ODEON Luxe & Dine Islington — Attraction in London

I’m assuming this is derived from Odeon The Lounge (which closed down) and was the only cinema we ever went to due to its set up and with which we were happy to travel to because of the overall experience.

It was only with a google search that I realised this was a brand-new complex. I am an Islington resident and didn’t know anything about this cinema having not seen any advertising which is bad as I suspect my friends and I are their key target demographic.

You are greeted amiably upon arrival by friendly staff and displaying your digital tickets gains access to the building. I was very impressed with the detail and thought that had gone into the furnishings and layout. There were plenty of dividers between seated reception areas for sound control and privacy. As with the Lounge before the focus is on making it an “experience” and not leaving any money on the table by providing full meals as well as drinks and (limited) snacks.

What is frustrating is they have taken the concept of The Lounge and tried to “Starbucks” it by rolling it out en-mass across the country. The failure in doing this is the food element from the Lounge which is now just another bland offering as a result of mass up-scaling of production requirements (the ball has definitely been dropped here).

At the Lounge the food was amazing, with such a varied menu (even with its limited items) and was restaurant quality. Our average bill would be about £100 for 2 people with drinks per visit. Yesterday it was less than £20. Our friends who were with us (and used to frequent the lounge) agreed and you can calculate between the 5 of us they lost out at least £200 on this one visit alone. The Lounge food menu was categorised as “Finger” “Fork” etc and this was great for deciding on the type of food you wanted during a film.

You can use your mobile from start to finish for ticket presentation to ordering food and drink. This is a welcome change to the “call button” on the seats and trying to vocally communicate your requirements during a film. It eliminates the interruption for the payment of the bill 15 mins from the end of the film at invariably a crucial point.

The cinema screen itself is nice and screen 5 only had 4 rows of 8 seats (excluding disabled area). The recline on the seats isn’t as good as The Lounge as the back and foot sections don’t work independently. The back has to recline to a certain position before the leg rest comes up. I broke my leg years ago and so trying to find a comfortable position is harder. Not a deal-breaker but you can tell where costs have been saved.

Sound and vision were faultless and the temperature was perfect. I was wearing a jumper and jeans and was comfortable throughout. It was sometimes too cold in The Lounge.

In the toilets the theme from outside was carried through, complimented by infrared triggering for both the toilet and basins water making it more hygienic.

The one major issue that needs to be dealt with ASAP is the massive oversight in the urinals. These individual units must have been picked for their matching aesthetics and not their functionality, being totally impractical, unhygienic and unsafe.

They are too shallow and the sides protrude too much. This means not only is there splash-back but also urine floods the floor (which it was both times I used the bathroom). I can only think the furnishings designer never tested them via a soft opening of the complex. Not great at all and a legal claim for an accident waiting to happen.

Overall agreeable but Odeon have turned an “evening out experience” back into a “cinema visit” with some big shortcomings. You can see where the concept has been changed to save costs and perhaps ongoing costs in the kitchen but I suspect this will hit their bottom line long term.

I am no longer what I would class as a brand ambassador/dedicated patron and I wouldn’t think twice now about looking for a better choice of cinema to visit for “the whole experience” I used to get (which I was happy to pay a...

I recently had the pleasure of visiting the Odeon Luxe and Dine in Islington, and I must say, it was the most beautiful Odeon cinema I've ever been to. The interior design and colour scheme were simply stunning, creating a welcoming and upscale atmosphere that enhanced the entire movie-going experience.

The staff at Odeon Luxe and Dine were incredibly friendly and welcoming, going above and beyond to ensure our comfort throughout our visit. The seats were not only comfy but also of high quality, allowing us to relax and enjoy the movie on the great screen.

We decided to try a variety of dishes from their menu, and overall, the food was of a good standard. We particularly enjoyed the diversity of the options available. A slight letdown was the fries served with the wagyu burger, which seemed as though they had been left under a heat lamp for too long, resulting in a somewhat dried-out texture. However, this minor hiccup was made up for by the attentive service. It was a pleasant surprise to see that the staff had carefully read and followed the notes we left for our food order on the app, which is not something you see very often!

Overall, my visit to Odeon Luxe and Dine in Islington was a delightful experience. It's a fantastic place to enjoy a film in comfort and style, with the added bonus of excellent customer service and good food. Highly recommended for a superior...

I'm in two minds about this place as everything is excellent apart from a fundamental element; the projection is often incorrectly focused.

I watched the entire James Bond movie, thinking I needed to see an optician and wondering why the director had picked somewhat random focal points.

It wasn't until the end that I asked others if they thought the credit text was in focus, only to discover that others had also thought the movie wasn't in focus.

I've spoken to staff about it and got an apology, but it's happened repeatedly since.

It's not just the focus that can be an issue though. The last movie I saw was in the wrong aspect ratio!

I had to Google while the film was running to confirm if I was completely mad or another projection mistake. I think the staff thought I was genuinely bonkers when I came out and said, "the films in the wrong aspect ratio". Sadly it wasn't resolved, and I spent the entire film looking at the black borders, which shouldn't have been there.

So overall, I love the ambience of the place. I love the concept of luxury cinema. The staff are very polite, but I have a problem is the inattention to the fundamental element of running a cinema; ensuring the movie looks great.

If management sees this, I ask that you double-check that the projectionist has set everything up correctly and when customers say something is wrong with the projection, take...