Red Dog Saloon Soho — Restaurant in London

Where do I start with this place. We called up the restaurant at 1840 on sat 15th and asked if there was any tables to which a gentleman said no to, we then explained if there is a wait as we will be there in the next 15 minutes to which he was umming very rudely. It was clear he didn’t have any interest in sitting us, so we led the conversation and asked if we can book for later and he hesitated to say that the earliest booking is for 1900… so 5 minutes after we would get there (booking for Emily at 7pm for reference)He clearly just didn’t want to help. Once we got there, we waited at the door for a while whilst multiple staff walked past us including the ‘manager’ that we spoke to. He said us down without even a hello or menu until our waitress came over. We ordered a lot of food to try and when the ribs came I was amazing to see the size of the half rack. However after tasting I was very disappointed as it tasted like a tasteless block of ham, very off putting as I must of ate about 1/8th of one rib. Another blonde waitress came to take our plates and asked if I wanted a takeaway box to which I replied ‘no, to be honest I didn’t actually like it’. She gave me a very patronising look and said can I ask why to which I said ‘it has no taste’ and then she went simply ‘hmm’ then walked off with it. The next 15 minutes the manager Stefanos and another lady in a blazer kept walking past staring at our table and giving us dirty looks expecting us to leave. I previously also asked her if what I had ordered was a half rib and she said yes but moments before again giving me dirty looks because I had called her over to ask a question? Considering I didn’t like something I would have thought a manager would have come to me or given a discount off the bill for £35 worth of uneaten ribs but it was still on it. I asked our waitress if she could take it off the bill or reduce the cost as I didn’t like the taste and the menu doesn’t show any options other than half/full rack otherwise I would have ordered the £16 price. She came back later and said that she spoke to her manager and she said said ‘sorry there is nothing they can do about it because it’s not their fault that you can’t ready it properly’. NEVER have I EVER had a manager literally insult me at a restaurant before. I looked over and saw the 2 managers laughing and caught on that I was looking then stopped and shrugged their shoulders as if I couldn't see them. I paid the bill and made sure to take the service off then told the waitress that she was lovely (name started with an S and she had braids) but to pass on a message to the managers that their customer service is nothing I have seen before and that they disregarded completely that I didn’t like the food. Yet again they didn’t come over to tell me and we left. I was so excited to come here as I am a social media food blogger and it was on the top of my list but I can promise you that I won’t be coming here again nor encouraging anyone else to. I’d like a genuine apology from the restaurant for how I was spoken to and an explanation to why you have hired such managers as a waitress told us ‘this isn’t the first time someone has said this about them’. I’ve worked in restaurants my whole life so don’t give me the ‘busy with walk ins on Saturdays’ rubbish,as I am reasonable but this customer service is...

Splitting my time between London and Texas , I was excited to try the ‘Austin BBQ’ joint Red Dog in Soho. I’d heard about their wings challenge before, and whilst we didn’t opt for that this time I surely will upon my return! First impressions were great. Despite being small, the layout of the place and its west inspired decor creates an immediate vibe. The menu looked impressive, as did the selection of drinks (although a few were missing from the website, no big deal).

I gained a sense that restaurant wanted to get all orders in quickly. I was asked for a drink order within 30 seconds of sitting down, and asked to order 3 times in what can’t have been more than 5 minutes. This was cool, but just a little annoying honestly. When we did order, we opted for two started followed by a round of burgers ranging from chicken to beef. The waitress already seemed inexperienced. I felt for her on a busy Saturday, but it was clear she wasn’t paying great attention to what she was doing.

All of the food came at once, with burgers planted down quickly and no reference to the differing heat levels we ordered. We asked why the mains had come now, the girl just looked bewildered and said “shall I put them under the lights”, which of course isn’t what we wanted. The manager came and removed the food quickly, and conducted herself really well.

The fried pickles and jalapeños were great, and it was awesome to see ranch on a menu in the UK! The burgers were all cooked well and extremely tasty, the chicken especially. The fries were soft, and we couldn’t differentiate any difference in heat level in our burgers, however. To finish the meal I ordered a whiskey sour which took a whopping 25 minutes to arrive… we wanted to stay for another round of drinks but in all honesty wanted to leave at this point.

In summary, the food was extremely tasty! What is holding Red Dog back from competitors like Blues Kitchen and The Big Easy is a lack of personality and attention to detail. There was no warmth from the staff or engagement with the customers, everything was a little too laid back. I know from my own experience how overwhelming service can be on weekends, but with some training on the steps of service and an injection of personality this place will live up to the hype of it’s food!

I’ll definitely be back for...

My daughter and I go to Red Dog, in Soho, about once every 4-6 weeks. We both love it! 😁

The burgers are consistently juicy and succulent, taste freshly cooked; the meat is beautifully pink, and never grey and dry, like it had been slowly decomposing in a marinator for however long, while waiting to be served.

The fries also feel and taste freshly cooked and not like they have been sitting in a warmer for ages. The only complaint I could make though, is you used to get a long basket full of fries; this has now been reduced down to a smaller sized metallic cup. But, to be fair, we are still full by the end, and don't ever feel like the smaller portion left us with residual feelings of hunger.

I hadn't had a shake here in a while, as the last time I did, I was less than impressed, but had to order one for my daughter, as we had ordered a starter of wings — and forgot to ask for them to be mild — which were a little too spicy for her.

I'm glad I did order her a shake too! The first and last time I had ordered one it was about 12oz (340mL) and was really, really disappointing, compared to everything else. This time, the shake was served in a pint mug, a perfect size, and was absolutely delicious!

I will also note that the staff also apologised for the not asking us if we wanted the wings spicy and offered to bring us a new batch, but I politely refused, as they weren't that spicy, and my daughter and I were both enjoying them.

I've had a number of the beef and fried chicken burgers, as well as the devastator, which I once ordered accidentally, having completely misread its description on the menu, as well as their BBQ, "by the pound", and have never felt like unimpressed with any of it.

I can also say, the service, at Red Dog in Soho, has been consistently good. I can't remember having any bad experiences with service, any time we've dined there.

We haven't dined at any of the other Red Dog restaurants, only the one in Soho, so I can only honestly say that I would definitely recommend Red Dog at Soho, to anyone looking for fantastic burgers and/or deliciously authentic...