The Restaurant Marks and Spencer in Southampton

The restaurant was in a terrible state, although there were plenty of empty tables they were all covered in dirty dishes and there wasn't enough staff on duty to clear up the tables, this is not the first time i have noticed this in this restaurant, it seems to a regular occurrence, it never used to be like this, something has gone wrong M&S time to sort it out, you pay a premium price in your restaurants and Cafe and customers are not receiving a premium service.

if you like your scampi and chips colder than your salad this is the place to go and it only took 40 minutes for it to be served

Very sorry to say it’s not up to the standard expected . Staff don’t seem to care, cups dirty and milk jugs could do with a proper scrub to remove all the build up of milk solids/ fats. Giving a refund or offering something else doesn’t cut it really as the ‘damage’ has already been done. This is the third time and not returning.

My complaint is the Marks and Spencers never have any gluten free cakes on show! Your cakes look delicious, absolutely mouth watering, but not for people with gluten problems. I do sometimes look for sandwiches but they do not have many of them and quite often they have sold out! Most restaurants and cafe's are now realising that there is a big market for gluten free products (I am quite often able to order fish and chips gluten free). Come on M & S please stop lagging behind! From one frustrated cafeteria user!! DELIA ROPER

More and more like a greasy canteen Really expensive food, slow service and filthy facilities… just poor Why does M&S continue with such poor services ? Would be nice to have reasonably fast service and clean facilities and also would be nice to have happy staff serving!!! Understaffed for sure

Located within the large Westquay shopping centre we were surprised how empty the cafe was but then again there’s plenty of other options close by that don’t have the ambience of a school canteen! Not a problem for us as all we wanted was a hot drink and M&S iced and spiced fruit buns. The girl operating the drinks machine and till was friendly and chatty. Tables were quickly cleared and cleaned.

We queued for 10 minutes to get to the service till and order coffee. The assistants were really slow and obviously need extra training. One kept taking an order then losing it when it came to payment. The chap making coffee didn’t look at all interested and was quite at home slowly and methodically making the coffees while we all waited. There were a lot of spare seats but no one could get past the counter. If you did get to the service counter, you wouldn’t have a lot on your tray as the majority of the scones and cakes had gone and no one in a M&S uniform looked bothered. Time to call time on poor service from these cafes, no wonder the high street is full of coffee shops.

Hadn't been to an M&S restaurant before so opted for this one for breakfast. Rather disappointing - especially as M&S is known for great food! We were all tempted by the luscious image of creamy looking scrambled eggs, alas, the reality was dry and did not taste as if they were fresh eggs. The toast was good though! I wouldn't go back, there are better restaurants available in the same shopping centre, though it was good to sit somewhere with natural light.

Healthy, hot, delicious and good value, our Country Veg Soups at M&S were spot-on. Clean tables, friendly service, busy. There's plenty of seating, but still, we tend to avoid peak times in store cafés and restaurants if we can, for a more relaxed meal. Very good guys...thanks...

Not impressed, especially since M and S has had a re-vamp and the downstairs food hall is excellent. Pizza is made fresh on the premises but I ordered one upstairs only to be told that they were waiting for a delivery of pizza on a lorry from elsewhere. What??? How cost-efficient is that? They are not allowed to bring them up from downstairs I was told. Unbelievable. Asked for a cheese baked potato instead and not impressed with its size nor the accompanying salad. Please do something about the LONG wait for service. I don't blame the staff - the restaurant is not being run efficiently by management. Also, please clear the tables more quickly.

Clean, well staffed , good choices , ideal to take the weight off your feet whilst shopping with coffee and food

I visited this cafe a few months ago for a morning coffee. I then tried to make a constructive observation that around 10.30am the public will pop in. Sadly then and today we had one cashier and one helper. Waiting ten to fifteen minutes to be served can be very frustrating. I have read the many previous adverse comments about the management style. Sorry to say it’s still abysmal. This fall well below the standards of any cafe let alone Marks and Spencer’s.

My husband and I went there today for Shopping and lunch. We had a quick look to top floor to choose a dining table, some tables legs were loose, couple of sofas arms needed to be screwed again. Cushions were not in presentable manor. In the restaurant They didn’t have scones for afternoon tea neither jacket potatoes, the tapas platter that i ordered was hardly enough for a child, bland and tasteless. They give us the table number asking us to wait for the food which came to our table but we were not informed to pick our own drink from the counter. So my husband soup got cold while we were waiting in the queue for our drinks. We paid £2.5 for a warm coke from a fridge that wasn’t on or broken. Overall a bad experience. I felt sorry for old, respectable English brand to be in this status. Hope M&S finds a way to improve the service.

I wonder if m&s management come here to see. Thought m&s used to be good... Sunday early lunchtime during patient visit Super slow Tables dirty and no one cleaning them No salad on menu...run out. It’s only noon! One person heard frequently very tired No sugar in dispenser Come on guys. It’s not that hard to run a simple cafe. Smile. Speed. Clean. The basics. Suggest m&s cafe team get a wiggle on or move on

My wife and family stayed in Southampton pre cruise and went to this cafe for morning tea on the day of our departure. Service was good and the coffee was hot and reasonably strong......could have been stronger though. Nice choice of cakes and biscuits as well.

