Bistro 1 (Southampton St)

Had dinner here on Tuesday after being recommended. The food was good and they were efficient but they brought both of us the wrong food and I was not impressed with the way they handled it.

On taking our order the waiter seemed to not even be looking at us.

My friend ordered the hummous and falafal and they brought my mousaka and the incorrect dish for my friend. I was given the mousaka and on taking a mouthful realised it was not the vegetarian one I had ordered. I informed them of this and they made it out it was my fault and that they had brought two mousakas over and I had chosen the wrong one. I'm not sure how I was supposed to realise which one was vegetarian...

The waiter who we spoke to was not at all apologetic.

It's also pretty cramped in there and our table was squeezed next to another couple's table so it's very 'cosy' and we were rather on top of each other.

I would recommend and/or go back because the food was cheap and pretty good but I wouldn't recommend it for customer service.
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Morgan
5 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 9
Friday, February 24, 2012

Eating at Bistro 1 is a bit like flying EasyJet in that it's a great little restaurant for those dining to a budget and who accept that some of the frills will be lost along the way.

Four of us recently had dinner here on a Friday night and found the experience to be generally very positive. We were served promptly, received by and large good food with friendly service. Sure one or two of the portions were a bit meagre, but I refer back to my comment above and when you're having three courses for less than ten pounds, it's hard to complain to vigorously.

Even when the waitress managed to spill my glass of red wine, she was quick to replace it and the manager went one further and gave us a bottle as a goodwill gesture which was appreciated.

Don't go in here expecting to have your socks knocked off, but if you go with friends and a relaxed approach to an informal eating experience then in my opinion you'd have to go some way to better it within a stone's throw of Covent Garden.
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Bootsy - View all reviews by this user
8 Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 10
Thursday, May 26, 2011

My friends and I use the Bistro chain in London regularly. Our favourite is the Southampton St branch. They are excellent value for money. The food is delicious etc,etc. But the decor is getting vey tatty. If you go in the evening it's not so noticeable by candle light, but on a sunny day/day light it's looking very shabby.It's time to get the paint brushes out. One other point there is now a 12% service charge added to the bill. Not sure if the servers are benefiting from this charge as they look very disappointed if you don't top it up. They are all excellent so would like to think they did get the service charge.
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8 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 9
Tuesday, May 03, 2011

Bad good friday experience with my wife and our kids. Rude waiter, very poor service. Never come back again . Waiter who called he is a new manager even cant speak proper english and no clue about the customer service.
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kevin jackson
1 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 1
Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Me and my partner both had the week off work being as it is half term for the school holidays so we took our 7 year old son to Covent Garden and came across Bistro 1. I had been here a few times before as I worked nearby and I remember the food being very good and value for money. We went for the two courses, I had the prawn/avocado starter followed by the homemade fishcakes with fries, these were absolutely delicious. My partner had mushroom soup and the lamb shish kebab which he enjoyed. I would highly recommend Bistro 1 for a place to eat and you don't have to dig too deep in to your pocket. The only criticism I have is that our drinks were warm even though they had ice cubes in.
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Di Douglas
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Was rather suspicious about what the food would be like as the prices were so reasonable - but was, happily, proven wrong. The dishes my companion and I tried were great. And so was the service. Very generous portions of well-prepared, tasty grub with a Mediterranean twist. Speedy, efficient, friendly service. Liked the variety on the menu - plenty of choice for every palate - including respectable number of veggie offerings.
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New Cross Eyes
8 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 10
Saturday, July 17, 2010

Had lunch here today whilst out shopping in Cov Garden. A bargain at less than £7 for two courses. Bread and olives brought swiftly after sat down. Calamari to start tasted freshly cooked, chicken kebab and meat moussaka for main were good sized portions. Service was friendly and efficient. Great place for a Saturday lunch, even wished us a happy valentines as we left!
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Katie N
9 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 10
Saturday, February 13, 2010

First visited this place about 4 years ago and have been a regular visitor since. Excellent food, great price and welcoming friendly staff. I go every opportunityn girlie lunches, family meals, work dos it suits everything. I recommend it to all my friends. Thanks to Harkan, Hamid, Ami, Turkay and Ibrahim for making my family and friends so welcome.
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Maxine
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Friday, November 13, 2009

Little did I think when I was in Convent Garden about 10 days ago I would be back so soon – usually it is six months or more. Anyway I met up with a small group of friends a couple of evening ago. As it was early and the weather pleasant we had a stroll around and came across Bistro1. The prices looked attractive at £9-90 for two courses and only a £1 more if you went for three. We went inside.

Although it was crowded we got a friendly greeting and were soon seated. The menu is quite varied and the wine list varied and not too expensive. The starters did not take to long after ordering and were of better quality than expected. I had feta cheese salad – the salad was really fresh and there was a generous portion of feta (in some places it is more like a trace element). The others were equally happy with smoked salmon and avocado, soup of the day and the meze. The quality of the main courses was equally good although they had sold out of a couple of the dishes (always a good sign I think). I had the lamb steak, one friend had the sea bream and I forget what the others had. By this time a number of customers had left to go to the theatre and it felt less crowded. There was a good choice of desserts – apple tartin, ice cream, etc. The liqueur coffees for those that had them were inexpensive.

Overall just about perfect. Polite friendly staff, and excellent and really fresh food. I will be going again.

The only reason I do not score Bistro 1 the perfect 10 was the initial feeling of overcrowding and the fact that the bottled water was not particularly cold!
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Davey - View all reviews by this user
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Thursday, May 28, 2009