Brutus — Restaurant in England

rarely write reviews — in fact, I never do. But after this experience, I feel compelled to speak up, not out of spite, but from genuine disappointment and sadness.

We chose this restaurant to celebrate my son’s 25th birthday with a family lunch — a special milestone, surrounded by love, conversation, and good food. But from the moment we walked through the door, we were made to feel like a burden rather than welcome guests. The waiter who greeted us looked visibly unhappy to be there, and his demeanour set a cold, uncomfortable tone for the entire experience.

We had one extra guest in our party and asked, very politely, if the table could be extended so we could all sit together. We were shocked when the response was a flat refusal, and the suggestion was that one of us sit behind the rest of the group on a stool. Despite the restaurant being over 80% empty — and remaining that way throughout our visit — we were denied a simple, reasonable request on what should have been a joyful afternoon.

The most disappointing part was that it had already been noted in the booking that this lunch was to celebrate my son’s birthday — but nothing was acknowledged. We didn’t even feel comfortable bringing it up on the day. The atmosphere made it difficult to suggest anything, and that’s just not how it should ever feel when dining out — especially for a special occasion.

The food was average at best. The pasta, which was described as “fresh,” clearly was not. For a bill totalling over £450, we expected more — not just in terms of quality, but in hospitality, warmth, and care.

We didn’t even take a group photo as it was so awkward . We just wanted to leave as soon as the food was finished. And that, to me, says it all.

For me — and it always has been — when people choose your restaurant to celebrate something important, it is your duty to honour that. To provide them with warmth, service, and a memorable experience. Sadly, this place failed on every level. It didn’t just fall short as a restaurant — it failed at being a host.

We walked in with excitement and left feeling disappointed and deflated. I would never return, and I say that with genuine regret, because I truly wanted this to be a lovely occasion.

If you’re considering this restaurant for a special lunch — please think twice. I only wish I had read a review like this...

Very disappointed. Crammed in way too many tables, back of chairs resting against each other - getting out was a total faff and if you get the table for 2 by the door it would be awful. Food overpriced for not very good quality. Bland tastes and pizzas where very wet and doughy with too much wet and barely warm toppings. Needs seasoning. Music too loud and waiting staff rushed off their feet so took ages to order more drinks. Meant it was just not relaxing. Pasta main course portion size was a joke £20 and a tapas size (and was served luke warm). I called ahead to check they did gluten free pizza base and only after ordering did they come back and say they didn’t get their delivery of GF pizza bases. They suggested salmon fillet with all the same stuff as the pizza but it was just a fillet of salmon with some sauce and 3 piped bits of ricotta cheese. Such a shame as liked the idea of innovative pizza and a hip vibe but won’t be going back. They credited us a couple of items off the bill for the GF pizza mess-up but it still felt like a relief to get...

Our party ordered 2 tiramisu. We waited about 10mins. The server walk to us and says “the chef is preparing it fresh for you now”. At that point I got really concerned, but I thought to myself, there’s no way they will serve us a raw mix that had no time to set. They DID. We waited another 5-10mins as we could hear the chef preparing it. We got two servings of raw egg and cream, mixed with more sugar than we could handle. We felt the crunch of the granulated sugar and choked on the chocolate powder that did not set, with a taste of eggy, strong coffee. It tasted so bad but we tried it anyway in disbelief. We loved coming here and my partner gobbled it up to be polite and avoid complaining. He felt really sick afterwards. We paid and we left. Not coming back and after some time I am still shocked we were served that. If you sold out or you are behind on prep, just take it off the menu. Deeply disappointed and concerned you are charging for mixing tiramisu ingredients together and calling yourself an...