Lovely chocolate cake and coffee. Kind staff and very helpful. My only criticism was the long wait to get served. Only one till open and all the tables needed clearing.

We were staying nearby and visited M&S for a late lunch in the first floor restaurant which was well configured and had a good atmosphere.In fact one of the best M&S cafes I have been in

Al leer varias críticas, parece haber confusión. En la planta baja hay una cafetería que sirve pastel, sándwiches y café / té.Arriba está el restaurante, el servicio de camareros y un extenso menú.Ambos son buenos lugares para visitar dependiendo de sus requisitos. Supongo que ya es un poco tarde para que Tripadvisor se divida en dos listas separadas, así que tenga en cuenta que cuando una revisión da una nota inferior, puede ser que no hayan estado donde pensaron que tenían.He usado ambos y siempre los encontré limpios, atendidos por personal bien capacitado y que sirven comida sabrosa y bien preparada.

Good variety of well presented food - a good service when you are in a hurry. They offer a selection of cold and hot food plus a wide selection of drinks to suit everyone

Pleasant and bright. Self-service but trays are cleared after you have eaten. Good place to rest between shopping and shopping.

We had our lunch here , food reasonably prices. I had a vegetarian dish and my wife had chicken. Both food were tasty, service was excellent.

Esta revisión se refiere a la cafetería M & S dentro de Southampton General. El café para llevar se sirvió a una temperatura tan ridícula que me quemó la boca y no se podía beber durante al menos 10 minutos. La mejor temperatura de leche para Caffe Latte o Cappuccino es entre 60 C y 70 C, no 100 C.

En nuestra visita más reciente nos decepcionó mucho el servicio descuidado y la comida mal preparada. La selección también ha sufrido. Nuestros dos platos fueron arrojados juntos en un plato y tirados en nuestra mesa. No tenía sabor y parecía prefabricado. Ciertamente no está a la altura de los estándares que uno esperaría. No volveremos.

Had a good toasted sandwich and flat white. Reasonable price and good service. But it is so grubby! Floor and chair dirty and everything sticky. Not good! You may be able to see from the photo of the glass wall.

Mi marido y yo a menudo paramos aquí para tomar un café cuando salimos de compras con nuestra hija de 3 años. El ambiente es agradable y espacioso por dentro. Por lo general, tratamos de elegir una mesa para que nuestra hija no moleste a los demás y hay imágenes para colorear y lápices de colores disponibles. El café siempre es bueno, y la ventaja es que obtienes una galleta pequeña con él. Sin embargo, en nuestra última visita mi marido pidió un desayuno caliente. Agregó frijoles, que ya había hecho anteriormente y sabía que cobran un precio exorbitante de 1 extra por unos pocos frijoles horneados. Sin embargo, en esta ocasión, al verificar el recibo, le cobraron 1. 75 por unas alubias en su plato de desayuno. Para mí, esto es un robo a la luz del día. Hice comentarios después de esto, pero nunca fue respondido. Creo que en el futuro me gustaría tomar un café, pero aconsejaría a otros que tengan cuidado al pedir alimentos, o al menos que los desafíe en la caja registradora para asegurarse de que sabe lo que le cobran.

Este restaurante solía ser genial hasta que se renovó hace un año o algo así, la atmósfera se ha ido, el personal no ha tenido ni idea y el menú no es muy bueno, es una lástima, solíamos ir muy seguido, pero no nunca más.

We had a pie & mash which looked very pretty on the plate but it tasted very bland. Quality does not warrant the price. The cutlery is absolutely unacceptable for supposedly m&s; standard. Corner cafe has better quality. Won't revisit

Want to review M&S; cafe at general hospital but no trip adviser site.Food service etc very good but air conditioning on full despite being one of the coldest days of winter.Not just cold but very draughty .It ruined my much awaited meal and hot drink.We noticed everyone was wearing coats and scarves in there.In contrast the Other cafes were all cosy.

Eggs benedict, our favourite , spoiled by being cold, could do so much better. Coffee good with Christmas tree shortbread on the side

Last week I witnessed the sterling efforts of only two cashiers on duty. They did everything. Took the orders, dutifully made up the drinks, took the money. They resembled a robotic performance of sterling magnitude dealing with two horrendous line of shoppers. Strongly suggest one should consider when to visit. Twice last week I visited around 11am to 12 noon. Such a pity because my early lunches were fine. I felt so sorry for the poor staff working under such circumstances.

30 minutes waiting for a toasted sandwich, really....🖓it may have been busy but obviously poorly managed

This is a typical department store cafe as opposed to a restaurant.I have only had snacks and not meals. Mostly...

Nada de las insignia M&S; tiene que ser bueno - y este no es la excepción la buena comida buen servicio buena relación buen ambiente, ¿qué desean? ? ?

Llegamos a una época muy concurrida cafetería estaba llena y las mesas están muy juntas, pero bocadillos eran la alta calidad esperada de Marks and Spencer y café y té recién hecho.

Fuimos a por un café y un pastel en un ajetreado día de compras. Las mesas estaban sucias con platos principalmente, pero el personal era clara trabajando duro para ellos.

Another great lunch with my daughter. I had to go back for another £5.00 deal with a sandwich and cake, coconut and lime is the best.Loved would go again.

