The London, Paddington — Restaurant in Sydney

We've been going to The London for more than 25 years (even remember when it had the cheap and cheerful Italian out the back!) & it's been one of our absolute fave pubs in the area. Yesterday's lunch was without doubt the worst meal we've ever had there.... possibly the worst pub meal ever, anywhere. Stone cold fries and fish with batter that was so chewy and soft you'd think they had used Clag glue instead of actual batter. How is it in an establishment like this, Chef doesn't appear to have a fundamental understanding of how hot the oil needs to be so the end result doesn't more closely resemble a soggy sponge than an actual piece of fried fish. It was basically inedible. You'd also think, when the staff member came to remove two plates with food only half eaten might ask if there was a problem but staff generally seemed completely disinterested and unmotivated. Not helped by one of them seeming to not have even a rudimentary knowledge of what beer they have on tap. Management is obviously doing something fundamentally wrong that the food has gone off so monumentally and staff are so unengaged. We are so lucky to live in an area where there is probably a dozen or so pubs in direct competition with the London. So natural selection will probably do its job as I'm sure others will have similar experiences and come to the same conclusion as us - won't be going back...

Lots of good reviews about this place. 8 of us stopped in for lunch on a Saturday. Beer was cold and reasonably priced (considering the area). Food prices were as expected and of a quality that reflected the reviews on here. However, the service was deplorable. The meals come out in ones and twos, and by the time the last of our group received their margherita pizza (not the most challenging of dishes to make) the rest of us had finished and half the plates had been cleared away. Very disappointing to say the least. This is amplified when the barely 18 y.o. girl behind the bar shows obvious contempt to anyone over the age of 40. Maybe she was having a bad day, who knows, but to roll your eyes at a customer when asked to repeat something she's whispered in a crowded pub?? Added to this was the distinct scent of eau de sewerage in the back part of the eating area, which none of the staff could smell, even though every patron was complaining about it.

Also, not a lot of conviction in adhering to Covid restrictions or rules around cleanliness.

I'll give it another go in a few months to see if they improve any. Not willing to totally write them off yet, as the...

We came to the London to watch an AFL game which was advertised on their website. When we arrived we sat down at a table only to be moved because, they forgot to mark the tables as reserved. They told us they were not planning on putting on the game, but would do it for us, which was nice. M

My food arrived luke warm and my husband's food didn't arrive at all. We were given no serviettes or cutlery either. I asked for salt and tomato sauce. They mixed up the bottles and gave me dishwasher soap instead. I also checked on my husband's pizza and was told that would take longer. We were waiting 40 min. already.

After an hour, we decided it's better to go home. Caught an Uber, ordered a pizza, which arrived right when we got home. Maybe we were unlucky, but no one seemed to really care, when I confronted them.

Edit 20/04/2021: the London Hotel replied to this review, saying they'll reach out to me. That hasn't...