Albion — Restaurant in London

THIS REVIEW HAS BEEN EDITED AFTER A FURTHER VISIT: To start, everything looked good. Menu was varied, lots to choose from. However, we were sat at the back near the exits to the smoking area. My elderly parents were with us (7 people booking) and they were getting a draught coming through. After shutting the wide open door in excess of 30 times, with other diners also saying how ridiculous this idea was, our food was brought to us. The waitress/manager (unsure of her position) came over to ask if all was OK, we very politely said the food was fine and service also, but the constant up and down to close the constantly opening doors was an absolute nuisance and utterly ruined our experience. Her response?? 'Well, you couldve sat elsewhere'!!!! We booked a table and was seated here! We had no choice in what table we sat at, believe me, we would not have sat there out of choice. It was frustrating and diabolical. I explained we didn't choose to sit here! Her answer 'next time, mention it on your booking' to which we assured her we would NEVER visit again after this performance. So we skipped dessert and went home, quite annoyed having spent over £100+ on food and drinks, only to be greeted with a terrible response to our complaint. It's not professional and really not acceptable. We won't be coming back, that's for certain. It was my mother's birthday and this occasion was ruined. So thanks very much for that. I shall be contacting head office too. Had her response had been apologetic and different, we would've be ok. But it made us feel like we were to blame. After this review, I was contacted by the assistant manager of the Albion, a lady called Sam. She was extremely apologetic and offered us a complimentary meal, as an apology for this experience. This lady is so genuine and so passionate about this establishment. It shines through. Ive seen her on occasions before on previous visits and she is very firm, but very fair. But clearly treats the place like her own and it means a lot to her. Which leads me to wonder why she is not the manager, this would make perfect sense. We had our meal, all served by sam. She's helpful and friendly, without being too over eager or desperate to impress. We had a lovely meal, food was so much hotter (obviously we weren't seated next to an open door this time) and as I said, she was very efficient, but not too much. Two very different experiences in my opinion. Ive visited the albion for many years and it's always been fine, until that one...

Having lived in Rainham for over 20 years, I can honestly say that the area has never been renowned for great pubs and places to eat. The Albion is no exception. The general service is very poor... waiting 10 minutes or more for a pint is not uncommon. The staff do not seem to be cut out to work in a pub. Despite several changes of management over the years, things have not improved, only deteriorated even further.

Upon first sight you can easily deduce that the Albion is more of an eating place than a real pub, with very little of the establishment possessing any real pub atmosphere. The most common type of clientele seem to be parents with young children and so this naturally creates a creche like environment at times. It also means that the place frequently smells of eaten food and a mixture of different condiments, instead of alcohol.

The quality of the food is very disappointing...they cannot even manage to prepare and cook basic pub food to any satisfaction. I tried it once and the 'Fish & Chips' seemed to have been cooked the previous week. Others I know have had a similar experience. Also the price of drinks is generally expensive for Rainham and the quality of the beer very 'Hit & Miss'. One expense I have never seen spared in the Albion is refurbishment and decoration. The place seems to be spruced up fairly frequently, hence I cannot criticise it for general presentation.

I am not sure how the Albion will change under new owners. However, like my favourite football team, it does not matter how many new owners, players and managers they have had over the years, things just do not seem to change. If you love good food, great beer and intellectual company, give this...

If you plan eating and have a dog avoid! I checked website and says they're dog friendly. This is limited to the bar area only, something it didn't say.If you go to book a table on their website to eat there's no option to say if you have a pet! Pubs one eaten and booked a table before that say dog friendly give you drop down option so you know potentially where you may end up ie bar area. So if you must turn up and they are busy and you have a dog likely you won't get seated if you're refused the restaurant area like we were. Anyway, there are limited tables in bar area and they're high tables and even more limited chairs to the tables if you want to sit with a family around 1 table! So was limted to having one chair not high enough for the table. Ironically, as we were moved from the restaurant area with our dog there's a big poster in the restaurant area saying dog friendly. I was referred to Facebook by bar staff, not everyone has Facebook. Anyway if you have a dog and want to eat go somewhere else is best solution. Food was goodbso gave them a star for that but the inconvenience of it all not to sit properly, definitely wouldn't say "dog friendly" if you're eating. To top off poor experience they had some sort work/drilling going on in the kitchen which happens to be where bar area is. These things happen so whilst can't knock that as such anyone with a dog will know drilling or whatever isn't great to enjoying nice sit down meal with family. Bad experience all round. Restaurant area is...