Warm bacon roll,chicken sandwich,sponge cake,water and a pot of tea. All very nice.Quick service,clean.

Popped in after our mini cruise before travelling to Weymouth. Good clean facilities with foods such as sandwiches, pizza, fruit, cake tea and coffee.

My wife and I had our lunch here, and were pleasantly surprised. There was a short delay in the meals being served, but this was due to not having my choice of meal. Rather than just asking me to choose something else, they went downstairs and sourced what was required, and I have to say it was worth the short wait.

exactly what you would expect from a name like marks and spencers..probably the cleanest eatery we,ve eaten in.we had an afternoon snack,it was delicious.the service was 1st class

Popped in for a snack on the way to catch a ferry. Ordered tea cakes and coffee which arrived at our table within a few minutes, so good service. Nice coffee and tea cakes were toasted as we like them, so no complaints. Tables had been cleared so place looked as though the staff were doing their job. The big problem was the toilets. There are three women's toilets, a disabled one but only one men's toilet. No urinals, just the one cubical which looked as though it needed a good clean or better still refurbish the whole lot. Disappointing for what is an upmarket store.

We stopped here on a Wednesday lunchtime for a cup of tea and their sandwich variety pack. Service was quick and efficient at the till. There were a few empty tables which had all been cleared and cleaned. Food was exactly as we expected it to be for M&S.

M & S have just changed their menu again, which has resulted in some tasteless boring pasta dishes for vegetarians. Come on M & S, what's wrong with a Veggie Curry to match the Chicken Curry or a Vegetable Cassoulet? Even though the take away food is BRILLIANT they let themselves down in the restaurant. Nice scones though and good choice of cakes - but have been doing the same thing for a while. Good staff and clean, but gets VERY busy.

have not been to marks ,café Hedge end for some time , will not be going again , place needed a good clean , staff could not be bothered to help with chairs as I had a wheel chair with me , Soup really bad , not home made , very poor service

Today (Sat 14th Nov) my partner, his 16 year old son and I went for lunch at M&S Hedge End. We are not regulars, as see this kind of lunch as a bit of a treat. But we decided nonetheless, as we were having a lovely family day, we'd treat ourselves. And what a good decision it was :) We arrived at the entrance and saw rather a long queue; we were so hungry so stood anyway, in the queue. Within minutes of us arriving a (senior?) employee came into the middle of the queue, visible to all, and made an announcement - for all to hear. She got everyone's attention - and continued to then apologise for A) the probable wait for a table and also (more impressively) for the fact that, due to being 'extremely' busy there was a 20 minute wait on hot food. As she passed by I thanked her for her communication to us all - and for her honesty. I stated that it makes all the difference in the world when someone bothers to do that for the customers. Needless to say, we were relatively soon seated - with our delicious hot chocolate + mochas. Here, I might add, that as I paid for the drinks it transpired that a serendipitous error had occurred and they'd only taken for 2 drinks. I immediately got my purse out - however they said 'our mistake, therefore have it on us'. ! However, my main reason for writing is that, whilst seated and awaiting the food, the same lady who spoke to the queue at the outset, came to us and said she'd find out how long our food was going to be. We'd been waiting 15 minutes, so she had no need to do this. Again, what followed was frank honesty - letting us know how many orders were in front of ours. I again expressed my gratitude for her honesty. Finally, most impressive of all, 2 lads who then served our food gave us refills on our hot drinks for our wait! These 2 lads were Jack and Alex?? I failed to get the name of the lady at the beginning however would like to say, from our family, well done M&S and your customer service, communication and not least generosity is to be applauded. Lou McCabe

Rather disappointed with our visit here for lunch at the weekend. Lots of ingredients missing from the menu (despite being a supermarket)! Service was almost immediate, assuring us that the meals were not prepared fresh but in fact sat waiting to be ordered. Very expensive both for drinks and meals but not at all special. Baked potato was shoved on a plate with far too much Mayo in the tuna and the cauliflower bake from the "Taste" menu was undercooked and an extremely small portion. How disappointing!

Thus restaurant used to be a pleasure to visit. there was plenty of choice and it had a lovely atmosphere. Now it's dreadful sad looking selection of food, uninterested staff, dreary, dreary. If you have to eat gluten free food forget it. When I spoke to a 'manager' about what was available for gf he just shrugged his shoulders and smiled! It's such a shame as the place before was an enjoyable trip with lots of food choices.

We visited M and S cafe for a drink. There were lots of staff walking around but none of them bothered to clear the tables. Also coffee was spilt on the floor in the middle of the walk way and at least 5 members of staff stepped over the spillage before anyone bothered to put the signs up. We would not visit this cafe again and wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

We have visited this restaurant on several occasions and different times of day and different days of the week. 70% of the time they have run out of basic foods (such as Tuna Jacket Potato). We ordered our food and sat down twiddling our thumbs for 25 minutes when finally the waitress brought my food over and said they had run out of Tuna. There wasn't anything else that my wife fancied, so I sent mine back and we went to Wagamama. I said asked why they keeps running out, and they said it's a little busy today (half the tables were empty) and couldn't they just go to their own food hall and buy a few tins of tuna (they said it's a different cost centre or some other excuse).My advice - go to Wagamama for great service and excellent food!!

