Mokka Downend — Restaurant in England

Reason I would give 3 star as the food quality is very good and for some of the staff being really lovely to me and my family. However this morning my experience was not so pleasant. We live nearby so we randomly pop in multiple times in a week and we always order food. So likewise I did not think to book and woke up in the morning took my one year old son with me for a nice Sunday breakfast. As I arrived at 9:30am in almost an empty restaurant with maximum 3-4 tables occupying. The lady who greeted me (I haven’t seen her before), offered me first odd table right at the entrance of the restaurant. Upon requesting for a nicer table, she gave me a table inside the coffee area. She mentioned they don’t give tables in the main dining area with prams. I have been to this restaurant many times before, without bookings with my baby and his pram and also my friends have come here with their baby’s pram, sat in the main dining area. This was surprising to me but I didn’t want to say anything. After I was sat there, more families started to arrive and they were all offered the main dining area and also with children and pram. Even the lady who told me prams were not allowed, straight away she was taking guests with pram in the main dining area. No one was offered where I was sitting and I sat in an empty room throughout my breakfast. Towards the end, one lady she requested if she could sit in my area and then she they opened that section.

Management team, please train your staff to not differentiate your guests especially your regulars. I felt maybe I was wearing hijab, your staff felt like sitting me in one side of the room with no one else around me was okay. If I had to do that, I could just sit in my house and make my own breakfast. I won’t come to spend money to a restaurant. If we go to a restaurant, we need some ambience not to sit in an empty room. Also if your staff has already opened that section, she could sit one or two tables to balance the seating but probably don’t have much experience. I have worked as service improvement manager in very high end luxury restaurants and ultra luxury 5 star hotels in London like Ivy collection restaurants, Michelin star fine dining restaurants, Rosewood London hotel within the hospitality Industry. I am sorry to say, your service made me feel very awkward today. Please address this with your staff that not everyone is stupid and don’t understand what’s happening around them. To be honest other staff members have been always nice to us and my son and when the other manager previously was there he knew us, always catered as we needed. I have enjoyed always to pop in as a next door nice cafe/ restaurant as we have very little options in Bristol. I have mentioned this to one of the other waitress as well when leaving that they should make a bit more effort to recognise their regulars, she said they had bookings so maybe that’s why they didn’t sit me in the main dining area but when I was I leaving there were still so many empty tables that were not in use. I just felt like sharing this as this maybe something okay for Bristol but it won’t go unnoticed for people with hospitality experience. I will hopefully return again but won’t keep much expectation from a...

I had an absolutely dreadful experience at Mokka Café today. I went for lunch with my sister and mother, expecting a pleasant meal, but it quickly turned into a humiliating ordeal.

After placing our order, only two of the dishes we ordered arrived. Assuming my mother’s dish was on its way, we waited patiently. After some time passed and nothing arrived, I went back in to check on the order. The man I spoke to informed me there was no additional dish for our table. I explained that I had ordered two of the same dish, but instead of trying to resolve the issue, he laughed in my face and told me I was wrong.

Feeling humiliated, I tried to clarify the order and the conversation I had during the time of placing it. Despite the obvious confusion, he continued to laugh, insisting I was incorrect, without once asking questions to clear things up. Eventually, he said he would add the dish now, but my mother had already decided she didn’t want to wait any longer. I asked to speak to the management about how I had been treated, and to my disbelief, he revealed that he was the manager.

I tried to move on and finish my meal, but then he approached me at the table. With my mouth full, I told him I didn’t want to continue the discussion, but he still apologized. His apology, however, felt insincere given how disrespectful his behavior had been moments earlier in front of the restaurant's patrons. I asked him to leave, but as he walked off, he muttered something under his breath, which only added to the frustration.

The café itself is cute, but the food is mediocre, and the tables were all dirty. After this shocking and disgraceful experience, I will not be returning, nor would I recommend Mokka Café to anyone. They need to seriously re-evaluate their customer...

Review Russ from appleradio co.uk says...........clean, good menu and drink selection. However.....made a booking, arrived, taken to the table. Drinks then ordered along with food. 30 minutes later food arrived. No apologies for delay in a half empty venue. Food eaten and bill paid including service charge. That was the experience, staff including bar manager and chef timed and photographed standing and chatting at the bar for over 10 minutes. I wished I had jumped in my car and driven to anyone of a number of venues that also serve food within a 1 mile radius where My business would at least have felt wanted and appreciated. Sorry guys but really let down by lack of feel good welcome. I will visit again as just maybe the Sunday lunchtime I experienced was a one off. However should I experience the same again then I will go where there is a smile and a feeling my business is really welcome. Do not ever sit back and think you have made it, a good reputation takes a long time to build and seconds to lose so just up the ante...