Loteng Cafe Telok Cempedak — Restaurant in Pahang

I decided to bring my family to The Loteng for dinner after reading many positive reviews about the place. As expected during a long weekend, it was quite crowded when we arrived. However, what disappointed us most was the lack of basic customer attention. No staff approached or asked if we were looking for a table, so we had to take the initiative to ask one of the waiters ourselves. He told us the restaurant was full and asked us to wait until a table became available.

After waiting for about five minutes, a large group of around 9–10 people came in. Seeing no available tables, they went straight to a table where diners were finishing their food. Despite clearly noticing that we were waiting, they spoke to the diners and quickly took the table once it was vacated.

We were left speechless. When I raised the issue with the cashier, they said they would speak to the group — but by then, we already felt unwelcome and unappreciated as customers. It was clear to us that the restaurant does not value fairness or proper customer service.

We decided to leave and dine elsewhere. It’s disappointing to see how easily a lack of attentiveness and courtesy can ruin what could have been an enjoyable family dinner. I hope the management takes this feedback seriously and trains their staff to treat all customers with equal respect...

Ordered our food and drinks thru the QR code that they provided on the table at 3.35pm. A few minutes later, a waiter brought our drinks. We waited until 4.25pm for our food, till we realized they never actually prepared our food at all. So, I confronted the staffs and found out that we actually needed to pay first at the cashier for them to proceed with the food preparation.

What a lousy procedure. There was no instruction shown at all, neither at the table nor at the website 😠😠 the staff blamed me for getting the drinks first, “eh mana boleh ambil order sebelum bayar”, and I was like??? “Ask your staff at the cashier lah??? She gave me my my drinks and never tell that I need to pay first???” He apologized, and asked to pay first. So we paid at the cashier at 4.25pm.

Then, our food arrived at 5.17pm 🙃 the food was below average. Very disappointing. This restaurant needs to fix their order method. From my experience on many restaurants, when I order thru the QR, the cashier would straight away prepare my food, and I have the options to pay ahead thru online payment or pay later at the counter. Never expect customers to understand your order procedure, unless if you tell proper instructions to us. If there is 0 star, I would click that. This restaurant surely sells the scenery rather than...

Feedback for Guests and Areas for Improvement

Location & View The café's location is excellent, offering a beautiful view of the beach, making it perfect for a relaxing lunch or coffee break.

Comfort & Air Conditioning Unfortunately, the dining experience was affected by the heat, as the interior was quite warm. This may be due to insufficient air conditioning capacity. I recommend upgrading to higher-capacity units, such as 2HP or 2.5HP, as the current four cassette units seem to be around 1.5HP. Improving the cooling system could significantly enhance guest comfort.

Glass Heat Reflection While it may be too late to incorporate Low-E glass, applying a heat-reflecting polish or glazing coating could be a practical solution to reduce heat and UV rays.

Food Quality I ordered the mac and cheese, which was unfortunately underwhelming. It lacked vibrance and flavor. Adding colorful ingredients like mixed bell peppers or cherry tomatoes could enhance both the presentation and taste. Additionally, I had a latte that tasted flat and could benefit from a richer, more robust coffee flavor.

Overall, I would rate this experience as 3 stars due to the nice views and atmosphere, but there is room for...