What used to be an enjoyable break from shopping, with a good tasty meal - lots of choice of cooked food (including roast), together with a shared bottle of wine, has now turned into nothing more than the equivalent of a motorway "cafe". The atmosphere has gone, the choice of food has gone (fine if all you want is a baked potato), and total chaos when trying to order your "snack". In fact, you are probably better off downstairs in Cafe Revive - there is a better choice of food there too! Personally, I think your "refit" is a total disaster.

Nice calm atmosphere and lots of choice of sandwiches and nice sweet things for afternoon tea. Or anytime really! Great quality as always. Next to food dept. which is good after a nice sit- down.

On short trip and ate in restaurant which the food was excellent highly recommend to every one visiting southhampton

I share the disappointment of the previous reviewer. Living locally I often pause during shopping to enjoy the atmosphere of this previously welcoming restaurant. Since the refit it has lost its charm. Today, a very quiet Monday, the queue built up to a 20 minute wait for service whilst one of the staff hampered all the others and talked almost non-stop to them. Several elderly customers had to go and sit down before they got as far as being served! I, and many others, kept queuing but by the time we got to sit down with our purchases, felt annoyed and very much in need of the sort of treat we had hoped to have. An erstwhile enjoyable restaurant has now become just another poorly run self-service cafeteria.

I took a relative to this restaurant for a treat as I had heard good reviews about the service and the fact that it had waiter service. I had never used the restaurant before but has often seen queues of people waiting to get in. I knew there had been a refit so I was shocked, and extremely disappointed, when I saw that it is now just a large cafe. The choices were poor and the whole atmosphere was more like a Costa or other coffe shop. This must be the worst mistake that M & S have ever made. Why did they ruin something that was good.

日曜日に行ったせいか、ものすごく混んでるわりに、それほど魅力的なメニューもなかったです。残念ながら、特にここを強くおすすめするほどではないです。

It's great to call in for a Latte coffee and a piece of cake, the staff are helpful and you do not feel awkward going in for a coffee on your own.

Combined shopping trip with light lunch before travelling to IOW. Shopping brilliant. Restaurant not so. Normally when dining in this type of establishment, one collects all one's food and drinks before payment is made. We collected our food and joined the queue by the drink dispensing assistant. She then told us what we were drinking. Pretty neat as we hadn't yet ordered any beverages. This feat of clairvoyance was incorrect (and therefore a very poor party trick). She then explained that drinks are ordered when you queue to pay and collected after payment. I can see the sense of this as it enables faster customer through flow. My own sense of clairvoyance is not great so....... WHY IS THERE NO INDICATION OF THIS PROCESS. No signs, no nothing. I wasted my time queueing twice, one of which was totally unnecessary. I agree with other respondents Restaurant Management need to wake up to customer's viewpoints.

Visited the downstairs restaurant as we have on several occasions. Thought it might have improved having had a facelift, but was unfortunately wrong. Long long wait to queue up and we only wanted a drink. The signs gave you the impression that there were lots of lovely cakes to chose from. They may well be lovely but there was nothing to choose from as there was nothing left! I would understand if it was late in the day but, not at 2.30 in the afternoon! We've always had to wait a long time for our drinks so taking another counter away was a big mistake. Whoever is in charge of this place needs to wake up! Very disappointing. I would expect more from M&S

I took my elderly Aunt and Uncle to M&S Hedge End to spend gift vouchers they had received for birthdays. As they are frail and 88/89 they cannot walk far and I knew they would need to sit down. I promised to take them upstairs for waitress service lunch which I had done once before, only to find it had changed and become like the downstairs cafe. We therefore used the downstairs restaurant but food was crammed into the narrow crowded entrance; there was little to choose from, mucky tables, and I felt I had let my relatives down. After a drink and danish we went back in the store to continue their treat of choosing clothes, but just felt that the restaurants have nosedived from good to very poor. Moreover, my Uncle needed to sit down rather than keep leaning on his walking frame, while my Auntie was looking at clothes and there was not a single chair in the shop. What would it take M&S to put a line of chairs along the white wall where the stairs rise; plenty of room for that and it would be nice to think elderly people were considered. In future my aunt and uncle will not ask for M&S gift vouchers. While they could order things online, the idea was to get them out of their home and let them choose clothes and enjoy a lunch, to see people and have a change. Clearly that was too much to expect.

Popped in for a much needed scone and a cuppa one afternoon. I was very surprised to see the cake area/plates etc looking very untidy and quite grubby/messy looking. This was about 3.30 in the afternoon. The young chap who served me/made the drinks was very polite and friendly. I noticed the cafe had many tables left uncleared along with high hairs still dirty fromLunch. I'm hoping this was a one off M & S - perhaps low on staff that day.

I have always held M&So in kind regards and it is it's standards I hold closest of all. The Hedge End store is usually excellent.I have waited till I have time to enjoy the café there on a day off work just into December, perhaps a sanctuary in all the hustle and bustle.... No.No glasses just plastic and I am not sure if it was fresh or just one someone had left there. At 2.30pm a poorly trained (not her fault) till operator mis-charged me and sold me something they didn't have.I am sad for this place as there is to me no good reason why it can't be better.Please improve please sort it out... The one in Basingstoke Chineham is so much better!

