Hand in Hand — Restaurant in London

Pub its self from the outside looks warm and inviting and on entry seems quite lively and warm. We soon realised our first issue was the total lack of fresh air, the heat very quickly became oppressive and the tables are so jam packed together the heat was just plain uncomfortable. Be sure to wear layers you can take off.

We ordered drinks initially took around 20 mins to get them but the bar was pretty busy. Food order for 7 (5 adults 2 children) completed at 2.40 at 4.05 we were still waiting, when we asked how long it would be as the children were hungry we were told 15 more minutes which was accurate as it did come out exactly that. What we couldn’t understand was that two other tables of two had come in and ordered after us and got their food before we did. Nothing we ordered would take that long to cook (2 salads, 1 fish and chips, 1steak, 2 burgers and one vegan wellington).

At no point while ordering did anyone say there was an hours wait on food or come over and apologise for the wait. One member of staff did come and ask why we did not have a tab open on our table and stood with a card machine as if expecting payment for the round of drinks until we told her we were waiting on food. The waiting staff all looked disinterested, bored and avoided eye contact at all costs unless of course they wanted money and then they were there as quick as a flash with the bill when we said we didn’t want coffee and or dessert (we didn’t request the bill) and returned to collect payment a few minutes later as they seemingly needed the table!

The drinks were over priced in my opinion £3.30 for a lime cordial and soda?

The food was okay fish chips and peas was the best plate of food, chips all over seasoned, vegan dish way over seasoned with salt and pepper and a shame it was dried out on the edges from being under a heat lamp for so long, the vegan wellington was disappointing to say the least just a mush up of butter beans and mushrooms with no flavour of mushroom and over seasoned. The steak and burgers went down well but the chips were over seasoned by a mile. The goats cheese salads were okay but oddly sweet and didn’t have any real depth of character to them. All in all it was a disappointing birthday lunch with poorly trained and managed waiting staff and a pub that has to many tables to the point where you feel like a sardine in a tin they are so crammed in.

It could be much nicer if they thinned out the tables somewhat.

This was topped off with a half baked apology as follows ‘Sorry for the wait on your food today. The kitchen has been extremely busy, perhaps if you come in on a day when we are less busy you will have a better experience” ~ so just bare in mind folks it will be your fault for attending while they were overly busy not theirs for not telling you at the start the food wait would be an hour even though you booked!

The menu suggests for groups gratuity will be charged at 12.5% this wasn’t the case on our bill but the waitress who took our payment was quick to tell her colleague that ‘no tip from them, even with that size bill’ her colleague noticed me walking past with the baby and smiled and thanked me for visiting needless to say I wont be back nor do I feel the slightest bit guilty that none of us tipped them!! We will spend our £181 money elsewhere next time and hopefully have a...

I stopped in after getting out of a long day of work. The place was busy, but there were a few seats available. I thought it odd, though, that many tables had zero purchased items on their table, yet they seemed to carry on like that was normal and expected.

The 3 bartenders were all having a lengthy chat with the server. After they felt they had finally solved all the world's bartending problems for which they had clearly been tasked, I was allowed to inquire if I could sit anywhere or if I needed to be sat. We agreed that any open table would be sufficient.

I attempted to find a meal suitable for my high level of hunger. It turns out that at any of the Youngs restaurants, you are REQUIRED to use an app to place an order. I'm tech savvy, so sure! However, the same bartender seems to have written the app because, like him, it had the sophistication and functionality of an 11 year old explaining something as simple as the pythagorean therom.

It seems that to be able to actually place an order, you are required to sign up. Again, I'm savvy, so let's go! Unfortunately, the child bartender and his "my first app" had other plans.

Repeatedly trying to get a verification code using my mobile number just wasn't working. It seems that if your number isn't a UK number, it just isn't going to work. But then I remembered I had a 2nd SIM. Finally, my 2nd SIM number allowed their amateur app to authenticate me. What a glorious day!

Finally, I had been blessed enough to see their incredibly secret menu. It's a menu that is so secret they ONLY show it to you only once they deem you worthy enough when you sign over your firstborn to them.

But then that glory turned to sadness when the only options presented did not include ANY FOOD items. I was perplexed by the idea that I had spent what seemed like an hour, but was probably realistically 20 minutes, and there were NO FOOD options.

Surely, a licensed business would not be so cruel. Surely, the staff wouldn't watch me grow more and more frustrated by the failures of the app to allow me to order. Surely, the staff and that toddler bartender wouldn't watch me for all that time and not offer to just let me order directly. Surely, they wouldn't be so intentionally cruel.

Again, I approached the baby bartender and his flock, who had now managed to find new bartender problems to occupy their time and thus no time for customers. "Do you have food?" I asked. Then, my heart sank as all my fears were confirmed when the infant replied the way he must have been expertly trained. "NO."

He had been trained so well that only 1 word was needed. He was certified and trusted to say the thing that will encourage every person to never return. Mission...

Stopped by to watch the Wimbledon semi-final and have some food.

Found it odd that a sports bar/pub would have the tennis muted, especially considering how big the match was and how every pub in town had tennis stickers/decorations plastered all over the buildings. Seems like a missed opportunity to take advantage of all the tourists. Staff were nice enough to turn up the sound though once prompted.

Food was nice. We had a burger and the sausage sharer platter. The sharer platter was recommended for 2, but it’s really the size of a medium sized main meal for 1 person. The sausages and chips were cooked well and flavoursome. The pickled vegetables weren’t pickled for long enough though. Tasted like watery cucumbers. I mean I like cucumber so I inhaled them, but if you like pickles it’s not really what’s being advertised. The burger also took 45-60 minutes to arrive after being ordered, whilst the sharer platter took 15-30 minutes. We weren’t that hungry and were more so focused on the tennis so we didn’t mind, but bringing 2 dishes for a table of 3, 30 minutes apart is a bit of a recipe for disaster. Again I don’t mind, but I would take a look at your ordering and control system.

The tables outside were nice. Shaded and rustic. They fit the building well, however, you missed an opportunity to maximise your customer numbers. As the tables were first come first serve, people were just randomly trying to find tables and because a table of 4 were allowed to occupy a space for 8, a lot of customers checked out the space and then kept walking to the next pub. You’d be better off creating smaller tables of 2 and 4 and pointing them towards the screen. Creating more of a viewing space. The other customers I spoke to were really friendly and keen on the tennis. You would have seen far more people ordering drinks and supporting the players on the screen. It’s a shame. The staff did seem a little unorganised, could be a factor, but I’m just speculating.

Ultimately, I’d probably visit again next year or the year after, when I’m in the country. There’s plenty of parking around this location and it’s just outside the centre of Wimbledon so it’s not as hectic. I reckon you guys have a great space and a lot of potential just need to change some...