Restaurants or cafes you've never forgiven...

[Dr. Furface]

Folks you all need to complain more often. I make a point of complaining whenever I get bad service, not to the staff at the time tho for two reasons. Firstly I dont want to casue a scene and ruin a night out etc., and secoindly I think its unfair to complain to a 17yr old waitress on minimum wage just because she happens to work for a crap company/chef etc.
I have a stash of emails in my inbox foe free meals in various establishments that I haven't used yet, free bottles of wine and champers waiting for me etc. Tbf usually when the area manager or whoever rings you up they are in many cases genuinely pleased you have complained, they actually prefer that to people who walk away dissatisfied and boyvott the palce and slag them off to all their mates.

My mum complained in writing to the place where we had the reception after my dad's funeral last year - admittedly the food was rubbish and it was not good value. My mum felt embarrassed too because it made her look cheap (but then again, she is). They sent her an apology and offered her a free meal for two - unfortunately she asked me to go with her. I hated the place and the memories associated with it and I didn't want to eat their nasty food again either, but I went anyway, just for her. Predictably, it was shit - but at least she felt she'd got some sort of a win off them (the tight old bag).

 

[blossie33]

I had a dreadful vegetable balti at a place on Archway Road some years ago, it was basically just onions in a sauce.
I told them I was from Birmingham I knew what a proper balti should be like but I didn't get an offer of anything else.

 

[moonsi til]

I went for a curry in Hells Kitchen NYC last week. We just chose a place on the street which seemed nice with paneer on the menu. Friend I was with doesn't get much chance for a curry. The resturant had lovely decor and had friendly service but our paneer makhani was just loads of paneer in tomato soup. As a paneer soup it wasn't bad but failed miserably as a curry and it was the most paneer I have ever been served.

At time of ordering we were asked where we were from...we said 'UK' and waiter replied 'we have a lot to live up to then'. They asked how was the dish and we honestly didn't have the heart to tell them so we said it was 'ok' . They did do a great onion salad though...but popadoms were more like tacos.

 

[lizardqueen]

I ordered roast chicken and chips in the Trinity Arms in Brixton. When it arrived the chicken was completely raw in the middle, so I politely pointed this out and my plate of food was taken away. Naively I assuemed they were going to cook it a bit more (or even give me a new dinner) but instead, after about 5 mins, the bar man came over and threw my money on the table in front of me without even speaking, let alone apologising! As I was with about 8 colleagues, I then had to sit and watch them all eat their lunch before I could pick up a sandwich on the way back to the office. Never been back

 

[Paulie Tandoori]

My and the missus went out for an anniversary meal to celebrate our first year of living together formally. I had booked a table a few days before at Rasa on Church St, great little Keralan veggie restaurant that people still rave about.

So we turn up at the restaurant, on time, and upon entering, I inform the bloke who greets us by giving my name and saying that we have a table booked. Restaurant is about half full at the time. He looks us up and down, looks around the restaurant and then indicates towards the table by the door, where people sit to wait for their takeaways and says "Here is your table".

Thinking perhaps he hasn't understood me properly, I say to him "No, we've booked a table for 7, my name is Paul" and he nods and says "Yes, I know, this is your table".

So just to be certain, I ask him "So you know that I have booked a table and you want us to sit here for our meal?" to which he nods and says "Yes". Cue me telling him to stick his table up his arse and walking back out of the restaurant, with plaintive cries of "Sir, Sir, come back...." fading into the background as we walked off down the road.

Ended up having a lovely Italian meal at Il Bacio instead, somewhere that we're still eating at 10 years later. Haven't been back to Rasa since.

