Paxtons Head — Restaurant in London

One of the worst bar experiences I’ve ever had in my life. In London, in what seemed like a beautiful and upscale neighborhood, my friends and I walked into a bar that looked luxurious from the outside and even more impressive on the inside. But right from the moment we walked in, things went downhill.

One of the staff rudely asked for ID from my friend who was born in 2001, and made unnecessary, condescending remarks like “Oh, born in 2001, really?” — it was unprofessional, uncomfortable, and just plain rude.

But I tried to stay calm, because I’ve been in this industry for 18 years myself — I’m a bartender too. I know how difficult the service industry can be, and I always try to approach things with understanding. But what followed was just unacceptable.

We ordered a Margarita. A basic, classic cocktail known and made all around the world — especially in a bar that’s trying to look this high-end. What we received was something poured into a water glass, packed with ice, bubbly like soda or sparkling water (God knows why), with absolutely no trace of lime, tequila, or anything resembling an actual Margarita. It tasted like nothing. Just watered-down sugar.

I returned it — politely — and said, “Sorry, but this isn’t a Margarita.” They offered to remake it.

They brought the exact same thing again. Same awful presentation, same tasteless sugar syrup, maybe with a splash of flat soda, served over ice in a water glass. An insult to the drink, honestly.

Again, I returned it — still politely. At that point, my friend gave up and just asked if they had any juice. They said orange juice, so we ordered that just to have something to drink.

Then came the bill — and the real fun began.

Not only did they not remove the Margarita, but when it came time to pay, they clearly tried to hide the itemized bill from us. It was very obvious that they were doing everything they could to avoid showing what exactly we were paying for — and the reason became clear: they had already included the Margarita in the total. They rushed the card payment without providing a proper breakdown of the charges, as if hoping we wouldn’t notice.

And when we went back to the bar to professionally and calmly raise a complaint — again, as someone from the same industry — we were met with a whole new level of rudeness. One of the staff had the audacity to justify the situation by saying, “Well, we only charged you for one Margarita.” Imagine that. They messed up the drink twice, refused to fix it, charged us anyway, and then tried to act like they were doing us a favor. What an absolute disgrace.

If you don’t know how to make a Margarita, don’t serve it. Seriously. Here’s a very basic recipe you can even try at home before you charge customers for something that isn’t even close: • 50 ml tequila • 25 ml fresh lime juice (squeeze a real lime, please) • 20 ml Cointreau or triple sec • Shake with ice and serve in a cocktail glass with a salted rim (optional)

That’s it. Simple. If this is too hard for your team, maybe it’s time to rethink the entire bar concept.

But honestly, I know this review probably won’t make a difference. I’ve read other reviews from the past 5-6 years, and it’s clear that the same problems, same complaints, and same staff behavior have been going on for a long time — and no one has done anything to fix it.

So I’m writing this just in case someone there still has the capacity to care — or the decency to feel embarrassed.

But I doubt it. Because for a bar that looks this fancy, there’s shockingly little knowledge, quality, or...

I don’t even know where to start. Avoid this pub at all costs if it’s for a special event. They have no idea what they’re doing. I booked this pub for a post Royal Parks Half marathon lunch a couple of weeks before the event. I got a confirmation email. A few days later I got a cancellation email - with no explanation. I called to ask what was going on, and was told they were fully booked and that the ‘booking confirmation’ email I had received wasn’t a confirmation. Obviously so close to the event this was very frustrating. They told me they had walk in tables at the bar but I wouldn’t possibly be able to book one of those…as only the upstairs dining room could be booked… A few days later, I got an email from the manager saying they had a cancellation. They called me to take my £20 deposit. On the day of the event I turned up and went upstairs for my table with my friends who had completed the half marathon. The barman looked on the computer and said he needed to check downstairs to find my table. While he was checking, I received a phone call from the manager attempting to cancel my table…. I explained a member of staff was just finding it. The manager insisted that they had no tables and said they could refund my deposit - as though this was a gesture of goodwill. Then the bar man came back and told me my table was downstairs in the sports bar. The sports bar was not the upstairs dining room I had booked and paid a deposit for. It was ridiculously noisy, we tried to order food and they had sold out of the vegetarian roast option. Then the manager came by - confused how I had a table. He seemed to think ‘we’re very busy’ was a valid excuse for messing us around. When I explained the ongoing saga of booking with them he said ‘at least you have a table now’ We had a drink and left. Whilst the barmen were really lovely, the organisation was appalling, Really took the edge off what should have been...

I came in with some friends a few hours ago, and the welcome we received was filled with judgment and indifference. We were looked up and down as if we were bothering them, even though it wasn’t late.

The bartender asked for my ID, which I handed over without hesitation. However, his attitude was again full of judgment. He made a comment about my birth year (2001), implying that it was obvious I was young and therefore justified his request. This attitude was unprofessional and made me feel uncomfortable, even though I had no issue showing proof of age.

We then ordered a margarita and two beers. The margarita arrived in a water glass, filled with ice, not shaken — the ingredients were simply thrown into the glass and served as is. As a bartender myself, I can say that the presentation was poor and clearly indicated the cocktail would not be good. I still tried it, and it was terrible.

My friend went to the bar to ask for a replacement and was once again met with a very negative attitude from the staff. The cocktail was replaced, but still undrinkable. We returned the full glass and asked for an orange juice instead.

When the bill came, we were surprised to see we were charged for the cocktail that nobody drank. We asked for an explanation and were met with a response that was beyond disrespectful.

I can understand if the staff is tired or new to the job, but that does not justify such a complete lack of...