Rainforest Cafe

the food is simply wonderful, the service is awful and the price is reasonable.

james g.dean

yorshire
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Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 5
Thursday, June 14, 2007

I cannot believe the reviews on this site - we went to the rainforest cafe 30th may 2007 - all i can say is WOW! and where do i start

First of all i have to say i am a complainer - i will always find fault if there is one to be found but after trying very hard to find fault with this restaurant there was absolutely none to be found

We had a table booked at 2pm we went straight down - not before being asked about food allergies which i have

as you walk downstairs (which i hasten to add, you want to do slowly as there is so much to see hidden in the flora and fauna ) you have the sound of the rainforest and actual rain falling like curtains of rain - you cannot see the walls and ceiling for plants and fun animatronic animals which were fantastic- from the cheeky parrots as my daughter called them to the gorillas and hidden in the ceiling a leopard, elephants to name but a few

the atmosphere is amazing ! the staff were brilliant and we were looked after very well - they adapted my food for my allergies which was fantastic! very well cooked and it was very nice seeing a menu which was versatile and had not only the standard food you would expect to see but also foods slightly out of the ordinary with some very fun names

my daughter ordered a burger which she always orders and then never eats - here she ate the whole thing ! so it must have been good!

the staff were extremely good with my daughter and welcomed her as if she was as important as the adults which she is but so many restaurants fail to realise this!

The thunderstorm feature was fantastic with the sounds and the light effects - children and not just my own stopped and starred at the ceiling and watched in amazement !

The photos on their website look great but doesnt do the real thing justice !

The toilets were extremely clean in fact every time we visited there was someone there cleaning constantly

we were not rushed and the food came out at jsut the right time temperature etc

we cant wait to go back and will definately be our regular london place to visit ! it should be on everyones list of places to visit in london -even if you arent a child! but lets face it there is one of those in all of us ;)
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jadsia - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, June 06, 2007

This restaurant has gone badly downhill in the last few years. I have previously taken my children there and they enjoyed the atmosphere, special effects and the food. This week we were hugely disappointed with our return visit. At 6pm on a Friday the restaurant was not busy, but service was slow. The menu is in a heavy plastic book which may be easy to clean, but is hard to to read in the themed lighting. We ordered 5 different main courses and every one of us was disappointed: cool soggy chips, tasteless prawns and noodles, bland sauces and grey mashed potatoes. Even the special effects seem to have changed: the lights used to dim when the thunderstorm struck making the lightning very effective - but not any more. Finally when the management feel they have to put up a large notice apologizing for the toilets and announcing they will be refurbished in a couple of months - they have left it too late !
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David Frew
Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 1
Saturday, April 28, 2007

My wife and I plus two daughters and two grand children, girl of 9 and boy of 6

went to the rainforest on Friday afternoon. I am so glad I didn't read some of these revues first. We got our ticket then went into the gift shop for about 20 minutes. then went downstairs where we had to wait around half a hour, a very long time with hungry children. When we eventually got a table the service was excellent, our waiter was so patient with helping our grandson with his colouring even though he was so busy. The food was very good. OK it was not cheap but this is the West End. All six of us had a very entertaining time. Our problem was getting the children to leave. As another revue said, if you want a cheap burger go to a burger restaurant.
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Peter Jones
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Monday, April 16, 2007

Let's put it this way, if you are an adult and want a decent meal, don't bother with this restaurant. It's overpriced, overrated, and the food is awful. However, having said that, if you are an adult with a kid and can't make a birthday trip to the Amazon Rainforest in South America, then the awful food is worth it just to see the awe on your little one's face while you're there. For kids, it's great, but adults be warned.

Oh, and if you're planning the birthday party package and are a vegetarian, please note that their cake is NOT suitable for you. I double checked with them TWICE regarding the suitability of the cake, trusted that they knew what they were talking about when I called to confirm, and on the day, found out when I was given the box with the ingredients that the cake my family had just eaten contained gelatine. Fortunately, they payed for the cake, but still => just be aware.
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AK
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 2
Monday, March 26, 2007

My girlfriend and I decided to take her 10 year old sister to the Rainforest Cafe as a treat on Saturday. If we could sum up the visit in one word it would be dissapointing.

