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It's been four years since the pandemic, so we're almost back to life as it was before. We're not as hungry for social gatherings, live entertainment, and going out to eat at a fancy restaurant. In fact, a 2023 survey found that, on average, Americans dine out three times a month.

Ipsos conducted a study about what customers expect from restaurants in 2024. The top factors for an enjoyable dining experience were quality time with family and friends (52%), great value for money (45%), and eating healthier (20%). These don't seem like very tall orders, do they?

Well, they do for these restaurants. When one person online asked, "What made you never want to return to a restaurant again?", over a thousand people shared their horrible experiences. Who knew dining out could be so adventurous and, at times, even dangerous?

Bored Panda reached out to popular restaurant reviewer and food blogger The Picky Glutton. They told us more about their foodie adventures in the London scene, how to spot bad restaurants, and their most memorable good and bad restaurant experiences. Read their yummy insights below!


This post may include affiliate links.

#1

“I Was So Mad I Wrote My First Ever Google Review”: 35 Restaurant Horror Stories A server making fun of someone with down's syndrome.

warpedandwoofed , Cliff Booth Report

Final score:
170points
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When choosing a restaurant, Picky Glutton says not to look for the most popular spot. "Popularity does not automatically equal quality," they tell Bored Panda. "Don't automatically assume a restaurant is good purely because there are queues outside."

"Restaurants that are especially good at latching onto faddish trends or paying social media influencers for positive coverage, to give just two examples, may be good at generating queues. That doesn't necessarily mean they're actually any good," the Glutton gives us the inside scoop.
#2

“I Was So Mad I Wrote My First Ever Google Review”: 35 Restaurant Horror Stories Went to a highly rated Chinese restaurant. Bit into a soup bun and out comes 2 dead roaches. My wife and I lock eyes and quietly set down our spoons. We didn't want to cause a scene so we politely flagged down our waiter. The restaurant refused to comp our food or even offer an apology. So I charged back on my credit card and filed a complaint with the heath department.

TooManyPolos , Hanxiao Report

Final score:
148points
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#3

“I Was So Mad I Wrote My First Ever Google Review”: 35 Restaurant Horror Stories Barmaid rolled her eyes at me and said "Maybe you shouldn't be eating at a steakhouse if you are worried about the difference between diet and non-diet coke" after I asked her to replace the regular coke with the diet version I had ordered.

I responded "Actually I have type 1 diabetes - I can't dose my insulin correctly for sugary drinks as they get absorbed so quickly".

This was met with another eye roll, so my group of friends and I just said f**k this place and went somewhere else.

Left a bad tripadvisor/Google places review which got a grovelling apology from the owner.

Agent_No , Karolina Kaboompics Report

Final score:
145points
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The reviewer suggests thinking about who you'll be eating with and whether it's for a special occasion. "This can be just as important as anything else [when] choosing a restaurant. The preferences and personalities of who you're eating with (such as friends or family), as well as whether it's for a special occasion, such as a birthday or anniversary, can influence where and what you choose."

"For example, if you're meeting a friend you haven't seen in ages and want to catch up over a relaxed and unhurried meal, a quick turnover ramen bar would probably be the wrong choice. If you're having a meal with your temperamental, old-fashioned parents, an experimental fine-dining restaurant might not be the right choice," they add.

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#4

I ate there a lot. There weren't any vegan options but I'm not one so it wasn't an issue. They advertised a new vegan menu. I called up my vegan family members and said "Hey, come eat with me, I love this place."

We all sit down for a meal. No vegan menu. When I asked about it the owner said "Yeah, we haven't got any vegan stuff but we did that ad to get more customers in. And look, it worked!"

He lost a regular that day. Haven't eaten there since.

Ch1pp Report

Final score:
126points
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#5

“I Was So Mad I Wrote My First Ever Google Review”: 35 Restaurant Horror Stories It was a takeaway. 12 of us ordered from Justeat and were really looking forward to it. We waited, and waited, and waited. Two hours later we rang and asked where our food was and they said they hadn’t made it because they assumed that such a large order was a prank despite the fact it was paid for! They did make the food and send it to us, but by that point it was over three hours since we initially ordered and we were hangry. The food, however was delicious. A couple of months later, same group of people. We decided to forgive them because the food was so nice. Ordered, waited. No food. Rang them a lot quicker this time to confirm the order and again, they said they assumed the order was a prank. The food eventually arrived however several items and full meals were missing. Rang them again and got voicemail saying they were closed for the night despite their website saying they were open for another three hours. We left a negative review and they threatened us over the phone. We added that to another review.

soverytiiiired , Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 Report

Final score:
121points
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#6

Went to a Portuguese restaurant for a work Christmas meal. There were 14 of us. We ordered before we got there.

We arrived and were seated. Nothing for 30 minutes. They didn’t even ask if we wanted a drink. We flagged down a flustered waiter and asked for some drinks. We waited for them for 15 mins and they arrived. Not what we asked for. We sent them back and waited. And waited. We asked where the food was, as we had been there almost an hour. “You’ll have to wait” we were told, in a stroppy voice.

20 minutes later, the owner realised that our food had been given to another Christmas party. He actually went over and took the food from that table and gave it to us, it was half eaten by this point. Obviously a terrible experience for us, as well as the people who had their food “confiscated” half way through the meal.

We got a full refund and a few bottles of wine. We went to the nearest kebab house, as everywhere was booked.

No matter how busy you are, you don’t keep paying customers waiting that long. You also don’t take meals from people whilst they’re eating. You don’t take expect people to start eating a half eaten meal.

Terrible. Memorable, but terrible.

