Al Balad Restaurant 1 — Restaurant in London

AVOID AT ALL COST! Tonight marked my first visit to Al Balad since returning to London, and it pains me to say it was nothing short of a DAYLIGHT ROBERRY! I used to come often to this restaurant with friends and even recommended it to many, but tonight's experience was beyond horrible.

I went with my friend, the floor manager was rushing to take our order so we opted for the iftar set menu as we were led to believe it would include “everything." However, what we received was far from satisfactory. The set menu included 2 soups, 1 small baba ghanouj, 1 small hummus, 1 fattoush salad, 1 shawarma, and 1 Kabsa (chicken rice). We also ordered water for the table and 2 coffees at the end.

Half way through, we realised the soups were not served. the bread was not fresh, and the chicken in the kabsa was undercooked. I must admit that the salad was good.

To top it off, the bill was £94.50 including service charge; they charged us £6 for water and £8 for coffee, these items are typically complementary in any iftar. Astonishingly, the iftar menu alone amounted to £35 per person! I complained to the waiter as we were paying to which his response was “you are right” “I’m sorry” “it’s expensive” “I only work here”.

It's not just about the money, but the principle of fair value for good food and service. Comparable Lebanese restaurants offer iftars including a variety of Mezze starters, multiple mains, beverages, and desserts for a fraction of the cost, with prices capped at £25 max!

For those considering alternatives, I strongly recommend Ayam Zaman, Mihbaj Cafe and Kitchen, or Beit al Zaytoun, where you can enjoy buffet iftars ranging from £19 to £25 including EVERYTHING.

Until Al Balad undergoes drastic operational improvements, I won’t be setting foot in that...

What can I say Our family went for a meal there staff were OK food wasn't bad apart from the price but my main concern was ..... After wevsatbdown I went to the toilet to use the toilet and to my surprise Iwhen I finished I trid to unlock the door but it would not OPEN !!!! The toilet was very small and after a few attempts of turning the lock mechanism which was just going round and not opening I started to panic and my heart was beating faster!!! I shouted for help and started to bang on the door after 5/6 minutes somebody heard me and called for help.Eventually they had to kick the door to get it opened!!! What a relief as the 5/6 minutes seemed to have been nearly an hour !!! I was releaved and went upstairs to my family and told them about it. I actually needed to go outside and drink some water and get some air after the horror. I'm in my 40,s and the fact of being locked in a small tight toilet was quote scary and any longer would have seriously given me problems!!! Staff were apologetic but I accepted a little bit more as when we got the bill there was nothing there to award the unpleasant situation. So sadly won't be going there again as they've clearly showed they...

They don’t deserve a one star. I wish there was an option for no stars. After receiving possibly the worst service I ever experienced, I would definitely not advise anyone to eat here. It felt like Arabs would get service before us (I am black). Finally when they were ready to take my order the waiter told me I could not order that meal that I wanted. The waiter said it’s take away only, however on two separate tables with Arab customers were served the same food I was denied. After going back and forth about this they finally let me order the meal I wanted. The wait for the food was very long, even then the food they served me was wrong. I told two waiters and the manger but they kept refusing to change the meal. I even tried to ask them for the menu so I could show them what I ordered since the waiters had limited English. This manager guy then shouts at me saying his this is what I ordered. I was with two young children and this made me feel so degraded and mortified. I honestly can’t believe how they can treat people like this. They were practically forcing me to keep the wrong meal. I had leave as I would never give them any money for that...