Ottolenghi

We had been before and enjoyed our meal but on this particular evening we were treated very rudely. We just wanted a quick bite to eat before a theatre trip but were spoken to very rudely by the front of house chap. My daughter said I should have answered back but this was supposed to be a nice evening out. In the end we walked out and had a lovely meal at the Italian reataurant over the road. The staff there were delightful and could teach the people at Ottolenghi's some manners!

Wow i went to the restaurant about 6 months ago and found the customer service shockingly terrible - i felt like i was doing them a service rather than the other way round. Staff were incredibly rude, no smiles and were in a very hurried manner which made me and my partner feel uneasy. The food is amazing but it really puts a downer on me ever going there again; despite this i attempted to book a table a week in advance only to be told it was available; h owever we would have to "give the table back" at 7:30pm my booking was for 6pm - shocked i put the phone down. I will NOT be recommending Ottolengi to anyone as i have been doing about the food. Poor POOR customer service!!!

I have been to Ottolenghis several times - when it has been good, it has been excellent, but when it has been bad, it has been downright horrible. My first few visits resulted in uniformly great experiences. I went there for lunch, found it to be very good value for money and recommended it to all my vegetarian friends because the quality of many of the augergine-based dishes in particular was exceptional. But I have to offer some rather big caveats. Service has been variable, with staff occasionally seeming harried or uncaring. That said, the lady in charge during our last two visits, who also seated us, was extremely friendly and professional. The real bugbears though involve the high cost of a visit for an evening meal - TimeOut should not be suggesting that it is cheap - and the fact that we have been left with dodgy stomachs from the cakes on two occasions now. Where the latter is concerned, to the restaurant's credit, they gave us a gift certificate when we complained but the same thing has happened again. I really think that they must protect the cakes from exposure and I suspect that cakes are left out all day. Despite these experiences, I would still recommend the restaurant but I would stick to lunches and avoid everything else.

Vey bad customer service, I will never set my foot in Ottolenghi again. The whole experience was spoilt by an incompetent waitress and a rude waiter. The floor manager was the only one who acted more professionally.

I went here after lotsa review about this fantastic place as a tourists. Bought choco cake, cookies n hazelnut cake for takeaway. The choco cake is amazing, but yeah the staffs are not so friendly aft all, they treated you like you can't even afford to buy or something with their heavily local accent(I'm wearing my sports gear when I went there)

I agree with this review of Ottolenghi almost completely. I must admit that this is my favourite restaurant in London, but there is a big inaccuracy in this feature. Ottolenghi is not cheap. Breakfasts and lunches are affordable and the rating for those is correct. But dinners are expensive. It is true that the price for main courses is £8-£10, but one needs at least 3 of these per person. If you add up wine, the bill will increase. I would recommend to go there and dine even if this is not cheap. It is absolutely worth it.

After many, many months of drooling over Yottam's Guardian recipies, we finally got to eat here ( we live far, far away, in distant sticks) - and the whole experience was divine. I applaud Chris ( previous reviewer) and see exactly why he left such comments - some people you couldn't please if you gave them money. Well done, Yottam and staff, we'll be back !

I've eaten here a couple of times, the food was good and the staff pleasant. What is starting to bug me is the sanctimonious part-time food critics that society is creating. I work in a busy pub in North London which is popular and generally good (we've one a Time Out award). We have staff who will work 14hr days for a little over minimum wage, we serve around 800 meals a week. The vast majority have a lovely experience. Occasionally it goes wrong and we do our best to rectify the situation. People get sick, or go on holiday, or just need a Saturday night off to see their mum, which throws the whole operation out of sync. Margins are extremely tight so kitchens/front of house just have to muscle by- often finishing after midnight with an early start the next morning.

During a hectic service someone may drop a plate or make a mistake on the order or overcook a steak (I love the plonkers who refuse to eat a medium rare steak when they've ordered rare), and then the staff member has to be all sweetness and light to the occasional rude and supercillious London diner.

Ever been rushed off your feet at work and let your smile drop for a second? Ever reacted badly to someone being rude to you? Ever produced a meal of less than 100% quality due to pressure (for 4 people rather than 100)?

If the answer to any of these is yes, then please think twice when slating London (or indeeed any) restaurant staff an such an insidious way. They are most probably doing their absolute best for very little reward.

Oh, and if anyone wants to give up their Saturday night to come and wash up and see what it's all about then I'm sure it can be arranged ;)

After years of wanting to try this restaurant my boyfriend and I finally went last night for Valentines. It was absolutely brilliant, from the warm professional greeting at the door, to our fantastic waitress. She was knowledgeable, attentive and very calm. The food was spot on, we had the set menu and were more than pleased with the choice. The ambiance was perfect and we were never rushed - we ended up staying for nearly 3 hours, it was the perfect evening.

Vastly overpriced. I've tried it twice but on both occasions found the cakes looked better than they taste. I've heard that on occassions from fellow islingtonian's and will probably stick with euphorium on the green or elk for my cake fix.

Went to Ottolenghi Islington on Wednesday this week. Food was fair, but service was truly awful. Staff verged on rudeness and you made you feel as though you should be grateful to be admitted to their overpriced restaurant. to add insult to injury, they then expect you to pay a service charge. I would definitely NOT recommend this place.

Today my sister came up to town and I took her to lunch at Ottolenghi, we wanted to chat so I asked to sit side by side at the long table - the waitress said this was not allowed - you must sit on either side of the table!
I said I did not hear so well and it would be better for me to sit next to my sister. Again No not allowed. What sort of house rule is this? We took coffee & dessert in a friendly Italian cafe round the corner - sit where you like my dears! Now that is real service.

I had a small piece of chicken and some salad in a box to take away and the meal costs over £17. Is this not too much for a small take-away lunch?

The displayed salads here are great. Those simple ingredients, yet combined together they make this place a must destination for a flavoursome brunch. Yet, coming to think of it the customer service is really blunt (Notting Hill branch). I dont know whats with the waitors... Last time i checked, a waitor was supposed to take pride in being a team member, not act as if the owner.

This place is fantastic!! I travel across London to go!! The lunch is amazing and good value too, especially for the quality of food on offer. Yes it is busy but has a great atmosphere and the staff are great!

ps- buy the cookbook too!

While the cakes here are amazing. The customer service is shockingly bad. Once I can always discount as someone having a bad day, but unfortunately in their case it seems to be consistent. I have been rushed off tables and told we could only have dessert if we got it take away-no thanks. I've even had that classic i gave you a 20 pound note, no you gave me a tenner debacle. Food is amazing, but get it take away. Alas I think I've had too many run ins to go back.