Palaette in Hackney

**Awful Experience at Palette – Nearly Got Hit by an Axe!** I can't believe how bad my experience was at *Palette* in London. First off, the vibe was off from the moment I walked in. The decor was all over the place—like someone threw a bunch of mismatched furniture into a room and called it "artsy." But honestly, that’s the least of my complaints. As I was trying to find a table, I noticed something *extremely* weird: a guy was standing near the entrance, holding an axe. I thought maybe he was some sort of performance artist, trying to be edgy or something. But no—this was real, and this guy was swinging it around *way too casually*. The whole situation felt incredibly unsafe. It wasn’t even like he was standing still; he was *moving* with the axe in his hand, nearly brushing past me as I was trying to navigate through the chaos of the room. I asked the staff about it, and they just shrugged it off as part of the "experience." I was *horrified*. How is it possible that this is an acceptable thing to do in a restaurant or any kind of public space? At this point, I just wanted to leave, but of course, they had already seated me at a table next to the *axe guy*. The food, when it finally came, was absolutely underwhelming—soggy, bland, and overpriced. Honestly, I didn’t care about the food at that point; I was just hoping I wouldn't get caught in the crossfire of some bizarre performance involving sharp objects. I’m honestly shocked no one else seemed to care about the axe-wielding maniac. If you like living on the edge, maybe this is your thing, but I left feeling unsafe, stressed, and completely annoyed. I can't recommend *Palette* to anyone unless you enjoy the thrill of wondering whether you'll walk out with an axe in your back. Absolutely absurd and completely dangerous. Save yourself the stress and go somewhere else—where axes are used for *cutting food*, not performing some bizarre stunt!

A must visit! Ready for incredible portions, mind blowing arrangements, awesome service, incredible freshness, delicious food? Come to the Palaette! We (2 adults, 3 children) went in twice and we will definitely be back. Very nice service (Ozum) and unbelievable food. In case you have to queue outside, it is worth it for sure.

My kids treated me to a breakfast at palette this afternoon. Such lovely service and the portions are humongous!!! Fresh fresh ingredients Dirty Chai delish. Will be back 😉

My wife and I visited palaette London for brunch, we opted for the Classic Dirty Brekky. The breakfast was lovely and the portions were great. Service was great too. Lots halal & vegetarian options available too. It was aesthetically pleasing cafe and food presentation as well. Seating inside and outside, feels like your abroad when the weather is nice and sunny We will definitely go back again. Just keep in mind it’s cash only.

Overpriced for average to low quality of food. Ordered avocado toast, the sourdough was so thin. Avocado had no seasoning and eggs were over cooked. English breakfast had cheap beans, no butter for bread, again very thin slices, mushroom was not nice, served in a pan was uncomfortable to eat. £45 for a very crap meal

Beautiful place in the narroway Hackney. Great welcome by staff and the menu didn't disappoint. Food was of a very high standard and presented beautifully. Flavours were awesome too! Great ambience and beats a lot of the high end restaurants I have visited in my life.

Very disappointed came to Hackney Empire all the way from West London and researched this establishment. On arrival we were told by a young lady to wait after what seemed like a good while standing in the cold we were told she couldn’t accommodate us as a table of four, and it’s up to us if we wish to wait. Terrible customer service as it was two children under 10 and myself and another lady. It would have been courteous to ask us if we wanted a seat while she found out if she had a table as we could see from outside there was a sofa and space to wait. The place did look fairly busy and I would have had no issue with waiting or making the decision to go somewhere else. However to leave us in the freezing cold and enquire if the man behind us was interested in coming in, as he looked at the menu is beyond rude he actually didn’t even engage with her and left (smart move). My only guess is although we are educated and well dressed we were probably too melanated as the man behind us was not but was asked if he was interested, and thus this therefore made no sense as to why we were outside in the cold. We are still puzzled as this place is frequented by a diverse clientele. I have no reason to exaggerate so if the owner reads this it’s best to look at your camera footage or CCTV to see that I have not in the least bit exaggerated anything and my experience was awful. Please train your staff to do better, and have better customer service. Everyone should be treated with respect and courtesy. Kind regards AA

I had sourdough with poached eggs, avacado and salmon, everything was presented well, ans tasted delicious you could tell the ingredients were of a good quality we also had a vanilla latter and passion fruit mojito which were delicious. Staff were really good and were efficient, polite and were really helpful from helping us with prams to bringing over extra sauces ect, the restaurant is well decorated to. I would definitely return. Only let down were the chips.