Significant_Return_2 Report

Final score:
101points
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Price and fancy concepts don't guarantee a good dining experience either. "Just because a restaurant is expensive, or conversely cheap, doesn't necessarily mean it's any good," the Glutton tells us. "Avoid 'gimmick' restaurants. The classic examples would be restaurants at the top of a tower on a rotating platform or with a view of a landmark. More often than not, such restaurants coast along on the gimmick rather than on their food and service."

When you're vacationing, the Glutton recommends venturing out of the touristy/hospitality areas. "[They] don't have a monopoly on good eating! This is especially true for cuisines from marginalized communities, whose members may not have the financing and negotiating power to get prime real estate," the restaurant reviewer points out.
#7

“I Was So Mad I Wrote My First Ever Google Review”: 35 Restaurant Horror Stories When they added an automatic tip.

anon , Yan Krukau Report

Final score:
94points
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#8

“I Was So Mad I Wrote My First Ever Google Review”: 35 Restaurant Horror Stories Live ants in the pilau rice, the restaurant thought it wasn't an issue and would bring another dish.

We just walked straight out and never returned.

Hamsternoir , VINAY GUPTA Report

Final score:
93points
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#9

For me it's pretentious presentation.
Bringing me ice cream on a slab so I have to eat it in 30 seconds before it melts all over the table is moronic.
I don't wanna eat fries out of a recycled tin can, I'm not a racoon.
Eating a burger out of a stone slab is some 10,000bc s**t and I want no part in it.
I wish they would just give me a frigging plate and a bowl and stop trying to reinvent the wheel with triangles.

No_Seaworthiness4196 Report

Final score:
92points
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"Learn how to read between the lines of menus," Picky Glutton also recommends. "Long menus can be signs of a kitchen recycling the same base ingredients and base sauces to give the illusion of choice. Or an unfocussed chef(s) trying to do too much, little of it well."

"Some menus use page layout tricks, such as highlighted boxes, pictures, higher placement, and nostalgic/familial language, etc., in an attempt to sell their most profitable or easy-to-make dishes."
#10

“I Was So Mad I Wrote My First Ever Google Review”: 35 Restaurant Horror Stories I've told this one a few times on reddit but basically bad service.

The place was empty, we were the only customers. It's a brunch restaurant, so we were there around 10:30 a.m. (it opened at 8 a.m.). There were 8 of us just wanting a relaxed breakfast (we weren't being rowdy). And as much as this story sounds like those rude cafe places... it's not, but it could fool you.

This waitress was clearly not in a good mood. I have no issue with that, you don't have to be the happiest person serving us.

She came over to take our order and we were very efficient, all knowing exactly what we wanted. However, they didn't have a couple of items (not mentioned or written anywhere). She told us in a very irritated way and then it obviously took a few seconds for those people to find what they wanted. She sighed barely 5 seconds later. Then when one found what they wanted and said "oh found what I'd like..." trying to lighten the mood and smiling. The waitress rolled her eyes and said "go on then" in an irritated manner again.

Anyway, eventually, she comes to serve the food, and literally (no exaggeration) she chucked the plates down on the table in front of some people, things fell off the plates. Then slid the other along the table (plenty of space to walk around the table). No apology for the food that fell off the plates or explanation for chucking it across.

We decided not to pay the service charge. We paid the bill exactly. She then blocked the doorway as we were leaving and said "You've underpaid, where's the rest?". I'm usually the shy, non-confrontational type, but I piped up because I'll let so much slide (even the plate slide would have been ok alone) but that was on a level I've never seen before.

So I said "We paid X, the service charge is optional and you were rude and threw our food all over the table and didn't once try to apologise or make up for the bad service. We will not be paying a tip for that."

She understandably was not happy with that but realised she wouldn't manage to get that out of us and let us leave but yeah, I live nearby it but I refuse to ever go again despite the food being quite nice.

CoffeeIgnoramus , Stephen Noulton Report

Final score:
77points
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#11

“I Was So Mad I Wrote My First Ever Google Review”: 35 Restaurant Horror Stories Mine as usually gluten related, as I'm coeliac. I was on holiday in Athens with a couple of my mates who grew up there. I was really enjoying the local food there but we decided one day to give this pizza place a go because they offered gluten free. Cool! We ordered and checked in English and Greek that it was GF. I demolished my pizza and it was delicious. Got to a couple hours later and I was throwing up so bad. That sort where you physically can't stop it. We were at somewhere grabbing a drink at the time, so I was curled up around their loo, throwing up. We finally made it back to their place after more puking. Then the other digestive issues kicked in. Anyway, I left a review of the place saying it's genuinely nice food but don't go there if you're coeliac. They were pissed and said I needed to take my review down. Messages flying back and forth. They offered me a free pizza. Bro, no. I don't wanna die. They said that those pizzas had "lower levels of gluten". That's not a thing. It's gluten free or it isn't. They told me they're made with spelt flour. Not GF in the slightest. They said they'd try and make a GF pizza (wouldn't trust it even if they did). They emailed back shortly after saying it was too difficult. Safe to say, if I ever go back to Athens, I'm never eating there again. I feel bad for the server because he would've only known what they told him.

I've had a few run-ins with places and me being coeliac (diagnosed as a toddler). But this one stuck out to me as particularly bad.

Natural_Zebra_866 , The Nix Company Report

Final score:
70points
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#12

“I Was So Mad I Wrote My First Ever Google Review”: 35 Restaurant Horror Stories I went to one once where I ordered the food. One of the drinks offered was milkshakes: Banana, strawberry, chocolate, with coffee added in any favour if requested.

