Banana Tree Covent Garden — Restaurant in London

First and last time I’ll go to a Banana Tree if the service was the same one shown on our visit occurred yesterday evening.

Me and my partner went to the branch in Covent Garden and looked quite busy from the outside. We noticed a bit of confusion at the door as there was 3 staff members there and seemed they all were communicating to the people in the queue that they were trying to find a place for accommodate all the people waiting.

We sat down and after 15min there, we tried to get the someone’s attention (they were I think 5 waiters/waitresses and 1 managers) but no luck. At some point the waiter who sat us down finally took our order and I’ve requested specifically if it was possible to take off the onions and red peppers from the Beef Steak Teriyaki and the waiter seemed a bit unsure but then said he thinks it can be done.

15mins later we finally got our drinks.

I could say that the restaurant started to become emptier by every minute as we believe many people were there to eat something before the theatre shows but still not food on our table or someone to come and check on us.

In the meantime we observed something happening to the table of at least 6 people next to us which apparently were seated for a while, waiting for their food and this has never arrived and then they decided to leave.

The food has finally arrived after 45min from when we ordered and my dish looked very poor and effortless which had just some soggy soba noodles with beansprouts and some meat chucked on top and that’s it.

I’ve called the waiter to ask why there was no teriyaki sauce and garnish such as lemon on my plate and he tried to find an excuse of why and then I did show him how the plate did look like on the picture and he wasn’t very sure how to handle this. He just said: “I’ll ask the kitchen to fix this…” but at that point I’ve said that I was sorry but I didn’t want and the look was very poor and seems like they didn’t even make the effort to put some toppings nor even the sauce on the place and I that plate was not worth £19. I said that and was going instead for a Pad Thai with Chicken. Felt like the waiter didn’t really want to change the plate and kept saying that he was going to fix it but at the same time, a waitress came and understood the situation and said that she would be happy to order for me the Pad Thai instead.

In the meantime, my partner was eating alone her food.

The restaurant was quite empty by then and very surprised also in seeing that the manager on the floor (apparently called Ahmed), disappeared for a good 20min or more and then suddenly came back and wasn’t very present or doing any check backs in any customer but just seating people at the tables and from time to time just delegating stuff around without showing any management skill.

We have ordered another round of cocktails in the meantime and they arrived quite quickly but then we have noticed that the Lychee on top of the drink was missing (on the menu it say’s it should be there…).

My Pad Thai finally arrived (delivered by the manager which hasn’t even looked at my face and not even apologised…rude). I can say that the presentation and taste were not actually bad, I enjoyed the food, even if I had to eat it on my own.

Then something happened whilst I was eating which was quite not pleasant: The manager passed next to us and apparently called the waitress behind me (the same one which has fixed my order) and shouted “put your foot on the floor and leave that there…” or something like this. Me and my partner were horrified in how someone can talk to their staff members like this and felt sorry for the young lady.

No one on the floor (including the manager) done a check back on us for the whole time we were there which is ridiculous.

We have been given apparently 30% off in our bill but no one told us anything about why.

I’ve worked as Restaurant Manager for 5 years and what I have witnessed last night was appalling. The staff clearly needs more training and the manager was useless and was clearly stressed and not...

Our recent visit to Banana Tree was a tree-mendous dining experience! Here’s a rundown of the delectable dishes and delightful drinks we enjoyed:

🍜 Pad Thai Chicken: This dish was truly Thai-riffic! The Pad Thai Chicken had the perfect balance of savory and sweet, with noodles that were wok-ed to perfection. It was a noodle feast that left us utterly satisfied.

🍛 Red Seafood Curry with Egg Rice: We were hooked on the red seafood curry! Brimming with fresh seafood, it was swimming in a flavorful, aromatic curry sauce. Paired with fluffy egg rice, it was a shell-ebrate of tastes that danced on our palates.

🍹 Lychee and Lime Cooler & Mix Fruit Juice: Our drinks were a refreshingly fruity fiesta! The Lychee and Lime Cooler was the zest we needed, offering a sweet and tangy delight. The Mix Fruit Juice was berry good, bursting with tropical flavors that quenched our thirst perfectly. Plus, the 2-for-1 deal was a real sip-erb treat!

A special shout-out to Mesi, wonderful staff member, who made our visit even more enjoyable. Mesi was incredibly nice, friendly, and attentive from the moment we walked in. She went above and beyond to ensure we had a wonderful time. One of the highlights was when she offered us a special chili spiced sauce, which added an extra layer of deliciousness to our meal. Her warm and welcoming demeanor made us feel right at home. Mesi's excellent service and genuine care for her customers made our visit to Banana Tree even more enjoyable. Thank you, Mesi, for your outstanding hospitality! We look forward to returning and hope to see you again.

Banana Tree, you’ve branched out into our hearts with your delicious dishes and fantastic service. For anyone seeking a flavorful and friendly dining experience, this is the place to be!

#BananaTree #FoodieFinds #PadThaiPerfection #SeafoodSensation...

The food was fine, average, whatever. The service was a little awkward and cold. Not great hospitality, but fine for a casual meal. The mid food and poor service were not reason enough for me to write this. I never leave reviews, but I just feel compelled to give a warning to anyone planning to eat here: DO NOT DINE IN THEIR OUTSIDE AREA, OR IF YOU DO PLEASE BE SO CAREFUL WITH YOUR STUFF!!

We sat at the last table on the end, and my purse was hung on my boyfriend’s seat closest to the wall. It was stolen during our meal, without him feeling it, or any of us seeing it. Theft in this area is very high according to the police. This thief was GOOD. A true pro. As soon as we noticed the purse was missing I talked to our server inside and asked if she had seen it or knew anything, and she was so unhelpful, and what she said was shocking. Basically just “sorry, no, this happens all the time here, there’s nothing we can do, it just happens here.” I wish they warned us when we were seated outside, wish they had a sign warning diners (or maybe even one warning thieves?!), wish they had CCTV, or at the very least wish they had been nicer and offered some help calling the police. I can’t imagine running a restaurant where crime is such a common nonchalant occurrence for your patrons, and still allowing/encouraging outdoor dining, without looking out for customers.

The meal certainly wasn’t cheap for the quality, but all in all it ended up being the most expensive, regrettable, awful meal of our whole trip when I think about the hundreds and hundreds down the drain from my stolen purse and...