waiter was along shortly and was friendly and courteous all night. My steak turned up slightly more pink than I wanted and it was no problem to take it back to the grill and cook it a little bit more. The chips were legendary and the chimichurri so good I nearly asked for the recipe...

Food was great, atmosphere was great. A solid performance from a very busy restaurant - take all the reviews with a pinch of salt and go and see for yourself...

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 ugly 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

We went there for Mother's Day, there were six of us including two small children (5yr and 3yr) and we couldn't have felt more welcome...what a fantastic restaurant, warm and welcoming and the food is fabulous...my dad said he's never tasted a steak like it...I think it would also be a great place in the evening when you could while away a good few hours with great food and a great ambience...will definitely be returning again...a "must" visit...

My partner and i visited the Santa Maria Del Sur on Monday 29th March 2010, We was encouraged to visit as we had seen it on the F-Word and live local. We arrived at 7pm and asked for a table, we were asked if we had made a reservation and then given a table right at the back of the restauarant next to the womens toilets.

We ordered two 8oz sirloin steaks cooked well done and asked for a side order of chips to be told that a machine had broken down so we couldn't have chips but no alternative was offered so we got black pudding, red pepper and salad as a side. When our food finally arrived nearly 45 minutes later my partner's steak was fine but mine was still pink, then half way though our meal were offered salt and pepper which we needed as our food tasted quite bland. Bearing in mind a man on the table next to us who came after us ate two courses and a coffee for dessert before we got our meals.

The staff didn't really make an effort, if anything we felt they looked down their noses at us and paid us no attention, just shoved us to the back of the resturant and left us to it.

After our meal which i left most of we asked for the bill which was given to us but then left for about 15 mins so in the end we had to go to the till where we paid for our meals. Then when we was walking to our car we walked pasted the window where they are cooking to see a big tray of chips after we were told there the machine had broken down.

I feel the F-Word has biggged this restaurant up to be nothing like it really is. The service was rubbish and so was the food. We was in the restaurant for a total of one hour and a half and only had one course with some sides and i drink. We paid a total of £40 the come out unhappy and still hungry. I would not recommend this to anyone and will never visit again. I just wish i had read some of the reviews on the restaurant before we went, instead of basing it on what i sore on the t.v.

Where to start .... My Fiance and I didn't actually get to sample any food at Santamaria but my review is based on our experience of the staff and management.

Having booked a table two months in advance for Saturday 30th January 2010, we set out for our 18:30 reservation at 17:00 (we live 1 hour drive away but decided we would try this restaurant following their appearance on The F Word) and unfortunately hit some very heavy traffic coming into London, owing to roadworks.

We called the restaurant to advise that we would be dining, but that we were already running 10 minutes late, but would keep them updated (which we did-twice).

Eventually we arrived 45 minutes late and were 'greeted' by a very rude waitress who abruptly informed us that 'The manager deals with this sort of thing', pointing us to a gentleman with long hair and earrings at the counter.

Hungry, tired and generally harrassed by the traffic situation, we were looking forward to a good meal and a glass of Coke, when we were utterly astonished to be told by the gentleman that the restaurant's policy is to wait no longer than 15 minutes for their customers, and that he had given our table away.

We politely explained that we had not only contacted the restaurant thorughout, but that we had driven specially from outside of London, for the better part of 2 hours and that we were assured on the phone that our table would be held (which was greeted with a shrug of the shoulders).

The worst part about out romantic evening out was being offered what seemed to be a staff table next to the toilet, if we "still wished to dine" at his establishment, leaving us feeling insulted and publicly humiliated (other diners looked shocked).

We 'dined' at 10pm that night - our local KFC wasn't our first choice but at least they didn't hold a stop-watch while we took the money out of our wallets to pay, and I have to say the Hotwings were the best I ever tasted.

Unquestionably the best steak I have had in London, much better than Gaucho and the staff are some of the friendliest I have come across too. I highly recommend this place.

We went here for my boyfriend's birthday and it was absolutely lovely. The atmosphere is intimate and friendly and completely unpretentious.

We had cocktails to start, which were excellent, and not too expensive. The empanadas to start were delicious, although there isn't much else on the starters menu.

That didn't matter though, as they were so good. Then for the steaks. Best in London. No doubt. Really good south american wine list as well.

Great service with really friendly staff, excellent food and a lovely authentic atmosphere. I can't wait to go again.

This restaurant is great, i have visited 3 times since discovering it and have had a fantastic meal each time.

The food is to die for, especially the steaks. The service is also great and you always leave feeling very full, happy and looked after!!!