Yesterday my husband and I visited Marks and Spencer Hedge End to do some shopping and, when we had finished, to have a leisurely lunch with a glass of wine in the quiet ambience of the upstairs waitress service restaurant........so we thought! Imagine our surprise, but more our disappointment, to find out that since we had last visited (admittedly some months ago) there had been a complete refurbishment. The restaurant (which we understand had been run by an independent Caterer) had been replaced by a 'FOOD Hall and CAFE' which was self service and noisy in the extreme with no ambience whatsoever; as regards the food, hot or cold, the choice was extremely limited . As far as we are concerned- MARKS AND SPENCER you may be saving money but YOU HAVE GOT IT WRONG

On visiting this restaurant after a suppose upgrade we were very disappointed it was so noisy the hot food had little selection we choose a lasagne when it arrived it was very disappointing hardly any meat basically it was all pasta we felt it was not worth the money we certainly not be visting again.Wake up M@S you should be able to do better then this

Used to enjoy visit to this restaurant but now made self service ambiance ruined. Very noisy and plastic chairs. Supposed to have been an upgrade butmore of a downgrade!

Used to meet friends for lunch in the restaurant upstairs on a regular basis. It was lovely to have waitress service and have reasonable choices at reasonable prices. It used to be a little bit different from all the other stores and their cafés. Went this week for the first time since it's upgrade. Awful and so disappointing. It is now no more than a larger version of their coffee shop. Perhaps a few more food options but those are really nothing to write home about. The usual jacket potato or quiche type fare along with their coffee shop staples of sandwiches etc. I had a bloomer with eggs and bacon which turned out to be a small piece of toast with a sliver of bacon and bit of egg. Nothing more and not worth the price. They had run out of my first choice at 12.30!! Self service and staff who were friendly but clearly not happy with the changes as well. They were apologising to just about everyone for the changes because most customers were commenting on it. Won't bother in future. A quick coffee shop visit will be cheaper and will go elsewhere to meet friends for lunch ( which means we will likely be touring a different shop for out post lunch shopping spree!).

I went to m&s restaurant yesterday and orerd a toastie for £4.50 as I didn't want to spend too much money. The lady took it from me to toast and asked me if I wanted salad or coleslaw with that. I said coleslaw, and I was given a spoonful of it on the side of my plate. However when I went to pay I saw that I had been charged an additional £1.50 for the coleslaw. I went back to the counter where I got the toastie and said to the lady where does it say that coleslaw was £1.50 extra. She said "oh no, it's not written up there." I asked how I was supposed to know that there was an additional charge for the spoonful of coleslaw, and she said"oh you wouldn't know!" I was amazed! I assumed it was a bit on the side of your plate as you get with a plate of sandwiches! She asked me if I wanted a refund and I did get one, but how can M&S justify sneakily charging for coleslaw or salad when then there is no indication on the menu and I wouldn't have gone for it had I not been asked as all I wanted was a quick toastie! Very unimpressed.

Appallingly slow to serve, food unappetising, hardly much choice for hot meals. Positive side was that staff were friendly and tables were kept clean!

The upstairs restaurant used to be a place where we could sit and eat and relax in a warm atmosphere served by friendly welcoming waitresses and waiters - and the food wasn't bad either. Since the refurbishment the whole atmosphere is so, so different. No friendly welcome, the staff barely smile or speak and seem to be overworked. It's badly organised, the queuing system is chaotic, very limited choice of food. Gone are the comfortable seating areas. The only plus is now it's never crowded!Please M&S bring back our lovely restaurant which we used to enjoy so much.

Well the restaurant standards had definitely slipped. We used it regularly but by the end I would say let's go next door to sainsburys who were quicker cheaper and just better. The new restaurant, hah, coffee shop, is open, stainless steel hellhole. It's awful! Can they get any worse? Very little hot food, we went for breakfast and there was salmon and egg mash on toast and bacon and egg mash on toast. For four pounds. Or coffee and cake, and paninis Costa style. You queue for the coffee while one person makes it. The one serving us clearly didnt like her job. No, that's it now, sainsburys every time.

The restaurant is okay but I waited at the counter after paying for my coffee for about 15 minutes until it was ready as they seemed to be having some problem with making a simple latte.

Went to M and S this morning and was looking forward to the usual excellent breakfast (I usually have the eggs benedict) but the restaurant has gone to be replaced by a café. So went hungry as I didn't want a Bacon or Salmon roll! What a shame as it was a nice pleasant experience and also a chance to maybe try some of the food they sell. Now its just a copy of the one downstairs, will not be returning.

Having previously visited the restaurant and found this to be fine I have visited the downstairs cafe twice in the last week and both times had a good visit.On the first occasion we just wanted drinks and were pleased to see that they had introduced a drinks only station so that you don't have to queue for ages with the people who want food and drinks - this is much better.The staff were really lovely and friendly and it was easy to find a seat to enjoy or drinks which came with a free mini biscuit.On the second visit we had a jacket potato with chilli con carne and salad plus a toasted sandwich, two drinks and an iced sticky bun, the food was delivered promptly and tasted really nice. It was also reasonably priced at just over £13.It does get very busy at weekends but is definitely worth a visit.

