Pret A Manger - Russell Square in Camden

Wedding anniversary. When we arrived via reception, we asked the way to Isla, a blonde lady standing by the door pointed into the room but said no more. We ventured into the low ceilinged room towards a reception desk but finding no-one else to talk to went back to her and said we had a reservation. She took us to a table with a banquette in the window. After a few minutes we asked if we could move as the banquette was very low. A nice young waiter obliged and we moved to another table in the window with chairs. An older waiter brought water glasses but I asked to return mine as it had a sharp chip to the rim. We started with a margarita. The Ixta menu is small with 3 starters, 3 mains and 3 puds. We ordered the King Prawn Lasagne and Roast Duck Tacos. Portions were quite small, the duck had 3 tiny tacos so we asked for more. Both dishes were good but waiter hurriedly removed the plates with my fork in mid-air. Although the restaurant was near empty, we got the impression we were being hurried. We then ordered the Cashew choco-taco and Plaintain fritters with chocolate caramel sauce, the first was exceptional, the second very sweet; and again the waiter hurriedly removed our plates. This was the first time he conversed properly. 15% service charge unjustified

From the minute we entered the restaurant to a totally lacklustre welcome we could tell it wasn’t going to be the special night out we had envisaged. The waitress really made us feel like we were a total inconvenience. She didn’t smile once during our visit. Without being personal one other member of staff was a very strange individual and very hard to understand. One main course was really disappointing and tasteless but we were afraid to say anything. If it wasn’t for the fact we were using a voucher that was near the expiry we would have left. Sadly we don’t get to meet up very often and left feeling really deflated. Safe to say we won’t be returning.

At first i was sceptical about this place, but gave it a try and didnt dissapoint a single bit. One of the best customer service in London, staff was very welcoming, friendly and helpful. I will come back here the next time i stay in London for sure, fully recommend at least trying it out.

Visited as part of a day wandering around London and after a matinee show in the area. Had a Groupon voucher for set meal costing £35. Several of dishes not available from what was already a small choice menu. Appears long-standing issue of "no chips" was again a problem. By the time you add on a £30 bottle of house wine, supplement on the steak and then service charge you done get much change out of £100. Marked as average only and certainly not somewhere I would return. Nice air con restaurant with music which we liked but fairly empty and soulless.

I came here for lunch with my mother and daughter, the service was exceptionally good, we had a super friendly and attentive host. We ordered the risotto which was perfectly cooked and full of flavour. I ordered a glass of the pinot noir which was also reasonably priced for the size and fresh. I would definitely return and recommend. It seems the more negative reviews are around busy periods so maybe that's a staffing issue, but my experience was exemplary.