National Geographic Cafe

Upon reading about the National Geographic Cafe in London, my partner and I thought it would be good place to take my little sister (12) for lunch. As a reader of the National Geographic for many years, I was looking forward to visiting their flagship London store and cafe. Upon arrival I was initially impressed; the decor and furnishing was interesting and well thought through - the shop area was fantastic, as other reviews comment on. The food, service and bill left a lot to be desired. After waiting a considerable length of time for service, we ordered “mini burgers served with crispy chips” - expecting them to be small, but surprised at a piece of meat around the size of a wine bottle cork arrived (with a fragment of lettuce and a tomato). I thought the “crispy chips” had been forgotten by the waitress, but upon asking I was told I must have eaten them! To my surprise I was then presented with an egg-cup with “crispy chips” ~3mm long and told they were sprinkled on the burger. Three of these dishes and a diet cola totalled £22.50, ramped up to over £25 with a added 12.5% service charge. When I asked for this to be removed the waitress was bad mannered and impolite, slapping the revised bill down in front of me with a glare. We left feeling hungry, ripped off and thoroughly disappointed in the National Geographic Society.
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mick
Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 1
Monday, December 14, 2009