Pineto Lounge — Restaurant in England

I visited Pineto Lounge on Monday afternoon with some friends for the first time and had a fabulous experience. Food, service and ambiance was brilliant. Today, that us, on Wednesday, 2nd July, I decided to take my daughter for a special treat to the same place to celebrate my birthday. Completely different vibe to the place. I placed my order, everything was going fine, till I requested water. I was informed to pour glasses of water myself and take them to the outdoor area where we decided to dine. I tried explaining that requesting a jug of water was normal and we received the same service on Monday, but she insisted i pour myself water and take it out. I have a kid who drinks a lot of water and i myself like hydrating, so i decided to grab a jug and 2 classes myself as this lady had made it clear she wasn’t going to help us. She saw me and made it a point to stop me in front of other customers, whilst mid conversation with them, to tell me i can’t take the jug out. When i insisted why she was behaving this way she said she didn’t have enough staff or clean crockery. How is that my problem? Does that justify arguing and embarrassing both of us in front of other customers? Her tone and aggressive attitude were not appropriate at all. Did she expect me to keep walking back inside every 10 min to refill my water myself? I was barely seated for 2 min when someone came out with a jug of water? What was the point of all the drama then? Could this have been handled in a better way? Are staff even taught the basics of customer service or are we meant to bear this rude and ‘to hell with you’ attitude? I sat with a foul mood and tried finishing the food, which was served in 5 min, minus the chilli sauce and with rice which was goey and did not look like a nice stir fry. My daughter didn’t like it and i forced her to eat as much as possible. When i complained, i was informed a new chef was being trained.. again, how is this my problem? Consistency and effort matters, customer service matters, ALOT, and it shows, and those things themselves promise returning clients. I was left so disappointed and on edge, when i just wanted a nice and quiet birthday dinner with my daughter. Will i return to this place? Sadly not anytime soon, if i do want to, i’ll have to walk in and check who’s serving first and whether the chef is trained for the job! 🤣...

You have to give businesses a try, so we did .... The quick report is 'don't bother'.

You would think given the fact this establishment is in the middle of what can be described as Bracknell centres restaurant area, they would have to be on the ball to gain any footfall from those around them. Aside from being quirkily appointed, the rest is a let down.

Myself, my wife and son gave them a try last night (3rd August), spent a little over £70 on food and drinks for dinner.

It wasn't a bad start as the two starters ordered weren't too bad. However, I'm not a fan of going out for dinner and having to place my order at a bar. Table service isn't difficult and this aspect doesn't make for a great experience.

The main courses arrived, my son ordered the triple cooked cheesy fries with his burger, what arrived were undercooked oven chips smothered in cheese!! The two mains my wife and I had were straight from the microwave.

Flatbread turned up as a rock hard frisbee that I couldn't get my knife into so ended up snapping bits off.

The two heavily tattooed, rather scruffy looking chef's were more interested in chatting up the single waitress than making sure what they turned out was acceptable given the prices.

I gestured to complain however, my wife didn't want me making a scene. Hence this review.

Save your money, go to one of the many other establishments.

EDIT: I NOTE THE REPLY FROM SOMEONE AT PINETO LOUNGE, I HAVE REPLIED TO THEM ON EMAIL AS THEY REQUEST BUT SO FAR NO FURTHER RESPONSE. Updated 6th August.

Further edit 07.08.24 Pineto have replied and offered us another meal and a promise to discuss with staff and chef's. We have not decided...

My Partner wanted to spend his birthday evening here but due to having a group of 9 of us we were worried about getting a table as the restaurant does not take bookings so when we arrived we were originally told they wouldn’t be able to take us, but the manager then said they would be more than happy to take us and put some tables together. The atmosphere is 10/10, we love coming here so much and the banoffee cheesecake deserves a special shout-out! Some of the food could do with a little tweaking like the squid (tapas) as it was a bit too oily tasting and the Patatas Bravas was a bit plain but everything else was yummy and the rest of the table were happy as lambs. Other thing that they could do is the wifi situation with ordering on your phone is a bit awkward at the moment due to not having with. once they get them own free wifi it will be a lot easier but we did end up ordering at the bar which is the other way to order which is fine :) We’ve also had brunch here too and a special shout-out for the French vanilla iced coffee’s , they are very good ! Lastly The 2 lads who were running food yesterday were so polite and so was the bar staff, really lovely girls 🤗 thanks again ! P.s there was also a gluten free menu which was really nice for a gluten intolerant...