Olympic Café & Dining Room

Great friendly staff and service, smashing food.

Quality

Delicious food and great service

Can't fault this place. Most comfortable cinema out there, with decent food, all in a special venue. Go !

Everything done so nicely, simple good food, great surrounding, v nice staff. Worth the trip to Barnes

The Olympic Studios Cafe. Sounds and looks grand. But oh dear...where the Olympic logo has five rings in it, this establishment would be better represented by a dysfunctional hula hoop. My wife and I had visited the previous Friday. We were impressed by helpful, enthusiastic staff and shown round the cinema ( absolutely fantastic), the members room on the first floor (looks really good) and the quite exciting Cafe on the ground floor open to non members. We left with membership application forms after booking a table for three for the following Friday at 8, specifying that it be in the corner of the cafe by the windows. This was even pointed out. The booking was duly noted and the table location agreed, at least so we thought, by our charming host. So we eagerly returned this last Friday, arriving 12 minutes late having been stuck in London's traffic. We had, however, called ahead saying we would be a little late and been told this presented no problem. Entering the Cafe we were greeted by a slightly flustered soul who 'found' our booking and proceeded to lead us to our table. Through the Cafe we went, past the area we had agreed to be be shown to to a table at the end of the depressing alleyway leading to the toilets and a busy staff entrance/exit. Thoroughly underwhelmed our host showed us to that premier location of tables anywhere, you know the one. The one with an uninterrupted view of the Toilet hallway door. It was also a table that was clearly for two. Three could drink at it, but eating on it was a crowded experience. We voiced our view that this was not what we had asked for nor been agreed. The place was very busy, and there you go - no other table was available. Tough! Leaving was an option, but 'hey' the food was going to be good and we were geared up for a great family night Friday night supper. So we stayed. A mistake. Ordering drinks we opted for a bottle of Albarino priced at £35. The drink we ordered with this arrived rapidly. A well served Hendriks and tonic. We ordered food. The starters arrived within minutes of the order being placed. Deep Fried Squid was the absolute smallest of portions I have witnessed, hot - good. Tough – bad. Clearly pre -cooked and then hot plated. The accompanying garlic mayonnaise was ghastly. The steak tartare our son ordered was a meat centric sludge with sourdough toast. Not a hint of presentational effort. Slap it on the plate and serve it up. But 'hey', this is a cafe. The mains will be better? Where though was the wine? We asked for this three times, and lo' it duly appeared – served at room temperature. Maybe I'm being picky, but Albarino, like most whites, needs to be properly chilled. This was also sadly not one of the better examples of the genre, tasting more manafactured than crafted and heavy on the nettles. The saga surrounding the serving of this bottle would take too long to describe. Suffice to say that by the end of our main courses it was at the right temperature. I should have declared 'Enough' before the mains were served, but persevered. Mains? Roasted cod was good. My wife's burger OK. Our son's veal and stilton sandwich was too overpoweringly stiltonesque to be enjoyable. We passed on pudding, paid, left and breathed a sigh of relief. My wife's completed club membership form was in her bag – she had intended to leave it at reception. It's now in the bin. This is a place that clearly has had a lot invested in it. The Barnes/Putney area is screaming for something like it. I really hope it works. Currently it is very much work in progress. No medals deserved on the evidence of this experience. The Olympic Cafe needs to get in training. Currently it's not fit to compete. The Olympic motto is “faster, higher, stronger' – the Cafe falls well short on all counts. London 2012 the Olympic Studios Cafe is not. SOS – send for Sir Sebastian. He is needed.

Fantastic night out at the amazing new cinema in Barnes. Huge reclining armchairs, incredible sound and all so luxurious. Delicious supper in the cool restaurant downstairs and I hear the cocktails are worth travelling for in the members bar upstairs!

Fantastic food in extremely cosy but cool setting. The cinema is very spoiling too, a real game changer for Barnes. We can't wait to go back.

The cinema is a real treat. Comfy seats with loads of leg room and incredible picture quality and sound. I've only had drinks there so far (members lounge is very swanky) but have yet to try the food.

Great food and a place with a legendary history. Will be going back for the cinema.