I asked for a strawberry and politely said to the woman ''NO coffee added, thanks''

She asked why, **with a sniff,** and I said I don't like any sort of coffee in any shape or form and won't touch it. ''Just a strawberry, please''. Although I felt I didn't have to explain my reason to her.

Strawberry came, I sucked on the straw and there was coffee in it so I took it back to the same woman and loudly enough for others to hear told I I had asked for NO coffee as I don't like it and won't touch it. She snapped ''it's only a bit, it won't hurt you''.

So I plonked the glass on the table and walked out, without paying for the drink or the food that had been delivered. Never ever went back!

anon , Madison Oren Report

Final score:
68points
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If you're choosing an ethnic restaurant in an English-speaking country, gauge if the members of that ethnic group are eating there. "If not, why not: that could be a reason to give you pause. How does the menu reflect the regionalism and varying traditions of that group? If it doesn't attempt to do so, or attempts to do it all in a superficially comprehensive manner, then that could be a reason to give you pause," the Glutton explains.

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#13

“I Was So Mad I Wrote My First Ever Google Review”: 35 Restaurant Horror Stories I got bangers and mash and the sausages smelled really funky. The server assured me it was just the herbs and I was still a teenager, who was taught to clear my plate, so I did.

Cue going home and immediately being violently, virulently ill all over the bathroom, and feeling incredibly poorly. I hadn't eaten anything that day beforehand and I'd had food poisoning before to that exact reaction. So we called the restaurant. Not to complain, just to get them to check the sausages actually were okay, because I didn't want to raise a fuss, I just wanted to be sure no one else was going to be sick if the sausages were off. That was it, all my dad called for.

The manager went off at dad on the phone, swearing and insulting us for daring to even insinuate anything could possibly be wrong with the food and telling us to f**k off. Needless to say, we didn't go back, which was a shame because it was one of the only restaurants in the area. I could have understood some of the anger if we had called to complain or try and bargain for a refund or something, but just calling as a heads up to check their stock was okay... nggghhh.

Well, we never went back.

More-Dragonfly2007 , Paula Report

Final score:
67points
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#14

Another time, Indian Restaurant in Handforth, Stockport. We ordered meal for four and had some drinks. No sign of food, so we had some more drinks. And then some more drinks. Eventually signalled a waiter who brought us the bill.

When we said, that's very nice, but we haven't had any food, he said of course we had. We pointed out the full set of crockery and cutlery on the table and he piped down. Next thing we have is the Chef and the Owner coming out to appologise. Turns out that the chef had made our food, put it on the counter and the new guy doing washing up had poured it away and washed our plates before it could be taken out to us.

We laughed, they offered to cook more food but it was now too late to want food and we were all pissed due to drinking on an empty stomach. The waiter tried to give us the bill for drinks but the owner shouted at him in what I guess was Punjabi and tore the bill in half. So, result, an evening of dieting and free drinks!

TheOldMancunian Report

Final score:
67points
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#15

“I Was So Mad I Wrote My First Ever Google Review”: 35 Restaurant Horror Stories Went to Patisserie Valerie years ago and got some kind of lemony cheesecake. Probably eaten nearly half of it before I notice a dark spot, scoop around it with my spoon and uncover a full rat dropping (too big to be a mouse). Took all my willpower to not vom all over the cafe. Was with my mum and she instantly started complaining (as mums tend to do) because I was much too disgusted to do anything, and they VERY quickly refunded and tried to replace. Absolutely refused the replacement. Have flashbacks every time I go near one. I had already eaten half the tainted cheesecake! Never again.

deadasfvckk , Yuliia Dementsova Report

Final score:
66points
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dew avatar
DEW
DEW
Community Member
4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I am one that doesn't like cheesecake but if the rats were in the restaurant I'd call the health department. But.....usually the desserts and pies are ordered from companies. So it may have not been the restaurant themselves.

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Rebekah Krause
Rebekah Krause
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4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

But isn’t the whole point of a Patisserie that they have their own specialty baker and items are made in house?

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PeachPossum
PeachPossum
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4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

M*A*S*H episode. Frank Burns sees an untouched pudding cup on the table. "Anybody eating that?" Upon being told no, he snatches it up, dives in with a spoon. "Mmmmm! Raisins!" Other NCOM replies, "No. Flies."

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Bec
Bec
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4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ate about half a chicken sandwich once and it was pink in the middle, waitress was very apologetic and comped my meal and offered a dessert, which I asked to be made to go as I'd lost my appetite

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Robert Kotula
Robert Kotula
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4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Was that by any chance in Edinburgh? Pretty sure I had to call the health inspectors on that place as there were rat droppings everywhere in the back.

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If you want more adventurous food experiences, you need to eat as broadly as you can, Picky Glutton says. If you don't have any health- or religious-based diet restrictions, that is. "Don't go to the same ol' chain restaurants – choose an independent [one] instead. Try a cuisine or a dish you've never had before. People often choose comfort foods, but food is also one of the most accessible ways to experience another culture or world view."

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#16

“I Was So Mad I Wrote My First Ever Google Review”: 35 Restaurant Horror Stories The waitress said she wouldn't receive any tips that I left.

Happy_goth_pirate , Karolina Kaboompics Report

Final score:
64points
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#17

“I Was So Mad I Wrote My First Ever Google Review”: 35 Restaurant Horror Stories Low and Slow BBQ whiteladies Bristol.

Walked in and saw the guy behind the counter take out a big fresh vat of Mac and cheese, spill it all over the dirty counter and finger smeared sneeze guard. Laugh then begin to scrape it off the counter and glass back into the serving pot.

