Villa Mamas Restaurant London — Restaurant in London

Never been to a Bahraini Restaurant before, so it might be the best there is, however the food wasn't out of this world. My dish was the Tahcheen which was recommended by the waiter as the best dish on the menu. It wasn't anything like your traditional tagine. It was a rice cake with tasteless chicken flakes inside resembling something that came out of a tuna can! No large chicken pieces, just shredded, and was disappointingly bland. The menu does not describe the chicken as being shredded, half of the dish was left uneaten it was that bad. The lamb shank (Mozart laham) my friends ordered was quite good, although if you order with mashed in potato as one did you will get a better experience as their rice is very average. The Moussaka was the best dish by far. Quinoa Tabbouleh was a decent salad too. The apple mocktail I cannot recommend as it was awful, tasteless and overpriced apple juice with mint added for decoration, I added my friend's sprite to the drink just to add some flavour. The mango and passion fruit mocktail was excellent.

I was bordering on 3/4 stars however the reason they got pushed down to 3 is due to them, on a Saturday night, serving the bills to all the tables without us asking for it, not asking if we wanted desserts before doing so, and at 11pm turning up all the lights to full blast in a not-so-polite gesture basically evicting all their customers! I have never been to a restaurant where I have been made to feel so unwanted at closing time. Most kitchens close at 11pm however it's very normal for your customers to stay on chatting for some time afterwards, as after all, they are there to have a good time, not just eat. The waiters were polite and nobody asked us to leave, however we felt so uncomfortable and subsequently left at 11.15pm, we were the last to leave as all others left immediately after the lights were turned up. Quite an unusual experience and left quite a bad impression. As mentioned service on the whole was good, just this last part of the day could be managed in a better way. Perhaps letting table know that you will close soon and if the customer wants to order a dessert to do so, giving a heads-up so that you are prepared so you can wrap up your conversation or go elsewhere to spend the rest of your Saturday night. Room for improvement here.

I felt the menu was overpriced for what it was, add the 20% service charge, and the lack of etiquette when exiting your customers, 3 stars...

DISASTER- Easily one of the worst restaurant experience of my life. Third class service to begin with and atrocious prices to top it off. The highbrow attitude of the staff is comical.

We are foodies and have had the fortune of dining in a range of restaurants in London and many cities around the world. Our culinary journey has included round the corner Persian kebab shops to many of the Michelin rated restaurants around town and around the world. We went to Villa Mama in London on a lazy Sunday afternoon with my wife, two children and my teenage niece. We were received by cold unfriendly and unhelpful service. I was pushing a small child buggy. The server offered no help and was visibly unpleasant as I tried to collapse it and requested that it be stored somewhere. Then after a long wait, the menus arrived- limited choice and grossly overpriced even by Chelsea standards. The average starter was between £8-10 and the average main course between £25-30. The server hurriedly took our order— no comments, no suggestions, no basic guidance. Then forty minutes no sign of the food. When I went to the bar to enquire, the man behind the bar was almost dismissive. The Waiter who we had met when we first came just stood there and glared. When I mentioned that the children were hungry, I was met with a blank stare after which the barman continued doing what he was doing. “It’s going to take time” one of the staff blurted “since you wanted to everything to come at the same time”. We were so disgusted by the end of it all, that we just got up and left. There was not a word of explanation or apology. We walked 10 minutes to a more basic but good old faithful Maroush on Beauchamp place. Service with a smile, most attentive, sensible price and good, solid food. We couldn’t help but comment on the contrast between the two. Avoid Villa Mama London at all costs. Take our word for it. There is no shortage of fanstastic Persian and Middle Eastern restaurants in London. If you are looking for a similar upscale place with far better service and ambience and delicious food try Abd el Wahab for example on Pont Street. For Persian go to...

The food is excellent. But, it is not only about the food. It is about the experience. Although the food deserves 5 stars. The overall experience can barely reach 3 stars.

Now, let’s break this down.

Location: not in a Mayfair or a Five stars hotel. It is a normal shop in the middle of nowhere between Fulham road and kings road. Parking is an issue and streets are dark without pedestrians.

Decor and atmosphere: below average. Tight place with uncomfortable tables and seat. This place is so small to an extent where people cannot move around tables. Also, you need to be careful when their untrained cheap staff pass because they may push your shoulder or drop something on your head. Seriously, be careful.

Service : extremely poor with clearly untrained, unconfident, cheap staff who lack leadership and seem to be intimidated by their floor boss.

A message to the owner: if you want Londoners to come to your place while you charge 5* prices, you need to spend more money on your decor and space, get some professional well-paid, polite staff and move to a better location for god sake.

Otherwise, bear in mind that London is full of five stars restaurants that compete to remain popular. Why would I spend all that money in your place while I can easily enjoy my time with better service and amazing food, nice location and beautiful setting.

Do not rely on our people from the GCC, they will make a seasonal...