Huxley's — Restaurant in Wellington

Sadly - a disappointing experience. We booked in for a work lunch on Thursday afternoon. Suggested pre-ordering as the group was large and we assumed the restaurant would be busy. At 3:30pm on Thursday the menu was shared and we weren't advised that the pre-order would need to be received within a time-frame for it to be ready.

Arrived on Friday and gave our names and that we'd sent through a pre-order. There was no indication at this point that the order had not been received. Service was a bit off - one party member had gone up to place some extras and was told to sit down as a server would be around to get the drinks order. But that was fine - it was busy.

As food came out the mistake was realised: we were getting the pre-order for another table (that hadn't arrived yet) and our order had never been received. This could have been understandable - but the way it was handled was disappointing. The staff were confused and angry - initially assuming that we'd made a mistake in what we ordered (and were a different table). And when it was realised that we weren't the right table, were repeatedly told that pre-orders had to be received the day before (again - we had not been told this), nor when we sat down and said that we had pre-ordered, was any check done to ensure the kitchen had the right order.

After the mistake had been realised and our order was taken, the group was basically left alone. We were waiting for food and no one checked in to see if we needed more drinks. The only check-in we had was as we were leaving the building to pay.

When food arrived it was great - no issues there. But the experience was overshadowed by the earlier experiences and lack of service. One of my colleagues said the food was, "surprisingly good" which was a shame.

Also - the juice and smoothies are bottled, not made in-house - that was a disappointing surprise and not clear on the menus, so watch out for that. We assumed the 'Homegrown' was a fancy title for the juices section of the drinks menu,...

Meh... The decor is modern and the drinks menu looks interesting but I was there for a work lunch. The menu makes the food sound better than what arrives at the table. I'm gluten free, and unless I chose a burger the options were pretty sad. (I personally wont pay for GF bread as its not pleasant, and once I saw the sandwiches / burgers arrive I'm glad I didnt pay for one without bread altogether as it would have been sparse.) I asked for a side of chicken with the fries but this wasnt possible. My bone broth was lacking flavour and texture, a bit like watery gravy. My colleagues chicken salad sandwich was mostly garnish, not much chicken. The cheese philly didnt have much protein either, a lot of cheese sauce though. Collectively we decided we might return for drinks, but...

Day two of being open and an early work lunch with the team to beat the crowd. Come 12 it was packed so plenty of other are trying out the new joint. 35 mins from sitting down, ordering and to food at the table and eating. If that pattern stays then it’s not a quick lunch spot. Service was OK. The crew (lots of staff) is obviously new, service took a while before taking orders. The location and setting was mint. Warm and light and a quirky vibe. The food. The pizza was huge but unexciting. My toasted sandwich was more charred than toasted and burnt crusts. The chicken salad sandwich had no salad. Comment from the group was meh... The balance was the discount they gave me for the burn sandwich. This place has potential and I...