This was a very disappointing experience. There is a serious absence of thoughtful experience design here - the acoustics are dreadful; the atmosphere is sterile; it's overstaffed yet there were no napkins, no cutlery, no glasses and rubbish on the floor. Then there was the food - if my greasy, flabby toasted sandwich is reflective of the highly regarded M&S Food Hall then I think the management should be concerned. I felt the staff weren't that proud of their new cafe either and that alone creates half of the issues. The table service system felt somewhat absurd - honestly, I really think you could have done better.

I went here today for lunch with two friends, in the middle of our shopping expedition. What a letdown. The whole place has changed and the menu choices now are akin to the downstairs cafe. The meal options amounted to a total of three, all the other things were more along the lines of snacks - toasted sandwiches, baked potato etc. We noticed that there weren't many customers, unlike previously when you often had to wait for a table. Who on earth thought this would be a good idea??? Won't be going back.

We visit Hedge-End M&S twice a year on our annual visit from France and have always found the restaurant to be a good choice for lunch before catching the boat back to France. We decided to go early and have their breakfast before doing our food shopping , got up the escalator, and noticed the entrance to the eating area had changed. Now there is a counter to choose your cake or scone. Next we realised that we had to order at the counter- and no breakfast as such-so we ended up with what turned out te be hot egg mayonnaise on toast with bacon bits and cherry tomatoes- which was actually quite tasty but not a breakfast. The joy of the restaurant was the waitress service and no need to balance cups and bags to find a table. On speaking to the waitress we were told that they had changed the format only two weeks ago as they had been losing money--because all the food was bought from the food hall downstairs without any discount for "in house ". How ridiculous is that?? Needless to say we will not be using this restaurant again- as the cafe downstairs is also serving similar snacks. Old ladies and gents( the grey pound-ers) do not want to battle through tables with a tray- even though assistance is available they do not like to be seen as needing it! Did the person who altered the status-quo actually visit the venue or has it been rolled out across the UK?Well cheesed -off!

When we tried to use the restaurant in M & S we discovered it was closed so went to the café instead. The café was very busy but I have to say a suited manager was working hard to find tables for people and assist some of the less able customers by carrying trays etc for them......whoever you are you are a gentleman ! My wife and I only had sandwiches and coffee but it was very good. Unfortunately I initially chose to sit close by a couple who were apparently having a business meeting. The hallmark of these people is that they normally buy one of cup of coffee and sit for hours to the detriment of those trying to find a table. They were clearly not M & S staff and the conversation was so loud and tedious I was compelled to move table to save my hearing. It would be nice if somehow M & S could manage this type of selfish customer and throw them out when deemed appropriate.

Went for breakfast/ ordered the eggs benedict . I watched it sit under the hot lamp for nearly 10 min, when it arrived the hollandaise was separated and the eggs hard boiled I sent it back. I also ordered 'freshly squeezed orange juice' to watch them pour it from a carton! Don't advertise freshly squeezed if it's not. I expect them to use one of those machines where the oranges get crushed. Overall pretty rubbish considering the extortionate prices

It's a bit like eating in an office restaurant, but at relatively high prices. We had roast beef, which was priced at just under £10, and fish pie. Not large portions, but were good quality. The fish pie was similar to one sold by one of the pub chains, but was half the price in the M&S restaurant. No problems with the service and we could have had a meal for the same price in a restaurant with more atmosphere. However, it was convenient when shopping in the store.

I visited recently and ordered the beef. The meal arrived pretty quickly so I was pleased as I was hungry and wanted to get home fairly quickly. Sadly the beef was hardly warm and on the edges positively cold. It took a while to grab someone's attention as I said I would continue to eat the veg whilst waiting. Only to realise the Yorkshire was stone cold. The beef was replaced and would you believe no different and worse so full of gristle you couldn't even cut it! The replaced Yorkshire barely warm and greasy and the plates are not hot either. I told the waitress that I would have made sure second time around it was a very hot plate and that the beef was steaming hot. No. I have eaten several times here but he last few have been horrendous experiences when the waitresses have agreed how bad things were. How could they get that so wrong? It's a fundamental basic that hot food should be hit surely ? It wasn't busy. I see no response on here re reviews. They don't care. Two stars only for the waitresses who are Lways nice if not incredibly frustrated. It's not fair on them they get the negative feedback.

Have been here several times for lunch but today standards have really slipped.We had to wait about half an hour for our order.my wife's meal was just about edible as was mine.Considering all food is from their food hall and only has to be heated through must say something.We spoke to the restaurant manager about the poor quality and was thanked for our feedback.Ithought we were complaining. Don't think we will be returning.

we have shopped at Marks and Spencer Hedge End for some years now , on two occasions now we have tried the restaurant ,(sorry to say never again) the staff are as nice as the staff on the shop floor , can't do enough for you , however the time of waiting for the food ,and when it did arrive there was one meal missing ,and that came as we were finishing ours , common people we asked for two of your burgers one with cheese and one without , how hard is that ?while we were waiting for the meals to arrive we noticed another table having the same trouble two meals out of three out ,and getting pretty fed up. others decided to just get up and walk out without receiving any service , WHAT IS GOING WRONG WITH THIS FOOD OUTLET /PERHAPS YOU SHOULD STICK TO M&S FOOD AND CLOTHES ,AND PACK UP THE FAST FOOD WE WONT BE EATING THERE AGAIN HAVE A LOOK AT WHATS HAPPENING IN THE KITCHEN

