La Bontá

Having discovered this resauraunt and had such a good meal with friendly staff that I had a problem.....if too many people find it I will have to book well in advance to get a table in future!!
Don't take my word for it. Go and try it for yourself.

La Bontá

We’ve just eaten at La Bontá and were completely blown away.
How is it possible that such an awesome restaurant is located in the middle of a housing estate Little Canfield. If this restaurant were in London it would have a Michelin star.
The service is a model in how a restaurant should be run,
Open the front door for you ✔
Smile and greet you with a warm welcome ✔
Offer you a choice of table ✔
Menu and introduction ✔
Prompt service and never once had to get the waitress’s attention ✔
Everything served promptly ✔
Drinks glasses chilled ✔
The waitresses wear white gloves to handle your cutlery and serve your food – when did you last see that? ✔
I could go on, but you get the idea.
Now to the food. Simply and easily one of the best meals I have ever eaten. Yes ever.
Chicory, Pear and Gorgonzola Salad in a Mustard dressing. How can something so seemingly simple, taste so good?
Prawns on Guacamole – taste explosion 💥
Homemade Tortelli with smoked salmon served with butter lemon sauce & langoustine – So fresh, so tasty.
Fillet Steak with Roast Potatoes and Creamy Truffled cabbage – no cabbage ever tasted this good. A very large piece of Steak cooked medium rare to perfection.
Home-made Chocolate Truffles, butter cookies……just try it.
All finished off with a traditional and complimentary Limoncello aperitif.
Apparently, the Chef is named Paulo and he’s from Tuscany – how does he not have a Michelin Star?
Exquisite.

Very nice place, was very surprised to found it in Takeley. The restaurant was very busy but they accomodate us even without any booking. The food quality is very good but the sauce was too much salty for all 3 of us that ordered the meat. We were going to catch a flight otherwise the sauce was not edible. The price is a little bit high if you think about the location.

Super amazing food- great flavours, homemade and thoughtfully presented, very attentive staff and great atmosphere. A hidden gem we’d love to return to soon!

To start… I 100% recommend this place! Never heard of it, and I found it on Google last minute, and luckily they had a table! And I am so glad they did!
Polite on arrival, opened doors each time, quick at taking orders for drinks and food, food was absolutely gorgeous! I had steak, my partner had sea bass, and it was so yummy! We had a lot of alcohol on top and I don’t think the price was near what it should of been! (No complaints there) very small inside but I do prefer that as you can actually hear each other talk! Nice and relaxed, I would defiantly go back! Thanks for the lovely evening!

After reading all the great reviews we had to give this restaurant a try and we are so glad we did and will certainly return soon. What a fabulous find!!
The restaurant itself is modern and stylish. On entering the restaurant we were welcomed warmly, with a smile and were offered a choice of tables. The table had a tall lit candle on it which was a lovely touch. We had fantastic large glasses for our red wine & our bottle had been decanted into a carafe, all lovely touches which you don’t often get anymore. The service was impeccable and our waitress was super friendly and made us feel at home instantly. At this point we just knew we wouldn’t be disappointed with the food. For starters we had the scallops and prawns on guacamole, both dishes were absolutely fabulous. Both plates visually looked like a work of art and the flavours were so good, I didn’t want mine to end. We also had the freshly made focaccia which was the best I’ve ever tasted. The mains and desserts were just as good. All the dishes were made to such a high standard and presented well, you can tell the chef is highly skilled and takes great pride in what he does. If you appreciate great food & impeccable service, this restaurant is a must!

I don't usually post reviews, but after our meal last night I just had to. We booked a table last minute and they welcomed us happily. The steak was the best we had in a while, and everything we ordered was seasoned and cooked to perfection. Their service was excellent and were very attentive towards us. They even put extra effort to split our single steak order as we wanted to share, which was lovely! We'll definitely be coming back.

Wow - such a great find on our short trip to the area! We loved the fairy light walkway to the private tents at the back and the food was absolutely delicious! We had a great laugh with the two ladies working too ☺️ I’ve recommended to my friends who live nearby and they’d already heard good things!