Pizza Express — Restaurant in Watford

This used to be a good place to go out to dinner with friends and family but is an utterly waste of time now. Do not visit. The service is not worth the price you are paying at all. Usually its too loud to even hear anyone around you, the staff is over stretched and can't keep up with the cleaning during dinner rush and if you visit earlier during quiet hours, the staff don't seem all that interested in putting in the effort to even pretend they don't want to be there, or want you to be there. Very unwelcoming.

When I say this, I'm referring to the waitresses specifically, most of the waiters and chefs have been nothing but pleasant and work-oriented on the clock. As someone who's worked waiting tables, their behavior was fine by my standards. But the female servers specifically have a lot of attitude that they aim at the customers. If I go again, I'll make sure to get their names so as not to generalise this behaviour to all female servers, we have had a few lovely ones.

The taste is still (mostly) up to par but the atmosphere is only nice if you go before 6 o'clock. We have frequented this specific branch for years and honestly the quality has been steadily declining.

It used to be our favourite place to eat out but now the service is terrible. For a few months now, the babyccinos were served cold and without chocolate sprinkles and when we asked about it we were told that they have always been that way which is a complete lie since, again, we have been going for years across the UK and specifically to this branch.

I went with a few friends on their A Level results day this week and not only was the waitress increasingly unclear when we asked her questions about the deal, specifically about which puzzas we could have. She mentioned that we could choose romana, classic or another one which eludes me now. One of us chose romana but she changed all of our pizzas to classic. When we told her "no, we want two classics and one romana" she said we could only have classic. She also said that we had to buy a pizza per person that was eating. I dont know about you but thats a lot of pizza and we'd already planned to share since none of us were that hungry. She then proceeded to tell us we weren't allowed to share unless we paid an extra amount, which we refused. She then proceeded to serve us the three pizzas we ordered and shot us dirty looks every time she passed us as if we'd run away. It was very unpleasant and ruined the entire dinner for everyone. When we asked for the bill we were repeatedly ignored for 10 minutes, then when we asked if we can pay with the card machine she walked away and we waited for another ten minutes just to pay. During this time she proceeded to clean other tables, have conversations behind the till with her colleague and just pretended we weren't there after acknowledging us multiple times. We'd genuinely considered just leaving at that point because we didn't want to throw a fit just to pay and for such poor service too. Eventually one of the staff stepped forward and gave us the card machine so we could pay. And we left.

It was an unsettling experience and it's sad to say but I will not be...

”A Complete Disappointment”

Unfortunately, our visit to this pizzeria was far from enjoyable. Right from the start, we were assigned a table upstairs, where a children’s birthday party was taking place. I completely understand that birthdays are special occasions, and of course, the kids are not to blame for being energetic and playful. However, the staff should have at least asked if we were okay with being seated in the middle of such an event. Customers should have a choice, and it was entirely the responsibility of the staff—especially the waiter in charge of seating at the time—to ensure that guests were comfortable. Instead, we were placed in a chaotic environment with children constantly running back and forth, making it impossible to enjoy our meal in peace.

Adding to the frustration, our tables felt like they were crammed into a narrow passageway, squeezed too close together, leaving little space or privacy. Meanwhile, new customers were seated in equally inconvenient locations, and when some asked to change tables, they were told that reservations needed to be checked—despite the fact that two tables remained empty the entire time we were there. One of them was left dirty, covered in leftover food and dishes, and shockingly, it remained in that state even after we had finished eating and paid our bill. This lack of cleanliness and organization was unacceptable.

Speaking of the bill, getting the staff’s attention was another struggle. The service was completely inattentive, disorganized, and uninterested in the customers. We had to wait 15 minutes just to pay, and it seemed like we were being ignored until we finally started leaving—only then did they suddenly notice us. This kind of service is simply not acceptable.

To sum up, we came here expecting to enjoy a good pizza and a pleasant dining experience, but instead, we found ourselves in the middle of a noisy, chaotic situation with terrible organization. It’s a shame because the pizza itself might have been good, but the overall experience ruined any chance of us coming back. I do not recommend this place to anyone looking for a comfortable, well-managed dining experience with...

Now I’m not someone who ever complains or a ‘Karen’ so to speak but this was so apalling and frustrating I have to say something. We should’ve known what myself and my boyfriend were in for when we saw a couple walk out before ordering. We were upstairs with a 3 large table of teens who kept walking around, throwing things. But whatever we weren’t too bothered were very patient people.

When we ordered we waited an hour. Yes, an HOUR for x1 dough balls and chicken wings We had only started eating them for 3 minutes when suddenly our mains came out. The woman (purple hair) was incredibly rude when she handed it to us. Also… the pizzas were FREEZING Going to Antarctica for a holiday is probably warmer than the pizzas that were served. We asked two separate members of staff for our water and dips we ordered. When we finally asked a 3rd member of staff she didn’t give us glasses for the water and was never seen on our floor again.

We paid on the app and left as soon as, staff were ignoring us as we left, no one asked during our meal how it was. No one said goodbye and thankyou as staff etiquette goes when you leave a restaurant.

I understand that it was a Saturday night and probably very stressful and busy. But clearly no communication amongst staff as when we left, staff members by the chef station were clearly having a domestic between...