Looked up at me like "what can I get you"

I said Nothing thanks and walked out.

ShirtCockingKing , Hermes Rivera Report

Final score:
58points
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#18

“I Was So Mad I Wrote My First Ever Google Review”: 35 Restaurant Horror Stories Pizza Hut Leicester Sq. Rats running around under tables.

ExPristina , Ralph Report

Final score:
55points
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If your favorite restaurant reviewer suggests a place, try it out: their taste probably matches yours. "I'm naturally biased towards written reviews, but if you prefer TikTok videos or Instagram stories, then go for it," Picky Glutton says. "Just beware of reviews that have been paid for or where the reviewer has had their meal paid for by the restaurant, potentially compromising their judgment. Sneaky, ambiguous, or easy-to-miss hashtags, like #ad or #invite, are an obvious indicator."

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#19

“I Was So Mad I Wrote My First Ever Google Review”: 35 Restaurant Horror Stories Someone in our group found a metal bolt in their Dauphinoise potatoes at Café Rouge. Found whilst eating it, so actually bit down on it. Could've easily broken a tooth, let alone who knows what contamination it involved. Explanation from management was "it was prepared at another location, we just heat it up", like that makes a difference? They wanted to take the potatoes off the bill as an apology, so definitely not seeing the seriousness of the situation. Nobody in our party wanted to eat after the discovery, and one brave soul had the strength to say nope, we're not paying for any of the meal since nobody wants to continue eating and we're leaving right now.

PlasticSwans , Azamat Esenaliev Report

Final score:
55points
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#20

Waiter insisted we needed to say whether we wanted the chicken rare, medium or well done and the manager said that was a legitimate question when we mentioned it.

Mysterious_Orchid147 Report

Final score:
52points
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#21

“I Was So Mad I Wrote My First Ever Google Review”: 35 Restaurant Horror Stories I once waited with a date for over an hour for the bill, we discussed just walking out, but the bill was over £100 and that was 2005, I have never been back. Still going though, used to walk passed it all the time.

Diar16335502 , Viktoria Slowikowska Report

Final score:
51points
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The worst restaurants the Glutton has ever visited reside in the hall of shame under the 1-star and 2-star categories on their blog. "London's Club Mexicana jumps out from my memory, if only because I ate from there relatively recently."
#22

Mid meal they asked if I wanted any sauce, so I just asked for some ketchup, they then added a 0.50 charge for a small dollop of ketchup on the bill as well as automatic gratuity charge amounting to around £10

I was so mad I wrote my first ever google review on it lol.

CeeZee2 Report

Final score:
50points
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#23

“I Was So Mad I Wrote My First Ever Google Review”: 35 Restaurant Horror Stories For me, i once ordered a steak after going on a long walk with my family and thought having a nice pub dinner would leave me satisfied with having to deal with the gruelling hills id just dragged my legs up and over.

Its safe to say, id rather of walked that hill walk 10 times over than had this steak.

Not only was it grey and cold, but it had a very very strong smell. The kind of smell that stays with you for a few hours afterwards.

As i was absolutely starving, i ignored the smell (my own fault here) and began the journey of eating this piece of meat. After a couple of slow chews the taste hit me and hit me hard. Stale, tangy and very very off.

I quickly realised the steak was beyond past its sell by date and on the verge of turning into a different creature altogether.

I notified the owner who just told me to 'put some ketchup on it' as its 'just the taste of the grill'- Honey, NO!

After much back- and -forth on this beast on my plate, the owner decided to try the steak, and confirmed it wasn't right. I was a little in shock that she ate the steak as i wasn't sure if this is what people do nether the less, the look she provided whilst chewing it gave me my answer. It was off.

After this, the chef came out and apologised along with other members of staff and offered me a different steak, but after the one i just tried, i just asked if i could not pay for my main and only pay for my drinks and starter.

This was denied.

I was only given the option of a new steak, nothing else from the menu, just the steak. So, out of a mixture of my stubbornness, disappointment and horrific experience i said i was not paying for my steak. Paid for everything else and left.

The whole experience had made me be left with no choice but not to return. which is a shame as its in a lovely area and would of been perfect from a lovely (hilly) walk.

This hasn't put me off steak at all, ive enjoyed many. but now, ill give them a quick smell before i eat.

ShineyWaffle97 , Jordon Kaplan Report

Final score:
46points
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#24

“I Was So Mad I Wrote My First Ever Google Review”: 35 Restaurant Horror Stories I got really bad food poisoning in a McDonald’s in France, so bad that I got sepsis and I’m still dealing with the kidney problems 30 years later.
I’m not sure if McDonald’s qualities as a restaurant, but I’m sure as heck not going there again.

turingthecat , Jp Valery Report

Final score:
43points
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"It's a Mexican restaurant (now a small chain) that jumped on the bandwagon for vegan food while ignoring the many examples of vegan-friendly foods and ingredients in that cuisine. That, combined with the incredibly inept cooking, made it memorably bad to the point of being revolting. It's one of the few times where I've thrown food away rather than finish eating it," the reviewer admits.
#25

“I Was So Mad I Wrote My First Ever Google Review”: 35 Restaurant Horror Stories My mrs found a slug in her mushroom pasta at a really nice Italian near us, we’ve not been allowed to go back since….

johnmk3 , Klaus Nielsen Report

Final score:
43points
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#26

“I Was So Mad I Wrote My First Ever Google Review”: 35 Restaurant Horror Stories When I was a teenager my family met some extended family from out the area and met in the middle of the countryside for Sunday lunch because it was in the middle of where we all lived. Like absolute middle of nowhere, nothing around it, no towns, just the occasional village. This pub was just off a B-road and was completely empty.

