Ego Mediterranean Restaurant & Bar, Sheffield — Restaurant in Sheffield

We recently visited Ego in Sheffield and, while the food was delicious and the restaurant had a nice buzz, the overall experience was unfortunately soured by poor service from certain staff — particularly the manager.

From the moment we walked in, the manager on the meet and greet made a poor first impression. Not once did he smile or offer a warm welcome, and throughout the evening, he continued to walk around the restaurant with a noticeably negative demeanour. Even more unprofessional was the fact that we saw him standing outside the front door smoking on three separate occasions during our visit. It gave the clear impression that he was disengaged and uninterested in the customer experience.

We were initially served by a waiter who, frankly, didn’t seem to care. While he was very chatty and upbeat with other tables, he barely acknowledged us — that is, until he realised we weren’t particularly happy with the service. We didn’t catch his name, but he mentioned being from Dudley. His inconsistent attitude only added to the frustration.

Thankfully, Dermot, who was working the bar, stepped in when we asked a question, and from that point on, the service improved noticeably. Dermot was friendly, professional, and genuinely seemed to care about our experience — a real credit to the team and the only reason this review isn’t worse.

As mentioned, the food itself was excellent, which made the disappointing service even more frustrating. It’s clear that the manager’s poor attitude sets a tone that affects some of the staff, and it’s a real shame for what could otherwise be a great night out.

The restaurant was also extremely warm, which added to the discomfort. Overall, we left feeling that, while the food and Dermot’s efforts were commendable, the lack of professionalism from management really let the...

Visited as part of a group, which probably detracted from the usual experience as I tend to find that the service declines notably for larger groups and this was no exception. The table wasn’t ready when we arrived just before our booked time, and there was a wait while the table was prepared- probably about 15 minutes I would guess. I don’t have a problem with the wait specifically, but more the area where we were asked to wait- the bar. This area is also a very narrow walkway for customers to use and for staff trying to carry food to tables, so you were left constantly dodging people carrying plates and constantly being asked to move for people to pass by and it just felt chaotic and claustrophobic. All the food was very good, but the service lacked any warmth with food being pretty much just called and then dumped in the relevant place with little in the way of pleasantries. Additionally, the food for all the courses was generally carried over 2 plates at a time by one person, so it arrived in dribs and drabs with some people sat with food waiting for quite a while for others to get their meals. It’s basic restaurant procedure that if you have a big table you communicate with your colleagues and a few staff group together to serve a large table together to avoid this. It all just came across a bit chaotic and disorganised from start to finish. I would also add that there is a massive accumulation of cobwebs on the walls above the food serving hatch, which is clearly visible from the opposite side of the restaurant which highlights poor attention to detail. I often think if the bits of a restaurant you can see are dirty, what are the bits you can’t see like? Overall, good food but management need to get a grip on...

Visited for a special lunch in work lunch hour as my wife and I used to like this place to meet for a lunch together in our lunch hour, we don't get much chance now. Don't get me started on text messages and emails constantly confirming your booking, felt like they were trying to get rid of us before we got there...are you sure you are coming, are you....are you....really.... Went on a Wednesday for the Wednesday 2 course menu offer, but had to ask for the menu for that offer - if you have an advertised offer available, don't try and hide it from your customers! We asked for water for the table (and yes we had ordered other drinks too), tap water, as most places provide now without asking, we were brought bottled water and charged, please check if you ask for water and don't want to pay for it because they won't! If you do visit in your lunch hour, make sure they know, we still hadn't received our food an hour after ordering and despite the staffs best efforts to avoid eye contact (why do they do that, its literally their job!?) we did manage catch one to ask them to check on our food, which arrived after another 10 minutes, suspiciously long enough to make the meals... Food was nice enough, but we did have to shovel it down rather quickly. Then the bill came, wrong twice. No apologies for late food or wrong bill. Unfortunately, instead of a place for a nice relaxed lunch in town, it felt like you were there to be processed for as much revenue as possible (which if the service was better, you probably wouldnt notice and mind as much!). Unless you can afford the time and cost, plenty of other places for food in...