GAIL's Bakery Pimlico — Restaurant in London

I just purchased two pastries and a slice of chocolate bubka from Gail’s at Pimlico. The girl who served tried really hard to break a record in cutting the thinnest slice ever. Probably she thought I had ordered a slice of cheese or ham? The piece already was falling apart into smaller pieces and crumble obviously. These things happen. However, normally, when a waiter cuts a slice very thin by mistake and this breaks into smaller pieces, you just keep it aside for internal consumption. You don’t sell it for sure. But this didn’t stop the lady from putting it into a bag (with a lot of effort) and charge me. Wasn’t she embarrassed for doing this? No, she was very happy, most probably thinking that she was offering great services to her boss by cutting out even more slices out of a loaf of cake. I was so frustrated but at the same time I had to rush because I had not parked my car properly, and I had already queued waiting to be served. So I didn’t have the time and patience to explain to the lady that this was a very bad customer service and a rip off (I was charged the normal price of course). It’s not about the money I paid for this item, it’s about the false mentality that “we can serve anything we wish to the customer, even the left overs, and they will keep coming regardless”. As far as I’m concerned I’m not...

I have never written a review, but Gail’s Pimlico deserves one, and particularly Candice!! My husband and I have been here twice in the last week, and have had the best customer service and experience at any bakery/cafe/restaurant ever ever been to - both times. Our first visit, Candice greeted us warmly, was patient with us contemplating all the delicious looking pastries, and even threw in an extra pastry I was eyeing but thought I’d save for next time, on the house! Everything was delicious, from the hot breakfast items to the pastries, and coffee and tea. We loved the pistachio rose lemon cake in particular, but honestly we’ve tried 5 different pastries at this point and have loved every single one. The second visit, Candice was working again, and she helped us put together a really nice box of pastries to take for a visit to a family get together. I can’t exclaim enough how wonderful Candice has treated us, always smiling, cheery, and hospitable. And the pastries are delicious! It’s taking everything not to pop in every morning, my waistline won’t...

Food: 5/5. All the baked goods are amazing. Savoury and sweet alike, everything tastes better than you'd imagine. I personally vouch for the tomato and feta brioche and the cinnamon bun. The coffee isn't quite as tasty, but it's not bad either.

Service: 3/5. When I went with a group, three out of six orders were forgotten. Upon asking about them, we found that one order was burnt--about fifteen minutes ago, and nobody informed us. We ended up waiting another fifteen so our coworkers could get their food and take it back to the office. When I went alone, I was served twice by different people who seemed a bit annoyed or like they'd rather not be there, but maybe they were having bad days. Another time, the person serving me was really friendly and sweet.

Ambiance: 4/5. Really beautiful décor; an exposed brick wall, hanging lights, and plants on the wall make for cosy surroundings. Sitting on the small tables can become invasive when a lunchtime rush nestles right before your table. Downstairs there are more seats, and you can see (and smell) the bread...