 

[colacubes]

I ordered roast chicken and chips in the Trinity Arms in Brixton. When it arrived the chicken was completely raw in the middle, so I politely pointed this out and my plate of food was taken away. Naively I assuemed they were going to cook it a bit more (or even give me a new dinner) but instead, after about 5 mins, the bar man came over and threw my money on the table in front of me without even speaking, let alone apologising! As I was with about 8 colleagues, I then had to sit and watch them all eat their lunch before I could pick up a sandwich on the way back to the office. Never been back

Sounds familiar I stopped eating there after ordering fish and chips and waiting 30 minutes for it, going over to the bar and asking them where it was, at which point there was mass panic, a bloke ran down from the kitchen and disappeared out the door. He then appeared back 10 minutes later with a couple of Tescos bags with what looked suspiciously like value chips inside the bag. Then another 20 minutes passed and a meal miraculously appeared which was dry, overcooked and utterly tasteless. Which is quite some skill

 

[ringo]

Just remembered a meal at the youth hostel in Chamonix by the Mont Blanc tunnel. After a hard day on the mountain what I really didn't need was the veggie option of "green salad". Couldn't believe my eyes.
And then it arrived - a large bowl containing a whole chopped lettuce and nothing else. I expected cheap food but....

 

[Badgers]

Sounds familiar I stopped eating there after ordering fish and chips and waiting 30 minutes for it, going over to the bar and asking them where it was, at which point there was mass panic, a bloke ran down from the kitchen and disappeared out the door. He then appeared back 10 minutes later with a couple of Tescos bags with what looked suspiciously like value chips inside the bag. Then another 20 minutes passed and a meal miraculously appeared which was dry, overcooked and utterly tasteless. Which is quite some skill

^

Not a complaint but a good story. My uncle used to work away in Saudi Arabia for long periods of time and when he came back he would treat us to a meal out. Once he took us to The Bishops Table Hotel in Farnham which is pretty nice, we were not used to white tablecloths and silver service at the time. My uncle who had missed some of the typical British fayre dismissed all the starters on offer and asked for Heinz Tomato Soup. The waiter responded with snobbish disgust but eventually relented and ran up the road to get a can for my uncle and a can for me. As I recall the two starters cost a tenner each and the waiter treated us with disgust the rest of the meal

 

[smmudge]

Folks you all need to complain more often. I make a point of complaining whenever I get bad service, not to the staff at the time tho for two reasons. Firstly I dont want to casue a scene and ruin a night out etc., and secoindly I think its unfair to complain to a 17yr old waitress on minimum wage just because she happens to work for a crap company/chef etc.
I have a stash of emails in my inbox foe free meals in various establishments that I haven't used yet, free bottles of wine and champers waiting for me etc. Tbf usually when the area manager or whoever rings you up they are in many cases genuinely pleased you have complained, they actually prefer that to people who walk away dissatisfied and boyvott the palce and slag them off to all their mates.

Even better complain to restaurants that you thought were great. Free food/drink at places you actually want to go back to

 

[Mungy]

a crew meal at a festie last year served up cauliflower korma. the korma i tasted whilst it was being made (i was unofficial dish washer and kitchen dogsbody) was quiet nice. unfortunately it need to be watered down to go around. it could have been so much nicer.

 

[pinkmonkey]

We were in a hotel in Quingdao in China and my colleague ordered the spaghetti bolognese. He got given a plate of plain noodles and a bottle of Heinz tomato ketchup The chef must've been trained at the 'student bedsit' school of cuisine!

 

[editor]

I think this thread should be revived. Let's air those grudges!

 

[miss direct]

After a long day of cycling from Turkey, through Greece, to the Bulgarian town of Svilengrad, I was excited to go out for dinner and eat something interesting that I couldn't get in Turkey. I love crab, so when I spotted "crab roll" on the menu, for a good price, I ordered one and waited and waited while the others in the group were served and ate their spare ribs and pork sausages. The anticipation was building. I imagined a crusty white roll spread with salted butter and fresh crab in the middle. Yum.

The reality was four of these, warmed up, with some margarine on them. Couldn't even bring myself to take a photo.

 

[Chilli.s]

Duckies cafe on the beach in Beer on the south coast near Seaton and Sidmouth.

A perfect location. Dressed crab sandwich had loads of shell in it, one bit I can just tolerate but by the third ruined bite, no. Asked the (young) staff and an angry bloke (the owner) jumped in and pointed to a sign saying "may contain...etc." Staff were ready to refund but owner stopped them, much to their embarrassment. Had to have that tooth crowned.