It did look like a nice country pub though and they had pork, chicken, beef, duck, everything. Things at the time didn't seem too bad... but a few hours later you could have launched the Titanic on the amount of diarrhoea and vomit it caused.

Years and years later it's become the infamous pub that nobody will go near and we all get shivers as we see the signs for it when driving past.

pickindim_kmet , cottonbro studio Report

Final score:
39points
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#27

“I Was So Mad I Wrote My First Ever Google Review”: 35 Restaurant Horror Stories I went to a carvery , one of those things where you have to walk around with your plate serving yourself food. Watched a kid sneeze across the cutlery, a line of snot went flying out his nose ...first and last carvery.

anon , Ksenia Chernaya Report

Final score:
38points
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And what about the best? They've received 4-star and 5-star reviews on the Picky Glutton blog, of course! "It's a little hard to think of unifying threads between them all. But restaurants where the proprietor/chef has a deep personal connection to their chosen craft (such as Texas Joe's, Kaieteur Kitchen, or Singburi) have turned out to be especially rewarding in my experience."
#28

“I Was So Mad I Wrote My First Ever Google Review”: 35 Restaurant Horror Stories Four of us went to a local pub restaurant thing where you pay as you order. Yeah, I know.

They brought out our main dishes and we mentioned that we hadn't had any starters yet. They cleared away our plates and later served the starters. Once they were done they served the main dishes. The same main dishes. The ones that had been sitting for over half an hour and then microwaved. So even the garnish and salad bits were hot.

Nope. Never ate there again.

Cold_Table8497 , shawnanggg Report

Final score:
38points
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#29

Went to Gaucho in London for me and my girlfriends first anniversary, we had a table booked for 8:30pm, they seated us in the bar area to wait for our table and they still hadn’t shown us to our table by half 9.

Ordered the chunky chips with steak, they were raw in the middle, and then when I came to pay the person taking payment looked at my card (which admittedly was a bit battered) and said “I don’t think I should accept this, the signature has rubbed off, you could have got this from anyone”.

A s****y meal followed by someone insinuating you’re a thief is not the one.

jimmy1829 Report

Final score:
38points
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#30

“I Was So Mad I Wrote My First Ever Google Review”: 35 Restaurant Horror Stories Decided to book dinner on Christmas Eve at a local pub. They were rammed so we weren't worried about long waits. We all ordered veggie burgers (those fake meat ones), everyone except me got theirs and we waited another 10 minutes for mine. Took a good big bite out of it when it arrived and it was meat. Spat it out, tried to get the notice of a waitress. No apologies, nothing taken off the bill. I'm just glad I don't have allergies. I always double check now.

McSheeples , Pixabay Report

Final score:
34points
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"I have a soft spot for a pair of restaurants that now have closed/changed proprietors (Piquet and Bellanger), as, in their original forms, the expertly crafted food was matched by the service – warm welcomes followed by quietly efficient and graciously thoughtful service," the Picky Glutton shares.
#31

“I Was So Mad I Wrote My First Ever Google Review”: 35 Restaurant Horror Stories Restaurant at a tourist attraction in mid Wales. Staff dropped a whole box of clean cutlery on the not-so-clean carpeted floor then proceeded to pick them up and place them in the cutlery trays for customers. Yuck!

Made me wonder what other short cuts happened in their kitchen...

Thankfully, we did not get food poisoning.

Auntie_Cagul , Florencia Viadana Report

Final score:
33points
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#32

Cafe at a garden centre, I had a bit of hard plastic in my sandwich - never returned there again

Ants in my Jacket Potato at another Cafe

Another Cafe straight up forgot about us. We ordered, 30 minutes later not even drinks, reminded them we haven't had drinks yet and they said they were sorry and we'd be "priority". 15 minutes later, no drinks nor food whilst they served someone else. We just got up and left.

TheToastyToad Report

Final score:
32points
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#33

The Big Easy chain in London. Used to love it, especially the original in Chelsea - it was fantastic. Then they fired a load of their employees in March 2020, put up a 'heartfelt' Instagram post about it, a week or so before furlough was announced. And never said anything about rehiring them to be furloughed, which I remember Martin Lewis confirming (and making a big noise about it) was allowed. F**k them, they threw their employees to the street at the first sign of trouble

scott-the-penguin Report

Final score:
30points
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#34

Ordered a pasta dish in Prezzo and found pubic hair in it. I tried to convince myself it was from a chef's beard, but it looked distinctly more pubey.

BeachJenkins Report

Final score:
30points
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#35

“I Was So Mad I Wrote My First Ever Google Review”: 35 Restaurant Horror Stories Live chicken in a bag in the toilet (but not UK ofc!).
Minky_Dave_the_Giant:
That's how you know it's fresh.

tmstms , Catherine Sheila Report

Final score:
26points
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#36

The calamari that had the texture of gummy bears, followed by being rushed out of the restaurant, staff stacking chairs nearby quite aggressively whilst I’m trying to enjoy my meal because they wanted to close an hour earlier that day but they sure as s**t didn’t mention that to me when I went in.

UnoBeerohPourFavah Report

Final score:
21points
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#37

Local place. Mid level classy and 2nd date with the person I'd eventually marry. Super nervous.

We arrived 7.05. Sat down drinks ordered and asked if knew what we wanted. We said no we'd like to see a menu.

The light in the waitresses eyes died.

She watched us read the menu pen poised. Cracking under the pressure we ordered quickly.

Starters arrive.

The mains arrive a few minutes after that. She tries to take our plates but I explain we are still eating. She leaves our mains to cool off on our table.

