Il Blandford`s — Restaurant in London

It was disappointing for what was meant to be an exciting night. We had hoped to discover a new nearby favorite. While we didn't expect fast service or perfection on Valentine's Day, we did expect respectful service. Unfortunately, this was not found at Il Blandford's. We had the rudest encounter ever with the waitress! We were excited for our Valentine’s date and had booked for 8:00 PM. Upon arrival, we were asked to wait outside in the cold for a few minutes. There was a small empty two-seater table inside, but we assumed it was reserved. After waiting until 8:20 PM with no communication, we asked about our table and were told it would be a few more minutes as she has just given the table the bill. By 8:40 PM, still without any communication, we enquired again. Finally, we were allowed to sit at the small table for drinks, and wait for our main table to be ready. The waiter told us she just doesn’t want to kick the guests out, which is why she made us wait 40 minutes (even if they have massively overstayed their booking time). The unfortunate truth is that we would had been waiting much longer if we didn’t pressure her. We agreed and questioned why we weren’t given this option earlier, as we would had been happy to wait inside as it is warmer inside. She just brushed it off saying she just didn’t think of it. Despite this, it took another 10 minutes for a drink’s menu at 8:50pm and another 10 minutes for our order to be taken at 9pm – a whole hour after our reservation. She never apologised. The waitress suggested a lasagna and offered a free drink, which we appreciated. However, when our main table became available, she ended up seating a couple she knew at it instead when they just walked in (her friends or workmates). When we asked about this, she became defensive and said we should have seated ourselves. We debated whether to stay or not, as the wait times were atrocious, and the lack of communication, apologies, and respect from the server made us feel unwanted. We wanted to leave but didn’t want the food to go to waste if the chef had already started cooking. So, we asked the server if the food was being cooked. She said yes and told us to move to another table if we wanted. I questioned whether the food was actually being prepared or if she was just saying that as she may have thought I was enquiring about wait times. She immediately offered to cancel our order, stating we were just complaining. I explained that of course we complained as we had waited 40 minutes outside in the cold with zero communication and had to pressure her to let us in. In addition, she was not even trying to seat us anytime sooner as she stated many times she will not tell guests the table is needed. We also waited even longer for menus which meant our order was only taken 1 hour after our reservation, and she gave our table to people she knew! She became immediately defensive, blaming the situation on Valentine’s Day, that we should expect this, and refusing to apologise. She said she wouldn’t kick out guests who overstayed their booking – so apparently booking times is not important and guests who make a reservation still have to queue outside for 40 minutes Many restaurants politely remind guests that their reservation is soon to be ended, as their table is booked by another group for X time and ask if they have any last drink orders and provide them with the bill when their booking time is up. She was clearly angry, making cheeky comments about the free drink she offered and getting super close to me and expressing with her hands, sometimes touching my arms. I responded in a similar manner by expressing with my hands, stating that while I understood it was Valentine’s Day as we all have worked in hospitality before and she was by herself, the lack of communication, wait time, and the way she spoke to us was unacceptable. She then stated that she’s 43, worked as a waiter for many years, and not to touch her, running off. Not a single...

My colleague booked a table of 11 for a leaving meal. The first red flag should have been that they threatened a £25/head charge for any member of our party that couldn’t make it, but we missed that one.

We arrived to find there isn’t really room for a table of 11 in the restaurant. The table set up for us ran back wall to front window, with barely any space to manoeuvre around it. The host (who I believe is also the owner, Jessica) made a nuisance of herself by getting in the way as we tried to figure out how we’d get people into the back of the table. We eventually managed once she left us alone.

Those of us seated on that (back) side noted that the bench seat was very shallow and the pictures behind (at head height and lower) were at risk of being knocked off the wall if we made sudden movements. Not the comfiest.

The table was set with £28/head fixed priced menus (see picture). When a member of the group questioned this and asked for the standard menu, we were told we should order from it as it’s too much hassle for the chef to prepare lots of different meals for different people. I must be mistaken in thinking that was the business of a restaurant. I feel it’s important to add that there were empty tables inside and out, so the place wasn’t exactly at capacity.

The host insisted that they had informed my colleague when booking that we’d be eating from the set menu. This turned out to be untrue. Once this was cleared up, we were brought a new menu. The prices on this were different to the ones advertised on the website (higher, of course). Despite the menu having pizzas (just three, compared to the many on the online menu), we were told we could not order them.

I personally felt like the host found it a hassle to serve us. Everything we asked seemed to trouble her. We weren’t offered an apology for any aspect of our experience, just excuses and a bit of an attitude.

Once we’d ordered from the limited options made available to us, the experience did improve slightly. The lasagne was nice but overpriced at £18 a serving. Colleagues commented that they enjoyed their meals, but it wasn’t anything to write home about.

The décor is nice. The young male waiter who served us was perfectly polite and helpful. The location is great.

In summary, the problems seemed to centre around the host with poor customer liaison skills and a kitchen that is ill-equipped to serve multiple dishes at once. The restaurant’s claim that they are the ‘best Italian restaurant in London’ seems laughable to me. Perhaps we caught them on a bad day, but I won’t be returning to find out, and wouldn’t recommend to...

AVOID AVOID AVOID!!!

We visited England a while ago for a week-long trip and this was the only restaurant that left us disappointed. We booked a table because it seemed like a small local family business we wanted to support. However, we were met with an unapologetic owner (she matched the description in the reviews perfectly) and had to wait outside for almost an hour, rendering the booking system pointless. They might as well operate on a walk-in basis!

Menus are not provided unless you ask, and even then, there's a significant wait. The owner is stubborn and unempathetic, never checking in or apologizing for the delay, making you feel as if you are the problem. The whole situation could have been avoided if she had been transparent about the wait time and apologized, or better yet, if she adjusted the booking system to allow longer blocks for reservations. Typically, restaurants reserve 2-2.5 hours for a table of under six people, but she should consider blocking 3.5 hours instead.

Reading other reviews, it's evident that our experience was not unique. Many others have faced similar issues: an hour-long wait for a booked table, a rude owner, and slow service. The owner's defensive responses to negative reviews only reinforce these complaints and suggest serious flaws in her management and mentality. She seems unable to accept any fault, always shifting the blame onto customers or criticizing them for leaving negative feedback about a family business. There are so many better small family-owned Italian restaurants, that offer good food and great service. This was not one of them.

Stay away from this place if you value good service! Support another family own business that actually respects its...