Canteen Restaurant London

We recently visited London and were taken to Canteen on a Friday evening. The food was of a very good quality but I have to say that the service left a lot to be desired. Although the waitress was friendly, she was a bit vacant and forgot a number of items from our order. We reminded her once or twice and eventually got most of it, though 2 side salads never did appear.

Also, the seats on the longer tables are a little strange... I can only presume they don't want customers to linger. There was more than one occasion where we had to say "Don't lean back" to a number in our party. The non-existent backs to the chairs is not my idea of comfort. We live in France and are used to an altogether more relaxed and friendly form of dining (and lunching), and would only consider sitting on a backless seat at a village picnic where we use benches.

by sand.hall, 08 Sep 2009

I recently went to Canteen to try some good old English food and was really pleasantly surprised. The food was exactly as it said on the menu and was very tasty. I also had the pleasure of being served by a friendly waiter which is becoming rarer and rarer in London! Will definitely go back. Love the booths...

by donboy34, 10 Apr 2009

One of the best coffees in London. Wonderful fresh food too - love the seasonal greens and pear salad, but you got to keep room for the desserts! Truly Wicked.

by meerasethia, 13 Mar 2009

I had my mum over last weekend... from Paris. She likes her food and wine. She needs good service. A friend recommended Canteen for an early dinner on Saturday night and I wasn't disappointed. Luckily my mum agreed - hard to please usually, she had nothing to complain about. Even better, she was impressed and was asking the chef for his lamb and mint pie recipe. I had smoked haddock spinach and mash. Delicious. And I could even afford to invite her, wine included!

by hortense.suleyman, 13 Mar 2009

Although often very busy at the weekend, I got there early last Sunday before the rush. The eggs benedict were delicious. I will certainly be back.

by charlesc, 25 Feb 2009

I hadn't been to Canteen Spitalfields in a while but recently went back and had a great experience. My steak was one of the best I've had, the meat was superb and cooked to perfection. We were a group of 8 and everyone really enjoyed the food. The service was friendly and efficient too. We felt like we had very good value for money. I don't usually leave feedback comments but felt it was worth highlighting that Canteen Spitalfields is worth a visit!
Karen B

by lisa1, 25 Feb 2009

This review is about Canteen Royal Festival Hall but echoes some of the concerns raised elsewhere. Ate there on the 23rd November. Basically it was rubbish. We had a waitress whose mind (and to be honest physical presence) was often not there during our meal, it took them an hour and 20 minutes to bring our main courses and when it arrived the food was tepid to cold, and we had to request things that were stated as accompanying the dishes such as bread for the beef stew. They charged service and we refused to pay it as it was not provided. I note that they are looking for an entire management team (manager, general manager and assistant manager) at present and this was very obvious.

I was a fan of the ethos (good British food served well but simply) and the quality of the food, and having been there probably 15 times in the last year was expecting the same standards, but something is obviously not quite right there at present.

They have a feedback facility in which they state they will reply within 7 working days. Having sent them the feedback, I've not heard a dicky bird and to be honest am not expecting to! Really really disappointing on all fronts.

by m.g.b.staples, 10 Dec 2008

We ate around lunchtime on Good Friday and the experience was poor. My partner's beetroot and celeriac salad lacked any real flavour apart from the sinus-destroying blob of horseradish. Her macaroni cheese passed muster, as did my starter of pear, endive, hazelnuts and blue cheese. The gammon and potatoes with parsley sauce was pretty bad. Potatoes that were dry from being kept warm for too long and with the characteristic taste which that brings. The sauce tasted mainly of nutmeg and not of parsley. Again, the sauce appeared to have been hanging around too long - decomposing into whatever went into it. We waited 25 minutes between finishing starters and the main courses (advertised as being quick to deliver).

We will not be going back until we see some reviews indicating things have improved. I suspect this will be never.

by rjppavitt, 23 Mar 2008

What an awful place. I went there last night for my birthday.
The doors kept blowing open every 5 mins, so we got blasts of cold air throughout our meal. When we pointed this out to the staff, they either walked off while we were talking to them, ignored us or answered back soooo rudely.

The food was average and they even had the cheek to add service charge to our bill after us having sat there so uncomfortably. (There were other diners arriving and leaving immediately, due to the cold drafts!)

Would highly recommend that no one visits this dreadful restaurant - go to Carluccio's, where the service and food are impeccable!

by nats2611, 27 Nov 2007

I used to go here all the time when it first opened and it was great, but recently I have been sorely disappointed. We last went in on a Saturday and ordered some eggs Benedict and Florentine. Although there were very few people in there at the time, we waited almost an hour for our order (during which time other punters who'd arrived after us were served). When I asked the waiter politely for an explanation, I was informed that it "takes a while to blanch spinach" (news to me!). Finally, we couldn't wait any longer and left without paying for our sub-standard coffee and pre-made fruit juices.

My advice would be don't go there. Try S&M, Valerie, Story Deli or even Rosa's cafe for a better breakfast. Take it from a local, the Canteen is beyond dire.

by Jane Frances, 06 May 2007

Clueless staff, arrogant maitre d', food like something from Asda reheated on an upmarket plate (how anyone can find the food good is beyond me).

by meracus, 28 Apr 2007

New manager at the beginning of the year seems to have improved this place. Don't forget the tasty little dishes like Bubble & Squeak and Eggs Benedict as lunch options. I also like the cheese. Deserved winner of 'Best Restaurant' in Observer food awards, although it's surprising that such a relatively low-end place did so. Hope they can keep it up.

by alexl, 13 Apr 2007

Just had the most delicious dinner at Canteen, food could not be faulted. But what was it that left us with such an unnecessarily foul taste in our mouths? Could it be the inappropriately snooty maitre d' who would not allow us to sit at any of the empty booths because he had "had so many requests that evening"? Or was it the impossibly stupid French waitress who couldn't manage simple English, or simple maths, and thought it would be OK to give us our change in 5p's?? Lovely food, obnoxious staff...

by Tony Martin, 30 Dec 2006

Service was awful. We waited for 10 minutes just to get a wine list. There were plenty of waiters walking around, yet they all seemed oblivious to us. The food was very bland. The restaurant itself is very cool, but next time I go to Spitalfields I'd much rather have a quick bite at one of the food stands at the market. At least they're cheap...

by Anonymous, 27 Nov 2006

Slightly unusual venue that feels like an upmarket school canteen or stylish motorway service station. To add to this the service was somewhat amateur. However it's a decent place for lunch with mates as the food is very good.

by Lexi (9 reviews), 09 Apr 2006

Excellent interior, great food and reasonably priced. Not the best location, but still good for people watching.

by mrem, 13 Mar 2006

Really nicely and carefully cooked food, an interesting and tempting menu and well-presented.

by Daisy K, 07 Mar 2006

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