How bad is greens?

[TimN]

No doubt been a thread before but EVERY time I weaken and visit the service is absolutely terrible, such a waste of a great spot!!! Just to add a little balance I have to admit that when you actually/eventually get your food its a pleasant surprise

[mockney piers]

Actually I think this is a first TimN, though it may have been mentioned in passing on other threads.

I'm pretty much completely with you on this one. Service is oddly disinterested and as long as the food is warm it's pretty good.

If of course you're lucky enough for it to turn up within half an hour of ordering it.

[Mark]

Are you talking about The Green restaurant or another Greens?

[Ant]

Yup - decentish food but in no way good enough to make up for the terrible, terrible service.

[Keef]

Assuming you're talking about The Green, I've eaten there once, and it was a mixed experience... Basically they forgot my meal! However, they gave us a free bottle of wine, and when the meal eventually came, it was superb.

[Huguenot]

I once had a cooked breakfast, which it was, but there is nothing worse in the world than a cold fried egg on a stinking hangover. Well there might be, but I've yet to experience it. I guess that's about the service rather than the skills.

I confess I'm most put off by the plastic tables, especially when the bill starts to grow. They give an erstaz, slap-dash quality to the place that makes it feel like a glorified canteen rather than haute cuisine (or hot food as Alan P would have it).

I wish they'd do something to break up that huge back room so it's a bit easier on the eye!

[MadWorld74]

I went to The Green over the easter break. We sat down and were ignored for 15 mins by the waiter who SAW us but obviously chose to ignore us ( maybe I had forgotten to get dressed that day or something, to warrant being ingnored??) In the end we got up and left!

[Chartwell]

I've eaten there a few times and have to say I found the service and the food alright every time. The only complaint would be that there was little atmosphere (outside my dinner guest and I, that is!)as we were about the only ones in there. I've not been to one of their jazz nights and would imagine that that livens the place up a bit.

[SeanMacGabhann]

There is a similar feel to the postings around this place to the ones posted back in the day about Green & Blue. It would be nice if someone from Greens (Green Room) were to respond as positively as Kate from G&B.. it seems there is a desire from most of us on the boards to see it improve - and the Sunday Fair could be the perfect opportunity for them to do a bit of PR what with it being around the corner and all...

[MadWorld74]

Some places don't care about customer service. The manager could be a great person with loads of ideas, but if the staff don't give a monkeys then the ideas go to waste.

[Jah Lush]

The last time I went to the Green was a couple of years ago and had some very dodgy oysters, consequently I was sick as a dog within an hour and spent the next two days practically chained to the lavatory. I haven't been back since.

[tomk]

greens has the worst service in ED. They sent a glass of wine over to our table as a "sales technique" hopeful that i would accept it so they could add the charge to our bill. they then lost my coat and were aggressive. they're useless.

[Jah Lush]

What I find amazing is that The Green is supposed to be the sister restaurant to Le Chardon which is excellent, probably my favourite in East Dulwich.

[Amelie]

Surprised by all this criticism, it was terrible before Le Chardon bought it but improved hugely afterwards; I have never had trouble with the service but did once have to put up with a truly awful jazz singer who obviously thought she was 'reinterpreting' classics.

[Ko]

The food I have had at The Green has always been good and served hot. The service is, quite frankly, poor at times given the prices.

The restaurant needs to be presented better and the staff need to be more attentive. When we arrived for a 7.30pm booking on a Friday night, they still had the cleaning materials out on top of the piano. They also got my starter wrong - how difficult is it to take an order down? They need to make more of an effort.

The puddings are fab though.

[citizenED]

Q: how do you get free food in The Green?

A: Order some!

Popped in earlier today because of chance meeting with friends at the Goose Green swings. Despite my own misgivings about the place and the comments here in this thread and because the place was so convenient and our friends had not been there before (and also I am a positive guy in whom hope springs eternal) thought we'd give it a go. What can be so difficult about an order of two cooked breakfasts two continental ones and incidental drinks. Well about 45 mins after ordering we'd had coffees and the continentals but they just simply brought out the wrong hot food - twice. The service was shoddy, to say the least. We left and they didn't charge us.

The layout needs a rethink, the place doesn't know if it's a Bar, Restaurant or Cafe. It always looks like it is just opening for the day or just about to close. Some pencils and pads for the waiting staff would actually be good thing.

Having said all this - the tables outside were busy and people were happily chatting away and eating so perhaps it was just us. Is a children thing - we had a 2yr old and a 4yr old with us.....

citizen

[Pierre]

Their breakfasts are good if you can get hold of them.

Their Bloody Maries are excellent - can you tell I've mainly visited there when rather hung over?

However, the last few times I've been there I've been disappointed by the indifferent service from waiters with body odour problems, and the frankly average coffee...

: P

[Townleygreen]

Sorry, what is greens?

[Pierre]

I've taken it to mean The Green, the cafe / bar / restaurant place on the Goose Green end of the parade of shops on East Dulwich Road. However, if it means something else then I apologise to any waiters _without_ body odour problems I've inadvertently offended...

: P

[snorky]

Its a big expensive for nothing particularly fancy or unusual in my experience - a safe dining experience, but thats about it

[Incitatus]

it was terrible before Le Chardon bought it but improved hugely afterwards

I always thought The Green was owned be Robert of Le Chardon right from the get-go. I tried it when it first opened and it was never very good.

[Amelie]

Incitatus you may be right but I was definitely told that Le Chardon's owners bought The Green from the previous owners, my source may have been wrong. The menu did completely change after the 'purchase'.

[Fuschia]

We like it. It's great to go to with kids, being right by the park, and has good snacks (hummous and pitta bread)

The staff look a bit dour but are pretty tolerant and oen of them has started giving me free drinks!

[Jamma]

I went to the Green on Valentine's Day a few years back. Absolutely horrendous and didn't get any food because they'd just taken far too many bookings. Went to Hannah's Irish Italian restaurant next door in the end. And now Hanna's is gone and The Green carries on. Rough justice