Eating out is always an expensive let down.

[istheheatingonyet]

I'm just not doing it any more. Granted I am "older" but the last offering was bread, mashed acocado, feta and some sort of sauce. Is it a meal, is it brunch nobody knows?
Cheap ingredients, silly price.
What a waste of money.

I think it is worth it if you go somewhere good.
I am happy to spend at a good restaurant. I am also happy to spend at a budget pub for good, decent grub if it is worth the price. I'm not rich but I like eating something I couldn't or wouldn't eat at home and having something either satisfying and tasty or something I don't have the skills to make-and I'm a pretty good cook! Just got to get used to what you like and what is worth it to you. I'd not be happy paying over the odds for avocado toast.

I think take aways are also a let down these days.

I do like a good fry up from the local cafe, or a BLT from the cafe in the park. It's good, proper food, done well.

But restaurant food is expensive and quite boring and samey these days.

See, I'd never order anything like that because I can make it the same or better at home without much effort, time or skill.

If I'm paying restaurant/cafe prices, I order something that I can't make easily at home, makes a mess, takes ages or needs lots of specialist ingredients.

the last offering was bread, mashed acocado, feta and some sort of sauce. Is it a meal, is it brunch nobody knows?

Surely you knew what you were ordering though?

I agree. We used to go out 2/3 times a week but now we almost always feel we are being ripped off. Even going for a curry now is too expensive (it used to be a "cheap" night out).

Food is often just okay, service is often crap.

We have a few fancy brunchy places near us. Brunch and a drink is probably about 20 quid. But if you go to Lidls at about 7am, you'll often see the owners in there getting the food

I don't understand what you are complaining about something you ordered and ate or menu prices? Eateries have overheads they also need to make a profit avocado's are expensive I could go on,

What price are you expecting?

All these people saying Nando’s is cheap and cheerful obviously haven’t been to my local branch, it’s dirty, miserable staff and awful food! We usually go to Bella Italia for a cheap dinner, you know what you’re getting, it’s fine for kids and it’s not that expensive. I do agree some of these independent cafes have gone a bit far on pricing and using terrible ingredients.

Do none of you have any agency in where you eat out or what you order? We live in an age where you can check out reviews and previous customers' experiences at the click of a button. You can also check out menus and prices at the click of a button.

I eat out a lot but I don't just wander into any old place at random, I take recommendations from friends and media I trust, and I always look up the place myself to see if it's anything I'd consider overpriced or overhyped. End result, I'm very happy most times I eat out with only the occasional dud.

Back to the avocado! I went to a smartish cafe I have been to before. It was an odd time of day, 3pm. A sandwich would have been great for me. I didnt want a meal or cake, something in between. The description and the product did not match up.
Never mind, won't be going back.
At a local family run business I had a delicious warmed crispy baguette with a generous amount of tuna/finely chopped onion and tomato, a lovely salad and a few chips .Shared this with a friend. A bite to eat, very nice.

Not £13.00

We are definitely on the lower earners spectrum of MN. But we don't eat out in places like McDonalds or Nandos. Even pub grub.

We do however go out 3 or 4 times a year to very good restaurants, enjoy a very well made cocktail, a good bottle of wine, 3 courses that I could never make at home and go home still tasting the meal in our mouths.

Great food, expertly cooked is usually always worth it (you might get the odd mess up - even then that caliber of restaurant is keen to make amends)

What was the description?

OP why are you avoiding all the questions and comments pointing out that you chose to order that!! And presumably the menu had prices on it?!?
🙄

At a local family run business I had a delicious warmed crispy baguette with a generous amount of tuna/finely chopped onion and tomato, a lovely salad and a few chips .Shared this with a friend.

Also no business wants you to come and use their facilities while sharing a single sandwich with another adult.

Having said that I do think a disproportionate amount of brunch-style cafes fall into the "overpriced" category for me - I have also experienced the unfortunate sliver of avocado on single vaguely toasted slice of bread. I just don't go out for brunch much, it's no great loss.

£13 for avocado eggs and toast is probably on the expensive side but it depends where you ate but the price would have been on the menu it wasn't a surprise.

@Completelyjo smashed Avo, sweetcorn pica,crispy shallots,toasted sourdough,feta.

It was a bit of bread with an Avo and cheese.

I think that's the way to do it. It makes it a special treat too.

They are a lovely family who were very happy to help out on a cold January day. They also offer pottery painting and since my friend works in childcare, it was beneficial to both parties. A little networking.
A pleasant time all round.

I wouldn't call going to a cafe eating out, and I wouldn't expect much from it in the UK (unless I already knew the place). Same as garden centre food, usually rubbish. They're generally for workers picking up something quick on a daily basis and they don't much care about a nice experience.

There are a lot of places now that are one step up from a cafe, like lounge bar style, and they typically do nicer food.

Did you not get the 'sweetcorn pica and crispy shallots'?

If not I'd have asked them about the missing bits.

But it is always worth sense checking the description to see through the flowery language to work out what you're actually getting.

I know it's not the same thing but McDonalds make a big thing about their ever rotating selection of special burgers but it doesn't take a genius to work out that every single one of them is a bacon double cheese burger with a different sauce and variety of lettuce.

So you went to a cafe mid-afternoon, wanted a sandwich but ordered something else and didn’t like it, and thought it was overpriced despite the fact that you could see the price on the menu and understood that it would consist primarily of bread, avocado and feta? Or are you saying the menu misled you because the actual dish didn’t have shallots or sweetcorn whatever?

Well, artisan sourdough and nice eggs are expensive!

The last few times I’ve been it’s been really disappointing and I’ve had to complain, so it’s now off my list of go-to places.

It is expensive to eat out even for lunch. I’ve been liking Lebanese Comptoir lately but would now like to try one of the more authentic (ie not chain) middle eastern ones, I’m getting a taste for that cuisine.