The Florence — Restaurant in London

Absolute disaster of a visit!

Booked a table in the restaurant area for 2pm. Friend and I arrived at 1:30 and asked if the table was ready on the off chance we could be seated quicker and therefore free up the table sooner for them. Unfortunately, it wasn't ready so we waited in the bar area. I went up to grab us a couple of drinks, and I felt as though as I was invisible. The lady serving finished an order, then moved onto a customer who had arrived a similar time to me. It was a big order which was a nuisance, but hey ho. Then skipped me to take another order from someone who definitely rocked up later than I had. So I had to speak up to make sure she realised I was here to get some drinks and would appreciate not being knocked down the pecking list.

It gets to 2 o'clock and we head over to the "wait to be seated" spot. The server who saw us earlier came to greet us. He still needed to check if the table was ready, which given he dashed off with a cloth suggests it was a last minute fix. Sat down with no menus to look through. They arrive about 10 minutes later. Another 10 or so minutes after that, the server comes back to us to say there's a problem with ordering food. It turned out that the staff have taken too many orders and there's a backlog in the kitchen. So they wouldn't be able to take our order yet in case they ran out of what we wanted in the mean time. I asked for clarification on how long it will be until the kitchen might be in a position to know if they can accommodate our choices. He came back to us after about 5 minutes to say it could be 45 minutes!!! In other words, it would be over an hour and 15 minutes to place the order. Let alone receive it and enjoy it. Understandably, we left hungry, frustrated and disappointed. Although a goodwill gesture was made, we booked the table for that time for a reason. If we had wanted to eat later, we would have asked for such a slot. When you're hungry, this kind of issue isn't going to go down well.

For me, this place needs to focus on protecting the customers who have booked a table. Their computer system must have been able to show them that they may have some guests coming in soon who deserve to be looked after because they have prearranged to support them. Also, it's traditional that people would opt to book a table rather than just walking in, such that they don't miss out. Evidently, this place didn't remotely put it's best foot forward as multiple groups were leaving under the same circumstances as ourselves. It ended up being an hour of our day wasted which isn't great if you're trying to stick to a schedule. Worse of all, was the fact we then had to consider other options to grab something to eat which may not have been as satisfying as a nice,...

The Florence, near Herne Hill station has become a bit of a local pub for my colleagues and I. A bar, pub, restaurant, walking distance from the station and Brockwell park. It is a great place to visit if you’re in the area.

The atmosphere here is ever changing. I have gone on days where there are less people and the ambience has been calm and homely, as well as going while it's a hustling and bustling social space. The exterior is just as warm and inviting as its exterior, which is a triumph considering it is on a busy road. There is a comforting blend of an English Pub and a bistro or wine bar on the inside. The outside garden space is always vibing during sunny days and is a great spot to unwind, with overhead fairy lights, cute beach hut style seats and drinks flowing. The clientele here, much like the atmosphere, is ever changing. I have visited during the day where mothers have lunch together with their children in buggies, in complete juxtaposition to the loud and vibrant quiz night I attended. On average I would say it is usually filled with the majority of Gen Z and Millennials but Gen X and Baby Boomers definitely make an appearance here from time to time.

In terms of service I have witnessed and heard mixed responses. I have been told that during lunch shifts some staff members can be rude, however, I am yet to witness someone be rude to me here. Occasionally speed of service could be improved but I think this is just about training up new staff, or making sure to bring extra people in if there is an increase in customers.

I have had the pleasure of trying the food and the drinks here. The drinks are varied from beers to wines to seasonal cocktails. I usually find myself with a cocktail in hand, usually a marg, at a seasonal discount rate of 2 for £12. The prices without these kinds of deals are classic to London, quite overpriced. The food I have had here has always been good! I wouldn’t say great as I have had times where my veggie burger came out slightly colder than I would have liked. Their selection of small plates (starters, bar snacks and sides) are always good quality though.

Overall, I would give this place 4 to 4.5 stars as there is definite room for improvement but I keep coming back for the atmosphere and the seasonal drink deals! I would recommend this place to a friend, I am meaning to try the puppy day they host here as well as the jazz sundays...

I would of happily given 5 stars but the manager Anna really ruined our time at the Florence. Her attitude and manner was out right rude and unprofessional from the get go.

I would however like to say first that the waiting staff Marla and Max, who looked after us were lovely and professional and would like to leave a 5 star review to them for excellent service.

When we arrived we were met by Ana. there was no smile or pleasant ‘hello how can I help?’ as you’d expect in a service establishment. Instead it was a straight faced ‘hi’ looking at us as if we were some how inconveniencing her when we had pre booked a table. All of the waiting staff we encountered were so friendly and nice, making our Sunday roast so enjoyable but there were several moments throughout where we could see and hear the manager Anna talking loudly, rudely and berating her colleagues and it was really awkward and uncomfortable to be around while eating. We were seated right by the kitchen so it was very clear to see what was going on. I had my toddler son with me needed and to use the baby changing room which required a key. As the manager passed our table I asked her for the key while holding my son. She dismissed me so quickly with a look of disdain saying ‘there’s one in the woman’s toilet’ in such a rude and abrupt way. The womens toilet is very small and hard to change a wriggling toddler in, plus it was a very busy Sunday with people walking in and out so I would rather change a messy nappy in the privacy of a baby changing room otherwise what is the point of having one? I understand that working in the service industry can be very stressful especially on busy day (I have previously worked in this industry), but when you work in a customer facing role there is a polite way to say things and a pleasant way to behave so your customers don’t feel uncomfortable in your presence. We felt so uncomfortable we cancelled our desert order and left early. The lovely staff who served us could see we felt uncomfortable and apologised and discounted our bill. I’m not sure if the manager was aware of how she ruined our time but she didn’t make it known and she didn’t apologise or say anything to us. It’s a shame her bad service has let down everyone else working there who is genuinely nice and doing a good job. I would expect more...