Bondi Green — Restaurant in London

For the attention of the Founder Prue Freeman and General Manager of Bondi Green Paddington

Dear all,

Myself and 4 other friends were looking forward to enjoying some drinks at your beautiful establishment in Paddington.

The sun was setting and we managed to grab a lovely booth table outside to enjoy the autumn weather.

I went inside to order Cocktails and the first bar tender (looked Mediterranean and really cool clothes) was so warm and friendly and took the order no issues (The Cocktails arent cheap but the menu looked delicious)

On transfering the order to his colleague to make a polite Asian gentleman, the 2nd gentleman asked where we were sitting - on saying "outside" the Asian gentleman informed me:

"I'm sorry but if you are sitting outside you have to order your drinks via the QR code on the table"

We watched other customers stood next to us, collect their drinks from the bar and walk outside.........

We challenged this request, as previously the same Asian bar man on another date had made us drinks and we took them outside.

This tooing and frowing of asking why we needed to order via the QR code made us feel uncomfortable, embarrassed and disappointed - to the point we were going to leave and go elsewhere BUT I didn't want to embarrass the 1st barman as he looked confused as to what was happening and being said by his colleague.

The Asian gentleman was very polite and just said it was the Managers policy to not allow bar drinks to be bought inside then taken outside as it was a different system of paying.

After some more non argumentative words being exchanged, I asked him to be FLEXIBLE and our drinks were prepared inside and we too them outside to enjoy.

The Cocktails tasted "bittersweet" due to the altercation, as we had been made to feel so stressed now because of the situation and other customers watching, also we paid a "Service Charge" on these drinks (which we should have asked to be removed but didn't want to be petty).

To add insult to injury, we cleaned the table ourselves with tissues as it was filthy - that was our choice so as not to complain after what had happened, as didn't want to make the situation worse - though on reflection I felt the need to bring this to your attention as we don't feel we will come back to Bondi Green which is a shame as I live directly behind and it's a beautiful venue.

May I add your staff were polite and never rude throughout this situation, but why is the Manager/Company putting this rule in place creating stress for everyone or was it just us?

I await your reply and thank you...

Most Unwelcoming Place in London

I’m from London, and I was excited to explore Little Venice with a friend visiting from abroad. We’d read about some vegan-friendly cafés in the area run by an Australian chain, which had been recommended online.

We were cycling around and first stopped at Beany Green, where I asked if they had any vegan pastries or coffee. They said no, and directed us to their “colourful barge boat” down the canal - Darcie & May Green. So we cycled over, only to be told that Beany Green was actually the one with the pastries. A complete contradiction. Then another staff member suggested we try a third location across the canal - Bondi Green.

We gave it one last shot and headed over- again with our bikes - and I waited outside to speak to someone. When I waved to the hostess, she came out looking visibly annoyed. I asked if they had vegan pastries; she flatly said no. I then asked if they had any availability, and she snapped, “No.” I honestly felt so uncomfortable - she just kept giving me dirty looks the entire interaction - I thought I was asking really normal questions but she wasn’t having it. It felt like being dismissed by Emily Blunt in The Devil Wears Prada. I’ve genuinely never felt so unwelcome in my life.

While I didn’t stay to try the food, the experience says enough: the staff were confused about their own offerings, none of the locations seemed to communicate with each other, and the whole vibe was more “Insta-chic tourist trap” than anything warm or down to earth. It certainly didn’t reflect the laid-back Aussie hospitality I was expecting. It feels like a place that exists more for social media than for actual service or community.

I wouldn’t recommend it if you’re looking for somewhere with a friendly, local feel - it was nothing but confusion and attitude. So much so that I felt compelled to write...

My partner and I went to this restaurant as we had left with no other options. It was a Saturday night and we were going to meet with two of our friends from London and we were from York. We struggled to find the Sheldon Square (took us more than an hour) and we are supposed to dine in one of the boat restaurants but unfortunately we arrived at around 2130H and they were about to close, so we were not able to get inside any of the boat restaurants. We saw Bondi Green just across so we decided to try it. The person who accepted us was not welcoming nor even friendly. She was probably one of the managers as she was not wearing uniform. She told us she could only offer us drinks and we could not order any more of the food. Even though she was not nice at all, we opted to stay as we were already tired and hungry. One of the servers gave us drinks and food menu to our delight and we ordered right away. We also requested to move closer to the bar as the “lady manager” sent us to sit in the middle of the crowded area. We ordered a bottle of wine and the lady manager opened the bottle for us without a single word. She was not pleasant at all. Nobody asked us if we were okay after serving the food. When my two other friends arrived, I had to ask for the drinks menu as nobody came to offer them anything. Also, the “lady manager” said they were closing soon and this was around 2230H even though it says on their website that their closing at midnight. When we left, she was right at the door and she never said thank you. Overall, it was a bad experience for me as I felt that the “lady manager” did not want to accept us in the first place. It was a terrible, lousy and crappy customer service. The ambience was cozy and beautiful but it will not compensate for the the bad service we experienced. Will not recommend and will never...