Organic Hazelnut Flûte
Le Pain Quotidien

Le Pain Quotidien

46 Hampstead High St, London, NW31QG, United Kingdom

French • Belgian • Bakeries • American


"LPQ is a shadow of its former self. Like so many companies, it has been hollowed out after running into trouble pre Pandemic and then being sold to a private equity majority company in 2020. The wooden tables and chairs are the only remaining vestiges of the LPQ I knew and loved. The coffee and bread and pastries are still good but everything feels pre prepared and not fresh or made with care. I ordered the Shakshuka. The eggs were rubbery and overcooked, as though it had been precooked and then reheated. The waiter took them back when I explained the problem and said they would make them again, however the dish she brought back was identical. She explained that the chefs ‘just press a button which has the correct time they should cook’. This is not acceptable for a dish costing £13. Scrambled eggs on a previous visit were similarly rubbery and poor. I’m not sure if they are precooked or it’s the way the microwave cooks them but they are not nice. I think people have forgotten what properly cooked food tastes like and will accept and hand over cash for any old rubbish! I’m not complaining about the staff, who are clearly overworked, understaffed and almost certainly underpaid. This is demoralising. They can take no pride in their work or their service and this filters down to the customer experience. I wish there was a directory or accreditation for owner run food businesses I could then avoid these zombified businesses like the plague!"