Rainforest Cafe

Visited the "Rainforest Cafe" yesterday after recieving recommendations,and hoping to do my bid to save a litle rainforest - wich accidentlyonly recives founds to save a plot in the rainforest from the "wishing pond" in the shop -. Myself and my 3 children wehre impressed by the decor and friendlyness of the staff, thumbs up, I was horrifyed by the price on the childrens set menu - £10,20 including pudding -!? I expected a "grand"display of foods, but what my children recieved - quality and quantity- amounted to a huge dissapointment!!! Needless to say, we want b back in a hurry and recommendations, well, I'm affraid, not from us.............
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Maik Behrens
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 1
Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Visited this restaurant last week, waited over 15minutes to pay for the meal. Bread was hard and stale. Not worth the money.
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- View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 1
Sunday, July 09, 2006

Visited the cafe with my wife and two youg children (1 and 6) whilst on a trip to London.

My six-year-old son found the whole experience mind-boggling and was clearly smack bang in the centre of their target audience. My wife and I on the other hand were less than impressed. Yes the staff were excellent, polite, brisk and efficient. the venue itself was interesting and clearly different, but the food - oh dear.

Massively overpriced, bland, poorly cooked and tasteless. We were warned by a friend before going that the food was inedible and that we should try something simple - 'something they can't ruin' was what we were told. So we tried cheeseburger, a dish you'd think impossible to spoil. Nope, the chef somehow managed to create a burnt piece of carpet tile wedged between two halves of stale bread served with a plate of greasy fries. Will we go again, no, the uniqueness of the overall experience is not enough to have to suffer the dire cuisine.
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simon boon
Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 2
Friday, June 23, 2006

I visited the cafe with my girlfriend and her family on Sunday 4th June. I find it strange that my experience was contrary to what Sally Bonnell and others have reported below!

When I arrived I was surprised to find it was a busy "Jungle Store" with plenty of people coming and going. The restaurant is downstairs and was a fabulous venue for a luxurious lunch, considering it was a scorching day outside. The table had been pre-booked and on arrival were directed to waiting area that had animal print stools that were very amusing and comfortable. The bar was expansive and well laid out. We were than directed to our table and sat in what could only be described as jungle undergrowth - it was such a good theme. We were even overlooked by our very own animatronics gorillas and a jaguar in the tree above.

The cafe was obviously targeted for families and was populated as such. What was good was that you didn’t feel like you needed to be kid to appreciate it. The tables were nicely spaced and we didn’t feel overcrowded. Again, considering how hot it was outside, the temperature and ambience was just right. Like some of the other reviewers on here, the waitress (sorry, safari guide!) was very eager to take our order. It was so much to take in we needed a bit of time. Once the drinks and meal order was taken, then starters came promptly within about 10 mins and once finished the main meal arrived soon after. This we all felt was excellent service and the safari guide was attentive throughout without being over the top.

The food was excellent, hot and tasted very fresh. It was not dripping in fat or overloaded with any of the ingredients. I cannot understand the viewpoint others have taken on here in regards to the price. There were 5 of us, in the middle of Soho eating in a themed restaurant. It is clearly NOT McDonalds and as such, the prices reflected this. There are plenty of other places in London that have served lesser quality food for a lot more than what was paid here in the Rainforest Cafe.

Overall it had a great fun atmosphere, the food was good quality and staff were attentive. Considering location and experience, it offered reasonable value for money and a wide choice on the menu. I would definitely recommend this place to families who want an alternative to stuffy restaurants and who are "up for a laugh". An experience I would be willing to repeat again.

One tip: watch out for the extremely loud thunderstorm that occurs, complete with lightning!
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Julian - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 8
Friday, June 09, 2006

My friend and I visited this restaurant on Monday the 22nd May having prebooked. We were shown out table next to the peaceful water fountain!!. Our safari guide was very pleasant, if a little eager to take our order. Once we had placed our order our food was with us within minutes and no sooner had we finished our starters had the main course arrived. Food was average and overpriced, we ordered the Jungle Bruschetta and it contained so much garlic that everything else tatsed of garlic after that.

Have thought of taking the kids but with not being able to pre book, I imagine it would be busy if we tried to go again and with 5 under eights this may be a little difficult.
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Jenny - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 3
Saturday, May 27, 2006

We have now been to the rainforest cafe in London, dosney paris and Florida W.D.W.

Without exception, it appears that consistency runs with this restaurant: Food is poor quality,and over priced. The serving staff,although polite, leave you always feeling they are only so, because they want a big fat tip. Sadly, with high prices and very poor food, staff need to ask the 'Boss' for a tip, and tell him to take note of such bad customer feeling.

Can a restaurant continue to run with people who go once yet never return? In my opinion, the best way forward would be to sack the chef, revamp the dated menue, improve the quality of food produce,put less ice in drinks and provide quality good food to match the area one sits in.

Perhaps Sir Alan Sugar should send in 'The apprentice' for a team task next year?
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sally Bonnell
Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 0
Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Food is overpriced.

Quality is only mediocre to good

Use green issues as a gimmick to attract custom rather than raise awareness.

My wife suffered food poisoning the following day which we felt was related to the seafood dish. Manager would not return our calls despite repeated attempts to contact
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Steve
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 1
Thursday, April 27, 2006

Our visit to the Cafe with 3 children, aged 8, 9 & 10 was OK but felt the childrens meals to be overpriced at £10.25 each. Also with one child having a nut allergy, we were shocked to find there was very little they could offer her to eat. She ended up with a plate of plain spagetti & a plain burger, with the scoops of "plain" ice cream for dessert being very slow to arrive. For a venue that is aimed at children & boasts much of it's food to be organic, they don't seem to have taken other considerations on board (ie allergies). Staff were friendly & helpful but it still didn't give my friends daughter a very satisfactory or filling meal. My 10 yr old thought the decor was good but felt he was a bit too old to be really impressed! Our adult meals were much better value, with a plateful for around £12+ depending on what you ordered. Not ideal for very young children as a lot of steps down to dining areas, & the Thunder & Lightening could alarm them. Glad we went, to say that we've been, but we wouldn't bother to go again!
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Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Thursday, April 13, 2006

In best London style a 1st class rip-off. Having been enticed in whilst en-route to TGI Fridays I found the only redeeming factor to be the staff. The food was terrible and extortionate (£10.25 for 4 (organic !) meatballs, some spaghetti and a plastic jelly/ice cream concoction). TGI's is half the price and far better quality. Given it's location/layout (30+ steps down to the restaurant) it's far from child-friendly and must be a nightmare for the less able-bodied. Avoid unless desperate.
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Kelvin Clarkson
Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 1
Monday, March 13, 2006

Probably a good venue for an 8 year old's birthday party, I don't recommend this restaurant for adults. The service was fine, the food was ok...nothing to write home about, and perhaps served a little *too* quickly. Which makes you wonder when it was prepared... If you're looking for a themed restaurant, Planet Hollywood or Hard Rock-type places serve better food, and you're unlikely to sit in a basement in the midst of a fake rainstorm.
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Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 4
Friday, February 03, 2006