Java No.73 - Oldham

We had a positive experience during our Wednesday lunch visit to this restaurant, so we decided to book for dinner. However, it turned out to be a big mistake. We were seated on the top floor, which was empty, cold, and lacked atmosphere. We ordered 2 starters and 2 main courses, but they all arrived at the same time. After finishing our meal, we were asked to move to the lower floor as they were preparing to close the top floor. Shortly after ordering more drinks, we were informed that it was last orders as they were closing soon, even though it was only 9pm. This restaurant seems to prioritize the happiness of their staff over customer satisfaction. It is recommended to dine early, as you may be asked to leave before closing time so the staff can finish up early.

I was disappointed with my experience at this restaurant. The dinner menu was very limited and seemed more suited for lunchtime. The service was just okay, and we ordered a starter to share which arrived with our meal. At 8pm, we were asked to move because they were preparing to close the top floor. The staff made us feel rushed and uncomfortable, and we felt like we were in the way. While I understand they close at 9pm, we felt hassled from 8pm onwards. Overall, it was not a good experience. I may consider returning during the day, but I will not be coming back in the evening.

I absolutely adore this place. The atmosphere is always fantastic, the service is excellent, and the food is delicious. My personal favorite dish is the lamb tagine.

Over the years we have been regulars here. The food is invariably good as is the vibe, but usually the service is slow, to the point of complaining. My wife and I went last night and the service was far slower than usual. After waiting 45 minutes for a pizza I asked the head waiter (who was just passing the table) how much longer we would have to wait. He was non committal, just saying that they were busy. He didn 't even go to check or apologise. After an hour I asked one of the young waitresses how long it would be. She went to check and a few minutes later brought out the pizzas, over an hour after ordering. She, at least, apologised for the wait, although couldn 't provide us with pizza cutters because 'they had all been washed up and the kitchen staff were cleaning up '. We were going to leave it at that but happened to pass the head waiter on the way out. He mumbled something about the wait so I told him that the service had been terrible. I was, again, going to leave it at that but rather than apologising about the service he again made excuses about being busy and attempted to justify the wait. The ironic thing is that if, when we ordered, we had been told about the wait we would have had a couple of extra drinks rather than just the bottle of wine we ordered ' with the meal ' (which had gone by the time the food arrived) so they would have taken more money. The main issue wasn 't the wait but the fact that at no point did anyone approach us to explain/ apologise. I suspect that the truth is that they are so busy anyway, they don 't feel the need to provide good customer service.

OMG .... This place is amazing ... boujiee inside and out ....and amazing choice on the menu at reasonable prices ... we had the goats cheese and caramelised onion pizza (delicious) and the mezze to share (delicious) the drinks were lovely ... service was especially pleasant (a refreshing change)....if your going to go my advice is to pre book a table as its always busy .