wagamama plymouth — Restaurant in Plymouth

An appalling level of service from this branch - PLYMOUTH We came on a Monday night and it was not busy, so no excuses for how we were treated. My wife ordered a simple chicken & noodle dish. She waited 20 mins. The first thing to say is that clearly Wagamama have cut their portion sizes by 25%. The half breast portion of chicken hidden amongst the noodles was so over cooked my wife had to ask for a knife & not use chopsticks, which we like to do, as she simply couldn’t even break the chicken apart. We pointed this out quite politely and were told, “the chicken is all pre cooked” .. which is terrible (a Chinese chef would put that dish together fresh in around 8 mins) .. so no surprise the chicken was so very dry. The replacement dish took another 15 mins, so now we’ve sat for over half an hour and still not eaten. Meanwhile our teens been waiting for her meal, which took another 15 mins to arrive ! - a hour - that’s not acceptable - but they don’t care, as there is no consequence and nobody even came over to apologise for this fiasco.

When I politely complained again about the overall service, I had no empathy, I was just given a defence and an attitude, and so WE were made to feel wrong for questioning the service. After all this I felt it perfectly in order to request an adjustment to the bill and was astonishingly told, “what for?” My reply was, “you expect your customers to pay their bill, right? And for good service, it’s polite to leave a tip, we all appreciate good experiences - but here’s the thing, that door swings both ways, for bad service with an attitude, I expect an adjusted bill not an argument, so please, kindly bring me one.”

(I’m a Business Coach and Sales Trainer - It’s mandatory to request an adjusted bill, if the service received warrants it)

Now here’s the issue - They employ kids to run restaurants.. youngsters who simply don’t care, have little experience to none, who are probably more worried about the fact that they haven’t checked their mobile messages since their shift started.

This trend is rife amongst hospitality now in the uk - employ kids for minimum wage. Companies like this are trading on their name. But customers are abandoning them, including me. I’d never recommend them - I ll never use them again, I’m done...

Went into the establishment and was greeted with a smile. Had a wide selection of fruit drinks to pick. Had, I think the HiFive juice which felt like pure rejuvenation in a glass. This rejuvenation would be needed for what was to come.

I ordered the Firecracker Curry, our host. Haaris warns that it's got a kick and specifically warns not to eat the chilli itself. Sadly, I saw this as a challenge and GOOD LORD. The heat of the firecracker curry was a slow build. Initially met with "Oh it's not too hot!" I smugly ate more and more. Slowly but surely the fires of hell unleashed in my mouth. I was arrogant, I was foolish, before I know it I was fighting the urge to make a scene and not look like a crying heap of sadness that can't handle his food.

Still, I couldn't stop as it was just that delicous. The chicken perfectly marinated in the sauce, the rice fluffed to perfection.

Side note: I was helping myself occasionally to the Teriyaki Duck of my partners plate and HOLY MOLY It was the tastiest thing I've ever had. If I find out that Wagamama's does the duck separately or in a bun or something then I wouldn't be writing this review, I'd be too busy legging it back there to scoff it.

Finally over the beautiful ordeal, I think Haaris was concerned that he'd be an asset to a murder, given my reaction. Offering water. Instead I order a banana katsu for dessert.

I'm one for hyperbole, and I suppose I can be quite reactionary but I'm not exaggerating when I say that was the nicest banana of my entire life. I could have ate... 3... Maybe 4 more of the same dish. My partner, bless her rolling her eyes in the taxi as I'm still banging on about it nearly an hour later. I'm still banging on about it now.

From the staff friendliness to the food I'd give it an easy 5 stars. Keep in mind these chaps are working through a pandemic and have probably had all sorts of awful people though their doors they've still managed to be friendly, genuine and enjoyable in their company.

Would I go again? Absolutely

Am I scared to go again? If I order the firecracker, yes.

Would I go back again just to shamelessly order 3 helpings of the banana katsu? Also yes.

Did it hurt the next day? Yes. A lot. But I'm a grown man and I know the risks to...

Allergy Protocol Not Followed I informed staff of my severe peanut and tree nut allergy when ordering—and this is protocol, as Wagamama explicitly encourages guests to disclose allergies so they can modify dishes accordingly. However, there were no check-backs, which is considered standard service—especially important for allergy safety.

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Poor Service Throughout • No one offered further drink top-ups or desserts. • My main course, pork belly ramen, tasted overwhelmingly fishy—despite not being a fish-based dish. • After approximately 20 minutes without touching my food, I called a manager over. Instead of addressing the issue, they claimed more dashi had been added due to my allergy, causing the taste. This was never communicated to me at order, and given my aversion to fish, I would have requested an alternative. • Meanwhile, others at my table ate their meals while I went without—and still no one checked in to see if I was okay.

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Unprofessional Response from Management When I raised my concerns, the manager was rude, unapologetic, and offered no resolution. I was still charged full price for food I did not eat. Additionally, our initial server nick left our table unannounced, which disrupted service further. Only one staff member—bald gentleman toward the end—was polite and helpful, though unfortunately I did not catch his name.

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Ruined Celebration What was intended as a special birthday meal turned into a disappointing experience. I left feeling ignored, unheard, and unsafe as someone with a serious allergy.

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Conclusion & Expectations

I request attention to this serious lapse: inadequate allergy service, poor communication, and dismissive management. I respectfully ask for a review of this incident and consideration of a partial or full refund. Guests should never leave a restaurant like Wagamama feeling this disappointed, especially on a...