PizzaExpress — Restaurant in Wakefield

I had a wonderfully 21st century dining experience in this restaurant this evening; from being asked on arrival if I wanted to see the Vegan menu to being seated and asked if I had any allergies or special dietary requirements...

I was told that my waitress would be either Beth or Sarah(?) (I never did find out which it was but that didn't affect the quality of the food or service!) then I was given a sensible amount of time to choose my food before an efficient and attentive (if unknown) waitress took my order.

I ordered a bottle of Peroni Gran Riserva which was extremely tasty and started with crab arancini (a new menu item) which was delicate and flavoursome, especially with the addition of a squeeze of lemon, and then had a Diavolo pizza (topped with spicy beef, pepperoni, green pepper, Tobasco sauce and a choice of hot pepper - I had roquito) with a side of "broccolini" (tenderstem broccoli roasted with garlic and chilli) which was perfectly cooked with a nice al dente crunch.

I mused to myself that the broccolini should have been called "scorpion stems" as it's certainly had a sting in the tale from the chillies (!) and the pizza also knocked me backwards with its warmth, but I got used to it and it was very yummy. I had been expecting sweet roquito pearls but the more firey roquito peppers were a new experience for me. The entire meal was delicious (I cleared every plate) and it was easy to summon service so that I could get my bill and promptly pay and leave.

The staff - and especially the chef who took his time to come and explain to me that there was a difference between roquito peppers and roquito pearls, and that they used pearls on the salads. Personally, I think next time if I order another diavolo pizza, I will ask them to hold the Tabasco and swap the peppers for pearls but I can't fault them for something I didn't...

Went today at 4pm a table of 6 adults and 2 children and ordered our food. The starters came out all fine so far. The mains came out after we had finished our starters but they had not cleared our plates or replenish knives, forks or napkins and proceeded to gradually remove the used crockery while still bring out our main meal and side orders. They completely forgot the kids order which we had to ask for. 2 of the adult pizzas and the 2 kids pizzas were cold, less than luke warm. We mentioned this politely to the waiter who said he would look into it and see what he could do after we decided to continue with them as we had been waiting some time since finishing the starters and the other adults pizzas were warm enough and didn't want to have them sitting there while we ate replaced pizzas. We were not asked if more drinks were wanted and the childrens sweets were not brought to the table when we asked for the bill. On top of the poor service those of us who used the toilet 4 of us, were discussed by their condition, toilet paper all over the place and urine on the seats. Having had such a terrible experience and having informed the waiter about the food we were surprised to see the bill was for the full amount including the service charge which we subsequently asked to be removed. We have been numerous times to pizza express but never experienced as many problems as we did today I cannot believe that the waiter who served us did not apologise for the problems we had or made any attempt to appease us. We are very disappointed with pizza express and will definitely think twice about...

On 14 September this year, my party arrived at the PizzaExpress with the simple intention of enjoying an evening meal. Upon entering, we observed a family—father and daughter—perusing the menu. Assuming a brief wait might be necessary, we patiently lingered by the entrance for approximately eight minutes.

During this period, the sole visible activity of the staff consisted of one waiter and two managerial personnel clearing glasses from tables. There was no meaningful acknowledgment of our presence: no eye contact indicative of recognition, no communication regarding the expected wait, and certainly no courteous explanation or offer of refreshment while we stood unattended.

Instead, two managerial staff members lingered behind a partition, engaged in discussion, while other employees circulated with dirty glassware, neglecting to attend to guests. Ultimately, having received no guidance or apology, we departed without dining.

This incident mirrors a prior occasion three years ago, also on a Sunday, wherein similar disregard was manifest. Such repeated lapses suggest systemic deficiencies in staff allocation, training, and managerial oversight. Observing unattended tables, neglected dirty dishes, and an overall lack of guest engagement reflects profoundly inadequate operational standards.

In summary, the experience was entirely unsatisfactory, highlighting a concerning neglect of basic hospitality principles. Prospective patrons should be aware that service quality, particularly on Sundays, appears markedly...