Papaky Coffee Shop — Restaurant in Ipswich

I recently had lunch at this restaurant with a friend from work. I had been there once before last year and didn’t enjoy it then, but decided to give it another try unfortunately, the experience was still disappointing. There was no printed or displayed menu, either on the tables or anywhere visible. A middle-aged lady with tattoos simply listed off the available dishes, which created some serious issues.

Without a menu, there’s no way for customers to know what comes with their food or to check for allergens, and the server didn’t explain any of the dish details. We were also not told the prices, which, in the UK, would be illegal businesses are required to display prices though I’m not sure what the law is in Portugal. It felt unprofessional and made it hard to trust what we were ordering.

When the food arrived, the problems continued. I ordered a T-bone steak, medium, and my friend ordered salmon. What I received was not a T-bone steak at all it was a very thin (around 3mm) piece of meat, possibly a small cut of rump steak, with no bone, plenty of fat, and cooked well done. The salmon dish was also highly questionable. It had a large circular bone in the middle with a straight line running from the top of the circle, and there were none of the small pin bones that real salmon typically has. The color was whitish to very light pink, and the texture didn’t resemble salmon at all. It looked more like swordfish or some other type of white fish, and it didn’t taste like salmon either. In fact, at first glance, it looked more like a T-bone steak than a piece of fish.

The chef came over three times to ask my friend if she liked her food, even though she had already politely said yes the first time. In reality, she didn’t enjoy it, but didn’t want to be rude. Another thing that stood out was that Portuguese customers nearby were being served what clearly looked like real, fresh salmon. It gave the impression that English-speaking customers were being served lower quality or leftover dishes at higher prices.

The only items that seemed properly displayed and easy to order were the pastries, which were kept in a fridge where customers could clearly see them and point to what they wanted which is how everything should be. Overall, there’s a lot that needs improvement here front of house service, kitchen quality, transparency, and fairness. That said, I didn’t see the same staff behavior as last year when one of the staff members was openly taking tequila shots with customers while working so at least there’s been a small step forward. But overall, the experience was poor, and I don’t...

I've eaten at countless places and sampled a variety of dishes, but this steak sandwich is, without a doubt, the absolute worst food experience I’ve ever had. To call it a sandwich is an insult to sandwiches everywhere.

First off, the beef was pre-boiled and then disgracefully reheated in a microwave, resulting in a rubbery, tasteless slab of meat. Worse still, the meat had chunks of fat on it, making it even more unappetizing and hard to eat. The bread was ridiculously oversized, and to make matters worse, it looked and tasted undercooked, adding to the overall disappointment. Speaking of filling, there were no sauces, no lettuce, no tomato, no parsley absolutely nothing that makes a sandwich remotely enjoyable.

To top it all off, the beef wasn’t even sliced properly, making it nearly impossible to chew. This so called steak sandwich was a complete disaster from start to finish. Avoid...

I really recommend this place very highly to anyone who craves 'good' coffee at a very reasonable cost. To my mind their coffee is much better than, and significantly cheaper than, the well-known coffee chains ...... It's very handy if you're in the town, and the choice of cakes - including both traditional Portuguese and English style varieties - is extensive. A delightfull place, with warm and welcoming people behind the counter, and a lovely...