Kember & Jones — Restaurant in Great Britain

Visited today as a table of 4 for lunch. It’s been a while since my last visit for coffee and cake and could see that since then there has been some redecoration which has hidden an exposed brick wall and removed a lot of character which is a shame. As expected on a Saturday lunchtime it was busy and we agreed to wait for a table. A suitable 4 person table was vacated very quickly but no member of staff came to seat us. We were front of the queue so I approached the table when an incredibly arrogant and rude member of staff stopped me and told me to wait before another member of staff then took us to that same table almost immediately. There is a sign as you enter stating that the cafe operates table service yet the condiments and table water are self service. There were not enough water glasses and the only salt and pepper grinder remaining was basically empty and also incredibly manky. The menu is reasonable enough with a good selection although the pricing is steep (£10 for a sandwich?). The same rude waiter who stopped us from taking the table we were given clearly took a disliking to me - he placed the others food in front of them and mine at the edge of the table while glaring at me. He was definitely not ok hun. Three at the table ordered a couple of different soups and I had ham and gruyere on sourdough toast. The toast was nice although would have been nicer with wholegrain rather than smooth mustard. Given the price and pretensions of the cafe I’d have expected wholegrain. The verdict on both soups was pretty underwhelming and both looked very watery. They came with focaccia rather than plain bread which would have been preferable. The cakes looked lovely so we decided to have one with a coffee. By this time the lunch rush had died (moody waiter went out for a break, shooting shady looks on his exit and entrance) but we waited a ridiculous time for service and had to leave the table to ask staff. The cakes and coffee were nicer than the savoury items. Overall the food was decidedly average given the price, the decor is not as nice as it once was and the service is the worst I’ve experienced in...

K&J has been my go-to special treat cafe for almost two decades. Having not been for about 6 months, I was bitterly disappointed by my visit on Thursday.

I visited alone and may as well have been invisible. I waited by the sign telling me to wait for a seat. I was ignored. Two men walked in and two of the young female staff instantly attended to them and handed them menus. The staff working behind the counter work hard, but those serving up on the mezzanine continued the theme of making me feel ignored for the rest of my time in the cafe. It was a real struggle to get anyone's attention for service and the manner of the servers could absolutely be more proactive and pleasant.

The food is always displayed beautifully, however the taste quality is becoming more mediocre. I ordered a huge muffin but left half of it due to it not tasting of very much.

The single toilet facility is also looking really shabby and requires renovation.

I really hope that I visited on an off day and that this cherished cafe isn't slipping in...

My friends took me for coffee and cake, we had 2 tiny coffees each as two made up one normal sized cup, and 2 pastries. The staff serving were lovely, coffee good, cakes tasty enough. However on leaving, the dour faced girl at the till had no chat, hardly looked up and charged over £40. She hadn't said how much as there was no communication so my friend paid however I could see the amount and he then queried it. She was sullen, and said, you said table 8, which was correct, then started reading out the wrong bill. She seemed quite put out, was quite unhelpful and didn't once apologise or give the bill we'd asked for so we could check the amount. We felt unsure if the refund had actually been made. She rolled her eyes as we left, the manager beside her, watching, also not apologising as you would expect, just blank faced. And at £28, not a pleasant experience overall, apart from the wait staff....