Hayat — Restaurant in London

I recently visited this cozy restaurant opposite Paddington Station twice in one day with friends—once in the afternoon and again later that evening. On our second visit around 9:10 PM, we decided to have coffee. Although the restaurant was open until 11 PM, we politely checked with the staff to confirm if we could still be served. They assured us it was fine, so we sat outside.

Unfortunately, despite being told someone would attend to us shortly, we waited 15-20 minutes before anyone arrived. When we finally ordered coffee, we were informed that the bar had already closed. We requested service due to the long wait, and the staff reluctantly agreed. When the coffee was served, we thanked the server multiple times for accommodating us. While we appreciated their willingness to accommodate us, the server’s (the girl) response was unnecessarily curt, suggesting we should have considered their perspective despite our polite gratitude.

This experience left us disappointed. While we understand the challenges of a busy Friday evening, a little politeness goes a long way. The coffee itself was subpar, but we remained courteous because they made an effort. However, the server’s attitude overshadowed the entire experience.

The food is decent, but the service on this occasion was lacking in professionalism. I hope this was an isolated incident, but I would consider returning only once the staff is better trained in...

Disappointed and Confused by the Good Reviews – Overrated!

I visited Hayat Paddington twice, trying to give the place a fair chance, but honestly, I don’t understand the hype at all.

On my first visit, I had the lamb tajine. It was way too salty, and there was no trace of the sweet notes that usually balance out a proper tajine. The flavors were heavy, unbalanced, and lacked the warmth and depth I expected from such a classic dish.

Because of the many positive reviews, I decided to return and try again.

This time, I had the baba ghanoush as a starter – and unfortunately, it was just as disappointing. It was overpowered by tahini and garlic, extremely salty, and I couldn’t taste the aubergine at all. The essential smokiness and earthy flavor of roasted eggplant? Nowhere to be found.

I also noticed that the soup of the day is apparently always lentil soup, but even that felt like an afterthought. It was very thick, and the flavor was more like intense tomato sauce than actual lentils.

I travel a lot and have tried many variations of these dishes across different countries and cultures — from local favorites to fine dining. I can confidently say that this was among the worst versions I’ve ever had.

Honestly, I don’t get the good reviews. Either the kitchen is extremely inconsistent, or people have very low standards. I definitely eon’t be...

Overall, my score would be 4.5 out of 5. I came to dine in here on Friday night. It was quiet, not busy at that time. It is not that big a restaurant, but the decoration was beautiful, and Andrea Bacili's songs were playing there. To start, I ordered some lentil soup. It was hot, how it was supposed to be, and it was delicious. For the main course, I ordered minced lamb kofta. It came just before I finished my soup. There were 2 skewers of kofta weighing around 200-250 grams. It was cooked medium well, and it was a little drier than I expected.On the garnish, there was some rocket salad and grilled bell pepper. I was very hungry and ordered a portion of saffron rice. By the way, both the starter and main course were served with freshly baked hot puff bread. Few suggestions to improve: first, on the menu they need to indicate how much a portion of food weighs. Then customers would know how much food they need to order. Second, as feedbacks before me mention, they need to clarify VAT on the bill. They charged an extra 20%. So, how much of it is for service charge? Does the menu exclude VAT? They all need to be clarified. Moreover, there were bread crumbs under my table. In conclusion, food is good, service is good, and few things need to be...