Leadbelly's Bar & Kitchen — Restaurant in London

We visited in the evening with our small child, hoping for a pleasant meal. Upon arrival, we were offered the only remaining table, unfortunately located right in front of the speaker, blasting music at an uncomfortably high volume. We politely requested the music be turned down to a reasonable level, considering the situation. The waitress, who was very kind and professional, immediately accommodated our request, and we started settling in to order food.

What followed next was beyond shocking and deeply disappointing. A man—who introduced himself as the manager—came over and cranked the music back to its original deafening level, blatantly ignoring our request and overriding his staff’s efforts to assist us. When we asked why he did this, he arrogantly stated that he was the manager and had the authority to refuse our reasonable request, regardless of how uncomfortable it made us. His dismissive and condescending attitude left us feeling completely disrespected.

As per the UK Consumer Protection Act 2015, customers have the right to expect services to be provided with reasonable care and skill. Forcing patrons, especially those with young children, to endure excessive noise levels that create an unpleasant environment is neither reasonable nor acceptable. Furthermore, The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 emphasizes the importance of safeguarding customers and staff from potentially hazardous environments—including prolonged exposure to dangerously loud music.

What kind of establishment ignores a family’s request for basic comfort and allows its so-called "manager" to treat paying customers with such blatant hostility? This incident was not just poor service—it was outright customer abuse.

If this is how management treats its guests, I suggest others think twice before stepping foot in this place. I sincerely hope the owners reflect on how their management’s behavior is tarnishing their reputation and reach out to...

Leadbelly's restaurant is very conveniently placed next to Canada water tube station, it has a stunning outdoor seating area that makes for a wonderful location when the weather allows it. The food is good quality and they have a good selection of drinks. It isn't the cheapest however that comes with the area you're visiting.

Unfortunately this is where the good points end. This is the second time I have visited here with some friends and both times had the same abismal experience. As mentioned by other reviews, the service here is absolutely shocking. This place has so much potential, however that potential is completely exhausted by the lack of enthusiasm and general willingness of the staff here.

After arriving and finding a table, we waited for a menu and to have drinks ordered, finally we approached only to be told to take a table and they would be over. They never came. We gingerly went inside again to then be told the same thing, get a table and we'll come over to you. We kept saying we'd been sat for 20 minutes now. Then nothing again. Now 30 minutes after we arrived we went inside again and refused to leave until our order was taken. There was no real apology or rush to deal with the situation. When the food finally arrived they forgot to bring cutlery so we had to ask for that. They weren't clearing the tables until 10+ minutes after the customers had left, leaving long enough for flies to swarm around the food. Even then they were wondering nonchalantly over to the table to clear up.

They staff have absolutely no passion for where they work and no drive given to them from the management team. This place would have a large influx of returning customers if only the front of house service had a serious overhaul.

To top all this off they have the cheek to add a 12% service charge to your bill, clearly hoping you either don't notice or don't have the confidence to speak up and tell them...

Update: Due to the amazing feedback from the restaurant in the comment to my post, I have added another star. When I next get to attend I will be sure to make it a full 5 stars if what is said is true! Definitely check out this place for yourself and find out for me in the meantime! Server was very friendly & when ordering a milkshake, she suggested one she thought was great. Really helpful.

Original review: The vibe here is nice. Spacious place. It was a cold, snowy day & we could feel the cold air on us from the vents above. When we mentioned it, the waiter said it likely wasn't that but then came back after with a remote, pointing to it, trying to fix it I suppose (appreciated).

Ordered a tasty milkshake whilst deciding on food. We booked our table for 13:30 for our friend's birthday & arrived 10min before. They sat us right away. We had the large main menu on our table - one for each person. Told it ends at 14:00 & a different smaller menu would be out after. At 13:40 our whole party was nearing a decision but we were told they had to take our menus and replace with the smaller ones - 20 min before expected.

The halloumi fries were good for a starter. The rest of our party seemed happy with their chicken & beef burgers! The birthday girl had a lemonade she really enjoyed.

My husband and I ended up sharing a very thin & greasy pizza alongside an overcooked & loaded with mayo on both buns type of beyond meat burger (see business' comment as this may have been rectified since). My husband gave feedback about the burger so they were aware but we didn't let it go to waste and didn't want to cause a fuss as it was fine. The waitress insisted on helping when we got the bill by taking off the service charge - the one thing we would keep but it was done already.

I actually want to go back now and try the new amendments to the recipe! They clearly care about what they...