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?

Dishoom is another one to go for breakfast. The bacon naan is something else.

I wasn’t that impressed with Bob Bob Ricard in Sohos tbh.

The Fat Duck. Just felt like there were so many odd courses, it’s an experience not a dining experience. And then the ‘main’ course at the end was chicken and dauphinoise, reminded me of wedding reception food

Also Ava mario, one of the big mama restaurants. Such a shame as I’ve had great experiences at the others but the menu at this one wasn’t great

Suspect combination of celebrity name who doesn't care about the quality of food sent out in their name provided they get paid and/or publicity to fuel their more lucrative media career/cook book/supermarket endorsements and accountants to value engineer the menu and kitchen production methods will doom most if not all mid-market and most upper-market restaurants in the UK. Countries intolerant of poor food will have different trajectories.

Las Iguanas on the Southbank was appalling when I went, worst restaurant I've ever been to. Wagamamas in Swindon is rubbish, put me off completely but went to the one at Gatwick and that was much better.

Wahaca.
Huge wait for a table and queuing on stairs when it was newly opened. Huge disappointment.

Northcote Manor? DH and I had an amazing gourmet break there. The food was better than excellent and the fact that I am vegetarian and he is coeliac didn't stop them bringing out all the various courses at the same time for both of us. Maybe the poster above who was disappointed just caught them at a bad time., though Michelin starred places shouldn't have off days.

Gaucho - nothing particularly wrong with it but no better than a steak I’d cook at home on a weekday evening.

Miller & Carter - overcooked and mediocre at each one I’ve been to. Won’t go again.

@Scbchl

The restaurant at Cameron House was terrible.

So was the bar. After being told to take a seat and look at the drinks menu, he'd be right over, the barman just ignored us. We ended up walking out.

Shrodingersvaccine, Was coming on to say The Witchery. Style over substance, lots of tourists who won't come back.

Our food was appalling - I had oysters rockefeller with uncooked bechamel and whole raw spinach leaves and a steak rattling round on a plate with a chunk of marrowbone. Side dishes were extra - I mean, come on, you can't just serve a steak on a plate and charge £4 per portion for tiny sides. Presentation and food was woeful and overpriced. We didn't kick up a fuss because it was a significant anniversary and didn't want to spoil the night but never again.

Agree with pps about Cameron House too, especially the boatshed Italian restaurant - very, very ordinary.

I get annoyed paying exorbitant prices if the food isn't better than I could do at home.

Some of the chains, Wagamamma, Jamie's Italian, Carluccios etc seemed to be good when they started but went down hill quickly - I had the best spaghetti carbonara I've ever eaten at the Carluccios in the Trafford Centre. . Don't know if they started with good quality ingredients but the margins were too tight.

But years ago (when it was very popular & rated) I had a dreadful meal at the River Cafe.

@ThinkAboutItTomorrow - completely agree. We took some friends for a special occasion and it was, well, utterly mediocre. No better than Spaghetti House, but 20x the price!

The original Ivy was amazing but it was the time that Tom and Nicole used to go. Now it is a higher version of Ask.

Gaucho, people rave about it, it's nothing special

A Marco Pierre White place off Sloan square years ago. Was shockingly bad. Complained at the time and got no-where. Followed up the next day with an email complaint. Ignored. Heston's The Hinds Head in Bray on the other hand was outstanding but a one off due to the 💷💷💷

Oh and Jamie's Italian when it first opened. Queuing outside in the rain eventually moving inside to queue at an overpriced bar. Eventually got a table and ordered. Food was lukewarm and bland.

Surprised at those Voting Nando’s, it’s a cheap chicken chain, it’s like saying Mcdonands is an over rated restaurant.

@theelephantinthegroup is it a restaurant in Whitechapel called Tayaabs?

@MissLucyEyelesbarrow

The service was shocking, so inexperienced, young staff standing chatting and laughing behind the bar while we were trying to get their attention

As I'm not a big foodie, I tend to judge restaurants on the service. I waitressed for years, so I am super-tolerant of mediocre service if somewhere is under-staffed (I blame the management, not the waiters) but I'm super-intolerant of bad service when there is no excuse for it. It's amazing how bad it often is, even in expensive places. A lot of restaurants don't seem to grasp the concept of making customers feel comfortable and relaxed, which is crazy because - except for fast-food places where it's all about the turnover - a lot of the margin is made on discretionary add-ons like coffees and liquors at the end of a meal: the things you are not likely to order if the staff treat you as they're doing you a massive favour.

This x 1000

There are so few places now that understand the value of brilliant service and the importance of it to the whole experience. Too many front of house now are too cool for fucking school and seem to think you should just be grateful to be there.

Most hyped, super expensive, ‘see-and-be-seen’ type restaurants are really not worth it IME (certainly those I’ve been to). The food is never all it’s cracked up to be, and the whole experience is so often a massive disappointment and feels like a huge waste of money.

Best service ever used to be at Gordon Ramsey’s Boxwood Cafe, the staff were just great, so friendly and nothing was too much trouble. Ditto anywhere Jeremy King was maitre d’ back in the day. He made everyone who walked through the door feel so special and welcome, and he’d be exactly the same whether the customer was a celebrity, royalty or someone taking their mum out for lunch. Some of the best meals I’ve had have been at his places - the food is never fancy, but it’s the atmosphere and experience that makes it memorable, and he was a genius at creating that.

@therebeccariots

A Marco Pierre White place off Sloan square years ago. Was shockingly bad. Complained at the time and got no-where. Followed up the next day with an email complaint. Ignored. Heston's The Hinds Head in Bray on the other hand was outstanding but a one off due to the 💷💷💷

Oh yes. You’ve reminded me of the disappointing MPW steakhouse in Brum. Great skyline views at night but the food was very ‘meh’.

As a veggie, most more upmarket places to be honest! Unless they are a specifically veggie place (eg I liked Mildreds). In one well-rated local gastropub I visited about 5 years ago the vegetarian option was the vegetable side dish from the meat options, but with a bit of tomato sauce and cheese

Medlar in Chelsea. When we went it had one Michelin star, which it lost. The service was very poor and the food awful.

Miller & Carter. Every time I’m excited to go and then it never lives up to my expectations. There’s a small bar & grill in my hometown that does much much better steak.

Gosh yes.bi won't go there. Very over priced for meals served with chips. It feels like the working class posh night out.

A place called Rutherford's in Derbyshire. It's not there any more but at the time it always came top of any list of fine dining in the area so we went there for our anniversary dinner once. It cost a fortune but had uncomfortable seats and tacky decor, and everything I ordered tasted of marmite.