Brunch & Beyond — Restaurant in Saint Julian's

I regret to say that our recent visit [ 24th March 2024 ] to Brunch and Beyond was nothing short of a disaster. The abysmal service, excruciating waiting time, poor communication and shockingly clueless cash teller staff made it an experience worth me writing a review to avoid anyone having to experience this disaster themselves.

Our orders were put in at 11 am. Our orders took an eternity to arrive [ 55 minutes ], and when they finally did, they still didn't arrive all together, but rather 2 out of 6 plates arrived 5 minutes later. It was evident that the kitchen staff had little regard for quality or timeliness, whilst also their inability to manage their orders. The only plus side to all this was that the quality of the food was actually good, but the abysmal waiting time ruined it all. Dessert was then ordered ... and surprise surprise, 3 desserts were still not ready 30 minutes later.

As if the never ending waiting time wasn't enough, the behavior of the staff was downright appalling, ( and the lack of staff tending to tables upstairs ). I walked downstairs after 40 minutes to ask about the status of our orders, and they were dismissive, unapologetic, and seemed more interested in taking in more customers, without advising them of the waiting times.

What i will be recommending below is not rocket science, but should be considered by the administration in the establishment if they want to save their business ( if things don't change, i don't see it lasting till end of year )

Improve Staff Allocation: Albeit having alot of ground staff available today, there seemed to be ZERO staff allocation - everyone wandering aimlessly amongst tables downstairs, forgetting tables exist upstairs. This will prevent customers from being left waiting for extended periods and feeling neglected.

Kitchen Efficiency: Streamline kitchen operations to reduce waiting times for food. Ensure that orders are prepared promptly and delivered to the table while they're still hot and fresh. If the kitchen cannot keep up with the orders, common courtesy and business etiquette would dictate one of two things : Not accepting further tables Informing patrons of the wait time and give the choice to the customer if he/she is willing to wait that long.

Staff Training: Provide comprehensive training to staff members on customer service etiquette and professionalism. Emphasize the importance of being attentive, polite, and responsive to customer needs at all times. Especially the person at the cash register / teller. Zero idea of how to deal with complaints.

Communication: Foster better communication between front-of-house and back-of-house staff to improve coordination and efficiency. This will help prevent misunderstandings and ensure smooth operations during service.

Transparency with Wait Times: Be honest with customers about wait times and manage expectations accordingly. If the kitchen is experiencing delays, inform customers upfront and offer alternatives such as complimentary drinks or appetizers to compensate for the inconvenience.

I urge anyone considering dining here to think twice and choose elsewhere. This establishment clearly has no respect for its patrons and does not deserve your hard-earned money. Save yourself the frustration and avoid this place...

i went to brunch and beyond a couple days ago and although i was very excited to be there as it’s a pretty popular spot, i was met with disappointment. at first i ordered an iced caramel latte, but i was given what seemed to be a banana milkshake… i was very confused and told them to give me a iced caramel latte, (i even showed them a picture of what i was really referring to) they then proceed to make me another and it was terrible. it was mostly milk and there was no taste of caramel and as well they only put 3 mini ice cubes . i told them to just give me water as i didn’t like their lattes and they told me they can’t switch it for a second time but they can adjust the flavor so i asked for more ice , more caramel and more coffee. they then gave me the chocolate pancake which was decent. and after that an avocado toast. prior to this i asked for no bacon on the avocado toast as i’m very allergic yet when it arrives it had bacon….. so i told them to change it and at this point i was very frustrated. not to mention i was waiting a lot as they just kept getting my orders wrong. they then changed the avocado toast with no bacon but either way wasn’t worth it as it didn’t taste good there was so much avocado that you could barely taste anything else. over all i didn’t finish anything they gave me and i had to pay over €40 for food that they continuously got wrong. won’t be...

It's great to see that we now have a nice brunch spot here in Malta. From my experience at least, it's difficult to find brunch/breakfast locations with a modern feel to them, especially for those visiting the island who want somewhere comfortable, for something fresh and/or with alternative dietary preferences.

That said, unfortunately my experience wasn't great today. I got the breakfast bagel, it was quite greasy and the pork was strange for a breakfast item, meaning it didn't work with the brown sauce or the cheese. The potato balls that accompanied the sandwich were also greasy and heavy. However, the caramel iced latte I got was very good, highly recommended!

The staff were lovely, but I think they were a little overrun by the sheer number of people spanning two floors, in what is the peak of summer. It took a decent duration of time between getting a menu, then getting the coffee, before receiving my food. The restaurant itself does look fantastic, but the A/C capacity needs to be upped, particularly in peak season.

Ultimately, it's great to see a popular brunch spot in such a good location. I'm hoping that in future there'll be more staff on hand for a faster service. Maybe it was an off day for the chef, or the item itself needs a rework. I will return to try something different and I'd love to be able to post a 5 star review when that time comes, it just wasn't...