Le Pisani — Restaurant in East Devon

Felt really unwelcomed as had to wait around 5minutes while the server looked at the books to see if she could fit us in at 5:40 with JUST one other table in the restaurant, was told we would have to leave by 7, was not a problem for us but seemed to be an issue for the server. While i understand bookings are made in advance i also understand capacity management of a restaurant being a restaurant general manager myself! Your staff need a bit of training regarding: 1-how to make guests feel welcome (in this really hard time for the industry as so many restaurants are going into administration. 2-your chefs need to be showned what a selection of seafood is as my fruit di mare ( supposed selection of seafood ) consisted of 1 crevette, 3very small rings of squid, 2 tiny bits of very rubery octopus and loads of mussels.3- there is no law on food safety regarding a restaurant heating up baby food... 4- if you are not accepting card as a form of payment this should be clearly displayed for every guest to see or to be told before hand that this is the case 5-saying farewell to your guests is not a chore!!! Not that anyone thank us for our custom, in fact the manager seemed to be quite upset for the fact that we did not have cash.

To say i am disapointed is a bit of an understatment otherwise i would not spend 5minutes of my time writing all the above and the only reason for the 2 stars is that my partners food was...

Potentially lovely food, shame about the management and organisational skills of the kitchen.

Birthday meal out for 5 of us, chosen due to the range of gluten free options on the menu. This was the first time I have been out for Italian in over 5 yrs as they often have few to no choices. Everything was going really well until half way through the main course, when the waitress came over and apologised that there had been a 'mix up' and our pasta wasn't actually gluten free! I had already eaten over half a bowl of the pasta, and my partner likewise! They offered to replace the two meals with gluten free!! Erm... Not entirely sure that will help at this point!!

The manager was requested, but sent a waitress instead, despite being in the kitchen himself. After protracted discussions, the price of our 2 meals was deducted from the bill and we were offered a free drink, which we declined as my partner was driving and we had already shared a full bottle of wine between the other 3 adults. There was no further offer of recompense or even a show of face by the manager, and I am now left to await the full 5 days or so of effects of eating gluten for the first time in...

Disappointing Experience – Would Not Recommend

I visited this restaurant hoping for a pleasant family meal, but unfortunately, it was a thoroughly disappointing experience. The atmosphere was flat and lacked any warmth or energy.

I ordered the seafood pizza, which had a nice flavor, but shockingly contained a sharp piece of mussel shell. It lodged in my gum, caused bleeding, and left me in pain for the entire evening.

When asked if the meal was okay, I honestly explained the issue to the staff. The response? A disinterested “I’ll tell the kitchen.” No apology, no concern, and I didn’t see that waitress again for ages.

Later, an older lady came out, not to address the issue, but simply to present the bill. There was no mention of the mussel shell incident, no apology, and no empathy. The approach was cold and firm, clearly aimed at ensuring payment rather than providing any resolution. It felt more intimidating than professional.

Given the painful experience, the lack of accountability, and the poor customer service, I will not be returning to this restaurant and cannot recommend...