Service review insights for United Kingdom, Restaurants

1-Star Review: Extremely Disappointing Experience – Poor Service & Tasteless Food I spent 7 wonderful days in Edinburgh exploring various local and international restaurants – Chinese, Indian, Japanese, McDonald’s, Nando’s, Wagamama, and many more. Sadly, my last meal of the trip turned out to be the worst experience of all. My family was looking for a vegetarian option and came across Hong Fu Noodle Bar and Restaurant. We entered and were told the restaurant was upstairs. Before dining, we asked to use the restroom to wash our hands. The staff told us it was downstairs – only for customers – then changed the answer seconds later saying food and toilets are both upstairs. This inconsistency was confusing and unwelcoming. Despite the restaurant being large, it was completely empty – which in hindsight, made sense. We were a group of 4 but chose to order just one dish initially to check the taste. From that moment, we felt unwelcome. The staff member, Jassice, made a comment to her colleague in Chinese while giving us a negative look and body language. It was clear we were being judged for ordering only one dish. While waiting, the children were quietly playing with chopsticks (as commonly done in many Asian cultures). Instead of handling it kindly, Jassice pointed her finger to her lips and sternly signaled the child to be quiet, leaving the child confused and upset. When I asked why, she said they were making noise and might break the chopsticks. Things got worse. While I was still reading the menu, she suddenly snatched it from my hand without asking. When I asked why, she replied, “They will get sticky and oily because your food is here.” I explained I was not eating yet and still reading. Her tone and approach were unnecessarily rude. When the food finally arrived, it was completely tasteless. We were relieved we hadn’t ordered more. This was not just bad service – it was disrespectful, unprofessional, and unnecessarily rude. The entire experience left a bitter end to an otherwise great trip. 📌 My recommendation: Avoid this restaurant completely. If the owner is not aware of this, I suggest reviewing the CCTV footage for staff behavior. This is a genuine review, and I will attach the receipt as proof of visit. 👎 Worst food and worst customer service in Edinburgh.

£26.50 plus service charge for a Coq au Vin that was tiny... I left quite hungry. Odd menu too. Staff were excellent.

£60 for two people. Had tea and the pot wasn't clean (had coffee grounds on it). There is also a 12.5% service charge to makeup for the prices being low. The service charge is not obvious and in small print on the menus so it is hard to notice. Obviously this is by design. Food was good overall however a little small and although tasty it was not quite good enough to be at the price it was. Service was ok but not what you would expect from a restaurant like this. When arriving there was no one at the entrance to say if they had room available so we had to search for someone to seat us. For £60 for two people you would expect it to be better.

£23 for a naan bread and a king prawn curry (maybe 5 prawns) - that doesn’t include any drinks or service - in a very average setting. Standard “British” curry house, nothing special, maybe they think they can charge what they like as they are close to Haymarket and Murrayfield. I wouldn’t go back

£26 for a bowl of pasta is a disgrace. Venue is lovely but food is average. 3 bowls of pasta, 1 side and soft drinks for 2 adults and 1 child approx £90! Can’t help but feel ripped off and so disappointed as a local resident.

£27 for a roast…and it was cold!!! knew it was cold as soon as it came considering the plate was stone cold. they only had 3/7 deserts available, 2 of those being ice cream so had to reorder what i originally wanted( twice as they also had no vanilla ice cream). £90 for 2 diet cokes and 2 mains and 2 deserts that were mediocre at best. much better gluten free food elsewhere. service was fairly slow aswell with no touch of personalised experience. would not come back

So I was suggested the Masala Dosa which didn’t disappoint in terms of flavour. It was actually quite delicious. Loved it 👌very nice The Masala dosa is a famous south indian rice crepe stuffed with spiced potato - served with 2 chutneys (coriander and coconut) and sambar (lentil curry) I ordered a masala dosa and they served to me in a takeaway bag which I didn’t request. Not that it bothered me much to be honest but for others maybe? I told the server that I shall seat myself outside to eat, had I actually asked for a takeaway I doubt they would have gave the mango lassi in a glass. Haha Waited 30minutes for the dosa ⏰ the mango lassi came to me within five minutes after ordering. 👍 The dosa was not that hot, it was as if it was sitting in that box for a while before it came to me which was a shame I feel like if I had eaten it absolutely freshly cooked without it sitting around before it being served to me I would have not bothered at all that I waited 30minutes for it because the flavours were actually exceptional. Pros: The taste of the masala dosa is great as well as the dips that are accompanied on the side. Cons: Waiting time, Confusion on how the order was handled. The total bill £17.50 for Masala Dosa and Mango Lassi. I would come again and suggest this place.

Review rating: 3.0

Great venue but food was nothing to write home about and very overpriced for what it was. Simple bowl of not that special gnocchi for £24! Two slices of tomato with radicchio for £7. Very unimaginative vegetarian selection. But we were most disappointed by the unsmiling serving and the long wait after the mains. We felt ignored. We waited so long, in fact, we decided to go elsewhere for desert. We won’t be returning.

Review rating: 2.0

1-Star Review: Extremely Disappointing Experience – Poor Service & Tasteless Food I spent 7 wonderful days in Edinburgh exploring various local and international restaurants – Chinese, Indian, Japanese, McDonald’s, Nando’s, Wagamama, and many more. Sadly, my last meal of the trip turned out to be the worst experience of all. My family was looking for a vegetarian option and came across Hong Fu Noodle Bar and Restaurant. We entered and were told the restaurant was upstairs. Before dining, we asked to use the restroom to wash our hands. The staff told us it was downstairs – only for customers – then changed the answer seconds later saying food and toilets are both upstairs. This inconsistency was confusing and unwelcoming. Despite the restaurant being large, it was completely empty – which in hindsight, made sense. We were a group of 4 but chose to order just one dish initially to check the taste. From that moment, we felt unwelcome. The staff member, Jassice, made a comment to her colleague in Chinese while giving us a negative look and body language. It was clear we were being judged for ordering only one dish. While waiting, the children were quietly playing with chopsticks (as commonly done in many Asian cultures). Instead of handling it kindly, Jassice pointed her finger to her lips and sternly signaled the child to be quiet, leaving the child confused and upset. When I asked why, she said they were making noise and might break the chopsticks. Things got worse. While I was still reading the menu, she suddenly snatched it from my hand without asking. When I asked why, she replied, “They will get sticky and oily because your food is here.” I explained I was not eating yet and still reading. Her tone and approach were unnecessarily rude. When the food finally arrived, it was completely tasteless. We were relieved we hadn’t ordered more. This was not just bad service – it was disrespectful, unprofessional, and unnecessarily rude. The entire experience left a bitter end to an otherwise great trip. 📌 My recommendation: Avoid this restaurant completely. If the owner is not aware of this, I suggest reviewing the CCTV footage for staff behavior. This is a genuine review, and I will attach the receipt as proof of visit. 👎 Worst food and worst customer service in Edinburgh.

Signal: 0.0%

£26.50 plus service charge for a Coq au Vin that was tiny... I left quite hungry. Odd menu too. Staff were excellent.

Signal: 0.0%

£60 for two people. Had tea and the pot wasn't clean (had coffee grounds on it). There is also a 12.5% service charge to makeup for the prices being low. The service charge is not obvious and in small print on the menus so it is hard to notice. Obviously this is by design. Food was good overall however a little small and although tasty it was not quite good enough to be at the price it was. Service was ok but not what you would expect from a restaurant like this. When arriving there was no one at the entrance to say if they had room available so we had to search for someone to seat us. For £60 for two people you would expect it to be better.

Signal: 0.0%