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?

The Ivy.

@BigSandyBalls2015

I don't get the Five Guys hype at all. Just an over priced burger.

I was struggling to think of one but you’re right about Five Guys. When they opened one in our city it took us weeks to try it as the queues were always just insane. Then we finally were about a day the queue was small so gave it a go. Honestly really didn’t rate it and spent far too much for what it was. I’d just go to a McDonalds next time, order a few double cheese burgers and save myself £££.

@Honkingallthewaytothebank

Nobu. Two different ones.

Bills. All of them.

I hate Bills with a vengeance.

I can remember when the first Bills was a greengrocers in a small Sussex town, and for reasons unknown they started doing a few snacks and serving coffee.

Gradually, the "coffe and snacks" bit got bigger and the greengrocery got smaller. In 2000, it was flooded and when it reopened, it was nearly all coffee and food*, expensive deli type stuff (a loaf of bread for £8, in 2001 - wtaf?) and hardly any veg.

Then they opened more branches, and it got worse and worse. It was bought out, I believe by the chain that also have Carluccios. I took my DIL there for lunch (her choice) a couple of months ago and it was appalling.

It made the original Bill pretty damn rich though, according to local gossip.

• this originally said "foof" and I was tempted to leave the typo in. "Coffee and foof" amused me.

Tom Kitchin’s Scran and Scallie.

@TheMaddingCrowd

A place in York called the house of trembling madness. I ordered a meat platter and it was just four fucking slices of meat! Fucking. Four. Just completely taking the piss.

I'm not local, but we've eaten there 3 times. It was amazing and it's one of my favourite places for simple, delicious comfort food. Never ordered the meat platter though.

@Paleodiet

Tom Kitchin’s Scran and Scallie.

I didn't know this was a TK establishment. Makes sense now though. I was underwhelmed even before knowing this. Uncomfortable seating, average food and expectations were high after hearing everyone rave about it

I agree about both the Dome and the Witchery in Edinburgh. Both overhyped and under-good. The Witchery in particular is downright bizarre.

There are some absolutely terrific restaurants in Edinburgh but most of them are either outside the city centre, or down little side streets where tourists wouldn’t usually wander.

On the other hand, Tom Kitchin's Bonnie Badger in Gullane is brilliant. The food was great and there's different areas, all with a different ambience.

A family member has booked us afternoon tea at The Dome just before Christmas and I was already a bit ambivalent about going (the queues have to be seen to be believed) and the comments about the food have made me very apprehensive!

Would love to see a thread about great places to eat - there's a few we've been to (not necessarily expensive places) which have been amazing.

@Waitwhat23 I haven’t been to that restaurant but Gullane more broadly is just lovely, isn’t it? One of the nicest beaches I've been to.

@PlausibleSuit Gullane is stunning and we've walked for miles on the beach. There's a secret cave when the tide is out which is very 'we're going on a bear hunt'! If I was to move elsewhere in East Lothian, it would be between Gullane and Aberlady (both out my price range at the moment unfortunately!).

Jamie’s Italian. Terrible quality, cold food

Bills

I would have to agree with people that say The Hand and Flowers. I've eaten there about once a year for the last 6/7 years. It used to be amazing. Beautiful food, great service, nothing was too much trouble, and though expensive, not stupidly so for a really lovely meal out.I remember once our table was going to be a few minutes (like under fifteen) late, we were sat in the bar and they sent us complimentary glasses of beautiful cider and bar snacks to say sorry.

Last twice I've been (post covid) it's been so disappointing. They now have so many tables crammed in you're practically eating your meal with the two tables next to you. It's so dark! It is extortionate. The food is still nice, but it's just nice. I had the steak dish pre covid, it was about £65. It was a really delicious plate of food but that I think, was about as much as I'd pay for it. The same dish is now £87. It is a steak, sauce, onion rings and chips. No sides etc.

The staff now behave as if you're privileged to be in their cramped, dark establishment. They rush you in and out. I know the tables are limited to 2 hours but we always book the last seating so that we finish and leave and after an hour and a half they're hovering with the bill for you to go even if it's not closing time, no offer of coffees etc. Our table was late last time, no one even came to tell us or offer to take another drinks order let alone sending anything over.

We won't be going back! It was like it once and I thought 'ok it's post covid, they're finding their feet again' but I went recently and it was the same. No thanks!