We arrived at around 3pm and we had to wait for 10 minutes beofre we decended from the gift shop into the basement restaurant. We were then met with another 10 minute wait and a bar full of parents and children waiting for tables.

The decor of the restaurant is as you would expect it to be. Decorated as a rainforest the whole place is covered with vines, trees and animattronic animals that occasionally move to peels of thunder and lightning. Our 10 year old companion loved the decor and the animals but was a little frightened by the thunder. Overall I would say the design of the place is very good, if looking a little tired in places.

Our waitress/safari guide was very pleasant, obvioulsy very competent and engaging. I certainly wouldn't have the patience of some of the staff who deal with hundreds of kids running riot all day! So far so good.

However there two things that were really bad.

Firstly, the food at Rainforest Cafe is just awful. Not only was it badly cooked and presented but upon first bite it was totally obvioulsy that it is made with very bad quality ingredients. The fries were limp, luke warm and greasy and the burgers were made from what seemed like prcessed meat that had gone a bit stale or left under a hot lamp all day. The salad in my burger was brown at the edges and the cheese was a processed slice.

Secondly the toliets were disgusting. The gents have obvioulsy not been cleaned properly for a long time and there is caked dirt everywhere. In the ladies my girlfirend commented that every toilet seat was broken and filthy. If they can't be bothered the keep the customer toilets clean it makes me wonder what the kitchens look like.

The Rainforest Cafe is obvioulsy aimed at families with children. I think it is terrible that somewhere with this target market in mind should not even manage to be clean and serve decent food.

I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone. In fact, because of the dirty toilets I would actively discourage anyone from taking their children there.
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Leon
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 1
Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Absolutely dreadful. Would never go back. Food expensive and poor quality - especially children's menu, which is over £10 for plain, dry chicken pieces, yukky fries and ice cream. NO drink!!! Adult menu not much better - the meze starter was dire. Good smoothies though - but should be for the price.

"Thunder" made my toddler (and others around us) cry. All that mock greenery looked like it needed a good dust. Couldn't believe the bill when it arrived - very expensive lunch.

Then you have to leave through the shop - a cynical attempt to provoke pester power and prise even more money from you. REALLY DISAPPOINTED!!!
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Anthea
Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 1
Thursday, February 08, 2007

My 3 year old enjoyed his birthday lunch here 5th Feb. 07. We booked a table for 6 and were seated facing the animatronic elephants which delighted the little ones. I was slightly wary of some of the poorer reviews I had read prior - but took advice from close friends with little children and went along. It was a fantastic experience for adults and kids. The decor is FANTASTIC - it is like sitting on a jungle movie set and no child would be disappointed. The food was tasty (we ordered steaks, salads, burgers, macaroni) and of good quality. The South African waitresses/safari guides went out of their way to accommodate us, very friendly. Even encouraged the entire restaurant to sing happy birthday to my son. Big Tip: we went during the week when schools are not on holiday and we pre-booked for 1pm. You may have a different experience on a w/end or summer hols, I hear it gets manic.
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Adele Down
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 7
Monday, February 05, 2007

Awful, awful, awful! Despite booking, had to wait to be seated as they will not seat partially arrived bookings. Rather surly attitude of staff. Thunderstorm in the dark scared the **** out of my toddler, along with the moving animals in the dark undergrowth - but can see this may be interesting for some for a few minutes. Food was dire. Burgers were tasteless wedges of what seemed like processed meat. I feel sorry for the cow that gave it's life up to end up in that. Ribs were so overcooked, and the sauce dried onto the surface (obviously had been lying around for quite a while). They did replace the ribs after complaining, and those were better, but children had already finished theirs and looking to create havoc. Salads were OK.

Walking around - I had feeling staff not really into children. Asked to move aside quite frequently as staff hurried food around the place, and some of the comments I heard muttered not really what you would expect from a "child friendly" establishment.

Value for money? Kids meal £10.25 for 3 small pieces of dry chicken, some chips and 2 scoops of ice cream - no drink. You decide.

After paying downstairs, you have to try and get out through the shop upstairs without having to pay anymore.
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Wokhei - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 1
Monday, February 05, 2007

waiting times terrible,no room to sit anywhere.we had made a reservation, 40 mins waiting, terrible table, cramped, food crap. some kids got ballons our waitress didnt bother, overpriced.
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seanohara
Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 1
Wednesday, January 03, 2007