Urban Social-Islington — Restaurant in London

I never really post reviews but unfortunately I have to post this. Arrived this morning in our group of four, the restaurant mostly empty.

There were three glasses left for the help-yourself tap water, one had lipstick on it which we asked to be replaced, took the other two remaining glasses back to our table and then realised they were dirty as well.

Order taken online on the QR code, before payment taken and order submitted it first points out that a 12.5% service charge will be added to the bill, then on the next screen also asks what % tip we want to add. This double tipping thing is already annoying but we let it go.

Coffee arrived, was very nice in fairness.

Two of the four meals arrived. 4-5 minutes later a third plate arrives, the waiter puts the plate down and says the wrong meal while putting it down (we ordered avo + eggs + nduja, he said "omelette"), we say oh no we didn't order that, he then looks at it and doesn't seem to know what is on the plate that he just brought out, he left the plate on our table while he went to check what it was he just brought out, didn't return for maybe 3 minutes at which point as qe had since discovered the nduja under the eggs, pointed out to him and said look it's definitely the right meal, he says hm not sure, goes back into the kitchen AGAIN to check what he had just brought out. All the while the meal is sat there going cold as we're unsure whether it's what we ordered.

This was only the third of the four meals we ordered, over 15 minutes later the fourth meal (salmon, poached egg, salad) still hadn't arrived. I had to chase the same waiter again at the bar, the chef shouted out to me that he was sorry and it was coming. Probably 20 minutes after the first meal had arrived at the table the salmon and poached egg arrived, and what a disaster the poached egg was - seems that it had been in the boiling water for the full 20 minutes that we were waiting for our food.

At this point we were so fed up we didn't bother to complain again.

It's a shame because the coffee was good and it seemed like a nice venue, and the food had potential. But fundamentals such as basic service, bringing meals out together at the same time, and an awareness of the meals that you are actually putting on on the table isn't too much to ask - especially given the audacity to ask for 12.5% plus a tip on top of that! Absolute jokers, will not be returning and would strongly suggest...

Terrible place to eat! myself my partner and 2 mates went to eat here on Saturday 22nd Feb 2025, I ordered with my partner i had the full English breakfast and my partner had the bacon sandwich it took around 45 mins for the food to come out and when i say that i got my food first before my partner, she then had to wait another 20-25 mins for a bacon sandwich i complained about the wait for her breakfast to the manager! Then when the food arrived the waitress practically threw it down on the table! this is where the problems started my food was cold and very salty! my egg was undercooked and had a slimy white! The same with my partners egg and my mates!

When the manager came over to check if everything was ok i said NO and express my concerns! He done nothing about this and just laughed at me!

We decide to leave after paying around £90 for all four breakfasts, the manager then came back up to me and said i will give you some free coffee on your next visit! I then proceeded to tell him i wouldn't not be returning and that was a joke!

Wouldn't bother eating here staff are rude and not a great place if the chef cant cook and Egg i wouldn't be able to trust him to cook a rasher of bacon let...

English Review (⭐️⭐️⭐️½ / 5)

Urban Social Coffee Shop – Highbury Islington

From the outside, it looks small and charming, with a two-section seating area inside. Not bad overall, but the back section feels stuffy.

I ordered a latte with skinny milk. The presentation felt a bit careless—I expected it in a proper glass latte cup, but it was served in a plain cup, the same as a flat white. The cashier was rather unfriendly. The first latte had a sour taste, and when remade, it still tasted the same. I’m quite sure it was due to the same milk being used, which spoiled the flavor. It ruined my morning coffee experience.

Just as I was about to leave a negative review, one of the staff members approached me, apologized, and genuinely tried to help. I really appreciated that. When they remade my coffee with regular milk, the problem disappeared completely—clearly the issue was with the skinny milk.

Overall, I respect the effort of the staff member who tried to make it right, but the overall experience was disappointing. For that reason, I can only give 3.5 stars. It’s a place with potential, but they need to pay more attention to both coffee quality and...