Badiani Gelato Chelsea — Restaurant in London

Great ice cream. However awful logistics compounded by greedy staff and management mean I shan’t go back!

Tried buying a small tub of their ice cream a few weeks ago. They only had large! Today, returned to buy a large (1L) tub of ice cream for some ravenous boys at a play date and they only had small tubs! Really badly organised. However it neeedn’t have been a problem, I requested they just - since they are letting customers down by not carrying the right size tub - make up a liter with the smaller tubs and I would pay normal price of £32. They refused. The smaller 300 ml tub costs £15. So they tried gouging over £15 extra out of me.

It’s the sort of episode that will put off a loyal customer like myself from ever going back. They need to hire customer-centric staff if they want to retain their customers. Am happily walking home with two tubs of Ben and Jerrys bought for less than £10 at the Sainsbury’s across the street. Not quite Buontalenti Caramel but I have the big smile of a man who was able to keep his dignity (and will still be eating good ice cream)!

The kicker is that that Badiani’s initially feigned concern by adding below reply. I emailed the said address the day they posted it. Now a week later not even an acknowledgement or reply, let alone a solution. Deeply disingenuous and manipulative to post that IMHO. Readers, please don’t...

First of all, the flavours and quality of the ice cream are amazing. It's hard to find something close to it in the area and for that I would award 5 stars.

Unfortunately, the whole experience is completely destroyed by the unfriendly, sometimes rude and incompetent staff working at Badiani.

We have encountered it now several times, together with friends on a few occasions, and preferred just to walk out of the store, than endure the condescending tone and unprofessional behaviour.

After the last visit I decided to write a review, as I believe the management would be interested to hear about it.

Starting off with episodes (that have been mentioned in reviews before), where you can't get admission to the store if you are 5 minutes too early, although you can clearly see that the sales person is just bored behind the counter (that's in the scorching heat with small toddlers).

Staff in general always looks bored, and acts unfriendly and unprofessional. Furthermore, they don't really seem to know the flavours and can't advise on anything. It's quite rare to see such a low level of service in Chelsea.

The pinnacle af all our trips to Badiani was me asking three times about new flavours of ice cream. The sales person just pointed his finger at the name tag, without any explanation in complete silence....

Hard to miss with that blazing orange branding, but sadly Badiani Chelsea is all style, no scoop. I’ve been before and had great experiences, but this visit? A letdown from start to finish.

Staff were visibly unbothered, the queue moved at glacial speed, and delivery drivers clogged the front like they were guarding the gelato vault. Two customers actually gave up and walked out. The loyalty app puck was buried under receipts like it was an inconvenience to even acknowledge. Yes, a small thing, but indicative of the chaos.

The gelato itself was packed with ice crystals and noticeably lacking in flavour. My affogato came with no advice, no smile, and no care. And don’t even start on the outdoor area: stained cushions, bird droppings, and an AC unit loud enough put off any customers that made it past the ordering experience. Not exactly the vibe.

For a premium spot in Chelsea, you’d expect better, at the very least, clean tables and customer service that isn’t allergic to enthusiasm. Sadly, even after opening at 12:00 on a weekend, the stools were still on tables 30 minutes in. If you’re not ready for customers, don’t open.

Two stars, and that’s mostly because I remember when this place used to hit. Here’s hoping it finds its groove again, but right now, it’s...