PizzaExpress Feedback Thread - See what MNers and their DCs think of PizzaExpress restaurants NOW CLOSED

[EmmaMumsnet]

This feedback thread is for the 50 Mumsnetters who recently visited PizzaExpress restaurants with their family.

Here’s what PizzaExpress has to say: ‘Ever since 1965 when our founder, Peter Boizot, opened our first restaurant in Soho, the same PizzaExpress values of great food, evocative music, and distinctive design have remained in our DNA. This is one recipe we’ve never changed, and today we take the same pride in offering great hospitality and unforgettable experiences.’

Please post your feedback on your family experience at PizzaExpress and you will be entered into a prize draw where one Mumsnetter will win a £300 Love2Shop voucher.

Please answer these questions below, but also feel free to add your own comments:

1. What was the best thing about your visit to PizzaExpress?
2. What improvements, if any, would you make from your family experience at PizzaExpress?
3. What did your DCs think of the Ice Age: Collision Course activity pack?
4. Would you recommend PizzaExpress to a friend or family member and why?
5. Would you consider PizzaExpress to be a family friendly restaurant?

Thank you for taking part in the product test and good luck with the prize draw!

MNHQ

Insight T&Cs apply

1.What was the best thing about your visit to PizzaExpress?
I had the barbacoa pizza from the summer menu and it was really delicious. That was the best of the food, although the DC loved their sundaes too.
The building in the Tonbridge branch is lovely with a view of the river and castle so that added to the experience.

2.What improvements, if any, would you make from your family experience at PizzaExpress?
Unfortunately we didn't have a brilliant visit overall as the service was awful. Our waitress was new but no one seemed to be helping her so she was serving without knowing how to do anything. She forgot to order the children's food so that when our food arrived the DC had to wait another 10 minutes. When eating out with young children this is one of the worst things that can happen. I did feel for her as she got orders wrong all over the place and people were increasingly annoyed. She should have had more support.
The restaurant was also quite dirty and rundown. The toilets upstairs were very grubby and smelly.

3.What did your DCs think of the Ice Age: Collision Course activity pack?
They weren't given one. They enjoyed colouring in the menu for a few minutes.

4.Would you recommend PizzaExpress to a friend or family member and why?
I would still recommend PizzaExpress but perhaps not this branch. I've taken the children there before and usually the experience is much better.

5.Would you consider PizzaExpress to be a family friendly restaurant?
Yes, it is family friendly. I probably wouldn't visit in the day without children.

We visited Pizza Express in Stockbridge, Edinburgh whilst on holiday. Me, DH and DD age 6.
There are about 6 PEs in Edinburgh, in fact we walked past two on our walk down, but we chose this one as it looked the nicest, and it was. Beautiful old converted bank building right on the river, and we were seated in a bay window overlooking the river.
Staff were welcoming and friendly - they happily called a taxi for us at the end of the evening.
We ate at 7.15 on Saturday evening and it was still warm and sunny, we had a really lovely evening. It was the highlight of our holiday, in fact.

What was the best thing about your visit to PizzaExpress?

The location, the lovely window we sat in, but also the food. DD devoured all 3 courses of the Piccolo menu with gusto, which is unheard of for her! She chose spag bol. I had a Padana and DH had a Tiavolo (sp?) and they were both tasty and fresh. Our server brought parmesan and chilli oil over. We all loved the dough balls and the salted caramel ice cream. DH had a nice organic lager which he enjoyed (I had a bottle of Prosecco!)

2.What improvements, if any, would you make from your family experience at PizzaExpress?

Only a couple of minor things. DD's starter came with a nice bowl of tomatoes, cucumber and peppers - i'd have liked my adult meal to come with this too, it looked lovely!
Also although our server was friendly and attentive (he was Spanish i think), there must have been a shift change later in the evening as he disappeared and we then waited a long time for our bill.
3.What did your DCs think of the Ice Age: Collision Course activity pack?

DD wasn't given one and I didn't see any promotion for it anywhere. To be honest, DD has never liked the Ice Age films (nor me) so she wouldn't have been bothered. I guess Subway got in first with the Finding Dory promotion, and someone else nabbed the BFG!
Instead she got a fruit and veg type activity sheet which she really enjoyed filling in, the hat and stickers - all great. A pot of Twistables were brought but lots of them were unusable - does anyone check?

