Joan in Tower Hamlets

Absolutely amazing!! Best place I'm Shoreditch. Staff are SO friendly!! 100% recommend. Must try! Definitely coming back.

Congratulations! This is my first negative review ever! As I work in hospitality industry myself I never experienced such a rude behaviour from senior member of staff in a restaurant. The restaurant was almost empty, apart from maybe a couple of tables outside, and we waited for being asked for our food choice but nobody was coming for good 5 minutes. So, not knowing if the staff supposed to come to our table or we had to go to the counter to order, my fiancée decided to go to the bar where the only lady waitress was (maybe the manager/owner herself). I was facing the bar so I saw the entire scene and I was wondering if what happened was for real. My fiancée just informed the waitress that we were ready for our order and in response she said "can't you see I'm with another customer?" while rolling her eyes between my fiancée and another customer as if my fiancée asked something very hard or impossible to do. I was just waiting for my fiancée's signal to walk out of the restaurant but she decided to stay to give the place one more chance with the food. In the end we waited 40 minutes for 2 fish and chips and so one of the waiters offered drinks o the house. CONCLUSION: People who aren't polite (SPECIALLY SENIOR STAFF) should not be allowed to serve customers without proper training!

Went at this restaurant on a Wednesday night but regretted it. We were waiting for awhile but nobody was taking our order when in fact it was just our table for dinner inside out of 20 or something, there was nobody else! So went to the bar and simply asked the lady, whose name is most probably Eliza, when and if I can order. Instead of responding ‘Give me 2 minutes or I’ll go to your table in a bit’, she RUDELY said ‘CAN’T YOU SEE I’M WITH ANOTHER CUSTOMER?’ while showing the bottle she was holding and ROLLING HER EYES in front of the customer she was serving as if I’m such a crazy customer when all I did was asked a question. Utterly unbelievable! And poor kid waiter who probably just started was asked if he can take my order which was fine for me but he was looking for a pen and paper so I waited patiently for him and this Eliza turned towards me not knowing why I’m still standing there and rudely said ‘he will come and take your order’ while ROLLING HER EYES AGAIN in front of the other customer! Should’ve walked out of that place at that point but was giving them a chance with the food. However, ended up waiting 40mins for Fish and Chips when again to reiterate there was nobody else. We were offered free drinks by one of the guy because of the FOOD DELAY but that just admitted how messed up the place is. WORST PLACE EVER never received this kind of treatment in my life!

Terrible food, slow service, rude staff. Cold dishes sent back and brought back cold again. Cocktails spilling and sloppy, served in the wrong glasses. Awful.

We went for brunch and it was absolutely foul. The table was set with the all day menus which looked ok but we weren’t able to order from it and the waiter didn’t know why. We were only allowed the brunch menu which was basically variations of eggs on toast meals only with some plastic/rubber looking meats, a vege option plus a pancakes and ceasar salad option (which they wouldn’t serve), again, the waiter didn’t seem to know why. The food came out and it was disgusting. Presentation and taste. The chef should be embarrassed. The service was slow and the venue was smelly and old. Really disappointing. Here is a photo of the vege meal minus the eggs, mushrooms and beans.

Went to early supper 5 of us. Staff were very kind but they got NOTHING right and over 2 hours later I can safely say that it was the worse meal we have ever eaten. I have no idea if it's changed hands but having checked it online and insta the food and menu bore no similarity to what they advertised as available. They even managed to ge the house special cocktails wrong. Felt bad for the staff as was just embarrassed at how awful it was

Went this evening, with a Groupon voucher, food was really good as was the wine! A little cold in the restaurant but service was welcoming but slow to arrive, they can work on being more faster with service and heating the restaurant and more selection on mains

Terrible, staff were arguing during our brunch. Brunch options were limited and plates came out incomplete, not worth £37pp!

went in to get out of the rain, freezing in there. Took forever to get served. Asked for food menu. they forgot to bring it over. Turn the heating up and it'd be alright

100% recommend it to everyone who wants to have a PERFECT time this is the place. A walked in for a quick pint while I waited for a client and boy was I in for more than I ever imagined. The service I received was fantastic, the energy was superb and the food definitely better than you’re hoping for. The pizzas in this joint are definitely better than the other locals (more value for money) and the service was the cherry on the cake, absolutely joyful, I was delighted in walked in and will definitely be coming here regularly. The bartender Oliver was exceptional with his hospitality, ensuring I was both comfortable and he was super attentive. 5 STARS!!!!!

