1 /5 Victoria Holguin: Initially, I enjoyed visiting El Dorado because of its beautiful and aesthetically pleasing interior, which sets it apart from other Colombian restaurants in London that do not prioritise this.
The food was tasty and authentic, but I have a bone to pick with the service. I was served by the same young waitress twice, who made me feel unwelcome, unsettled, and uncomfortable with her poor attitude and general rudeness. Service is a huge part of the dining experience, and while I would recommend the food, the service spoiled my last three visits. On one occasion, I had a particularly upsetting experience. I ordered sancocho de gallina, one of my favourite Colombian soups. However, I was served gallina with hairs still in it, and the soup was swimming in oil. When I raised this issue with the waitress, I was rudely confronted by the chef, who stormed out of the kitchen and approached me aggressively, insisting that this is how it is supposed to be served and was very argumentative about it. Despite being Colombian and a chef myself, she was Portuguese and claimed to know how Colombian food should be served. To make matters worse the restaurant was full and it was a deeply embarrassing experience, one that no customer should ever be subjected to.
On my last visit, I ordered arepa de chocolo, one of my favourite appetisers. However, what I received was a bowl of corn swimming in cheese and an excessive amount of melted butter. I asked the waitress if she could resolve this issue and provide me with what I wanted, but she refused and made me pay for it, despite me not eating any of it and not offering to replace it with another dish from the menu.
