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Joe Allen

Joe Allen

13 Exeter Street London, WC2E 7DT, WC2E 7PY, United Kingdom

Bars • Beer • Steak • American


"I arrived 10 mins early for our 8pm booking so, as my partner was running late, I sat at the bar to order 2 Dirty Martinis, so his would be ready on arrival. It is lucky the wall behind the bottles is mirrored, as I had to keep checking to make sure that at a chunky 185lbs, I wasnt suddenly invisible... Several barmen went about their duties and having served the guests to my right, then having a natter among themselves, they then asked the couple if they wanted another drink, while I again checked the mirror to make sure I hadn 't been the subject of some scientific experiment, but NO! I was definitely still there! By 8.12 my partner arrived and I still had not been served so we decided to go straight to the table. The Maitre-d ' didn 't seem surprised and told me our table waiter would be able to get our cocktails... Frankly, for me the cocktail moment had passed and I was ready to order a bottle of wine for the meal, but my partner took the opportunity to order the 2 Martinis. The shared charcuterie board came with 3 half slices of light toast .. 3 on a shared platter seemed strange but when requested more bread came quickly. The quality of meat and additions were excellent and it was a most enjoyable starter. There are some very decent wines at low cost, as well as the usual offerings around double the price. But our Nero D 'avola was just right. I had a succulent Chicken Milanese and my partner enjoyed his Macaroni Cheese. The service was excellent, the waiter was attentive and friendly, and we were not being rushed to leave so we ordered one desert to share. The Pecan pie was amazing. It wasn 't the usual sickly sweet offering elsewhere, and the salted caramel ice cream that accompanied it was superb. Again we were not being rushed, but encouraged instead to finish the last of our wine at leisure.. It was a very enjoyable evening and it reminded me of my first ever date at the old venue some 35 years ago. In those days my date knew a famous actress and soap star who was a frequent visitor to Joe Allen. We were often invited to join her table or take adjacent seats. Joe Allen has lost none of its charm, but I did much prefer the bigger bar and being able to hear the pianist, who apparently was playing while we were there. As Arnie said.... I 'll be back... though I may grab a Martini or Marguerita somewhere else, first."

Prezzo

Prezzo

The Pipeworks, DE11 9AA, South Derbyshire, United Kingdom

Pizza • Pasta • Coffee • Italian


"This branch of Prezzo is part of the Pipeworks area in Swadlincote, that also includes an Odeon cinema, and a well frequented branch of Costa Coffee. Quite a sizeable restaurant with tables on two floors, very spacious, no table being too close, so even when it is very busy, the dining experience is a relaxed one. The best tables are probably to the rear of the restaurant, in a semi-circular room, which offers great views of the local area. In the main part of the restaurant is the food preparation area so you can see your dishes being made.Menu wise, there is a lot of choice from grills to salads, pizzas to pasta, and lots of constantly changing specials. The pizzas, come in three variants light (for smaller appetites), classic and VIP (extra toppings). The Vesuvio is particularly good, but with the red roquito chilli peppers, and double pepperoni, it is on the spicy side though!. Pasta also comes in two variants: light (smaller portion, more salad) and classic; you can even have two of the pastas, in slightly smaller portions if you are indecisive. The lobster and crab tortelli, with red chilli and spinach, in a saffron sauce, is fantastic dish, packed with flavour.Of course dessert is almost compulsory, and the variety of offer at Prezzo is impressive, if a little expensive, the Honeycomb Smash Cheescake is a favourite, but last time we dined here I chose one of the specials: the Salted Caramel Arctic Slice, the saltiness of the caramel, the perfect compliment to the ice cream and sponge. If you're a little full after the main, you can have a small dessert, with a hot drink; the profiterole with chocolate and a cappucino is my wife's favourite. Overall, great food, a relaxed ambience and helpful, efficient staff; which makes it a popular venue in Swadlincote"

Prezzo

Prezzo

60 High St, RH10 1BQ, Crawley, United Kingdom

Pizza • Pasta • Salads • Cheese


"Went as a group of 4 for an evening meal which ended up being 3 courses each. Wasn't too busy inside and we had reserved a table anyway although despite saying our name and that we were a 4 (2 yet to arrive), staff repeatedly mentioned someone else's name and that they were a 2??? Got it sorted eventually. Prezzo accepts the Taste card, if you have one, and there were no issues caused by us using this. No outside seating available which was appropriate as it was freezing cold. Looks like they do have this option when the weather is better. Place looked quite clean and well maintained. Service was pretty good most of the time. We had a lot of attention at the beginning and then towards the end but it was in the middle when our food had arrived that glasses went empty and unnoticed. Prices are perfectly reasonable and the portion sizes were as expected. Food was tasty and hot. The vegetarian in our group was initially brought a meat pizza because of staff error and so had to wait for a fresh one to be cooked while everyone else ate. I ordered a Pepsi at one point and instead of getting that, another one of the group was brought a Pepsi Max which she didn't order. Not the end of the world as I just drank that instead, but could be a bigger issue for some. Also they had run out of some desserts that we wanted. So that was a shame. No parking available to due to location on the high street but plenty of paid and sometimes free parking around. Would go again without too much hesitation."

Prezzo

Prezzo

189 High St, RM11 3XT, Hornchurch, United Kingdom

Cafés • Pizza • Pasta • Italian


"This was probably one of the worse service experiences I've had at a restaurant. I booked a table for 8 for myself and some friends. The number dropped down to 6 but I wasn't able to advise the restaurant about this as it happened literally at the last minute. My friends were there when I arrived and immediately, i noted everyone was unhappy with the table we were given as it was right next to a window where the sun was beating as well as under an AC device that didnt hit our table at all. I asked if we could move to another table and the waiter blatantly said that we weren't important enough he said something quite unintegible about the table being booked for 8, to which I said we are now six and I wasn't able to advise as it had happened two hours before the booking start time. After that, whenever that waiter served us, it was very blatant that he was doing the minimum for us, such as dropping the cutlery rather loudly on the end of the table instead of placing it under whoever ordered the dessert. He was also hovering in a really creepy way around our table and then walking away. We considered not paying the service charge but decided against it as we didn't want the hassle and when other waitresses were serving us it was ok. The food was good hence the 1 star, but the service was way off all thanks to that waiter and not acceptable for a Friday evening and a big group of people. I tend to book tables for groups of 6 8 of us and Prezzo in Hornchurch has just proved themselves not worthy of this business."