We loved our meal at Joan. Nilsen and Olly were very friendly and provided exceptional service. The decor is stunning and we really enjoyed the music and vibe. Every dish looked gorgeous and tasted delicious. We loved Joan so much we went back for my daughters birthday dinner. Nilsen sorted out birthday celebrations and made it such a special night. Rodriguez did a great job with exceptional service. Highly recommend the fillet steak and salmon for mains. Deserts are all delicious. It was easy to make the booking and Winona was very helpful. Would highly recommend Joan. This is now our favourite restaurant in Shoreditch!

Oh wow, this was so so awful. Has new management taken over this gorgeous building in a prime location and completely ruined its reputation? I had been to the launch back in 2020 and had great service, delicious food & a lovely atmosphere. Last Sunday was very different. 8 of us arrived for a friend's 30th birthday lunch at 12:45 - we weren't really greeted particularly nicely and sat for a good half hour before someone came over to take our drinks order. During this time a few of us has gone to the loos which were utterly disgusting. It looked like a grimy club toilet at the end of a particularly chaotic night. Our bottomless prosecco arrived decanted into glass water bottles, which I've never seen before. Another hour or so goes by before we find a waiter to take our order. He informed us that there were no pizzas available and a few other items on the rather small menu. After someone asked what is vegan on the menu he replied "the pizza".... "But you've just said there is no pizza?" - "Yes, that's right". We ordered, another 20mins to go and he comes back to let us know another two items that our party had chosen were also unavailable. We could see tables around us began complaining about long waits for food. Another two ladies celebrating a birthday told us they were leaving, as they had been informed the kitchen was closed. We swiftly decided to leave too, without much arguing from the manager. All in all, a terrible waste of time.

We had a work Christmas lunch here and it was disappointing. We had pre-ordered but the food didn’t come out altogether and some people were left waiting. There was also some confusion about the meals and even with a preorder mistakes were made. Service left a lot to be desired.

Booked our Xmas party here. Absolutely terrible. Ended up serving all our own food which was cold. Understaffed and those that were there were completely out if their depth

Really poor. Friendly staff but way out of their depth. We got there at 1:30 for brunch. Small menu but no burgers left and only two pizzas. The food that did arrive was substandard and arrived in fits and starts with some meals missing vital ingredients. The Prosecco was flat and the draught lager ran out. The room was nice but that was it. Amazing to think it still survives when so many good businesses are failing. Avoid at all costs.

Not the best. It wasn’t busy at all - I dread to think what it would have been like if all tables were occupied!! We arrived a little early to be fair but took ages to be served. All but 1 of us had our...

This is a restaurant Owned by Robert Newmark unfortunately! The one who owned the previous Beach Blanket Babylon and now owns Joan doing the same way of operating by not paying suppliers and now unfortunately his own staff have not been paid for their wages...

This restaurant looks so lovely from the inside so we stepped in for some cocktails and food on a Monday evening. Despite being one of three tables in there, the service took absolutely ages and the servers were standing around chatting while we waited for...

Could be a really great restaurant, but the service is so slow and the you can get the same food in other restaurants, probably for less money. Took forever for our drinks to come, and it was 50 minutes before we ordered food and they...

Walked by and came in for a few drinks and bites. The cocktails were great and service superb! However that is where the positives end unfortunately. The management is clearly lacking… Overheard the manager curse at our waitress and put her to tears … Also...

A great place to visit when in London! Very shoreditch cool and great selection of food and drinks! Would recommend to all a great place catch up with friends!

Food was lovely as well as the ambiance. Our waitress, Kasha was super nice and attentive and was able to recommend items from the menu. The service was quick, with absolutely no issues from start to finish. She is an asset to the team, and...

A lovely visit with staff who are attentive and interested. We shared a bunch of small plates and they suggested an Austrian wine which turned out to be great! Nice room and comfortable seating. Music fun and it ramped up through the night- by the...

Our reservation was 6pm which was great because it wasn't busy and the maitre de was able to give us time to talk to him about our dietry needs (vegan) without feeling rushed. He was so polite and friendly/helpful as was the waiter who brought...

