GAIL's Bakery Brook Green — Restaurant in London

Having visited London for the first time, Gail’s was my first meal. I did not know what to expect, except my friend telling me that it is a well known place for Londoners.

The outside was cute. The toned down red was subtle and classic, but the sans serif typeface of GAIL’S made it modern. There were people sitting outside, and it seemed like a place where locals came to eat, rest, and hold conversations. Though there was not much visual branding, I was able to get a grasp of what this place was made for.

When I entered, the first thing I noticed were the pastries; they all looked so good. We got in line, and ordered the Iced Americano and Hibiscus Ade, I think, along with two recommended foods: a pastrami sandwich with sauerkraut, I think, I am not sure of the exact names, and a chocolate something. Please refer to photos for names, as I do not have them unfortunately.

The one taking our order was super nice and friendly, and was open to recommend his favorites when I asked. And I was glad I asked. The pastrami sandwich with sauerkraut was delicious. The texture of the bread, meaty flavor, and then the kick of sauerkraut was memorable, way beyond my expectations. The chocolate cake or pastry situation was pretty good, though I do not know if I would order it again; it was a good counterpart to the savory sandwich. The Iced Americano was just okay, and the Hibiscus Ade tasted like it looked, good but nothing special.

I will say the seating was a bit competitive. There are seats available, but you would probably have to share a table with a stranger. I also was not sure about the afterwards situation. I saw people leave old dishes and plastic cups behind, but they did not get cleaned even when we finished. I do not know if they clean it up or if we are supposed to clean up after ourselves, though we did clean up after ourselves.

I did not want to use the bathroom because it was pretty packed inside and I had thought it would be dirty.

I enjoyed my time here (especially it being my first meal) and would come back when I...

I rate Gail's highly and really enjoy the quality of the food and drinks offered. However I had a disappointing visit to this branch recently and want to provide this feedback. My mother and I arrived at Gail's Brook Green at 4:45pm on Sunday 12 May; having not seen each other for a while, we were looking forward to having a nice coffee outing together. The advertised closing time of the bakery is 6pm, but when we arrived all the chairs had already been removed from outside and stacked up inside the bakery. This was a little disappointing because the day of our visit was a beautifully sunny day. In any case, we proceeded to the counter to order and the barista said "we close at 6pm". I would have understood this comment if it had been 5:45pm, but at 4:45pm it was odd as I’d say one hour and 15 minutes is plenty of time to relax and have a coffee. It made us feel rushed (in addition to the outside chairs being stacked inside the cafe), even unwelcome.

The most disappointing aspect of our visit was that for virtually the entire time we were there, there was vacuuming going on. At times there were TWO vacuum cleaners going at the same time and the sound was really disturbing. My mother and I had to raise our voices to hear each other speak. It was non-stop so I felt compelled to politely say something to the manager and to his credit he was polite and apologetic, but he said that on Sundays they need to do a deep clean of the bakery and that unfortunately the vacuuming was unavoidable. I mentioned that surely this should happen after closing time so that customers aren't disturbed, but he said they only have 20 minutes more after closing, which isn't enough time to clean thoroughly so they have to start before. Why aren’t staff given more time after closing to perform essential cleaning?

In conclusion, from the moment we arrived it seemed the staff were preparing to leave as soon as possible, and we weren’t able to relax and enjoy our...

The worst cappucino that I have ever tasted. I made it clear that I liked it very hot. They said no problem. I asked is it two shots? Yes, it has two shots. First sip and I nearly threw up. The coffee was extremely weak, watery to be precise, and luke warm. Disgusting!

I took it back immediately and when I mentioned this to the barrista, her reaction was as if I was not telling the truth. Then even more shocking bit was the attitude. They didn’t say sorry or offer a replacement. Their reaction was to insert a thermometre in the coffee to check the temperature. Appalling service and attitude would be an understatement. That was an expensive one sip for a disgusting quality.

Earlier, I had a look at their display of cakes, while waiting for the coffee. Their flourless cakes, proudly displayed in their photos, is a child's 2 bites and it is priced at £4.40.

I have just been through other reviews and on different platforms. Many have had similar experiences. Replies from those who look after Gail's on social Media was: " Thank you for your feedback and we'll pass it on to the team" either this was a lie or the team don't listen? or in essence they simply are unprofessional and they don't care. Or they ask you to email them. Just to test them. I did email. Do you think I got a reply back? Absolutely none. A useless, helpless and unprofessional establishment.

Just avoid and save your...