The Blackheath House — Restaurant in London

Review of The Blackheath House: A Disappointing Experience

I was excited to try The Blackheath House, but my experience went from bad to worse. I usually hesitate to leave a negative review because I understand how tough the restaurant industry is, but this visit was truly frustrating—not just because of mistakes, but because of how poorly they were handled.

We ordered a prawn salad, steak, fresh fish, red wine, and some tap water (which never arrived). The wine, priced at over £30, was served in a bucket with ice—odd for a red—and didn’t match the description on the digital ordering system, as the drink menu wasn’t ready. The young waitress was sweet but clearly inexperienced.

After waiting over 30 minutes, we were told the prawn salad was unavailable and were offered other salad options, which we declined. Then, the fish arrived without the spinach mentioned on the menu, and my medium-rare steak was overcooked. My friend asked for the missing spinach, and I requested a medium-rare steak.

While waiting, another waitress brought a salad, insisting that we had ordered it. We explained that we had ordered a prawn salad, but since prawns were unavailable, we had refused any salad. She then claimed this was the same salad—just without prawns! Yet, they still intended to charge us the full price as if it had prawns. We refused the dish again.

To make matters worse, when my steak was returned, it was the same piece, now sizzling and even more overcooked. The waitress misunderstood my request and assumed I had complained it was too rare. Frustrated, I gave up and just ate it, as it was already late.

When we finished, the waitress rushed over and immediately asked if we wanted the bill. We inquired about dessert, only to be told there was no dessert menu—just like the drink menu, it wasn’t ready. My friend had seen pancakes, so we asked for some without bacon. They arrived with bacon, so we had to send them back, as my friend doesn’t eat pork. And again we were asked by the waitress if we wanted the bill. The chef apologised and quickly made a new batch, but they tasted strangely salty—almost like bicarbonate. We ate the fruits and left the pancakes.

All of this for £84. This restaurant is clearly not ready to operate. The staff need proper training, and management must ensure the menu items are actually available and correctly described. Mistakes happen, but how they are handled is what matters. Here, everything felt chaotic and unprofessional. I won’t be returning...

Appreciate the venue is still new so still some teething issues, especially during busy periods. Firstly, food was so tasty and for the English Breakfast, the bacon and sausage quality was superb and the eggs were poached to perfection. Only thing that let the dish down was the lurpak in single use plastic - please just get some real butter into individual dishes. I went with my 5 year old son, he was asking for pancakes as soon as his football practice finished. They were really good but considering it was nearly the same price as my mountain of deliciousness I felt the tiny side pot of fruit was disappointing; couple of raspberries, blueberries, pomegranate seeds and less than a whole strawberry. As he's 5, I also enquired if a smaller portion was available (I'd seen on social media that they'd adapt to requests) but was told no. He only ate two thirds, but enjoyed them. Now, for a Saturday brunch, I felt very lucky we walked in and got the last table. However, I waited over 35 minutes before our order was taken. In this time I said to two separate staff members on 3 occasions that I'd like to order and was told they'd send someone over. When I worked in hospitality, number 1 rule was if the menu is still on the table, assume they've yet to order. These 2 staff members went about photographing dogs and polishing cutlery. 10 minutes after the order was taken, another staff member came over saying they just wanted to confirm the right order for the kitchen. So sat there (with a surprisingly calm and patient 5 year old) for an hour before our food arrived. There was no apology for the wait, or confusion but looking around it seemed my bad luck was the exception. The team were turning away customers due to being so popular, but I can't help but think a smoother service would have meant my table would have been free a lot sooner.

So my summary; a new independent venue we need to support. Please offer smaller, child-friendly (and priced) options and a little room for improvement on customer...

A True Gem in Blackheath Village – A Wonderful Family-Run Restaurant - The Blackheath House.

The Blackheath House is an absolute gem in Blackheath Village, and what makes it truly special is that it is a family-run restaurant – something that is so important and increasingly rare these days. From the moment you step inside, you are greeted with warmth and hospitality from Lily, Atila (apologies if I’ve misspelled that!), and their close and extended family. Their passion for what they do shines through in every aspect of the experience.

The food is consistently good – fresh, high-quality ingredients, beautifully cooked, and presented with care. So far I have only experienced the breakfast/brunch menu but I know how hard the family work to cater for lunches and evening meals now and how they want their food to be freshly and properly cooked - the challenge of a busy restaurant endeavour.

One of the things I truly appreciate is Lily and Atila’s dedication to their guests. They listen to feedback and actively work to make every visit even better, which shows just how much they values their customers. Every time I come here, I feel welcomed and appreciated, and that personal touch makes all the difference.

I always receive caring service, especially on special occasions like my birthday, when they went above and beyond to make the experience extra memorable. Today, Leyla took care of us during brunch, and she was an absolute delight—attentive, friendly, and genuinely invested in making sure we had a great time and everything we needed at any moment.

Having visited many times with friends and family, I can confidently say that Blackheath House is a place worth supporting. Independent family businesses like this bring so much heart and character to the community, and I will continue to return time and time again. If you’re looking for delicious food, warm hospitality, and a restaurant that truly cares about its customers, this is the...