We finish our starters and start on our mains and the bill arrives.

By this point I'm looking around. The place isn't full nor empty. Iv'e no idea whats happening. We decide we've had enough and dont bother with the dessert, leave the money on the table and leave.

We emerge blinking into the light. The time? 7.15



Still the most bizarre experience ever. We still talk about the ten minute date ten years later.

brumbles2814 Report

Final score:
21points
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#38

Went into a place for lunch with a mate, sat down and ordered through their QR codes as instructed. It's an open kitchen where you sit facing it, and we were the only two in there besides another two already eating. Watched them for 10 minutes not cooking anything 'I work in a kitchen myself so I know they hadn't seen our tickets'.

Ask for some water and let them know we've ordered through their website, and then one of the chefs starts cooking. After a while I get my food and had to ask for my drink when my food arrived, met with an 'Oh!' when I say I ordered a coke so he clearly didn't see that ticket either. I get mine, bowl of ramen. Missing the egg, chicken that tastes like its the pre cooked stuff from Tesco and broth was terribly bland. My mates still waiting on his to which he asks how long his will be, to which the guy says he hasn't even got his order.

Only time I've ever gotten up and left a restaurant, terrible service followed by terrible food. I think I would have been less mad if the staff were just rude or something but they all just had no idea what they were doing.

MrTurleWrangler Report

Final score:
21points
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#39

It was a restaurant with an Oktoberfest style event. We'd made reservations, yet everyone without a booking in the queue still got in before us. After a 30 min wait, we finally got seated only for them to tell us they'd run out of beer. All beer. AT A BEER FESTIVAL. We then ordered a bottle of wine, but were told they couldn't provide the bottle and could only bring it out a glass at a time. We also quickly ordered food.

One hour later, neither the wine nor food had appeared. We walked out.

_Tangerine_17 Report

Final score:
21points
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#40

I’m vegetarian. Went to a restaurant and ordered a vegan roast. Made no indication that I WASN’T vegan. I asked if the roast came with Yorkshire puddings as my partners meat roast did, they said yes. When I got the meal it was cold and Yorkshire puddings were the same as my partners, and smelt suspiciously like beef dripping Yorkshires. When I asked the waitress if they were vegan she went to the chef who I saw through his window laugh and nod. I knew they weren’t, but the level of disrespect to laugh and lie to a customer about what they were consuming disgusted me enough not to go back.

To top it all off, the roast cost £25 a head. And my partners pork was raw.

dreambug101 Report

Final score:
21points
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#41

Getting my autistic son's order wrong, despite really careful instructions eg "just a brownie on a plate, no icecream, no strawberry, just the plain brownie", only for it to come out with sauce, cream, strawberries etc. Even when I explain why it's important, so many places get it wrong, and he's disappointed at having to wait again.

justdont7133 Report

Final score:
20points
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#42

Group of 4 of us ate at a highly rated Sri Laken restaurant. We vibed with the waitress and ordered pretty much the whole menu as it was quite small. The plates came quick - curry, fish, pork chops - but still waited for rice and our roti. We ended up finishing 6 dishes and yet the roti / rice has yet to turn up.

Our waiter visited periodically throughout our meal and we asked about our remaining items. The response was “the kitchen is slow…” That’s just b******t cause we can see plates hitting all the other tables.

40 mins later, we get our roti and rice but we pretty much finished all the remaining curry dishes. The best part… the waiter had the audacity to ask us to hurry up and pay cause we’re at our table limit.

When the manager rolled around with the payment machine I straight up told him we waited 30-40 mins for 3 dishes that doesn’t take time at all to make. If the waitress didn’t enter the items in the first place, own up to it. Also, if it’s your “kitchens” fault for slow service, don’t push people out especially if we dropped £250 at your restaurant.

F**k that place.

wheelix Report

Final score:
20points
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#43

A plate of nachos that were , shall we say, burnt. I complained and they took them back. 10mins later they same plate appeared , this time more burnt than before, returned again but this time the "chef" brought out the nachos himself. Yes you guessed it. The same plate with some fresh nachos put on top of the burnt ones. "Chef" was disappointed when I returned them and cancelled my order. Never went back.

GlenGlow Report

Final score:
20points
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#44

Lasan Indian restaurant in Birmingham - a friend worked for the company that supply the drinks line and he went in to where the equipment is and found rat droppings everywhere and teeth marks in the lines.

He told the restaurant and they pleaded with him not to tell anyone and offered him a discount on his next meal. The crazy fool accepted.

professoryaffle72 Report

Final score:
20points
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#45

“I Was So Mad I Wrote My First Ever Google Review”: 35 Restaurant Horror Stories Gail's- got a lovely roll from there for lunch to only look in the bag to see a live earwig running over it.

anon , Mikhail Nilov Report

Final score:
19points
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#46

I once ordered Caesar salad from a well regarded food pub, and it arrived as a plate of browning iceberg lettuce, 2 unripe tomatoes and salad cream!

BCF13 Report

Final score:
19points
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#47

Small chain (but quite popular/up and coming?) restaurant. The first time, the waitress rolled her eyes at me when I asked for a vegetarian menu, I was so shocked and felt like a nuisance. Food was bland and portions tiny for what you paid.

Left a review and was gifted a voucher to go back and try again… We did, the food was still s**t, and to top it all off we were sat with dirty plates for 35 minutes and I had to walk around to find someone to clear them. When the bill came they added a huge service charge… I asked for it off. Never again!