4.Would you recommend PizzaExpress to a friend or family member and why?
Yes, I absolutely would. It is pricey but there's always lots of online deals (we used one, 3 courses for £12.95). There's always a range of people in there - we saw groups of students, families, older and younger couples, friends - and I do really think the pizzas are spot on.

5.Would you consider PizzaExpress to be a family friendly restaurant?
Yes, absolutely. We stood at the window to take some selfies and no-one in there batted an eyelid. DD was having a giggle too and we were playing a silly game and it was all fine - even at 9pm on a Saturday. The Piccolo menu is great value.

Thanks so much to Mumsnet for this opportunity - it really made our holiday weekend and it was a really special family occasion.

Hi MN, thanks very much for the opportunity for this, we had a lovely evening.

1.What was the best thing about your visit to PizzaExpress?
Family friendly and relaxing. Even though it was busy the restaurant never felt overwhelmed. Attentive service and friendly staff.

2.What improvements, if any, would you make from your family experience at PizzaExpress?
There were three generations in our visit and we all found something enjoyable in the experience. Only thing I can think of was that DD wasn't offered the Ice Age pack.

3.What did your DCs think of the Ice Age: Collision Course activity pack?
As above, we weren't offered one - but she really enjoyed the wordsearch and colouring.

4.Would you recommend PizzaExpress to a friend or family member and why?
On the basis of this visit, yes.

5.Would you consider PizzaExpress to be a family friendly restaurant?
Very much so. The children's menu is great value.

1.What was the best thing about your visit to PizzaExpress?
The best thing was the quality of the food- me and DH really enjoyed our meals, as did the little ones. Very very yummy.

2.What improvements, if any, would you make from your family experience at PizzaExpress?
There was quite a long waiting time. We went before the cinema so we had time restraints and it did take quite a while for our meal to come considering this, especially as it wasn't at a particularly busy time of the day. However, when I let a member of staff know, they responded very efficiently and there wasn't too long a wait after that.

3.What did your DCs think of the Ice Age: Collision Course activity pack?
DS loved it! Kept him entertained and he was telling us all about his favourite characters.

4.Would you recommend PizzaExpress to a friend or family member and why?
Yes I definitely would, as it has lovely food for the whole family, attentive staff and a nice relaxing atmosphere.

5.Would you consider PizzaExpress to be a family friendly restaurant?
Definitely. The kids menu has lots of lovely yummy options, there are lots of ways to keep the kids entertained and the staff were lovely and smiley.

1.What was the best thing about your visit to PizzaExpress?
Really lovely staff! They were so chatty and friendly and helpful, and made going out to eat with kids a stress free experience.

2.What improvements, if any, would you make from your family experience at PizzaExpress?
Nothing really- it was rather perfect!

3.What did your DCs think of the Ice Age: Collision Course activity pack?
DS loved it! Kept him a busy bee until his pizza came.

4.Would you recommend PizzaExpress to a friend or family member and why?
Definitely. Delicious food, great staff, convenient location, reasonable price0 what more could you want?

5.Would you consider PizzaExpress to be a family friendly restaurant?
Yes- the kids menu is perfect, there's yummy food options for everyone and the staff were great.

1.What was the best thing about your visit to PizzaExpress?
Very attractive building, pleasant ambience on walking in and being given a table. We where also warned that there was a 20 minute wait for food. The thin base (think it's called Romana) is absolutely delicious!

2.What improvements, if any, would you make from your family experience at PizzaExpress?
Slow to take order, and really slow to bring out food, they were very busy, as we went at a peak time and we had been warned about the wait, but if was definitely more than twenty minutes (more like 40+) I know the food is made on sight and to order, but it is definitely slow food, which would have been fine without children, but they became bored and fractious. Also very limited choice of pizza if you don't want/ like spicy foods, quite a limited children's menu too.

3.What did your DCs think of the Ice Age: Collision Course activity pack?
We did not receive the Ice Age activity pack, but the children where given a the 'Piccolo' activity pack, which was fine for dd (5) but too old for ds (4). We also had to ask for crayons, which were eventually dumped on the table and most were broken.

4.Would you recommend PizzaExpress to a friend or family member and why?
Maybe, but the staff were very busy, and it was defiantly not very friendly or helpful once we were sat down. I got the impression that the waiting staff were very stressed, and really didn't want yet more customers to serve.

5.Would you consider PizzaExpress to be a family friendly restaurant?
Not especially, but I we still have some money on the card, so we will go again at a quieter time and see if it's quicker and friendlier.

