Cecconi's — Restaurant in London

I’ve been coming to Cecconi’s all my life but my recent experience at the bar was pretty awful and I don’t think I will be back. I have never been treated so disrespectfully by waiters in any restaurant. The tall waiter with grey hair and the shorter one with a ponytail behaved so rudely and arrogantly since the moment we sat down, as if they’re better than the customers. I understand that they may be working in a stressful environment, but taking it out on customers is absolutely unacceptable, and especially so for a premium establishment like Cecconi’s. To be honest I was quite shocked by this lack of professionalism and basic manners and as a result felt very uncomfortable. Both of the waiters mentioned had a laughably snobby and dismissive attitude (truly ridiculous and hilarious). the tall one basically shouted at us and completely lost his temper (which I couldn’t believe as it was happening — I literally had to tell him to calm down) and snapped when my mom (who also has been going here for years) asked if the bread was gluten-free and when I had questions about what was vegan etc… Every time these waiters attended to us or whenever we asked something we were met with dramatic eye-rolls and rude facial expressions and snaps… truly unbelievable. the tall waiter brought us a dish we didn’t order and when we told him this it was like we did something wrong because he was so angry with us and we felt like we were walking on eggshells with this guy 😂 my mom asked ponytail to take a photo of us and he literally rolled his eyes at her and ignored her — she had to ask him three different times until he finally did it (he put on a fake condescending smile — he was so snappy and angry?). these two men genuinely need to be humbled and remember they are behind the counter. I noticed the tall waiter was later visibly stressed by his job and I saw him crouch on the floor behind the bar for a minute (maybe he had back pain?) and when he stood up again he put his hands down the back of his trousers... then went back to doing his job. yikes.

When I paid, there was a fault with the credit card machine and the waiter with the ponytail tried to make out like my card was declined even though it was the machine’s connection (there was something wrong with the machine and it worked the second time, but he insinuated like the first time there was something wrong with my card — he muttered something like “card declined” even though he later said the machine had an issue - so it obviously wasn’t declined and that’s just not the appropriate thing to say)… this is below the lowest form of acceptable service. If there is an issue with the machine, staff usually say “could you try again please, the machine had an error” not “your card was declined” when it actually wasn’t by his own admission… the forced snobby attitude was a poor display and showed a total lack of professionalism.

Also the food is really average at best and extremely dated but that’s been a known fact for at least 10 years (you go for the atmosphere not for the food). (Especially as a vegan, expect to only be able to eat the blandest salads that take 3 minutes to make — for £20 each you can make it a bit more exciting and diverse). At least the service used to be warm and professional. Now that’s obviously not the case. You need major staff training ASAP — you are in the premium hospitality business and are here to serve your guests at the highest level, not humiliate and insult them. crazy work honestly.

Putting all of this together, this was one of my worst restaurant experiences ever. those two waiters I mentioned need to be trained on basic manners. It’s unacceptable. I saw that they were polite/friendly to some men – embarrassing snobby favouritism.

Whether a person has been coming to your restaurant for decades (like us) or it’s their first visit is actually irrelevant. Treat all of your guests who are paying for your overpriced food/service with basic respect and dignity. You are deluded if you pompously think you are better than them....

Disappointed. It’s such a shame because I have eaten here many times and have always quite enjoyed it. Great location, always a good vibe and not too over priced for Mayfair. I went last might as my mother hadn’t been for years and thought I would treat her for her birthday. I feel so upset because it was a massive let down and we don’t live in London so it was meant to be a big treat for her. We had a new waitress which I understand the service won’t be as good as someone who knows the venue but she should’ve had someone training her because we were completely forgotten about. We were there for about 20 minute before we got offered a drink. We were then bought sparkling water when we asked for still. I ask for ice with my white wine which was forgotten about so I had to ask again. It’s a little thing but when you’re going out for a nice meal and you asked for ice in your wine then you should get ice in your wine. We then waited another 30 minutes to order…. He explained we had to wait longer for the risotto due to the way it’s cooked which is fine. We got our food… the risotto has cold patches in it which surely would only happen if the food was microwave or reheated? I had the rigatoni to which the outside of it was cold so I think it was left too long on the side once cooked. They checked in and after mentioning it they took it away and apparently re cooked the meal but it was then sent back out to us within 5 minutes? So surely as mentioned previously it isn’t cooked in a special way because they managed to turn it around that quickly? Again, it was cold in places. The taste was nice but it was off putting having the cold bits. I must admit the presentation wasnt great… could’ve done with a bit of parsleys or something to maybe not make it look like a plate of something it shouldn’t.. I then order another wine, we had to chase it as had to wait 15 minute for it and again it was served with no ice. We then ordered Prosecco to which it was completely flat there was not one bubble in it, we didn’t drink it but was still charged for it. A lady was very nice and tried to convince us to come back etc. it’s just very disappointing when you’re treating your mum to a meal and the whole night was just a mess and a nightmare and when you’re paying still a fair amount of money you expect better. We left feeling...

Solo females should avoid this restaurant at all costs. This restaurant was referred to me by Claridges by no fault of their own as I’m certain they’re unaware of this establishment. I arrived and was greeted by two female staff members who were pleasant and accommodating. I was seated outside off the Main Street with two men at a table to my left and a family to my right. This was at 12:15 pm on June 23, 2025. After sitting outside for over 15 minutes and was not addressed by the all male servers I had to flag someone down who wasn’t the assigned waiter to place a food order and a drink order. After 15 minutes my food order arrived and no glass of wine which I ordered at the same time. Again, I had to flag someone down requesting the glass of wine I had ordered who again wasn’t one of the two male waiters for this section. No one asked if I would like salt and pepper or cheese with my pasta. No one asked me if I was enjoying my meal and if everything was satisfactory. I finished my meal and my dirty dishes remained on my table for over 20 minutes. No one asked me if I wanted another glass or wine, tea or coffee or dessert. At the end, I had to get up and retrieve the bill from the guest reception where I was told there was table service and where I should have received the bill. I then explained how I had received horrible service and the female guest receptionist expressed how she couldn’t have cared less. This receipt states a 14.5% discretionary service which wasn’t discretionary as I wasn’t allowed to remove it from the bill. I paid £71.71 for a single meal with horrible service. The two male waiters for the outdoor side area had no issues providing excellent service to the tables on my left and right. The vibe in and out of the restaurant is great and the people watching interesting. I am certain that London offers more reputable establishments where solo female travelers can experience a more equitable experience. Management should be ashamed...