Robin (London) wrote on 13 June 2010

On a previous occasion I had had a very nice chocolate cake, so was looking forward to my meal. However, one of my group got served before me despite arriving later. I later discovered that this was because he had been given my main course! I was served with his main course, which was tasteless. By the time I realized this it would have been too late to get a replacement. I told the waiter, who did nothing. When I got the bill I asked that this mistake be taken into account in what I was charged. The waiter said he was unable to help me. I asked to see the manager, but was told by the waiter that I would have to go to him. When I calmly and politely explained the situation to the manager he interrupted me, refused to listen, talked over me and told me that I should have noticed that there were no beans on my plate. He was very agitated, angry and rude. I would certainly not recommend this restaurant to anyone. If you are vegan the available options are very limited and this no longer includes the chocolate cake. The meal came to nearly £20 for 2 mediocre courses and a drink, so is also very poor value. There are lots of vegetarian eateries in the area that understand the concept of customer care, so don't waste your money here.

KMG (London) wrote on 22 July 2009

Now I love Neal's Yard Salad Bar, and I go there more than any other vegetarian/vegan place because of its handy location, but it does tend to be a bit of a hit-and-miss affair.

Decor is wonderful: bright, eccentric and eclectic - and the restaurant fills almost all of Neal's Yard. Wonderful atmosphere.

My primary problem is the service. Sometimes you have to go and hunt down a waiter to get you a table. If you get a takeaway, they always frown at you and are very apathetic. One thing I cannot stand is bad customer service - lived in London all my life so I should be used to it - but there's no need to be rude.
Upon being seated a guy comes up to you and asks if you 'plan to eat'. (Strange, seeing as it's what they specialise in...) He then asks if you plan to use cash - they don't take cards which is really inconveient in an area where there are so many cash point queues! Sometimes orders are taken wrong and you don't get what you asked for. Some waiters are really lovely and are very welcoming to regulars- it's totally the luck of the draw.

It does a great range of vegan desserts, which are well priced - chcolate prestigio cake is a wonderfully moist chocolate/coconut vegan cake. (For quite a price you can order a personalised whole one for birthdays etc which they very kindly prepared for us) Ginger and berry tart is wonderfully balanced in taste - though often served hot and cold (too little time in the microwave I think). Mango truffle is another gorgeous vegan dessert.

Similarly starters are delicious - vegan bruschettas are gorgeous, fried kibe balls are yummy, and so is the spinach quiche. The vegan pizza is peculiar. Very sweetcorny, and uses too much vegan mayo for my taste. The base is always rock hard as well. Sometimes served hot, sometimes cold.

Mains and drinks are very very overpriced. Almost £4 for juice (though pineapple and mint is a must-try), even tea is more expensive than it should be. Milkshakes are nice, so nice they're almost worth the price. There isn't a lot of choice for mains. There are generally about two vegan choices, feijoada is nice but £11 (which I consider pricey), and meal of the day tends to be same-y - lot of veg and starchy food cooked into a slightly stodgy stew.
Sometimes they serve noodles, and a fruity curry which are so tasty - but this is once in a blue moon. Generally it's risotto or couscous, which are so similar I can't tell them apart. The salads for which they are famous tend to be really rather bland and expensive, and avoid pumpkin and pole.nta pie - to dry and stodgy to swallow without a lot to wash it down.

In my advice - go for a wide range of starters and sides - go for two rather than a main meal - it'll still be cheaper - and then enjoy the desserts. Alternatively, brave the stern-faced man behind the counter and get a takeaway and eat in the Yard itself - it'll feel the same as one of the tabes outside.