RecentUnderdog Report

Final score:
19points
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#48

We used to go to an awesome Little independent American style restaurant every year on Xmas Eve as a big family group.. well over a dozen of us and the tradition was well over a decade long at this point (weird tradition, no idea where it came from). We always had amazing food and service there and left a big tip because Xmas eve etc. one year we went they’d changed owners and portion sizes were smaller, to the point of ridiculousness in some cases and everything was more expensive. We also had the worst waitress I’ve ever dealt with in my life. Just got stuff wrong, forgot to bring drinks, was very rude etc. this all came to a head with my uncle ordering a sundae for dessert and not receiving a spoon to eat it with.. when he asked for one she stormed off and *I’m not joking or exaggerating here* threw a dessert spoon overhand at our table from the other side of the room. It bounced across our table very loudly before launching off the table and hitting the wall. Whole place went silent and she disappeared. When we complained about the whole evening, the manager offered us no discount or anything and the bill even had suggested tips on there. We paid in full and never went back. It shut down a few years later.

anon Report

Final score:
18points
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#49

“I Was So Mad I Wrote My First Ever Google Review”: 35 Restaurant Horror Stories Stayed at the JW Marriott in Cannes for a business trip (5 star hotel). Went with my boss for dinner at the Italian restaurant, Scalini.

First of all there was an absolutely awful singer and secondly and worse of all, they brought out these warm plates of smoked salmon that were massive and I could barely finish it.

Turns out they were sitting on the side for ages and I had terrible food poisoning where I was sick all night and had to work the next day trying not to vomit.

Ecstatic_Ratio5997 , Caroline Attwood Report

Final score:
17points
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#50

Sunday dinner, served as sharing platters. Ordered a sharing platter for 6 between 5, there was nowhere near enough- 6 small pieces of beef, 6 tiny piped mash pieces, 6 small roasties and a bowl of cabbage and peas. It was also stone cold - including the gravy.

When we mentioned the fact it was cold to the waitress she said something along the lines of the kitchen is too busy. There were only two other tables in eating already and another two waiting.

buginarugsnug Report

Final score:
17points
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#51

“I Was So Mad I Wrote My First Ever Google Review”: 35 Restaurant Horror Stories Went I out for a spa day for our wedding anniversary our which included lunch. Wife found a short curly hair in her sandwich. Looked like what we thought it was. Ruined the day, we had a refund, but barely an apology. I don’t mind naming the place if anyone wants to know!

stevey83 , Hillshire Farm Report

Final score:
17points
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#52

Went to a pasta restaurant in London. No joke we had a waitress come up to us about 6 times in an hour asking if things were ok. At one point she was just lingering and staring at us, to which my boyfriend was like “can you please leave us while we eat”. The food was delicious but the service was just so off-putting - let us eat in peace!!

Edited to add: While it was annoying, I do wonder if this server in particular was new and was receiving pressure from her boss to check in on us. When I was new to working in retail 10 years ago, I had a manager basically push me to approach customers and talk to them even when they weren’t interested and were clearly just browsing - I HATED it!

ijustwannafeel Report

Final score:
16points
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#53

“I Was So Mad I Wrote My First Ever Google Review”: 35 Restaurant Horror Stories A well known chain with a name implying they know cows well.

My bf ordered a medium rare sirloin. It came well done, and when he asked for a fresh one, the manager came over and tried some bs "these steaks are actually better like this, that's why the chef did this. He can do it your way if you insist though".

stark_arc , Yan Krukau Report

Final score:
16points
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#54

Brewers fayre Monifieth. Went with family 4 or 5 years ago. They took our order, brought families meals out - myself, partner and 2 kids still waiting. Over an hour after we'd arrived (my ex was a sh**ebag, wouldn't say s**t to the staff whilst I was ready to hangry kill) finally asked and they realised they'd effectively signed off on the order being done when they brought half out and the rest got forgotten about. They weren't busy, nor were they apologetic in the slightest. We went to mcdonald's next door whilst our relatives finished their meal and I've never returned.

yourmomsajoke Report

Final score:
16points
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#55

Was once in a busy restaurant where they took over an hour to take our food order!

They kept coming over and saying “It’s your turn soon”. I was thinking, huh? Just let me tell you what I want! They had already brought a bottle of wine so I didn’t want to leave.

If the kitchen is backed up that’s one thing but not taking orders!

We complained at the end at the level of service and were told he was “going to call the police if we didn’t pay” (at no point had I suggested I wasn’t going to, simply said the bill should have reflected the level of service).

d_o_uk Report

Final score:
16points
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#56

Just a Brewer's Farye type restaurant, so nowt fancy but you know what to expect. Used it quite regularly up until this point too.

1) got a buffet breakfast, ordered it about fifteen minutes before it finished. Went up to get breakfast, hardly anything was left and I was told there wasn't anything else because it was finishing soon. Got a refund.

2) a few months later I went with two friends for a pre-Christmas get together. Took an hour to get my main them an extra twenty minutes for them to get theirs. My burger was cold so I got a refund (again) and their meals weren't much better. Took so long to get the table cleared and desserts that my friends had to leave theirs half finished.

3) last autumn - I went in at around 2pm for lunch on my own. Only a couple of tables were being used, rest were piled high with dirty plates, only member of staff I saw was chatting to someone who worked at the Premier Inn next door.

Now I work in hospitality so I understand issues do come up, although I am still picky about service and stuff. It wouldn't have bothered me so much if it'd been one issue one time but that's too much of a coincidence!

bookishnatasha89 Report

Final score:
15points
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#57

“I Was So Mad I Wrote My First Ever Google Review”: 35 Restaurant Horror Stories Overcooked spaghetti in spaghetti house. I mean they had one job….