Marco Pierre White’s gaff in Birmingham.
The vegetarian options were all white, and all soft, and all bland with no flavour.
I bought chips and gravy with mushy peas on the way back to the hotel.

Angela Hartnett’s Murano - horrible fish and some vile slimy courgettes - I love courgettes no idea how they made them inedible

I’m a fan of the Ivy though - service, decor and food lovely - always feels like an occasion without costing the earth or swimming too chain like

The Ivy. We took the in-laws for their anniversary one year, and I won't bother again.

Barbecoa at St Pauls. Food decidedly underwhelming to say the least and a really over familiar waiter who was fawning over my (admittedly glamorous) boss. It was so uncomfortable we couldn't get out of there quick enough.

The Real Greek which is about as Greek as I am. Agree as well about Five Guys. We went to the branch in the Kings Road on the way to the football. We've had better burger and chips from the kebab shop down the road to us and much cheaper.

We had dinner at Ivy Marylebone a couple of weeks ago and it was absolutely dire. The wait staff were horrendously bad and the food was average. I’ve had a nice time at the City branch (pre pandemic) so was really surprised at how monstrously shit it was.

The only other ££££ restaurant that sticks out is Spring at Somerset House. Again, it was the wait staff. They were determined to serve our courses at breakneck speed (8pm sitting), so much so that I ordered aperitifs and got the starter before the drink. We got through 2.5 courses in 45 minutes because the moment we put our forks down, the next course showed up. Eventually we gave up and asked for the bill, which then took a further 25 minutes Even the receptionist was extremely surprised at how quickly we’d had dinner and asked if we wanted to make a complaint!

@narkyspirit

The Hut near Yarmouth Isle of Wight. people I know rave about it, the location is fantastic been there twice this summer.

the food is mediocre at best, we sent ours back the first time and waited for an hour for it to be redone at which point we where told we needed to vacate the table for the next sitting.... I think not!

second time, it was very quiet and the service was appallingly slow, apparently the kitchen was very busy we where the only table there, a ruse to sell more Rose which for some reason only comes in Magnum sized bottles.

The Hut used to be a cheapish and cheerful cafe with decent food at decent prices. We used to go there late at night cos it sold beer by the can you could take outside.

Then it got bought by some snobby wanker who decided they wanted the posh boating crew, so you get small yachts mooring off the beach and rowing in for the overpriced wankery food.

We'd been going there for years, but I can't stand the service, the shit food and the braying Hampshire hoorays in chinos and deck shoes spending 30 quid on a bottle of supermarket red and some badly cooked mussels.

200 yards up the beach is a proper cafe and a place renting deckchairs and selling cheap and cheerful inflatables, which doesn't really match with the poncy drive The Hut are looking for!

Jamie's Italian Guildford was awful. Giggling Squid Brighton the tables are virtually on top of each other and the food was greasy

We went to the most recently opened Pig last week and it was lovely. Pitch in Worthing (The Kenny Tutt restaurant) was very good for Sunday lunch.

It's a mystery to me how Carluccio's is still going, because the food is average at best.

But without doubt the worst place I have ever eaten is Jamie's Italian. Just a complete piss-take because it was so bad. One wonders how he had the nerve to put his name above the door.

i also agree that the ivy is a pile of bollocks

went to bob bob ricard (the soho one) - i also thought that was shite. chicken kiev? breaded chicken with garlic butter outside it. they couldn't even be arsed to stuff it. and all massively expensive.

i prefer pret baguettes

i thought the kenny tutt restaurant was dire. i felt as though i was on the titanic inside it. nothing on the menu that i liked so i had a plate of chips. ridiculous. (I prefer the food at the grape next door tbh)

Hawksmoor in Manchester. Just a massive slab of steak on an otherwise empty plate. You had to buy every side separately. Ridiculously over priced. I can buy a nice steak and cook it myself at home for 1/10th of the price. Load of bollocks. Is it just another 'place to be seen' or something?

I can see the appeal of the ivy- traditional-ish, bistro type thing, lots of waiters fluffing about.
The main issue is the food. Very average.

Nice for a special ocassion, but decent food is the thing that swings it for me.
I have a few amazing retaurants I love. Tables are wobbly, cutlery mismatched, but food is cooked from scratch with passion and never disappoints.