Bread Street Kitchen, Bar & Rooftop - Stratford — Restaurant in London

TLDR: food is ok, service terrible if you are with child albeit a well behaved one.

Just want to start by saying my son and I regularly go on “fancy” dates, and he is aware of how to act. My son (4 years old) and I had a dinner reservation at 5:30pm - showed up at 5:20. It all started when as I was being seated with my son, I was only given the ala carte menu - I was not given all the menus and had to ask. (No drinks menu and no set menu offered.) Ordered at 5:30, and it took about 30 minutes to get the food.

I was the only one in there with a relatively young son (and of color) and I could tell by the atrocious service received. I received service only when I asked several times for service, and was continuously ignored throughout the rest of the meal. Whilst other tables were being attended to, water being refilled, asked if they were doing ok, my son and I waited 15 minutes after finishing our meal to request our dessert order to be put in. I was not offered additional dessert options. At this point because I knew I was not going to be getting consistent service, I requested my bill. Our server, Berzune (Eastern European, dirty blonde hair, brown claw clip who also had a new hire shadowing her tonight) asked me how the meal was and I said it was fine and that we were waiting for our dessert. She said oh let me check on that, and I then again waited 10 minutes to get the dessert and had to wave her down again as there was an additional charge on my bill. But alas, was avoided. At one point, she gave her shadow the water pitcher to refill the water at the table beside us, and when he came over, I request he also fill ours and to see if I could speak to our waitress. I could see she was busy and very attentive to the other tables and could not understand why we did not also deserve such service. My son at one point even asked why she was not coming to our table as he could also see her tending to other diners.

I am empathetic to the service industry as I also have a background in such, but the blatant avoidance of my table was unacceptable. Would also recommend checking your receipt as I was given an extra charge which had...

Dear Bread Street Kitchen & Bar Team,

I recently had the pleasure of dining at your Stratford location and wanted to share some feedback on my experience. Firstly, I was excited to see the Gordon Ramsay name on the high street and couldn't resist stopping in.

The gazpacho was a highlight-refreshing and well-prepared. I also appreciated the quality of the still bottled water, especially its low calcium content.

However, there were a few areas that fell short of expectations:

• I was advised that the 2nd floor and rooftop were closed, and outdoor seating was limited to starters and snacks. It would be helpful to understand why full meals aren't served outside.

• While I was accommodated indoors, I was told the table was only available for an hour. Thankfully, that was sufficient. • The minute steak, though visually appealing, was unfortunately dry and had several chewy bits. Without napkins or a place to discard them, it made for an awkward dining experience.

• The condiments-Wilkin & Sons ketchup and two types of mustard-were of good quality, but served in glass jars that were difficult to use with a fork. A spoon or alternative serving method would be more practical.

• The Hugo Spritz, priced at £14.50, tasted more like a mocktail and lacked the expected punch for its price point.

• Service was friendly, but not very attentive. I waited 15 minutes before having to approach the bar myself for a drink and the bill. The waiter did not introduce themselves, which felt impersonal. While I did pay the service charge, I felt I had to do some of the work myself.

I understand Mondays can be resource-challenged, and the restaurant seemed busy-which is a good sign. Still, I believe a few small adjustments could greatly enhance the guest experience.

Thank you for your commitment to culinary excellence. I look forward to giving Bread Street another try...

The food was bland and out of the three dishes that me and my partner tried we did not enjoy any of them. The dishes were so underwhelming we agreed that we have had better ready meals.

The Burger was a dry, had no seasoning and was a tasteless thin patty dwarfed by overly large buns that were also dry :( This was not the bold, flavourful experience one might expect from a Ramsay kitchen.

The butter chicken curry was the worst. The meat pieces were oddly textured, and the sauce—if one could even call it that—had a peculiar, unmistakable taste of butane gas. Both my partner and I noticed it, and it was difficult to ignore.

The Caesar salad was horrible. What passed for dressing tasted more like plain mayonnaise hastily slathered on top of soggy lettuce. The anchovies, typically a salty highlight of a Caesar salad, were curiously bland—devoid of the rich, briny flavour that elevates the dish. In short, every bite was an exercise in disappointment.

The Service Fell Far Below Expectations. If the food was disappointing, the service wasn't any better. A waiter repeatedly walked past our table coughing openly, without so much as an effort to cover his mouth. This was shocking behaviour. Despite our hunger, we were unable to order additional dishes.

To not enjoy a single plate on our table is, in our experience, an unprecedented failure. My partner and I left the restaurant not just unsatisfied but genuinely disappointed. As fans of Gordon Ramsay, it is disheartening to say we will not be returning. Dining at a Ramsay establishment should be a memorable experience, but sadly, it was not worth the money, not even half considering none of the food was...