My wife and I have are regular shoppers at M&S Hedge End. Until recently we ate the restaurant 2 or 3 times a month. Not any longer. During November 2013 the standard of service and availability of meals has become worse and worse. The final straw was Thursday evening. We were advised that there was a wait of 30 minutes for food, they had no staff and that they were still clearing up from lunch. Also the advertised Christmas dinner was not available.If you intend to eat at the restaurant after 6pm expect to be let down

With such a cross-section of various restaurants to experience a wide variety of different cuisine, it is always good to identity a place that must remain so quintessential British. And how we love M & S! After a good shopping trip it enhances the experience to slip into this eating place. One is never disappointed by the selection of food and the friendly service. And if something has been good the possibility is there to go back to the Food Hall and take it home. And of course the seasons are reflected in the cuisine on offer, and Christmas is certainly no exception. One need not recommend this place: we just love it!

My mother when there with here friend 5 Nov for lunch. The place was very busy and the witnesses were moving dirty plates on to other tables so they could clear a table for my mother to sit at. The piles of plates got bigger during their visit, no one thought to take them through to the kitchen. They had to wait 45 minutes before their meal arrived and when it did it was cold. They were going to have a dessert but the waitress never got back to them to take their order. They arrived at 12.30 and left at 2 and in all that time they only got one drink and their main course, the waitress never got back to them. She will not be eating there again.

I had lunch at the restaurant in M&S yestaday the food was just fantastic I had the beef roast and my wife had the sea bass, It was a little noisy however clearly a very popular place to eat. It's was a luxury lunch for us We Will be going back

This was excellent value for money - £10 per head which included a main meal, desert and a drink (either one glass of wine or a soft drink). My daughter, granddaughter and I got there at approximately 2 o'clock yesterday (30 August 2013). Everyone else seemed to have the same idea, which is probably an indication of its popularity. However as a result the restuarant was packed, the noise level precluded conversation and we had to wait for our meal to arrive as the staff were rushed off their feet, but it was well worth waiting for. All the meals on the menu included the calorie values, so for anyone counting calories it could not have been easier.

This was our second visit to this restaurant having not been for about 18 months nothing had changed. It still looks nice and clean and it was easy to get a table even though it was Sunday lunchtime.The restaurant situated in the Marks and Spencer store is on the first floor and can easily be accessed by escalator or lift.You have to wait to be seated. The staff were friendly and brought us menus. We had enjoyed the eggs Benedict on our first visit and decided to have this again as it rarely appears on menus. We also ordered two coffees.The food did arrive before the drinks but everything was good and we enjoyed our lunch very much.

I am SO surprised to o see some of the reviews of this restaurant. My wife and I had breakfast there today and I had wonderful food and perfect service. The staff were fast and really friendly, one, called Bobbi, was a pure delight, and my wife's veggie breakfast and my Eggs Benedict were really fine. Coffee was good too. The staff had time for a chat and the whole experience was really lovely. We always come here to Marks when we visit once a year from Sydney, Australia, and we will be doing the same thing when we come back next year. Nice to see a fine new Deli in the food shop there too!

I went to this restaurant as a treat before an event in the afternoon. Both me and my mum have allergies and told the waiter who said it was not a problem. After fourty five minutes our meals arrived and the food obviously had stuff in which we were allergic too. There was no apologies for this and the food was taken back for us to wait even longer. When the meal finally came we had to quickly eat in order to get to our event on time (being there for much longer than an hour). When we went to pay the bill they tried to overcharge us, again no apology when this was pointed our. Would not go back, was expensive for a disapointing experience!

A fairly trendy minimalist bistro look at the Hedge End restaurant. Mains vary from six to 15 pounds roughly. There is a menu though which includes a small glass of red or white for free. Fairly small menu, but nice choice. Good to meet friends. Service hit and miss. WAitress today was extremely offhand so left no tip!

I decided to give this restaurant another chance - big mistake. The service was exceedingly slow, the quality of the food poor. The food was not hot, it appeared to have been left on the counter for quite a while before being served. My order was muddled I was repeatedly offered the wrong order, and one desert arrived 5 minutes before the other. I will not be returning.

Had lunch here with my mum. After being told it was a half hour wait for food our meals were literally thrown at us after 10 mins. My bowl was chipped and mum's curry was splashed all over the serving plate. The portions were minute. Although mine tasted very nice I would have liked more than 4-5 spoonfuls. We had a dessert to fill the gap and they were very nice. The restaurant was cavernous and very noisy and staff were rushing around. One knocked into me but didn't even notice as she was so busy. I don't think I'll be repeating the experience.

Whent there with My wife for lunch, never been before. Staff friendly enough. It was 11.50am and when the waitress took our order (2 sandwiches) we were told that she couldnt take lunch orders untill 12 as they were still serving breakfast. OK a bit wierd but accepted. she came back some 15 mins later to take our lunch order. This is where it got a bit weird my wife ordered the chicken/bacon/lettuce sandwhich without bacon, which was fine, I ordered the steak sandwhich, which came with wedges, i dont like wedged so asked If I coudl have chips instead (they did chips with other meals) and we were told no, you cant change the specification of the menu. My wife being a waitress most of her adult like questioned this, the waitress still said that it was policy not to change the menu. My wife promptly ask to speak to the Manager, as she felt this was a stupid and unecessary rule. The waitress came back some 5 mons later to advise that the Chef said on this occasion we could have chips. But then asked if I wanted mustard on my steak sandwhich (we thought you couldnt change the specification). The food was good quality but the chicken sanwhich came toasted, but it didnt say so on the menu. 2 sanwhiched and 2 cokes and a cup of tea £23.00.(a bit expensive) Wont go back on principle becuase of the chip/wedge fiasco. In the restaurant where my wife works, they get asked all the time to change the menu spec, its NEVER a problem.

