Little Petra — Restaurant in Cambridge

Very disappointed and I echo some of the concerns from the previous reviewer. I booked this restaurant for my husband’s birthday based on the good reviews when I was doing my research however I have been totally disappointed.

Although we were first greeted with a smile and shown to our table, the experience quickly went downhill. The starters were lovely, we went for the mixed meze however we were asked 3 times during starters how our food was, and then whilst we were in the middle of eating our mains arrived! We didn’t want the food to go cold so we accepted the mains and they were on the table for a while whilst we finished our starters. I went for the grilled prawns and my husband the lamb shank. They were both mediocre I’d say, lack of authentic spice to say the least. Again we were asked 3 times how the food was - at this point it was disturbing to our meal and we were getting fed up.

At 9:45pm, a different waiter came over , whilst we were clearly in the middle of mains and we were asked if we were finished?! My husband at this point responded asking if they wanted us to leave as we kept getting interrupted when the waiter stated “not yet, but we close at 10:30pm”. We felt rushed and hurried up our mains.

We did want dessert and had to ask for a dessert menu, which came and the waitress stood and watched whilst we picked rather than giving us 5 minutes to decide even after we asked her to come back she just stood there. It was very uncomfortable.

Please also note the wine we ordered was the recommended 2022 Chardonnay, when it came it was a 2023 bottle. I raised this to the staff and they assured me it was the same ? Not quite sure how that makes sense but I was fed up of raising anything at the point.

At the end of the meal when we went to pay the manager himself asked if we were annoyed with the staff asking us if we’re okay. We explained the table wasn’t cleared between meals and the food was disappointing. He did take off the service charge which at the time we were happy with but upon reflection with how much the food was I do think it was extortionate for the food and abysmal service

I am very disappointed as we came to Cambridge especially for my husbands birthday and I feel the meal was ruined. We wouldn’t return...

If you want to know what it feels like to be mugged — just visit Little Petra.

That’s exactly how we felt after our last visit.

This isn’t our first time at Little Petra. We’ve always had mixed feelings — the staff’s attitude has never been welcoming, but the food used to make up for it. That’s why we kept going back… until today.

We ordered our usuals — the lamb hummus, chicken shawarma for me, and lamb shawarma for my husband. The hummus was lovely as always — no complaints there. But when the shawarma arrived, we were honestly shocked.

If you’ve ever been to Little Petra, you know their shawarma is typically dry-grilled, thick slices of meat — full of flavour and texture. What we got this time looked like something out of a cheap takeaway van after a night out. The chicken was finely shredded, full of skin, and — to our surprise — loaded with green peppers! Just a soggy surprise. It honestly felt like they’d run out of chicken and tried to fill the plate with peppers instead. I even joked to my husband, “Did I accidentally order fajitas from a Jordanian menu?”

Still, we didn’t complain. We tried to eat. I picked through the chicken but couldn’t finish it — it was just too disappointing. I thought maybe they were experimenting with a new recipe since it’s been a while since our last visit.

Then I noticed another table being served — their shawarma looked exactly like what we were expecting. So I told the manager at the till. His response? Dismissive and defensive — as if I was trying to get a free meal. He brushed me off with a smug, “It’s the same.”

Are you kidding me?

My only regret: not speaking up the moment we got the food. So here’s my advice: Trust your gut. If you think your order is wrong at Little Petra, speak up — because you’re probably 99.9% correct. The managers there seem to have mastered the art of brushing customers...

Dining Club Meal-Friday 19 July 2024 Our latest Dining Club Meal was hosted by the Father and daughter in our club, and the hosts arrived at the restaurant first, followed by the guests( ourselves, my sister and myself) and we were soon seated, and a friendly waitress Sandra soon came to our table and gave us each a menu from which we ordered drinks we started with a bottle of Red Wine, Shiraz 2022, as well as glasses of water,which we drank as we were talking, Sandra came to our table and asked us if we were ready to order our starters, we said that we were, and the father ordered a plate of Hummus with garlic and flat breads, and the daughter had the same, my sister and I had two plates of Grilled Halloumi Cheese and Salad. For the Mains, the father had Lamb Shank, with potatoes and carrot, topped with mixed nuts and Pomegranate, the daughter had Grilled King Prawns, in garlic, coriander and lemon with rice, and my sister and I had a Mixed Grill each, which consisted of one chicken kofta, one lamb kofta, one shish taouk, and one set of lamb cubes with egg and flour.

I have one observation, that is, that the father ordered a second bottle of wine, which was bought to the table already opened, if the restaurant has a sommelier or Master of Wine, they should bring the bottle to the table, and open it in front of the customer.

For Dessert, the father had Malhalabia, which is a sweet milk pudding topped with cinnamon, the daughter had an Oreo Milkshake, and my sister and I had four pieces of Baklava.

Overall the restaurant was very good, and while we were there, it was full of diners, and the service from the waiting staff was very...