J.C. Pinto — Restaurant in Norwich

I very recently (End of March 24) stayed in my home city of Norwich for a couple of nights, and on my airbnb hosts recommendation came here for breakfast on the final morning prior to a 3.5 hour drive home. The location is excellent, very central, and for me about 2 minutes walk from where I was staying. Inside is both cosy at the front, but also full of light thanks to all the windows and the glass roof at the rear, it feels classy but casual at the same time. As I went in for my very first visit, I was greeted informally immediately by the people working there and was fortunate enough to be seated by Jamal who is one of the owners. He's super friendly, and we had a good chat where I found out about the business, who runs it, and how long it has existed. One thing I noticed, with all of my interactions with Jamal, and two of his members of staff who were there, and observing peripherally when their friends dropped in, and customers (seemingly regular), was that it seemed glaringly evident to me that everyone who worked there wanted to be there, took pride in their work, be it front of house, working behind the counter, or in the kitchen, and I felt a ton of positivity and a really good atmosphere/vibe. I ordered the standard size full English breakfast, and note that that normally I sub out the baked beans and cooked tomatoes. The latter I clearly missed when I looked at the menu, and as the baked beans said they were home made, decided to try them. It arrived and looked fab, not one of your cliché greasy spoon fry ups I hasten to add, but the quality visually was evident - note that even though the beans were home cooked and not swimming in a sweet tomato sauce, they were still intelligently confined to their own bowl, so the taste would not automatically make it's way into everything else on the plate. Sausage - very tasty, perfectly cooked, so flavoursome. Mushrooms - Beautifully cooked, and delicious. Toast - home made bread, I believe brushed with olive oil, crazy tasty, and not ridiculously crunchy like some toasts that you get are. Hash brown - clearly home made, absolutely packed with flavour. Poached egg - deliciously runny and tasty, cooked to utter perfection. Bacon - thick and perfectly cooked again, so much taste and flavour. Beans - home made, in a delicious sauce, but not overwhelming, just full of delicious flavours, a perfect accompaniment to the rest of the breakfast. Tomatoes - only left these in because I wasn't paying attention, never a fan of the large half tomatoes in these breakfasts, find them too acidic. These however were 4 plum or cherry tomatoes, and were not overly acidic, and also critically were not cooked to within an inch of their lives, they were delicious, zingy and served as a really nice alternative taste to the rest of the plate.

As I remarked to one friendly young front of house staff, it was the best full English I have ever had (And I have had plenty), absolutely overflowing with flavour, and clearly prepared/cooked and created with real love and attention to detail.

Next up coffee - I had two cups, one with the breakfast, and one just after - I started with a decaf oatmilk cappucino, and then had a caffeinated americano again with oatmilk. The chap behind 'the decks' did a sterling job, and they were both delicious cups - all prepared and served with a smile as well I hasten to add. If I was local, I suspect I would be down here at least once a week, as it is being 3.5 hours drive away, I'll be lucky to get down twice a year, but I will certainly be bringing my partner and 10 year old daughter down to experience the place, atmosphere and food. To me, it feels like one of those rare occasions where they have gotten everything right, and things just snowball - one of the reasons why I will always prefer indepenedent businesses, and something large corporate chains will never be able to replicate.

I wish Jamal and the team every success for the future, and cannot wait to revisit.

If you have never been, you know...

Yesterday, a wet Sunday and on a rare visit to Naarrich. I decided it was time for a bit to eat and coffee. With so many independent cafes I Googled for options First up came Cafe 33 which I had already passed with queues outside, which were still there as I returned that way. Two other options came up going down Lobster Lane. But after a few yards I looked into the window of Pintos, which was not on Google Maps? Looking inside my instincts told me it would be a good choice. And I wasn't disappointed. Friendly staff engaged within seconds, offered a table and NB immediately gave me a jug and water! And the menu of brunch options. It felt convivial, comfortable and relaxed. Perfect. My order was taken quickly and I ordered a vegetarian burrito and a cappucci. The menu has enough options without being too lengthy. But I was tempted by others on there, eg smoked haddock with cheese and eggs 10 minutes later my burrito arrived and included halloumi, scrambled egg and avocado with vinagred garnish. The coffee was the best I've had for yonks and a rarity for me, I couldn't resist a 2nd. The cakes displayed in the window looked very tempting but I was satisfied. There was a steady stream of customers in and out and I over heard compliments passed on. And decent tips were fully justified. I'll definitely go there next time I'm in Naarrich. So my advice is don't follow the crowd and the queue into Cafe 33. Pop around the corner and give Pintos a whirl. Ticked all the...

I’m very upset to have to make this review. Firstly, we have eaten here many a time and the food is always incredible. Unfortunately the service is always a little lacking but when we went the other day it was appalling. The 2 younger ladies working went out of their way to take drinks orders as soon as we sat down and were busy cleaning up tables. It took 20 mins for our food order to be taken from our drinks order this was after asking first to give our order the response was “I will ask if she(other waitress) is ready”. When I asked the only waitress who could take food orders if she could take our order she said I still needed to wait (I had been sat for 30 mins at this point). One waiter taking all the food orders just doesn’t seem to work. We saw multiple tables waiting for their food orders to be taken and others walking out. I imagine this is similar to when Zak reviewed. Then 20 minutes after our food order was taken the waitress said she couldn’t find our order. The mistake is not what I’m upset about, annoying but mistakes happen. No apology was given, no rush to get our order and the waitress was annoyed when I asked how long it would be. The experience was awful, it made us late to other arrangements and won’t make us rush back. I really hope this review will help fix the customer service so...