I cannot fault the food when it came out though, it was amazingly tasty and even my really fussy children wolfed down the dough balls! It was also a real treat for me not to have to cook! So huge thank you.

What was the best thing about your visit to PizzaExpress?
Good choice of meals, reasonable portion sizes (children ate off adult menu)

2.What improvements, if any, would you make from your family experience at PizzaExpress?
Staff were lovely but service quite slow. to be fair staff were v apologetic about wait and seemed run off their feet but both kids were tired after a long journey so bit disappointed re length of time to get food and then to pay.

3.What did your DCs think of the Ice Age: Collision Course activity pack?
Didn't get one

4.Would you recommend PizzaExpress to a friend or family member and why?
yes, usually good service and kids always enjoy going there. Staff always v accommodating of kids.

5.Would you consider PizzaExpress to be a family friendly restaurant?
Yes

1. Friendly efficient service. Felt children were welcome. Menu options to please everyone, from fussy eater to aspiring foodie. Pizzas well cooked and wine delicious.
2. Anchovies. A pizza without anchovies is a sad thing.
3. We didn't get any Ice Age related stuff, but the children were given activity sheets and pens, which kept them entertained while waiting for the food.
4. Yes. You can eat there any time, the children's meals are very good value, you know the children will be well catered for but still feels like a civilised eating experience for adults.
5. Yes definitely family friendly.

1. What was the best thing about your visit to PizzaExpress? The service, we was seated quickly and tables rearrange to suit us. They didn't have an issue setting up two bills for the separate family's and we where served quickly.
2. What improvements, if any, would you make from your family experience at PizzaExpress? More topping on children's pizza. Both DD pizzas had very little cheese on it and the one that had ham had only 2 pieces of ham (didn't bother her as she still enjoyed it) DH complained his pizza was lacking in cheese also.
3. What did your DCs think of the Ice Age: Collision Course activity pack? They loved them one of the few packs we have had that they have wanted to go back to playing with in between courses. The stickers where the highlight for the youngest who loved colouring them and decorating her had. The eldest enjoyed the stickers but was more interested in the puzzles
4. Would you recommend PizzaExpress to a friend or family member and why? Yes I would recommend we had a great family meal and enjoyed the food on the whole. Even better was we had a discount code and got 3 courses for £12.95 can't argue at that price
5. Would you consider PizzaExpress to be a family friendly restaurant? Yes it was family friendly toilets where close by and easily accessible. They had high chairs that they put out for our friends child. There waiter was happy to wait while our DD got the confidence to order for herself (only took a few seconds but I have seen inpatient looks when she wants to order for herself I other places). The activity packs went down a treat .

Thanks for choosing us to participate

Thank you for choosing us and sorry to be a bit slow with the feedback!

1.What was the best thing about your visit to PizzaExpress? It was a really laid-back family meal and lovely to have some relaxed time together. Nice to go somewhere where there was no pressure and where we knew both kids would enjoy the food (DS is a fairly fussy eater but DD is a total foodie!)

2.What improvements, if any, would you make from your family experience at PizzaExpress? The interior of our local Pizza Express could do with some updating. It's in a new shopping development and the interior is cavernous and as the decor is all white/beige it felt a bit bland and lacking in atmosphere. Very boring music playlist which repeated several times during our meal. Service was friendly but also rather slow and lacklustre. I think the recent changes to the menu are also a bit disappointing with some favourite pizzas disappearing (the one with pancetta!) and the toppings are noticeably more stingy than they used to be (1/3 of my American did not have any cheese on it at all!)

3.What did your DCs think of the Ice Age: Collision Course activity pack? They weren't given one but did enjoy the activities on the children's menu.

4.Would you recommend PizzaExpress to a friend or family member and why? Yes I would, it's an easy place to go as a family with young children and would be good as a place to go with a large family group as it caters for everyone. Great for fussy eaters.

5.Would you consider PizzaExpress to be a family friendly restaurant? Definitely. I think that it has become this above anything else. When I was in my twenties it used to be quite a cool place to go with friends but I think nowadays it is much more focused on attracting families.

1. What was the best thing about your visit to PizzaExpress?
   The food was really good, everyone enjoyed their meal.

2. What improvements, if any, would you make from your family experience at PizzaExpress?
   The service got a little slower as the evening went on and the restaurant got busier, it took over 20 minutes from when we asked for the bill to actually paying.

