Comptoir Libanais Cheshire Oaks — Restaurant in England

We have had Lebanese food all over the country and abroad, but this was not just the worst experience ever for Lebanese cuisine—it was the worst hot food experience we've ever had.

We were looking forward to some authentic Lebanese food, especially after admiring the decor inside. However, the food turned out to be the worst we’ve ever had.

Mrs., Mix Grill consisted of three pieces of Shish Taouk (chicken cubes), three chicken middle-wing nibbles, a lamb kofta, a red cabbage mix salad, and some sauce dips. The chicken cubes were the size of popcorn chicken and completely flavourless. The wing nibbles tasted boiled rather than grilled properly, and the lamb kofta was dry and seemed like it had been refrigerated for days. She couldn’t eat it after one bite, and when I tried a small chunk, I understood why.

I had the roasted salmon, which was a small, frozen steak that looked like it came from Lidl or Aldi. It was served on a bed of tomato and chickpea sauce with a spinach or saag dressing. Even in some of the most expensive restaurants in London, Manchester, and Dubai, I’ve had better portion sizes and presentations. I appreciate that it was a café-style atmosphere, but the house special was served like a £4.99 dish from a cheap food outlet.

My son ordered the Lamb Kofta Burger, which turned out to be a sliced-up version of the mix grill kofta. Despite being hungry, he couldn’t eat it. However, the fries were fresh and decent.

The only highlight was the hummus and bread. The chef who served it demonstrated better customer service skills than the person who took our order, who greeted us with a bored, "What do you want?" expression. There was no tablet or notepad for taking orders, and as a result, we never received the two soft drinks we ordered, nor the large bottle of water.

The total meal cost £80, and I sincerely believe we wasted our money. Slim Chickens would have been a...

We came to Cheshire Oaks on a Friday in half term (poorly timed!) with our miniature sausage dog and 6 month old baby. After a 20 min queue to find parking, 30min walk through many families with kids to 4 different restaurants (not dog friendly) we headed to Comptoir Libanais with our enthusiasm for a day of shopping wilted. When we arrived the reception from the hostess was frosty and it felt like we were inconveniencing her with our presence. At this point we were pretty much ready to gather up and head home to Manchester.

Enter Mike. Mike was incredible. He was friendly, kind and could not do enough for us. He gave us some amazing tips on what to order, brought a water bowl for the dog and interacted enthusiastically with our wee baby. It wasn’t fake either, his attitude was so genuine and we felt special! The food was also good, maybe not the best food in the world but the service made the experience so enjoyable we could forgive any shortcomings with the food. We paid and left.

Several hours later, after much shopping, our little girl was hungry and we had run out of hot water. We were round the corner from Comptoir so went back in hoping Mike might help us out. And help us out he did! He and his wonderful colleague Cam couldn’t do enough for us. They made space for us despite it being close to closing, they didn’t rush us, chatted with us and of course helped us with hot water for our baby’s milk. Being 6 months post partum I could’ve cried at such kindness. Not everyone is so kind and generous when you have a baby. This level of service is sadly so rare to find that I couldn’t not do a review.

Don’t go anywhere else when you go to Cheshire Oaks. Also MacArthur Glen should pay these two bonuses. If it wasn’t for them, we’d have left and not spent as much money as we...

This is not my first experience with Comptoir, but it is my first visit to this branch. I have tried other branches before, and unfortunately, the experience was similar. Ambiance and Decor: The place is beautiful, with a design that evokes the spirit of Lebanon. The restaurant is clean, and the atmosphere is pleasant. Food Quality: My main issue was with the food and service. The food was not delicious or exceptional; I would describe it as average, and I wouldn’t recommend it. The food took a long time to prepare, yet it was served cold. We ordered shawarma, but it didn’t taste like shawarma at all—it was more like plain chicken with rice, and it was cold. The falafel arrived last, after everyone had finished their plates, and to my surprise, it was also cold. Cold falafel? If this is truly a Lebanese restaurant, they should know falafel is always served hot. The mixed grill was below average, with no real flavor in the meat. The only dish I can praise is the lentil soup, which was tasty and the highlight of the meal. However, the rest of the dishes were disappointing. Service: To be fair, one staff member was friendly, polite, and provided excellent service. However, another employee treated us poorly and clearly needs to improve their customer service skills. When it came time to pay, we paid the exact bill amount in coins, as we were not happy with the food. The employee gave us a mocking look, seemingly irritated that we didn’t leave a tip. I want to tell him: “You didn’t deserve a tip. Offer better service if you want...