Lina Stores Italian Restaurant & Deli Marylebone — Restaurant in London

Good Morning I would like to make a complaint about our dreadful experience at Lina store’s restaurant, your Marylebone Branch. I booked online for a table for 3pm on Thursday 12th of December 2024. When I made the booking I specified that I wanted a table in the window. We arrived about 10 minutes early out courtesy however, we were ignored by staff for quite sometime, a waitress checked our booking said your table is isn’t ready again left us lingering uncomfortably. Then a gentleman came over and said we are getting your table ready another 10 minutes went by he never approached us again. Then I asked another member of staff an dark Indian lady with blonde who was extremely rude said you have to wait again we stood there lingering and she kept saying can you step aside I don’t understand where she wanted us to go. It’s a given if a table isn’t ready you seat the customers at the bar or somewhere or take a number and say will text when it’s ready and this should not happen after customer has made a booking secured with a credit card in advance. The dark Indian lady with blonde hair made us really uncomfortable, this is not a way treat customers. Then they tried to seat us at table not in the window when there was table in the window. All members of staff minus the waiter who served us were rude. I am recovering from cancer and I am immune compromised therefore did not want sit in the centre of the restaurant where it was cramped. I tried explaining this but they were not interested. Please be aware non verbal communication speaks volumes. Once seated our drinks order was wrong not once someone come over and ask if everything was okay. When we paid the bill we asked for service charge to be removed and explained why the waiter just shrugged didn’t seem to care and said that’s my manager m. At end of the day this indicates poor customer training and poor management. It was absolutely ridiculous experience and we were made to feel unwanted. We were going to order drinks and more food but felt so flat and uncomfortable we decided to leave. We came her to celebrate my survival of cancer however left really stressed. I will put this experience on google reviews and I will no longer dine or shop with Lina stores or recommend to friends colleagues and family. I’m totally shocked by the managers behaviour and the dark Indian lady with blonde hair thinking it’s okay to treat customers this way. Just because you don’t use rude words doesn’t or language doesn’t mean you are being polite non verbal communication...

Normally have a good experience at Lina Stores KX but the first time at this branch at it was disappointing so not coming back. Food was nice, as always, although service made a mistake in my order that I only realised when paying. Service was completely chaotic. Ordered a Lina Stores Aperitive Spritz 0%, it was forgotten, had to remind the waiter again, drinks service shows up with an Aperol Spritz, I have to reject it as that's not what I ordered. Same waiter comes back quieres why rejected and we have to explain why, although had pointed out the drink in the menu in the first place and had to show him again what drink I was talking about as he was clueless. He goes away, comes back and says it's out of stock, asks if I want something else and decide to just stick with water, ask for more water and that's forgotten too. Pasta arrives, we had no cutlery had to ask for this, as itnwas taken away at starters and not replaced, reminded again about the water, 10 min later it at last arrives. Partner and I ordered the same pasta dish only difference when ordering is mine gluten free and one standard. Ate it, it was nice but slightly different flavour than usual, didn't think much of it. Finished the food, took ages to get waiters's attention to get the bill, although empty plates where sitting there clearly finished. Received the bill, Aperol Spritz was on it, refuse the bill ask for it to be removed. Get new bill, pay, then reading the bill with more attention my dish has a note gluten free and vegan, to which I realise I was served a vegan pasta dish, i.e. no cheese, hence why it tasted different than expected. By that point simply fed up didn't have the energy to bring that up to the waiter, who was only just taking away the dirty plates. Left disappointed and knowing that I was not going back to...

We booked a table at this restaurant for 7pm on Tuesday 1st October. We had been intending to visit this restaurant for a while due to our enjoyment of good Italian food, and since it was my birthday we decided to book a table.

That evening we arrived early at 6:45pm, were greeted and shown to our table. All started well, though the service from our waiter was abrupt, unprofessional and cold. We ordered drinks, antipasti and some small pasta dishes. The food was well prepared and tasty. At 7:30pm we decided to order Secondi only to be told in no uncertain terms "you have a time limit on this table, 1.5 hours". This totally unprofessional and unacceptable comment annoyed me so much that I got up and found the manager. I explained to him that it was unacceptable to tell clients who were in the middle of enjoying their meals and evenings (not least because it was also my birthday) that we might not be able to continue with our order even though we were about to spend even more money on main meals and possibly desserts etc etc. The evening had already been ruined and my husband just wanted to leave however I decided I didn't want to just walk out and wanted to finish my meal, so we ordered Secondi and desserts. The manager comped us on two glasses of wine and our desserts however I didn't want their free food, this wasn't the reason I complained!!

As a business owner myself in Marylebone's fashionable Chiltern Street, I know that not only does good food matter, but good service is paramount. If you insist on being rude to clients, treating them with indifference, then expect bad reviews. Restaurants come and go and the one's that succeed combine both good food and service. I certainly won't be recommending Lina's to any of my clients,...