Later saw the cafe owner do a funny thing where he yelled at the staff to run round the tables and chairs removing the brollys as it was windy, like some sargent major.

Allegedly he's notorious as rude to customers and boaster who goes to sunny climes every winter on all the undeclared cash payments he collects in three months of summer work.

 

[dessiato]

Last week I had coffee in the Primark cafe. I asked three times for decaff (I can't have caffeine drinks it gives me problems) They gave me ordinary. Needless to say it made me ill.

 

[Bus Honeygun]

Sort of a mixture of not forgiven and a bit sad.

When I visited London years ago, used to love going to the New Piccadilly. (Photo feature on the New Piccadilly Cafe, Denman Street, Piccadilly, London, a traditional café under threat)

My last visit ended on a sour note.

Waiter took our food orders, then drinks. I had a vague memory of having a beer there (link above reminds me that it was BYOB), so asked for one. Before the waiter had a chance to say anything, the owner, who I'd always found to be pretty genial, shouted at the top of his voice across the room, 'WE DON'T SELL BEER! IF YOU WANT A PINT THERE'S A PUB DOWN THE ROAD!'

Just in case anyone's thinking it, we were not pissed, arseholeish, loud or anything. I don't care if he was having a bad day or the fact that closure was looming. It was just so unnecessary.

Still, at least when it did shut down I didn't feel so bad about it.

 

[miss direct]

Last week I had coffee in the Primark cafe. I asked three times for decaff (I can't have caffeine drinks it gives me problems) They gave me ordinary. Needless to say it made me ill.

Primark has a cafe? My sympathy. I was given a normal latte when I asked for lactose free at EspressoLab, and had to spend the next hour running around looking for an open chemist's.

 

[JuanTwoThree]

We were in a town in the mountains in Spain, Arnedillo, that has hot springs which emerge in the river bed Its quite touristy, unlike most places round here.

We peered into a restaurant nearby and saw people having very decent food, went in and ordered from the 'menu' which confusingly means the set menu, 'carta' means the a la carte. Remember that because it will matter. We ordered without saying more than the words on the short menu del dia.

My starter was a tiny salad and my wife's was a doll's portion of paella, followed by a main course of miniscule amounts of some meat. At which point I had had enough and said to the waiter that I was not happy. He explained that we were having the set menu and everybody else was on the a la carte. What was funny was his mounting horror as I said in my decent Spanish 'So whole tables are ordering the only two things that are on the set menu as starters and then the same main course. What a coincidence .' My voice is as loud as my shirts.

The panicking owners came over. Their version of events was that all the other people were residents which is why their meals were better. 'I'll ask them' so I went round all the tables asking very politely if they were having the menu and if they were staying there. They were all having the menu and not staying there. Voices were raised 'Why aren't you feeding these people properly? Have you no shame? You thought they wouldn't be able to complain, give them an hoja de reclamacion (complaint sheet)!'

I asked for the complaint sheets, one copy for me, one for them and one for consumer affairs. These are numbered so they can't accidentally lose the one they have to send to consumers.

They didn't want this to happen, so we were offered any sweet we wanted, free coffee and a brandy. A wag in the restaurant shouted 'Make them large ones, if I were you! Not tourist size!'

I suppose it happens everywhere, to some extent. You hear of places with tourist prices and local prices, and it happens here with drinks and decent tapas, but not usually so blatantly.

 

[dessiato]

Primark has a cafe? My sympathy. I was given a normal latte when I asked for lactose free at EspressoLab, and had to spend the next hour running around looking for an open chemist's.

Primark Watford. It's quite good, but for the wrong coffee being served.

 

[StoneRoad]

Went to "The Sill" café when it had been open just a week or three.

Unfortunately, we took a client as well, intending to have lunch (the more local place we patronise wasn't open on a Monday). We were underwhelmed by the menu. For an establishment in a walking area it was all a bit too designer / gastro pub. My supposed gluten free bun was stale and the contents overcooked, the side salad was boring, limp and the crisps soft. An expensive waste.