Scallywags Café and Restaurant — Restaurant in Lusaka Province

I rated Scallywags while I was sitting in the restaurant over 40 mins into my wait. I called them as I was leaving a nearby hospital so I could have a quick bite and go back to take my medication. I got to the restaurant about 10 mins later and was met by a friendly waitress. She advised my order would be out shortly and I could have a seat. Strike1- 15 mins into my arrival, I was looking at the time and thinking I would be late for my next appointment so thought it best to pay in advance for my order so that once it finally came, I could just dash out. The waitress advised that I needed to get up and go pay at the bar. I asked if she just couldn't bring my bill and the point of sale machine to the table, she mumbled something under her breath and I had no strength to argue so I obliged and walked to the bar and paid in advance. She then advised that my order would be out in 5mins. Strike 2- I never saw the waitress at all after my payment and everyone was just walking past me for a good 15mins until I stopped one of the other waiters to ask if something was wrong with my order. He went to the back to check and returned to advise me that something was wrong with the pizza oven so the people in the back had been trying to resolve it. I was grateful for his honesty but advised that communication to customers is SO important because if I had been told that there was a problem with the oven, I would have been able to make an informed decision to either not place the order or come back later. He assured me it would be out in 4 minutes. Strike 3- 10 minutes after the "4 minutes" I noticed a lady who appeared to be a stakeholder in scallywags and approached her with my complaint. She went to the kitchen to follow up the order and a gentleman then came out to give me a refund and advise that I would be given the pizza I ordered for free. While I appreciate this gesture (and have since upgraded my rating from 1 star to 2 stars), its really about the principle and not about the money. When a customer calls to place an order for pick up, this already signals there is an urgency to the matter that inhibits the comfort of coming to place the order in house and waiting. Speaking to 2 people should have warranted a reaction from the entire value chain from waiters to everyone in the kitchen. It had to take me locating the manager/owner for my time and concerns to finally be addressed. That is far from an acceptable...

Music: 5/5. Went on Friday night for live music. The live music was great! The singers were amazing. The musicians were talented. They got people singing and dancing and I certainly enjoyed it.

Food: 3.5/5. I really enjoyed the chicken half moons. They were flavourful and had spices. The crust was really crisp as well. The peri peri liver was also very yummy. You could taste the spices and the portion was very filling. The tuna mayo baguette was just ok. It lacked some seasonings and salt. The ribs was just ok also. I feel like the actual ribs weren't seasoned enough and just lathered with BBQ sauce. But they were very tender and fall off the bone. The drinks were good.

Service: 4.5/5. Although service was a bit slow in the beginning. Food came fast and the waiter always checked in to ensure everything was ok, despite the place being packed.

Will...

Situated on Nangwenya road. Can't be missed as is visible with signage on the wall. The staff welcomed us well and were very friendly. Christine who was waiting on our table checked in on us every now and then to make sure everything is fine. The meals took time to come out but they were worth the wait. Very tasty and fresh. There portions of food are worth the pennies. They have different games like Jenga, cards and more on request if you would like to indulge in a game or two as you relax. It is also an art gallery with different art work/pieces on sale. One down side is that it get really hot. The fans don't do much justice. They could invest in a mist cooling system. It could help a great deal I guess as well as insulation for the iron roofing. All in all it has great ambience, good service and...