Favoloso Cafe — Restaurant in Eastbourne

The food was off, the manager’s response was condescending and gaslighting. We have been regular customers of Favo'Loso for over 10 years since we moved to Eastbourne from London. Our last meal experience was so disastrous that we decided to never eat at that restaurant again.

On Friday 25 July, like we had many times before, ordered fish and chips, but this time the fish served smelled off, giving an abnormal over-salty stench. We returned the fish and politely informed staff that the fish had a methane smell - which in our opinion was unsafe to eat. The manager came to our table to assure me the fish was ‘fresh from the trawler that morning’. He proceeded to dismiss our claim by telling us that the reason that fish smelled different was because ‘it is not frozen fish’, thereby arrogantly insinuating that we were unfamiliar with fresh fish. As for this condescending theory, we would like to point out that my husband was born and grew up by the sea in the South of France and have had more fresh fish in his life than most people. As such, I believe he is more than competent to distinguish a fresh fish from one that has gone bad. We are kind, polite and forgiving customers, but we certainly do not appreciate being gaslighted in such a blatant and rude manner.

We understand food can sometimes go off, but it certainly should not be served to customers, and if it is returned, it should be checked thoroughly. Instead of taking the matter personally, the manager should have apologised (which he didn’t), properly checked the food returned (which I guarantee he did not either, unless he is the one who never had fresh fish in his life (sic!) - and offered a replacement. Instead, he saw fit to raise his voice loud enough to be heard by other diners around us - HOW RUDE - and told us he didn’t see what he could do about it. REALLY!!!??? A round of applause!

We had to make it clear that we wanted a replacement and ordered scampi. He just turned around and left. He came back with the scampi and simply put it on the table without a word. Very charming indeed!

We are also writing this review to serve as a legal anchor in case someone was served the same ‘fresh’ fish on or around that day and has had symptoms of indigestion – or, god forbid, worse.

Last but not least, and for reference: according to Live Science, a strong, fishy or "salty" smell in fish can be a sign of bacterial growth and spoilage, indicating that the fish is no longer safe to eat. As fish begins to spoil, bacteria break down natural compounds like trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) into trimethylamine (TMA), which is responsible for the characteristic "fishy" or ammonia-like odour. That is exactly the fish I was served.

I would also like to add that there are numerous vibrant and welcoming eating places in Eastbourne Town Centre and along the seafront and Favoloso will definitely not be missed by us, our families, friends and colleagues.

Effective Customer Service Training is...

Please note, star rating only added to enable posting ! I'm very sad to write this review as we didn't eat here but feel compelled to share my experience after the horrible treatment of one female staff member who i presume is owner/manager. (This is by no means aimed at any other member of staff who I presume are all lovely.) We were taking a coach of older/vulnerable people for a day out at the seaside and had booked a fish and chip restaurant nearby not being aware that Favoloso cafe served full meals. I asked the lady at the counter if 2 (out of our 37 group) could use the toilet as we had just got off a long coach trip and they needed the bathroom but the toilets where had booked were down steep stairs. I was told extremely brusquely that NO, they were for customers only. (At the time the cafe was not particularly busy) I explained again the situation and apologised but would be very grateful as one lady had advanced dementia and poor mobility and another chap was in a wheelchair able to walk short distances but not manage stairs. I was again told 'no', adding 'I should have booked somewhere to eat that had proper toilets'. I was stunned that someone could be so unempathetic and unkind. I thanked her profusely for her understanding and ran over the road to ask in the Stagecoach pub where they had not objection to our request even though we were not customers. As i had initially been delighted at the food on offer at Favoloso and was going to suggest our group finished their day out with a lovely ice cream sundae or sweet treat, (which with 37 in the group at average prices would have been a bill of around £300) and possibly booking there for a full lunch at next years trip, it was very sad that a simple request had been treated so badly (she didn't apologise, explaining it was company rules etc it was just a flat 'NO', and was smug when saying we should have booked elsewhere for our meal) I will certainly not be going there myself personally, nor recommending to anyone else which is a shame. So, thank you to the Stagecoach staff for their kindness and the Holiday Inn Fish Restaurant for a providing a wonderful meal with kind, pleasant staff for a group of lovely people who may never get to have a day at the...

I visited here on Thursday 17th April. The takeaway window for ice cream is not open so you must go inside to order. Another lady was queuing there and we both waited for a long time. There seemed to be a lot of staff milling around trying to avoid eye contact with us. As I have a very young baby, so didn’t want to continue to wait with no service, I asked the lady who I had been standing with if she had been served at all. She said no, and that no one seemed to be taking any notice of her. I walked up to the till at the food order end and tried to get the attention of one of the young staff that had so far, completely ignored us. It took me a fair while to manage to get any of them to acknowledge me. I asked a younger girl if anyone was serving at the ice cream window. It was met with a “what?”, I repeated my question, “yes, I’m coming!” As if I should have known all this time while you ignored me! By this time another lady had entered with two children, and joined the queue. The girl came over and rudely said to me, “Well, how do I know who is first?” I explained that the lady in front of me was first, then me, then the lady with the two children. I asked for 2 single 99’s, which are £3.85 as per the photograph. She went on to charge me £9.80. I was a bit confused and asked if the cone cost more? She said, “No, the flake!” Reluctantly, I paid, but felt like she had overcharged me on purpose because I had deigned to ask if there was anyone serving. As you can see from the photograph, 2 single 99’s should have only cost me £7.70, so unless they’re displaying incorrect prices, I was overcharged and had rude service. I am exhausted from looking after a newborn, so just took my ice cream and left, but I won’t be returning in the future if this is the kind of service I should expect. So disappointing! I’ve lived in the Eastbourne area for nearly 3 years, and visited Favoloso quite a number of times, but this may be the last. Why would I pay to be treated so rudely, and made to overpay? The ice cream is generally nice, hence the 2 star rating, but not worth being...