I was in the queue while I was pregnant and I was waiting my partner who was finishing work. I queued for like an hour and half. And when it was my turn they said I can’t sit down because the other person is not here. I mean I bloody pregnant and I need to sit down so I can order food for myself before my partner arrives. It was really bad.

First time at Palaette. Good food and nice location. But bad customer service. We arrived and no one told us we had to vacate the table in 1 hour. When we finished eating the salty and asked for the menu, they brought us the menu without telling us anything. After 5 minutes a waitress came directly with the bill when we wanted to order dessert and then she advised us that we had to leave as people were waiting.

Taken for my birthday brekkie by my daughter. We have been here on a few occasions. Food is good, staff are amazing and very friendly. Always so courteous. We will definitely be back. Thank you guys for my birthday treat. You are all so lovely 😍

Portions are great however we had a few issues: -being gluten and dairy free there wasn't many choices. Even the hash browns have gluten in them. -We were told an hour is up whilst we were waiting on the bill to come, yet we waited about half hour to order drinks so an hour wasn't doable....not our fault. -I was charged for turmeric in hot water...even though the oat milk was not gluten free and as I wasn't feeling fell I couldn't have anything else. A little customer service goes a long way. Considering I couldn't eat anything either. -Usually whenever we have eaten out, they are more than happy to put a candle in a small cake or dessert, not this place. £7.50 for them to sing happy happy birthday and put a candle in one little pancake. We had already spent a lot on 4 x meals and drinks so decided to go to M & S and buy a cake instead. Better value for money. Disappointed at the charges and slow service that comes with the hour time slot. Customer service needs attention, I probably would have goot charged for hot water and tap water too!

What a find. The most stunning breakfasts with the warmest and friendliest welcome from their lovely staff. 100% recomend.

when I arrived I was first made fun of because of my small stature and ascent by the woman seating me even though she was mid, all i could say was "are you serious right now. This is not acceptable and I didn't come here to be discriminated against I'm not sure if this treatment was because of my race. Being chased out of the restaurant with an axe was also not ideal.

Good portion Asked to move to another table as near door and was cold. Sadly told can't. Syrup portion could have been improved. Drink was nice Good service Wouldn't mind coming back for another brunch

Me and my friend visited Pallaette today for a quick brunch on our break and we couldn’t have been any more impressed . The food was amazing presentation and taste wise! As well as the service by the caring Staff. The lady that served us first was amazing, sweet and polite, we later found out it was her first day! We then had a lovely guy serve us also who was also extremely polite and chatty , he wore a cap and pink jumper , I think he also had an earring (sorry I don’t know the names) If you’re in the area I highly recommend this beautiful little cafe area 🤍

As a food critic, I had heard good things about this restaurant through my friends and Instagram. However, my experience was very different! After cueing with my three friends for an hour, the food was disappointing and not as tasty as I expected. The customer service was horrible. Waiters were passive aggressive, inappropriate (swearing in front of customers) and unhelpful. The waiters definitely need to learn some customer service skills! Also, when you are going to pay, you don’t get to see the bill beforehand which is ridiculous because there may be errors in the bill that need amending. We also weren’t allowed to split the bill three ways, so will have to calculate it all when we get home. Poor standards so therefore, will not be visiting again!