3. What did your DCs think of the Ice Age: Collision Course activity pack?
   DS (7) loved his and was engrossed most of the time we were ther, DD (1) just wanted to throw everything on the floor

4. Would you recommend PizzaExpress to a friend or family member and why?
   Definitely, it's very family friendly, the children's meals a good value and the activities were great

5. Would you consider PizzaExpress to be a family friendly restaurant?
   Absolutely

1. The service was very fast. The food was good..
2. No real improvements. I would like a more varied menu but the kids loved their meals and opted for lollies which I think is new.
3. We didn't get an ice age pack but we got a good pack with stickers and a chefs hat which kept them occupied
4. I would recommend pizza express because it has reliable and consistent quality and service
5. It is a very family friendly restaurant

We - me, DH, DD(5), DD(3), and DS(7 weeks) visited the Reigate PE.

1. The best thing was how lovely the staff were. They couldn't have been more welcoming. The restaurant is pretty narrow and a couple of large oval shaped tables were reserved but, unprompted, they moved a couple of tables together and ensured we could fit the pram next to us. It was lovely to be able to sit down knowing that we could relax given everyone there had children with them (from babies to teens). I happily breastfed my baby and didn't feel that other diners would be bothered (not that I would care anyway, but it was just an observation)
2. The baby change was in the disabled toilet and had a Mamas and Papas musical mobile above the changing station, which I thought was a lovely and easy idea but have never seen it before in any other restaurant/store. The facility itself was quite grubby though and needed a clean.
3. We weren't offered the Ice Age activity pack and didn't see anyone else with one or any branding for the film. Our daughters were kept busy for a little while with the stickers and chefs hats they were given
4. I would recommend it as a very safe, family friendly option. You know what to expect and it's always a treat to go out as a family. I just asked my husband what he thought and (for once! ) he agreed with my comments but did say the pizzas aren't great and that as it's now easy to buy a wide range of pizzas from supermarkets, he wouldn't seek to go to Pizza Express, but would go there if we were out with the kids and needed a child friendly place to eat.
5. Yep, it's definitely child friendly.

Thanks for the opportunity. So lovely to not have to cook a meal today!

1.What was the best thing about your visit to PizzaExpress?
The best thing about visiting Pizza Express was sharing relaxing time with the family. The waitress noticed my son had birthday cards opened in front of him so asked if it was his birthday. We let her know it was and she fetched a complimentary piece of cake with a candle. A lovely touch and showed they noticed why we were having a meal that day.
2.What improvements, if any, would you make from your family experience at PizzaExpress?
I would've liked to of been asked if we wanted to sit upstairs away from a child's extremely noisy birthday party. The restaurant isn't particularly big so being sat next to 20 shouting 9yr olds was unpleasant. We'd of rather had the option to be seated upstairs where it was much quieter.
3.What did your DCs think of the Ice Age: Collision Course activity pack?
We didn't receive any ice age pack
4.Would you recommend PizzaExpress to a friend or family member and why?
I throughly enjoyed our visit and would recommend to family and friends. The food is extremely tasty and the staff are very professional. Although our waitress didn't bring our change after we ad paid via cash which was a bit presumptuous. I guess she assumed it was a tip but Id if liked to at least be the one to leave the tip!
5.Would you consider PizzaExpress to be a family friendly restaurant?
I absolutely would recommend pizza express for children, they really do look after them. The meals are perfect sized and ideal for kids, the staff take their time and care about making sure they are treated with the same respect as the adults in the party. Noticing my son was their on his birthday and bringing a slice of cake for us to sing happy birthday was the perfect touch too. My kids (& us!) can't wait for a return trip

1. I think the best thing was the food. We had just got off a flight and were very hungry. DS (7) said it was delicious.

1. The experience was a good one, but if it were to be improved, perhaps the staff could have been more welcoming. They were perfectly pleasant but not overly friendly. Also I agree that the children's pizzas are a little small.

1. We were not given an ice age pack. We enjoyed the piccolo menus though with the stickers and twistables which made a nice change.

1. Yes I would recommend pizza express for families. I thought the children's meals were good value and they really enjoyed them. The babychinno was a nice touch which my DS (4 and 7) enjoyed. I think it's fun that there are so many courses to the meal.

5.yes I think pizza express is family friendly. I think we shared the restaurant with mostly families with youngish children. It was early sat evening in shoreditch. There were high chairs and the food came very quickly which kept everyone happy. Thank you.

Congratulations to Boos75 whose name came out of the hat to win the prize draw!