Having got into the restaurant BEFORE lunch was being served, we were attended to and offered the menu and drinks. After ordering, the server then returned to say that there was at least a 20 minute wait for 'our menu choice' but not more than 30 minutes. OK, so my son and I happily chated away. Then out of the corner of my eye, after half an hour's wait, I could see a plated meal at the serving counter resembling my order, with a cone of chips. Our server eventually got to the counter, looked at 'my food', and then went to the cash desk and looked at the computer screen. Back she went to the serving counter, and spoke to someone (obviously my son's food wasn't forthcoming) and proceded to shift my meal along the counter, then onto the hot serving counter where it sat. After 2 minutes of watching this, our server came over and said my food was ready, but my son's would be forthcoming 'in 2 minutes'. I said...is that my food sat on the hot counter to which she said yes. She asked whether she should bring me mine, I said yes, then she said my son's food would be 2 minutes. I said I'd have mine right away. She went and fetched it over, and as she left, I could see the food wasn't anywhere near hot (steak ciabatta with chips). My son's food was presented over 5 minutes later. His food was hot and delicious, my steak was unchewable. OK, so I don't like rare steak, but if the steak had been sliced it would have been edible.On paying the bill, I said the cashier, that I now remembered why I had only been in the restaurant 3 times in 5 years, and that was because of the SLOW SLOW SERVICE. Shame, as I shop in Marks at least twice a week, and an occasional meal would be very pleasant.On leaving the restaurant, I said to the eager waiting queue to allow at least an hour before any food surfaced!!!

Despite M&S saying that they were looking into the lack of Gluten Free choices in their restaurant I discovered last night that absolutely nothing has changed.My husband and I were attempting to get to Southampton but due to an accident on the M27 we got stuck at Hedge End. Not been able to continue our journey or get home because of the gridlock we decided to sit it out and eat. Having been told by the management in December that they were looking into the gluten Free issue I felt fairly confident that we would be able to eat...Wrong. I didn't even get past the 'Wait to be seated" point being told they didn't do Gluten Free. WHY? Like I have said before you have food on your shelf in the food department why do you not care about those of us who have dietary requirements. I cannot tell you how this influences my whole perception about M&S. Disappointment doesn't even cover it.

My Wife and I popped in to the restaurant mid afternoon for a sit down meal. We were greeted by a surly girl with a foreign accent who didn`t seem to be bothered about anything, and moved round the restaurant with the speed of a snail.. We were seated and given menu`s, after about 15 minutes waiting we asked the girl who seated us if we could order. She replied that she did not take orders, but should wait for a waitress! After a few minutes another girl appeared and took our order. Another 10 minutes elapsed before we got our meal. we have used this restaurant in the past and it has always been a good service. Not until M & S retrain their staff in attitude control will we be returning.

Having eaten here and had great experience in the past we were very disappointed this time. The fish and chips came with cold chips as did the burger. My daughters macaroni cheese was poor and inedible. When we complained the waitress did try and make amends , said she would pass the feedback to the kitchen and asked if we would like a comp drink. Will not eat there again.

Last night my husband and I decided, after a busy day at work, to eat in the M&S Restaurant at Hedge End before doing our Christmas shopping. We have never eaten there before although, I have had the occasional coffee there. I am Coeliac and so require a gluten free diet. As I shop at M&S regularly I am aware that they do sell gluten free products and so I expected the restaurant to be able to accommodate my dietary requirement. To say the least I was surprised when I was told there was nothing available but salads as everything else contained gluten. I was sitting within sight of the food section where I know that they sell gluten free products but for some reason, that escapes me, M&S appear not to be prepared to make it available to their restaurant. The final insult to the meal was when I was asked would I like a pudding... of course the answer was "yes please", to be then told sorry we don't have anything that is gluten free! I now speak directly to you M&S ...So Why? I was told by your waitress that you have lots of complaints about this. You fail on many counts and quite honestly you should want to rectify it immediately. If you know about it then do something about it. I have a medical condition that gives me absolutely no choice but to eat a gluten free diet. I shop in your food section because of your gluten free products so why not extend these products to your restaurant. It obvious there is a need hence the complaints. We don't ask for a extensive menu as Coeliac's just one or two dishes from each section. After all you don't even need to stock them you just have to go down stairs and get them off the shelf!

I must say what a great change has been made to this restaurant, in is now a very pleasant experience to sit in there, with what seems a lot more space. very nice cakes & Earl Grey TEA

Very very small portions I took my mum here for lunch and I was so embrassed when our beef in red wine came out which was meant to be served with mash it was about a teaspoon of mash on top of about 3 bits of beef in gravy. Paid 10 pound for a meal but had to cook again when got home as was starving.