I came here with my sister after I saw her brunch from here on Instagram - I was jealous. Like many restaurants in London Palaette has a strict no booking policy with all members of the group needing to be present. This is completely understandable, the restaurant is small and they want to ensure they maximise on customers. I went during the bank holiday weekend (on the Thursday) and made sure to get there early as some people have commented on waiting for a few hours. It wasn’t that busy at 10.30 and once my sister arrived we were seated quickly. I do have to mention though that I informed them I had my full party and they lied to our face to say there were no seats when the whole of the downstairs was empty, perhaps they like the hype of it being packed? About 5 mins of waiting, then they allowed us in. I opted for the Gemini and my sister got the smashed avocado. The portions really are huge, and I was quite impressed with the quality of the food but also the presentation. It’s not often I can’t finish my brunch but I left with all of the sweet component to take away. Staff were young but friendly and helpful. Overall it was worth the hype and we left full and content.

The worst customer service. We waited for an hour to be told to the kitchen is closing. We had children with us so we weren’t seated quickly, instead couples were seated before us who were “just getting drinks”. Members of staff were very rude and dismissive. They were not understanding that we travelled very far. Very short staffed which meant that we couldn’t be served. It shouldn’t be my problem. Overall horrible experience, I do not recommend to travel for this restaurant!!!

Went out of my way to get to this place, queued 2 hours, only to be told sorry our kitchen closes in 10 mins. Then played musical chairs for around an hour to get to the right table. Food was tasteless, no seasoning, cold coffee. Really bad customer service. Definitely not coming back here again. Don’t let Instagram fool you!

We waited 50 mins. In the time many people jumped the queue as they had the right group size. This only added to my annoyance. I wanted to walk away but felt I couldn’t as had already waited so long. The portions were large and...

Absolutely great experience. We were seated within minutes and the staff were friendly. Most importantly the food was DELICIOUS and portions were perfect. Definitely will he going back soon!

This place is just amazing! The food was excellent and the customer service is second to none. Apart from the wait, I don’t think I can find a fault with the place. Interior is A1.

I went to order food and as I have calorie restriction I ask for kids meal with a side of feta rolls and coffee (which is still lots of calories but well what helps helps) anyways, with the team before I never had problem to...

After waiting 2hours outside in the cold with my vulnerable children all under the age of 10. ( we travelled from south End for my son’s birthday branch) We weren’t allowed to be seated because my husband had to move our car because of parking...

We visited Palaette today for brunch. We arrived at 12.45 and had to queue for about 30 mins to be seated. I am told this is very normal as it’s a popular place. The staff were all very friendly and accommodating. The food was nice...

I today April 5th 2022 visited this restaurant, had my meal PAID MY £26 BILL and as am trying to leave the restaurant some guy who didn't serve me tries to block me from leaving claiming I haven't paid! I FELT VERY VIOLATED and the...

One of the most amazing breakfast experiences EVER! Took my mum here for Mothers Day and even though we had max 1h, it was more than enough time to take wonderful pictures and let our food settle! I recommend The Gemini! NOTE: Get there early...

Lovely food and well presented, generous portions. I felt that the customer service was really good; we did have to wait mor than a cold, rather than a hot minute to be seated - probably around 1.5hrs. However, a lovely waitress came out and brought...

I can't fault the food. It was really good. . But what let it down was service. I was overcharged. They twice said they didn't not want to take it off my receipt I got annoyed and then they did take it off but only...

we attended today myself and friend and queued for 2 hours and was told no seating available for 2people from 1330pm was on queue and at 15.40hts was turned away. When groups of 4 and 3 arrived hours after us and were seated because it...

Judging by other reviews it appears that me and my partner didn’t get unlucky with wait times but it’s an issue with the cafe. Been twice now at about 9.15am and had to wait to even enter the restaurant, when no one else was there....

I visited this place last Saturday with my sister and although the food was lovely, the time we had to wait nearly ruined the experience. We had to wait for a table for approximately 45mins to an 1hr and although we did not mind waiting,...

Myself and my partner visited on a Sunday - the lady at the door didn’t tell us we needed to put our name on a list so we waiting in the queue a while before we realised their was a list. Once we put our...

First time here. Food was very nice and generous and the service was very friendly. Staff were incredibly welcoming. I have a bit of an OCD when it comes to cleanliness, so the cigarette butts and general dirt on the floor of the restaurant around...

Came for brunch with my cousin, the food & drinks were absolutely delicious! Easily in my top 5 brunch spots. Really nice restaurant with lovely decor and customer service also great. Definitely will be going back.