There were no beers on draught, no real apology from the waitress about this either. We all ordered the burger and it arrived charcoaled - not how a reputable restaurant should be serving a beef burger. Couldn’t be bothered to send it back as we’d...

terrible meal terrible service terrible experience 3 spoons of peanut butter spread with a spoon was called a mouse. it was inedible

I came here for my hen do bottomless brunch and had such a nice experience. We had some issues with the deal we booked via 3rd party vs what was offered in the restaurant and the wait staff and management were more than accommodating. Thank...

I am severely allergic to nuts and sesame and have never experienced such negligence around allergens at a restaurant. Initially I asked for an allergen menu, from which they brought a nuts, dairy and gluten free menu (the same menu with crosses next to food...

Very average food. Nibbles were tasteless. Mains slightly better. Cocktail list was poor. Service was good. Location good. I wouldn’t go back. Better places

If I could actually leave less than a star i unfortunately would. Rude and arrogant wait staff made the whole experience horrendous. Manager gave us a discount but sadly the whole thing was so bad would never ever step foot again

I stopped by here with my son, meeting him for lunch during a busy working day. Atmosphere was excellent - casual but smart, making conversation very easy. Lots of 'happy beautiful people' here, which suits us well :). Food was perfect for our needs -...

We were seated at 5:45pm for a quick mid week meal. Finally our order was taken at 6:30 for food and drink, we ordered arancini, burrata and 2 x pizzas. The arancini arrived it was rock hard and stodgy tasted really over cooked. We waited...

I was there with my family and i could not believe how rude and unhelpful the staff are here, it’s ridiculous that they think being rude and abrupt to their customers is a way to make your customers want to come back! I would never...

The food was poor tasteless and very cold. Very disappointing for a private booking. I would never recommend coming back nor would I come back.

I have been with friends to eating in this surprising restaurant. Everything was amazing from starters to desserts. A perfect Mediterranean combination of dishes where the quality reigns supreme! Well done

Me and a friend did bottomless brunch at lunch time, the food was delicious and the staff were both pleasantly friendly and attentive, 10/10 would recommend x

Amzing service! Never had an empty glass and so personable and lovely too! Food was pleasantly delightful.. lover the brioche egg meal and super fresh ingredients. The. Staff were unreal especially Beth, Nielson and Ricardo... couldn’t have asked for me! Would come back in a...

Super happy about the place and staff. The food is great and the service until leaving the restaurant is superb. Thank you for making my bday special.

Thoroughly enjoyed our experience at Joan. Smaller sharing plates of delicious well cooked, Mediterranean food went down an absolute treat. Enjoyed every mouthful of the 6 plates we ordered to share. Highly recommend the octopus, it was the best octopus I’ve ever had, sous vide...

We called in for lunch on the day of the Euro final. We had the baked brioche bun with creamy spinach and bacon, plus extra Cumberland sausages. The food was quite delicious with the spinach and bacon having a really unusual flavour. The sausage were...

Really enjoyed our evening here. Good food and great service. Winona our waitress was super friendly and gave great advice on the menu. DJ was great too and really enjoyed finishing the night up with some classic house tunes. Whole vibe was really friendly and...

Excellent food and great service. A little loud, which didn’t help with a lost voice! We ate from the Little Plates menu - salmon tartare was beautiful

The food was nice here and was good decor. The waitress was very rude, they incorrectly delivered 3 bars when we ordered 2. We were hoppy to return it when one of the waitresses told us it was on the house. Someone drank from it...

We ate here on a busy Saturday night. The food was good and tasty in reasonable sized portions. Not big but not small. The service was friendly but - the whole place was in chaos. Food arrived at odd times, the main courses took ages,...

Very expensive for very average food. Portions were small. The food was OK but for what you're paying its not worth it. Service was good however.

The vibe and food was amazing, but what really made the experience worth it was our server Yasmina! She was outstanding, and made excellent recommendations. 100% will return!

Food was good but small plates are insanely small, large plates the size of what small plates should have been. Really expensive too. Also we’re not told about the 8:45 curfew when booking our 7:30 table. Would not return.

Not sure why it's called Joan. What was once the East End outpost of Beach Blanket Babylon has been taken over by an ex-Caravan chef and is now serving Mediterranean comfort food influenced by his native Greece. The gaudy interior has been retained together with...

Not sure why it's called Joan. What was once the East End outpost of Beach Blanket Babylon has been taken over by an ex-Caravan chef and is now serving Mediterranean comfort food influenced by his native Greece. The gaudy interior has been retained together with...