Raj of Kensington — Restaurant in London

An Unfortunate Experience at Raj – Poor Service Spoiled the Meal

I've worked in restaurants worldwide and seldom have I encountered a manager as unprofessional, insensitive, and self-centered as Jatin (Jee-tin). He seems more focused on serving english guests indian food than on accommodating Indian guests at an Indian restaurant. Initially, he denied my request for a reservation, only to agree later—an hour on—when the restaurant had quietened down. And yet, he displayed no semblance of etiquette or warmth. The Nepali server showed far greater professionalism than the restaurant manager, who seemed more inclined to play the role of a doorman.

Having spent over 30 years in the industry, nine of which have been as a professional chef, including work at some of the finest Indian dining establishments in India and now at a Michelin-starred Indian restaurant in the West Midlands, I found this experience uniquely disappointing.

The basics of hospitality were entirely overlooked here. The first task on welcoming guests should be to offer water and provide a menu—basic manners, yet completely neglected. Instead, I had to approach three front-of-house staff who were busy discussing what they'd drink after service. None seemed to notice guests were awaiting their attention, which led to an immediate breakdown in service.

On a quiet Tuesday evening, with just a table of 10 and a couple of tables of 3 or 4, the team was still visibly struggling. The neighbouring table even received the wrong order. They had to wait another ten minutes for a lamb dish they’d ordered, while the server apologized profusely. The manager himself brought plain bread instead of the garlic bread we’d requested. He then resumed his role as a doorman for two English ladies, seemingly invested in pulling the door for them as they exited.

When I requested the service charge be removed due to subpar service, the amount itself was minor—around £8. However, instead of handling it professionally, the manager approached us as if we’d asked to have the whole bill waived. Rather than addressing a simple request gracefully, he adopted an attitude more fitting for a street vendor, explaining (quite patronizingly) that we should have ordered everything in one go and suggesting some minimum order requirement based on party size. I’ve never heard anything quite like it, and I was taken aback by his audacity. To imply that a guest cannot place multiple orders if they wish is absurd.

The food was passable at best—not somewhere I would recommend nor return to. They even overcharged for 1.5 portion of dry main course dish (which was supposed to be lesser than what it was to be) If the restaurant’s owners are genuinely invested in customer feedback, I suggest they address the manager's attitude, as such conduct is entirely unsuitable for the hospitality industry.

Many thanks for the less-than-warm welcome, Raj! Date of visit:...

The MOST rude staff I have ever known. I was a regular customer - been going there for years and genuinely enjoyed going there until this evening. If I could give them 0 or negative stars for their service and behavior that’s what it would be.

A simple request to give us a plate turned into a massive and heated argument all because the staff have no idea how to speak to a woman. I have never felt more disrespected or racially discriminated before.

There are 2 particular staff members who think that they own the restaurant themselves and believe that it is running and doing well ONLY because of them. They are of the belief that if a customer is unhappy and expresses their unhappiness, they have the right to do the same. The staff member was shouting and gesturing with his hands and thought that it was fine to talk to a customer like that. The way he spoke to a woman was extremely rude and disrespectful and clearly showed me that he has no idea how to talk to one. He did not even apologize or think what he had done or the way he spoke was wrong. He got very close as well- it was bordering on being intimidating.

Absolutely shocked and appalled at this treatment/ behavior also considering that my family and I have been going there for years. It just shows that they do not care about...

The food was ok and honestly reasonably priced for London but the service was awful. The waiter took our drink orders and when only one came they insisted we only ordered one drink (why would only one person out of 3 order a drink). We would understand if it was busy but they only had maybe 3 other tables dining. We had to ask for the drink three more times before it finally arrived. It had been sitting at the bar for most likely an hour due to it being extremely watered down and ready instantly upon asking a third time. Aside from just our table we saw others having similar issues where they had to flag down the waiters just to get service. We basically had to beg for the check after a 2 hour dinner that should’ve only been at most one based on how badly we wanted to leave from the start. They insisted on cleaning and clearing our entire table (to include crumb scraping) before presenting us with the check even though we explicitly asked to just have the bill. Finally they asked to see my signature because my card wasn’t signed on the back. I provided my License but apparently my government approved ID and signature weren’t good enough. I asked “what do I need to do to pay and leave” and only then did they agree to...