ZSL Base Camp Restaurant- Whipsnade Zoo — Restaurant in Whipsnade

We were at the zoo during a rainy day, and the experience from this restaurant put more a dampener on a great day than the weather. We were seated very quickly and told to scan the QR code to order food and drink, which was alittle confusing and full of additional costs, and some options and info seemed missing. Before the order was completed servers already approaching our table with drinks for others, causing them to huff away, and overly exciting our children. With the order completed online and paid for we waited 5 mins for drinks and then another 10/15 for the food. When the food came it was disappointing, cold grilled chicken on one portion of nachos, which was returned to a very confused server. The other meals arrived including my own. I had ordered the pork meatballs with gnocchi and paid for added garlic bread. I was given the 2 meatball starter and no garlic bread. I asked the server if this was correct and he said yes. Shortly after another server asked if everything was alright so again I questioned it. After having to prove I had ordered the bigger meal, I got a rather Luke warm version of the dish and still no garlic bread. By now lunch service was in full swing so just thought I had more chance of dodging the rain drops outside than getting a hot meal with garlic bread I had ordered. No fault of the servers but we were then rushed out of table by a rude group who had clearly understated how many were actually in the group. Further more having spending as much as we had for none of us really satisfied with the lunch it was disappointing to see other families allowed to sit in the restaurant with their own pack lunches. Hoping to return to the zoo soon but will bring our own food. Still a great place, just not...

Don't order the Nachos......

Ok so they have a captive market in a tourist attraction, five star cuisine was never in my expectations...

But then neither was their idea of Nachos.

When we visited last Saturday, the menu image looked great.. A big plate of baked tortilla chips smothered in melted cheese, a Dripped across with guacamole, salsa and sour cream....

The reality was unfortunately.. half a bag of cold tortilla chips, a squirt of (microwaved ?) Bland cheese sauce, a squirt of kebab House guacamole sauce, a squirt of kebab House salsa and a large dollop of sour cream...

Looking at the other dishes served up to our table (hint you don't make macaroni cheese with Penne pasta... The trick is in the name) I gave up on the chance of getting a better version if i complained...

One last tip... When you press the pay button on the Android tablet serving as a self service menu... Don't grade it 2 star... We did to be prompted with a "our supervisor would like to discuss this with you message" and the better part of a 15 minute wait to pay, while the rest of the serving staff got busy cleaning tables (n.b. the restaurant has about 1/5th of its tables in use)...

At about 5 minutes desperate to get back oro into the zoo, I asked one of the serving staff of we could pay and that we had been waiting over 5 minutes

"Oh 5 minutes isn't very long" wasn't the response i expected.

Ten minutes later the supervisor arrived and without a single word took payment before disappearing away.....

My advice... If you are visiting whipsnade......

Absolutely disgusting! I’m not sure how they are allowed to trade with revolting food and service. I will be reporting them to the food standards as the food was cold, when we asked for it to be replaced it was the same food re dipped in oil to heat up. That’s another issue they oil was so old god know when it was last changed. The staff were pathetic, seated us and said they would come to explain the whole stupid app ordering…20 mins later no one came. After we nearly figured it out 30 mins later they said it was done incorrectly and we needed to start again. I said the least they could do was take the order manually… 15 mins later still nothing. We were A table of 10!! Poor families queuing up outside in the rain were delayed further because no one could care a less. Also twice they kicked my 4year olds nephews chair as they walked past with trays full of hot drinks, what is they spilled it on him? Let’s not forget the disgusting food, eugh the pasta was so tasteless just tasted of cream, my 14 year old niece couldn’t eat it, we asked for salt and it never turned up. I had to go get it myself and was told off that I wasn’t allowed in that area. This place needs to be shut down. Someone will seriously get ill, my husbands a chef and we know how things should be. We also know that this place is a liability. Re heated food eugh. We complained but it fell on deaf ears. In the end we just fed the kids and went go get food from...