Stevemachinehk , cottonbro studio Report

Final score:
15points
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#58

I was on my own and after they took my order and gave me a drink the waiter asked me if I could swap my table with someone else... A couple came in after me and they tried to move me to a table near the kitchen and position the couple at the front - near the window where I was sitting. (Thy were not taking reservations). I told them to forget it and left. Left them a nasty review too. That was in Spain.

izzie-izzie Report

Final score:
15points
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#59

Ordering food and for it to turn up at the table in under a minute.

BigMucker Report

Final score:
15points
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#60

Got bad food poisoning from a KFC, causing me to have my only day off work sick in the last 10 years. It's a shame because I quite enjoyed their food before that! Now makes me queasy thinking of it.

RusevDayToday Report

Final score:
15points
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#61

Been in a restaurant that had a rat/mouse.

Been in restaurants with cockroaches.

Wouldn’t go back to either.

Over_Addition_3704 Report

Final score:
14points
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#62

Went to bathroom. Saw staff member washing his feet in the sink.

Few_Engineer4517 Report

Final score:
14points
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#63

Little black insects in the cheesy chips, still turns my stomach thinking about it.

amnohappy Report

Final score:
14points
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#64

My hubby enthusiastically dug in to a roast chicken. Until he discovered said chicken had a huge tumor. The look of horror on his face still gives me the giggles. 🤪.

stormchaserokc Report

Final score:
13points
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#65

My son ordered a burger. Halfway through eating the meal he realised it was raw inside.

They cooked him a new one. Raw inside. Got a third burger, still f*****g raw.

At this point I told the manager to give me the raw patty, I'll cook it at home. He refused, obviously. Never went there again, even though we pass by it semi-regularly.

Tame_Trex Report

Final score:
12points
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#66

There's a "diner" local to where I work. It's a chain there's some in Glasgow aswell. Ordered their vegan wrap (which I've ordered before), this time they sent me a buffalo chicken wrap marked as vegan on the foil and written on the paper it was also wrapped in. Didn't know until I took a bite. Had the s**ts for 2 days, they refused to refund me and acknowledge they gave me meat. Eventually got a refund through just eat but I will never get food from them again. I have an irrational fear of my food being tampered with and switched out, so now I just return to the places I know take their time making up an order.

FritzlsChild Report

Final score:
12points
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#67

I immediately lose interest in a restaurant as soon as they say ‘we do things a little differently here’.

Berookes Report

Final score:
11points
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#68

Awful service. Being ignored by waiters, food order was lost and waited over an hour for our food for them to give us a half hearted apology. This was once considered a top end restaurant in Manchester (and I think it still is by some) but I would never ever go back. There’s plenty other decent ones in the city centre now.

bradspitts Report

Final score:
11points
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#69

We found out that my cousin had been killed when we were out for dinner in an Italian restaurant chain. We were in shock and didn’t know what to do, but we had a groupon and all our food had been ordered already. I just asked for my dessert to go (the plant based brownie that they had assured me didn’t contain dairy) and ended up with diarrhoea and vomiting from my clearly NOT plant based brownie. I complained and got told ‘the waitress thought the brownie was for another member at the table’ even though this clearly wasn’t the case. We’d also told them that we’d just received some awful news so why did she think I’d want diarrhoea on top of bereavement?!

miz_moon Report

Final score:
11points
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#70

They had a sewage leak under the floorboards and were arguing with the environmental health officers that the pool of faeces was not a problem.

jockyontheocky Report

Final score:
11points
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#71

Ordered a cauliflower steak, they gave me an entire head of cauliflower (all in one piece) with a tiny bit of paprika sprinkled over the top. Charged me £12 for it.

Revengeofthetartan Report

Final score:
9points
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#72

Hot summers day, taking a shortcut home behind a local (and very popular) Lebanese restaurant. Back door to the kitchen is wide open, no netting or anything to stop flies. A woman is stood in the kitchen chopping raw chicken carcases from a massive bin (an actual green wheelie bin!), and throwing the unwanted bones out of the open door, straight onto a pile in the back street where a gang of cats are happily tearing the last of the meat from the bones.

arncl Report

Final score:
9points
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#73

Chiquitos, I love Mexican and it was the most sorry tasting meal I ever had. The rice was like biting bullets, how can you mess up rice?

boldstrategy Report

Final score:
9points
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#74

I was out for a meal, I noticed a stand up to cancer board on the pub bar. After ordering a few drinks I bought a £1 trolley token and also put £30 in there.

The staff noticed I had a little to drink, and wondered why. I said my sister passed away from Leukemia a couple months back. I was heading back to my table and tripped up on the floor (raised). Went back, bought another drink due to tripping and went back.

We got our food and the manager came up to me and said they've banned me from ordering anything else (I'd only had maybe 3-4 drinks at this point, nothing huge).. I asked why?

Apparently I was a mess, falling around everywhere, ordering drinks etc. I asked how come I got questioned as to why I was donating earlier and silence appeared.

Never been back since, they treated me horribly.

After I left, my brother was still there, the manager apparently apologised and re opened ordering when my brother questioned it aswell...

Sigh.

Saraixx516 Report

Final score:
8points
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#75

Ordering a vegan option which was served with coleslaw. Some places serve vegan coleslaw so I thought I better ask. It was then made very clear that nobody in the building really knew what a vegan was even though it was offered as an option.

ellisellisrocks Report

Final score:
5points
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#76

“I Was So Mad I Wrote My First Ever Google Review”: 35 Restaurant Horror Stories Dogs being allowed pretty much everywhere. I don’t want to share my eating space with dogs.

anon , Carolina Almeida Report

Final score:
-9points
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