PizzaExpress — Restaurant in England

It's Pizza Express, what can I say? The menu is good, the pizza OK (not as amazing as they used to be), but the service not so special.

This branch was no different, so yes I'm glad we went and I will end up going back, but.....

And finally, because I often do, something that makes me smile. This is not about the place I'm reviewing!

WHAT PERSON DOESN’T LIKE PIZZA? A weirdough.

How I Mark I may mark differently to some other reviewers, some might see this as harsh, others may see it as fair. But here's how I look at it:

5 star - WOW. I want to go back and look forward to doing so. They delivered everything expected and more. The 'more; is normally about the service or attitude of the staff. 4 star - GOOD. They delivered everything I wanted and a bit more. I recommend them and would go back. 3 star - OK. They delivered what I expected, I would go back if I needed to, although don't currently plan on doing so. 2 star - Not very good. I didn't get what I expected and the service wasn't good. I don't recommend this place. I might get dragged back here, although will always try to avoid it 1 star - This was rubbish. Don't go there, I certainly won't go there again. I didn't get what I wanted, the people were unhelpful and I didn't enjoy...

Food and service was great until we got the bill. 4 pizzas, 2 salads, 1 side and 4 drinks came to £110. We tried to download the app and register to get the discounts but that didn't work even though the card on the table was promoting it. I tried at home and it still doesn't work. If we applied the correct vouchers, selected complimentary dough balls, etc then we could have saved a lot. The staff were kind, patient and eventually gave us a small discount but not enough to go back. For a single person wanting pizza, side or starter, plus drink, expect to spend almost £30 without vouchers. For a family of 5, it easily comes to over £100. One of the kids kicked off so dampened the evening, then the bill was the kick in the balls. In hindsight, should have just opted for takeaway and paid less than half. Recommend getting your vouchers sorted up front and be mindful that a discount voucher for a classic pizza is only applicable to one, so you need to get everyone to register on multiple phones. Doesn't really work...

The food was good, but the service was lacking. We arrived around 6:20. Ordered a kids meal and 2 pizzas, and finally left at 8:20. 2 hours for a very basic meal, which should have really taken about 1 hour max. We finished our pizza and asked for the kids desserts as soon as possible as it was getting late. 30 minutes, and three asks later we had to ask for them at the till, and we were told they were not on our order, a 'mix up'. And what was involved with prepping a kids dessert, pull out a brownie and cut it in two... Hardly worth the wait. Finally when trying to leave, we had our bill, but no one to pay. The staff were hammering through the clean up, ignoring the patrons, presumably desperate to close up as quickly as they could. I stood by the door receipt in hand and had to ask 3 times for someone to pay, I even asked the same waitress twice! Very much tempted to just walk out at that point. And then the audacity to hand me the full bill, with the tip screen and an expectant face. Will be going to Zizzi...