Janets Bar, South Kensington

I've been to this bar a couple of times and in the past have had pretty mediocre evenings there - its always been okay but nothing special. It's always a last resort kind of bar. However I went last night and can quite categorically say I have never received such poor customer service before in my life.

Myself and four friends were quite happily chatting on the tiny terrace, one of the lads had been out all day and decided he'd had enough, one of the girls helped him into a cab (to be fair he was drunk but was not causing any trouble - you know the kind of drunk where you can't really be bothered to talk anymore!) Meanwhile an American woman came over to the rest of us and rudely said our girlfriend could not come back in because she's had too much to drink. At this juncture I should point out she wasn't drunk and had been drinking water for over an hour! The aforementioned American then came back over and shoved a tray of stale jam sandwiches under our noses and proceeded to insist we eat them because "we needed them".

Now, I don't know about you, but I personally I don't go to a bar to have my friends wrongly accused of something, patronised and force fed bad food and all courtesy of a bar that is vastly overpriced and nothing to shout about.

I completely understand they have to retain some level of decorum and obviously have to protect their license but I have never experienced such poor judgment from a licensee. She actually seemed nervous of people having a good time just in case it got out of hand and this really sapped the whole bar of any atmosphere.

There are bars and pub in the area that are trendy and can afford the surly bar staff because they are places 'to be seen' Unfortunately, Janet's Bar, is not one of them.

1 Oct 2011 14:54

The Tide End Cottage, Teddington

Good pub, good food. Service can be a tad slow if you go in when it's busy but hey sit back relax have a few beers and watch the world go by. Oh, and by the way if you've got a dog - this is an excellent pub as they allow man's best friend inside!

28 Nov 2006 12:57

The Swan, Hampton Wick

Used to be a good pub, but now you�ll find it packed to the rafters with students - most of them under aged drinkers that can�t handle their booze, start loud brawls outside the pub, smash windows and generally terrorise The �usually peaceful� Wick. Not only has this crumby pub let itself and it old regulars down, but it's dragging down the neighbourhood too. No wonder the owner of the more classy Foresters slagged it off! The owners should perhaps practise some responsible pub management and turn away the �fast buck�, under aged students, in a bit to win back to the respect of the local residents.

13 Nov 2006 19:52