Sick of eatting out and it’s not that good!

[Greekdream]

Second time this week eatting out one was a birthday celebration and today for father day
both times spending over 100 quid and the food worse then you make at home

just don’t wanna go it anymore unless it’s somewhere really good
tricky when it’s special occasions tho

So? When I eat out, I never count calories, how miserable would that be.

@saveforthat

good for you. Some people need and/or want to be mindful of calories when they eat out. Neither is better than the other.

Eating out for two (nowhere special) can be a week’s food bill and nine times out of ten I could do just as well or better at home. I very rarely eat out now as it’s not worth the expense. England is a very expensive place to eat out.

Funnily enough me and DD were talking about this earlier today. I rarely eat out now, I enjoy cooking and we are lucky enough to have a sociably sized kitchen so I have always have company when preparing food. I’d much rather save the £££ and put it towards a foreign holiday (where even average restaurants are still of a goodish standard & much cheaper).

At current prices, you can easily save a couple of hundred a month if you are used to eating out every other week.

We've virtually stopped eating out due to the cost. £19.50 or fish and chips when the fish costs about £2 each

Ew 🤢

You seem quite obsessed by calories
You are coming across as a bit preachy.

But here you are telling people they don't need dessert because their pizza has lots of calories. Eating out fpe a lot of people is treating themselves to a desert as well as a main. You are the only person on this thread telling others what they need and don't need.

Yeah but you literally said "no need for a dessert after a pizza" which is clearly not true as some people, including me often feel the need for a dessert.

@Greekdream my ex always wanted to eat out and so when I was with him once per week minimum we did (prior to meeting him it was probably once per year - if that! I have no family/friends so never had the opp). After 2 years, I can say I’m an expert and 9/10 times it’s pretty underwhelming. The desserts esp are always just defrosted and flavourless but usually always start mimumim £6. Ice cream often contained many ice particles as though it was well past its use by. The best ones were when we went away for weekend breaks and they were famous for a particular type of cuisine. Hate to think of how much money was spent for such minimal pleasure! 🙈

I eat out a lot and I agree that the choices are limited nowadays. I am lucky enough to live in a town with a fair choice of independent restaurants that are good value for money and good service

I’ll sometimes eat beforehand so I only order a starter or small dish. I’m even thinking of taking a packed lunch with me next time I go into my local big town rather than having lunch or snack out.

We went out for lunch yesterday and I realised it was the best meal out I've had in years, definitely since before Covid. I was a bit unsure beforehand as the restaurant is Michelin-recommended and a bit pricey. But it was worth every penny.

A lot of restaurants and chains that used to offer decent fare have been serving overpriced mass-processed crap for a long time. It shouldn't be the exception to eat fresh ingredients cooked on the premises with a bit of love.

I agree with previous posters that the worst decline has been in the quality of roasts - it's gone from "this is great" to "this is okay I guess" to "actually I don't want to eat that".

I enjoy eating out and luckily for me I can afford it but quite often now I find I don't want to do it because it's such an underwhelming experience.

Our local gastro pub is abysmal. They seem to think vegetarians want to eat dry qinoa and falafel. I don't like either of those things.
I've yet to find a really decent place to eat. It's a bit tricky in Somerset as all the decent places are in Bath or Bristol miles away from me and impossible to traverse and park.

@rainbowunicorn

nah, definitely not obsessed, just mindful. Pretty much everyone I know is.

I am rarely disappointed with food I eat out. I tend to go to independent places and have a look at their social media first. It’s definitely more expensive than it used to be, but still worth it to me.

Yes the roast prices! My local has a new roast advertised, it’s a three roast dish ( I will grant them that) but still, for one person £42!

Agreed. Went out yesterday and the food was so average but the service was terrible and the atmosphere had really gone down hill in the restaurant as well.
Had a much better meal a few weeks back at our local food festival from a street food van.

Why have a burger in a restaurant, when you can but steak and flash in the pan and pop between 2 halves of a bun in a few minutes at home?

I want complicated meals I can’t cook at home

I stick to the 2 restaurants that I like and are consistently good. 1 is a chain and the other an independent.

I used to love eating out but now mainly do so if I am already out and need to stop for lunch or if I am meeting someone. I am in London and have so many restaurants to choose from but they are all so disappointing and expensive. Yes, there are some good ones out there but they are hard to find

My DH liked to go out for Sunday roast, pre covid when the price was comparable to home cooking. It isn’t any more, and our local now serves it with just one whole carrot, barely cooked. I saw a woman try to pick hers up with her fork and it shot across the room😂.
Also, anywhere that bulks it out with Mac and cheese. Wrong on so many levels.

Totally agree- The Ivy is very overrated and overpriced for what you get.

Went for a Sunday roast at a pub in Northumberland with the in laws and it was below mediocre . DH isn’t fussy but even he said it was bad. Had to be polite about it to ILs of course…

It's getting to be a joke in this country, eating out is expensive and grim. Was in France recently and even the petrol station served decent coffee and pastries. We are paying more and more for garbage.