Great food for the price!! Everything looked and tasted great! I just wish that they took bookings because the wait was 45-1hr which wasn’t ideal so we sat outside in the cold. The customer service could also be better

Lovely place to eat, extremely happy they have a halal options on the menu. Servers were nice, no issue with them as other reviews have mentioned. The portion size is HUGE! I’m quite glad I never had breakfast. We had to wait 40-45 minutes as...

Had the beetroot latte and Mediterranean breakfast. My food and drink were fab. Husband had the chicken and waffles and a smoothie style drink. Waffles we’re a bit hard though. Overall lovely atmosphere. Some of the tables are a bit low down and seats a...

We had our small wedding reception at Palaette's the menu we had was delicious the atmosphere was absolutely fantastic the staff was brilliant. We could of stayed all night as we was made so very welcome. Thank you Gunes and your team. Thank you Eve...

The Food was beautiful for the price and worth the wait but i really want to emphasis how amazing Ekin is! She is soo sweet. Help us move tables whist it was busy and has amazing conversation. I would recommend the bosses to keep this...

Lovely cafe indoors and outdoors with a nice menu for a variety of tastes. I ordered a Gemini and it was as beautiful as delicious as I expected. Not five stars simply because I asked them to swap the baked beans for something else and...

This cafe has a lovely, stylish feel to it and the food is presented in a way that suits the venue - it is all very instagrammable! There was a queue when we tried to visit at the weekend but managed to get a table...

food was great and a good price however the atmosphere wasn't the best, staff wasn't really friendly and I felt rushed to eat. wouldn't go here again simple due to the environment and customer service

Lovely place to have brunch, nice and cosy. Went here with my friends and I ordered ‘The Gemini’ loved the presentation of the food, so pretty.

Visited this place for brunch with the family and even though we didn't reserve a table & had to wait an hour for one to be free, we were very much surprised with how delicious all the food was and it was absolutely amazing. The...

Everyone just to let you all know they don’t close at 6pm they close at 5pm they stop severing all food at 4:55pm kitchens closed. I went to visit this place with my family and we were turned away an hour before closing. The place...

The food is incredible here. Gorgeous brunch and good coffee and choice of cocktails and mocktails. Service however is quite poor, staff are rude and snappy, they tried to force our group to pay a larger tip even though we provided one. They forgot my...

The venue was nice and pretty but the service was a little lacklustre - the head waitress seemed very snappy and sharp no real care for customer service. The price of the food was excellent - no complaints there but customer service could be much...

After hearing rave reviews we decided to visit and were immediately blown away by the amazing decor and interior inside! The food was amazing and did not disappoint (especially the brioche french toasty!) The staff were also super friendly and attentive. Would definitely go back!

The table for 6 was booked for 1pm and we were not seated till 30 mins later. What is the point in having a booking system if this was going to happen anyways? We received the menus very late and they were VERY sticky And...

Atmosphere & service was good but the food was okay - the food just wasn’t that nice or different as other brunch places. I wouldn’t really go again

Try the fruit salad and yoghurt - so good, had it yesterday, all made fresh, nice friendly staff too, I will be back for sure 👍👍

love the staff, food, atmosphere and entire aesthetic of the place. If you want an instagramable place to eat at while supporting small local businesses then I HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!

The place looks really nice, but it was very crowded so we waited more then 30 minutes for coffees and cakes, and we got the wrong coffee at the end. The staff there was really nice and tried to rapidly fix the situation.

Four work colleagues and myself ventured out down the Narrow Way for lunch. We were escorted down stairs to the most enchanting area sitting at a round table. We chose food such as poached egg with smoked salmon and avocado toast which was flavoursome, fantastic...

Such a lovely little place! Lovely staff and good food, even though the egg was more of a omelette rather than scrambled egg! Will 100% be returning! As someone who has grown up in hackney this is a lovely addition!

We’ve been coming to Palaette almost every week for several months because the food is delicious and the staff and management are friendly and welcoming. With a menu to satisfy meat eaters and vegans alike, we can always find something tasty to enjoy. And did...