Ripe Kitchen — Restaurant in London

Absolutely shockingly bad service at 7.30am this morning at Ripe. I approached the cafe when the door was open at 7.05 am and asked if they were open and if they served gluten free bread to which I was told they open at 7.30 and yes- gluten free available. So I went back to my car and waited for 25 minutes until they opened. When I went back in and asked for a gluten free bacon sandwich the initial lady I had spoke to was trying to accommodate my order but as the bacon was usually served with a baguette she was struggling to put the order into the till or know what to charge me. She asked for help and was met with rudeness and unhelpfulness from her colleague who told her that gluten free was a sandwich and they weren’t served until after 11… had she checked with the kitchen that they had gluten free… and would they serve before 11…. This was then agreed they did have, but I couldn’t have a gluten free baguette I could have plain bread and I would have to pay an additional £1.50 for the privilege of having gluten free bread- rather than a big chunk of baguette????? I could understand if it was a gluten free sandwich vs a sliced bread sandwich as gluten free bread is more expensive… but not as a substitute for a baguette. The lady who was shouting about the £1.50 extra never gave me any eye contact or spoke to me directly. She was extremely rude and unfriendly. I asked how much the bacon sandwich would cost me and was told £9.50. There was a large queue behind me by this point due to the back and forth about the said gluten free bread….. there was a small gasp from several members of the queue and a comment “that’s totally ridiculous “ and a supportive nod in my direction as I said “no thank you” and...

We went there on Saturday. Sunny day, we took a seat outside. Having waited 15 minutes without being spoken to by the waitress serving customers at the table, I entered the cafe and asked if they would take orders at the tables. I was told that orders were available at the counter only. “You need to order inside” .No menus were offered, I paid for 4 coffees and was given a number to take to the table with me. The coffees came quickly, but the waitress spilled 1/2 of my wife’s macchiato on the saucer as she slammed the cup on the table. No acknowledgement and no apology. No offer to replace the coffe. The three espressos were simply awful. We did not drink them but my wife did drink her 1/2 macchiato left. Some time later, my wife asked to use the rest room, and she was reluctantly allowed as the staff said that there were about to close. My friend was not allowed to use the gents by the time my wife and his had used the facility. Awful service, awful coffee and zero customer service skills. Good luck for...

I’ve been to Ripe a few times and always liked their food. I also appreciated that they weren’t as overpriced as other places—but after this weekend, I’m not so sure.

Last Sunday, my son and I came and I ordered a gluten-free tuna melt for £8 and got a large box with four pieces. This Sunday, they charged me £9.50, gave me a much smaller box with only two pieces, and when I questioned it, they were dismissive and rude—insisting I must be mistaken and trying to make it seem like I was lying.

I understand prices can change, but shrinking portions and poor customer service are a bad combination. A real shame, as I used to enjoy coming here and I was planning to come every Sunday since it was a perfect solution between my son’s weekend classes. I will look for...