To ask what’s the most overrated restaurant you’ve eaten at?

[Hairbrush123]

I think for me, it’s a restaurant called “Tattu”. They’re dotted all around the UK and was so excited to try it but the food was so average yet they charge £100+ for two people based on a starter and main . Everyone who I know has been there absolutely loved it so maybe it’s just DP & I!

What’s the most overrated restaurant you’ve been to?

[quote TuftyMarmoset]@MrsLeclerc ironically the IKEA food is surprisingly decent![/quote]
IKEA in Paris is great for lunch. You get a choice of wine too.

Browns in Birmingham, I've had better steak at a Wetherspoons tbh

The Wolsey. Hated the 1990’s hotel metal dishes the food came in. Food was very average. Rubbish cocktail in the grubby bar.My friend thinks it’s the dogs bollocks but I’ll not rush back.

It’s probably my most favourite restaurant in London. Love the atmosphere, service is always impeccable and wine / cocktails some of the best I’ve had. Admittedly the food isn’t mind blowing but the whole experience never fails to hit the mark for a really good night out

Tried Dishoom recently, after friends constantly raved about it. The food was just okay, our local Indian, in a very small rural town, is far better. And it was packed to the rafters, getting sat at the table was a real squeeze.

I went to the Jamie's in Brighton and I still live with the sense of disappointment (dram!tic, I kbow).

We were broke and the meal out was a rare treat. It hadn't been open for long and the service was appalling (snooty and unhelpful), my pasta was bland and my husband's meal was tiny. He chose the pork lollipops and it was about 3 bites full.

I was in my mid 20s and it was my first 'celeb' restaurant experience and I never quite forgave Jamie Oliver.

Joe Allen's was definitely over rated, I think it was a hang out for media types.

The Pig is a weird place. The waiting staff all looked very polished in a preppy way. I didn't eat my glass of wine in the garden area was ££££.

A Michelin starred restaurant in Madeira - Il Gallo D'Oro.

One of the dishes was 24-hour cooked pork belly.
Stupid waiter poured the gravy jus all over the crackling & made it soggy.

Just thought of one worse than the Ivy! The Hand and Flowers was absolutely awful. Food was nothing special and the service awful. We were so hungry when we left that we went to the nearby chipper!

Le Manoir, nice enough but we stopped at the chippy on the way home and had chips and curry sauce. The Lord Nelson close to Le Manoir is far better and half the price.

Betty’s,£5 for a custard slice!

Ivy.

Very mediocre.

Dishoom. Had to wait for ages and all the food looked like brown slop and all tasted the same. Would be such a shame if people think it’s what Indian food is really like.

This is why I stick to wetherspoons and McDonald's! I hate them but they are good value and reliable.

If I want to eat well I stay home.

Pizza express was so underwhelming- I love pizza bit they had all these weird toppings, I didn't want any. They didn't even taste nice.

Nandos- as above tried once as people going on about it- no use for someone like me who doesn't like spicy food!

Wagamamas- a killer on the back with no proper seats, I wouldn't go back if you paid me.

@BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz

The Hard Rock Cafe.

They dont have a particularly wide range, and the stuff they do sell is pretty uninspiring.

The staff are way too fucking chirpy too.

Agreed although unfortunately the dcs loved it so we will have to go back for birthdays etc. The service drove me mad - it seems that only the waiter could tell us what the puddings were (no prices of course), no menu/descriptions to study and decide, just pot luck from the waiter's descriptions. Also way to chatty (and sexist) on the service.

Nando's. It it classed as a restaurant? Who knows! But I found it very underwhelming. I couldn't understand the hype around it!

@shrodingersvaccine

Agree with loads of these! Ivy is crap, Dishoom a victim of it's own success, Rick Stein, Gordon Ramsey and Jamie Olivers all absolutely atrocious, I've had better school dinners.

Agree with The Dome in Edinburgh - it's got some fucking notions. Went in with reservation with my family and they clearly judged us (working class accents) and put us in what can only be described as a holding pen with all the others they deemed lacking. I can brush shit like that off but it really upset my mum and it was meant to be a treat - we walked out but I'm still angry about it years on. My money is worth the same as any posh person and I've been to some of the best restaurants in the world and never been treated like that, so it's not just a fancy restaurant thing.

Also The Witchery. Pretty, but mediocre. Stockbridge Restaurant too - fuck off with charging a fortune for mushroom risotto as your only veggie option - vegetarianism is hardly groundbreaking up your bloody game.

I love Wagamama, TGIs and Hard Rock but that's because I have mad severe food allergies and they're really good with it and never make me feel unsafe or like a hassle. Customer service is always above and beyond for me there so I don't mind the kind of generic predictable food - it's cheerful and tasty enough on a day out!

I agree The Witchery, Edinburgh is not all that.

The Flitch of Bacon, Essex was disappointed and it was £££££

I have only been to The Ivy once, I liked it but thought drinks were expensive

@Oneforthemoneytwo

The Wolsey. Hated the 1990’s hotel metal dishes the food came in. Food was very average. Rubbish cocktail in the grubby bar.My friend thinks it’s the dogs bollocks but I’ll not rush back.

It’s probably my most favourite restaurant in London. Love the atmosphere, service is always impeccable and wine / cocktails some of the best I’ve had. Admittedly the food isn’t mind blowing but the whole experience never fails to hit the mark for a really good night out

Really? Food - average, acoustics - terrible unless you’re up the stairs in the balcony bit. Been there a lot, so it’s not a one off. Just consistently underwhelming.

Tattu for me too , overrated and overpriced. Great for pics though

The Pru Leith restaurant at Leeds Castle. Went the first time and it was awesome. On the strength of that, visited the area again just to eat there - totally underwhelming on the second visit. Poor service, slow food arrival and not that good when it did arrive. Left them in no doubt about our disappointment compared with the first visit, they could not have cared less.

Browns in Oxford. Fucking awful. Snooty service, barely edible food that looked like it been pushed out of a plastic bag and microwaved.

Purnells in Birmingham. Michelin starred but the food wasn't great. Lots of drama with smoke and things to smell but the food was nothing special.

I did enjoy the very stern instruction not to eat the white tablet thing in a small dish as we sat down. Turns out it was an expanding flannel.

Made me wonder how many people had tried to eat it before they introduced the warning!

@NommyChompers

The man behind the curtain. Worst Michelin starred place I’ve been to by far!

This

@Dentistlakes

Really surprised about the Martin Wishart comments. Imo it’s far better than The Kitchin, not snooty at all. The Kitchin is like being in a Scottish theme part with the tartan everywhere, portions are massive and their sommeliers upsells the wine. It’s very commercial.

I loved The Kitchen

felulageller
This is why I stick to wetherspoons and McDonald's! I hate them but they are good value and reliable.

While I agree that most chains are overpriced and crap there are lots of little independent places all over the UK that are worth seeking out.
IMO that's where you find the best food. Small family restaurants serving fantastic Greek food or traditional pie places. A locally run Ghurka place with the best dumplings and curries, lots of fantastic Italian- loads of amazing places.